Page 36 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

He and his father had a decent dinner, and by the time Mitchell was ready to fly back to the city, he’d managed to weasel a few more details out of Josh.

“Listen,” his dad said as he shrugged on his long, wool coat in the lobby. “If you miss her so much, make sure she knows it.”

“She said she needs some time apart.”

“Yeah, and maybe she does. But that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out. Remind her why she fell for you in the first place. You know, one time in the beginning with your mom, I did something to piss her off real bad. I mean, she gothot.So what did I do? I didn’t bring her flowers. Hell, no. Instead, I went to her daddy’s house and told her parents how I’d messed up. Told them that I loved her. And asked for her hand in marriage on the spot.”

Josh laughed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dad, I don’t think that’s gonna work this time.”

“Well, it’s an idea.” He pulled Josh into a gruff hug before slapping his back. “I know I’m not good at showing it, but I’m proud of you, son. Both you and your brother. And I can’t stand seeing you mope like some lovesick teenager. So do something about it.”

Josh waved his dad off before wandering back to his suite, his morose gaze falling over everything with a sense of something lacking. This hotel, the suite, hell, even his future—all of it looked better with Amelia in the picture.

Maybe his dad wasn’t entirely off base with that story about his mom. He might not ask for Amelia’s hand in marriage, but he might do well to show up at her parents’ house and offer up even more of himself and his pride.

Because one thing was for certain. He wanted Amelia. Nobody else came close to making him feel this way. Never before and probably never again.

He’d give her one more day.

And then if by Christmas Eve, he hadn’t heard from her?

He’d be paying her parents a visit.

20

AMELIA

Amelia darted down Main Street at noon the day before Christmas Eve, feeling a lot like a thief on the run.

She didn’t want to be seen. Not by anyone. Because every inch of her crawled at the thought of what she was on her way to do. But she needed to know the truth.

Did Colin Forest want to hire her for her skills or because he wanted to pull her away from Josh in some frustrating corporate power move that was never about her?

She’d taken a position at Denton Hotels right out of college and she’d been content to grow within the company, but after Colin had pressed his business card into her hand, she’d been plagued with what-ifs. What if there was a better opportunity out there? One where she could be on an even playing field with Josh career-wise? Obviously it wouldn’t happen right away, but if Forest Hotels was expanding into new markets, it would be a great stepping stone for her.

Assuming it wasn’t all BS. She needed to know.

Amelia walked into the downtown diner. The scent of burgers and coffee filled the air, and she immediately spotted Colin tucked into a booth in the far corner, his nose in his phone. He looked up as she approached and set his phone down on the table as she slid into the red high-backed booth, breathing heavily.

“Hi there.” She tucked some hair behind her ears, drawing a deep breath. “Wow. I feel like I ran a mile or am betraying the person I’m closest to in the entire world. Maybe it’s both.”

Colin’s cool smile didn’t waver. “Betrayal is a strong word. Josh would understand if you took a competitor’s offer based on sheer practicality. We pay more and offer better benefits, because we’re a company that still values morality over corporate-level profits.”

Amelia smiled up at a waitress who stopped by to offer a menu and a glass of water. “Just coffee, please.” She handed the menu back.

“And furthermore, we don’t ask our employees to lie. For any reason.” Colin offered a small smile. “I heard about what happened with the Cedar Grove deal. I’m shocked Stan Lewis chose to reward that style of business negotiation, but I’m sure there was some sort of kickback engineered that I’m unaware of.”

Amelia frowned. There had been no kickback. And Colin clearly missed the memo about Josh coming forward to admit his deception. But defending him right now was beside the point. She was here for the potential job.

“I can’t imagine what would compel a man to lie like that to begin with,” Colin went on, sounding more and more self-righteous. He sniffed, sipping his coffee. “You can rest assured that our deals are never underhanded.”

“His mother,” she blurted and then realized she’d spoken without meaning to. She cleared her throat, heat creeping up her neck. “He, uh…he has an attachment to the hotel because of his mother.” She wouldn’t say more, so she just offered a wan smile.

“Assuming that’s the truth.”

Self-righteousness was slowly building inside her as he dismissed her comment. “How are your wife and kids?” she asked him as she took a sip of too-hot coffee.

“Pardon?”

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