Page 129 of Battle with a Billionaire

Grant rolled his eyes at the statement. “That’s not true. Although, I know you were relishing Julia’s memory loss and the trouble it was creating. Which reminds me, when are you moving out?”

“Moving out? What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re overstaying your welcome here. Your antics while we were dealing with Julia’s medical problems weren’t appreciated. I’d really like you out by the end of the month.”

“End of the month? Grant! How could you do this to me?” Lydia’s features pinched as she feigned upset.

“Oh, stop,” Grant said as he strode to his desk and eased into his chair. “I’m certain you’ll find something suitable and enjoy life without all of us badgering you at meals.”

“I just can’t believe I’m being thrown out of my own house and asked to leave my own family behind.”

“This isn’t your house,” Grant said with a sigh. “It’s mine. And Julia’s. And Sierra’s.”

“And that bastard son of yours? He’s not being asked to move out.”

Grant sipped his drink again, his fingers tightening around his glass. Lydia’s behavior, expected and typical, still incensed him. “He’s here temporarily like you were supposed to be. You were never supposed to stay here permanently. You know that. I’m hardly asking for anything unreasonable.”

Lydia paced the room like a caged animal, her features sharp and angry. The afternoon sun cast a harsh light across her features, deepening the lines etched into her face. “And if I don’t find anything suitable before the month is out?”

“Move back into the hotel.”

Lydia’s features twisted, and her fingers curled into fists. The calculating glint in Lydia’s eyes was unmistakable. It hinted at something more than familiar discord, something darker. It was a silent alarm, subtle yet insistent, that a storm was coming. “I cannot believe you, Grant Harrington! You are a horrible man. And soon, you’re going to lose everything dear to you. Including your precious Julia!”

She spun on a heel and stormed from the office. He couldn’t help but sense an unspoken threat in her parting words.

Grant leaned back against the chair’s supple leather with another sip of his bourbon. His ex-wife was a storm that could ruin anyone’s day. Her threats, laced with venom, were a harbinger of bad things to come. But with Julia’s recent recovery, no one could rain on his parade.

“Something wrong with Lydia?” Kyle asked from the doorway, his expression a mix of skepticism and annoyance.

“Isn’t there always?” Grant flicked his gaze to his son again. “Everything okay with Julia? You didn’t leave her alone, did you?”

“Just for a minute. She asked for the cookies she never got at my place.”

Grant shook his head with a soft smile. “That woman and her junk food.” The smile faded and he set his glass down. “Oh, unless that was just a distraction to get you out of the room so she could do something she shouldn’t.”

Kyle waved a cell phone in the air. “I took her phone. I know she has the computer, but I don’t plan on being gone that long. I thought you might like to know she seems fine.”

Grant arched an eyebrow at his son’s latest coup with the phone. He’d done the same thing. Maybe Julia was right and they had more in common than he realized. “That’s good. Hopefully, that holds.”

“I’m going to keep a close eye on her. Don’t worry, we had a discussion about what happened, and she seems fine with that, too.”

“Julia is more forgiving than she ought to be,” Grant said.

Kyle pressed his lips together at the words, his jaw tensing.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to come across as confrontational.”

Kyle heaved a sigh as he leaned against the door jamb. “I guess I had it coming.”

“No, you didn’t,” Grant said as he rose and crossed to pour himself another drink. “I know we have our issues, but I’d like to put them aside for Julia’s sake. She’s had a rough couple of days.”

“I appreciate that,” Kyle said. “Julia’s wellbeing is my first priority.”

Grant’s jaw clenched as he considered his second priority: winning his wife over. “Mine, too. And I really don’t think she needs the added stress of us arguing constantly.”

“No, not with the other threats still looming which I’m sure she will be onto the moment we let her.”

Grant’s eyes narrowed as he twisted to face his son. He’d been spending a good bit of time investigating DG Industries, and he’d even provided them with a few clues that had led to information. Useless information, so far, but still information.

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