Page 91 of Redemption

“Absolutely. Go.” I waved him away.

“Love you.”

“Love you too, Nate. Even if you are a pain in the ass.”

“Takes one to know one,” he joked.

I rolled my eyes and disconnected the call, feeling like more of an equal to Nate than ever. I took a few minutes to center myself, enjoying the view and the sound of the ocean. I called Jasper to check in briefly, wanting to run an idea by him before putting it to Graham. He was enthusiastic about it and encouraged me to tell Graham.

Finally, knowing I couldn’t put off talking to Graham any longer, I took a deep breath and hit the button to contact him.

“Sloan.”

“Teddy Grahams.” I stood and walked along the patio, needing to stretch my legs. To move.

He sighed but ignored my nickname. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

“It’s always good to get away from the office. You should try it sometime.”

“Unlikely,” he muttered. “Though I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Thank you,” I said, touched by his sincerity.

“And I realize now that I may have been harsh the last time you were in LA. I’m sorry.”

Wow. Okay. “Thanks for saying that. It means a lot.”

He cleared his throat, and I knew that talking about feelings made him uncomfortable. So it wasn’t surprising when he changed the subject. “What do you know about Edward’s financial situation?”

I furrowed my brow. “Huh?”

“I finished my review of Halle Lovejoy. And I’m doing a financial deep dive on Edward.”

I groaned. My assistant, seriously? He hadn’t seen her face when I’d showed her one of the threats.

She’d been terrified for me. Outraged. Halle was one of the best people I knew. I trusted her implicitly. There was no way she was involved.

“Graham. We’ve talked about this. You can’t go investigating someone just because you don’t trust them.”

“I was right not to trust Edward, and you shouldn’t either. His family’s company is not as successful as they portray. They’ve sunk a lot of money into the ducal estate as well.”

“So…?” I asked. “I can understand why he might not want to go around broadcasting that fact. Wait.” I paused. “Why are you investigating him?”

“I’ve been thinking. Edward’s close to you. Has access to your place—opportunity. This money situation gives him a motive.”

God, he sounded like Jackson. Maybe the two of them were more alike than I cared to admit.

“Okay, Sherlock. Let’s not get carried away. It wasn’t Edward. He wouldn’t have asked me to marry him if he were behind the threats.”

“He proposed?” Graham sounded genuinely surprised. Hell, I was surprised myself. I hadn’t planned to tell him that. “Did you accept?”

“If I marry…” I said, trying not to smirk at his horrified tone. Graham so rarely showed emotion, it was nice to know that something had riled him up. “It will be for love.”

“Sloan,” he growled. “That’s not an answer.”

I considered dragging it out, torturing him a little longer. But ultimately, I said, “I don’t love Edward. So, no. I’m not marrying him.”

“So glad to see that you’ve finally come to your senses.”

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