Page 11 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

“Right, acceptance. When I plant kisses on people, that’s what I’m looking for, too.”

“Very funny,” Julia said as she rose. “Seriously. He just wants to be seen as family. I was the first person to treat him like that, and he mistook it for love.”

Alicia sucked in a breath. “I don’t know how you do this with this crazy household. Better you than me. Have fun at your lunch.”

“Thanks. Oh, and if you need anything, Worthington can help. If you want to go out, just ask him, and he’ll get James to take you or loan you a car.”

Alicia stared at her for a second before she shook her head and patted the arms of the chair. “I think I’ll just stay put in the safety of this million-square-foot room.”

Julia chuckled. “Okay, well, if you’re hungry or want tea, or whatever, just ask Worthington. If you don’t, his feelings get hurt.”

“I will definitely ask him for something. You can count on me.”

Julia blew her sister a kiss before she strode from the room, heading for her office to grab her purse, phone, and keys. As her feet hit the marble floor of the foyer, she hesitated, considering checking on Grant again.

She peered through the slightly open door to his office. He paced the floor, his phone pressed to his ear. The tension in his shoulders had returned.

She wanted to offer her support, but she didn’t want to interrupt him. She’d check back later.

The sun warmed her skin as she pushed outside and crossed the property to retrieve her car from the garage.

Within the hour, she was pulling up to the valet station at the Riverwalk Bistro. The hostess led her to an already waiting Kyle at a table overlooking the water.

He leapt from his seat as she approached with a grin. “Thanks for meeting me. And not ditching me.”

“I’d never ditch you,” she said with a chuckle. “You really need to start accepting that your family will always be there for you.”

“You almost weren’t,” he answered wistfully as they perused the menu.

“That’s not true. I told you in your note that I was always a phone call or text away, just like I said to Sierra. I told you both the same thing.”

“Don’t tell Sierra that,” Kyle answered.

“Very funny. I would tell Sierra that. You are just as important as she is, no matter what her ego says.”

“Those are fighting words, Julia,” he answered as the waiter returned, and they placed their order.

He leaned closer to her once they were alone again. “So, how long is your sister going to be staying?”

“Is this why you asked me to lunch? So you can convince me to make Alicia leave?”

“No, I’m just making conversation.”

“Uh-huh. Conversation about Alicia—who you’ve threatened.”

Kyle winced as he shifted in his heat. “Sorry about that, but–”

Julia held up a hand, stopping him. “I get it. She was very rude in Maine.”

“Rude? Julia! She told us you took a restraining order out against us. That was cruel.”

Julia studied his icy blue eyes with a sigh. “You’re right. But I think she’s sorry about it.”

“Whether she is or she isn’t, I just don’t want her messing with our family.” He reached across the table to grab her hand.

“She isn’t going to do that.”

“How do you know? Maybe she’s just playing nice until she can steal you from us.”

Julia’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not leaving. No matter what Alicia says. There’s nothing she’s going to say to me to make me leave. She couldn’t achieve that in Harbor Cove, and she’s not going to do it here.”

Kyle bobbed his head up and down. “Okay, I’ll accept that. For now. But I’m still keeping an eye on her.”

“Seems like you and Sierra have teamed up on that front,” Julia said as their food arrived.

“We have a common enemy,” he said with a shrug.

“Alicia is not your enemy.”

“Let’s change the subject,” Kyle suggested.

“Okay,” she said as she allowed the conversation to pass. “What do you want to talk about?”

“You pick,” he said.

“Me? You scheduled the lunch. You pick.”

“Yeah, to spend time with you. Not to monopolize the conversation.”

Julia pushed the pasta around on her plate as she considered what to say. “Okay, I have something but you have to promise not to get upset.”

He froze, flicking his gaze up to her. “That sounds ominous.”

She wrinkled her nose. “It sort of is. I just think someone should know, just in case.”

He let his fork clatter to his plate. “Is Dad going to kick me out again?”

“No. Of course not. It has nothing to do with you or Grant.”

“Then what?” he asked.

Julia reached into her pocket and withdrew the note, sliding it across the table to him. “Someone delivered that to the house yesterday.”

Kyle read it before he snapped his eyes up to her, concern etched into his features. “Julia! You’re just telling me about this now? At least tell me you told Dad.”

She shook her head.

“What? Julia! This is serious. The game isn’t over yet? This has to be from Lydia.”

“But she’s in jail. I mean, is it just meant to rile us up?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it. You need to be careful.”

She heaved a sigh.

“And I think you need to tell Dad. He should have a security detail on you.”

She raised her eyebrows, an amused smile crossing her lips. “Wow, this is real progress on your part, Kyle. You actually want me to tell your father something.”

He offered her a stern glance. “I’m being serious. And yes, I want you to tell him because I think he needs to know so we can make sure you’re safe. Why didn’t you tell him?”

Julia sucked in a breath as she stared out over the water. “He’s been so…upset about what’s going on at HG that I didn’t want to add to the problems.”

“What’s going on?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He hasn’t told me which is weird, to begin with, but I can tell whatever it is, he’s not happy. I was going to tell him, I just was waiting until things settled.”

“Yeah, well, by that time, something could happen to you.”

She clicked her tongue as she let her gaze fall on her half-eaten lunch. “I thought this was over.”

“We all did. And maybe it’s just a false alarm, but we all need to stick together. At least until after Lydia’s in prison for good.”

“That can’t come soon enough.” Julia shifted in her seat as she recalled the frightening moments on the roof before Lydia had been hauled away in handcuffs.

“I agree. Until then, we need to do everything we can to protect you. Lydia can’t be happy about what happened. If she’d had her way, she’d have dragged you to who knows where and would still be using you to bilk Dad out of whatever she could.”

“At least that didn’t happen. She lost everything.”

“Which makes her all the more dangerous.” Kyle wiped his lips with his napkin before he tossed it on the table and waved at the waiter for the check. “Come on, we’ll go talk to him now.”

She slid the note into her pocket again before she rose. They left the restaurant, and Kyle followed her back to Harrington House.

She hated to do this with Grant already on edge, but her stepson had a point. Still, after she climbed from her car, her footsteps were slow and plodding. Kyle wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he led her to Grant’s study.

Julia paused at the door, her hand hovering over the knob. The weight of her new ring brought her both comfort and pain. Kyle wrapped his hand around hers and pushed inside, finding Grant staring at a spreadsheet. He twisted to face them, his jaw tightening at the scene.

“Something wrong?” he asked, his voice taut with tension.

Julia’s features melted as she studied his face, not wanting to ruin his day with this information.

“Yes,” Kyle answered. “Something is very wrong. We need to talk.”

Grant’s posture stiffened at the words, his stormy eyes shifting from his son to Julia, questioning.

She pressed her lips together as her heart thudded against her ribs.

The note, tucked safely in her pocket, felt like a shard of glass, ready to slice her open.

Memories of whispered threats and Lydia’s cold stare flashed through her mind.

The words were a chilling reminder of the shadows of the past that hadn’t fully receded.

A knot formed in her stomach as she considered the implications of the note. She hated to do this, but she’d have to ruin his day.