Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
GRANT
G rant let his fork clatter against the dessert plate, eager for the meal to end. His eyes hardly ever strayed from the man next to his ex-wife. A casual observer may assume jealousy bloomed over his ex-wife’s flirtatious behavior with the man but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
He didn’t care one iota about who had the misfortune to fall into Lydia’s arms. What he cared about were the constant looks the latest addition to his dinner table continued to give his current wife.
Luke Hawthorne was a thorn in his side during the entire trip to Harbor Cove. In fact, he was the biggest threat to their marriage he’d encountered. Not even the string of horrific events that they’d endured in the nearly two years that they had been together had struck as deep a fear into his as this man.
His mind wandered back to the fateful argument that had nearly ended their relationship and the events leading up to it. Visions of Julia sailing into port after spending an entire night at sea with the man floated back to him along with the bitter words they’d exchanged afterwards.
He’d demanded to know if they slept together. She’d denied it, stating that maybe they shouldn’t be married anymore. He’d thought he lost her then when she’d stormed out of that room, but miraculously she had come back, rescued his daughter from a frightening situation, then returned with them to New Orleans after a harrowing night when her sister had stopped them from seeing each other.
He thought he’d left the problem of Luke Hawthorne behind then. He hadn’t cared how it happened or why, just that she’d returned to Harrington House at his side. But now the man sat at his dining table, apparently a few million dollars richer thanks to Lydia.
That fact alone soured his mood considerably. Suddenly the small-town man who already posed a large threat became even more menacing.
Luke had captured Julia’s heart once already. And now he had even more tools in his arsenal. Could Grant compete with the new version of Luke?
He shifted his gaze to Julia. An unknown emotion clouded her eyes. He couldn’t read it, but she seemed overwhelmed. He noted the tension in her shoulders and the pinching of her eyebrows.
As they rose from the table, he touched her elbow, silently signaling her to wait before she followed the group to the living room. He desperately wanted to do something to make the situation better. “Hey, you okay?”
She glanced up at him and nodded. “Yeah. I’m just…shocked.”
Annoyance coursed through him. “I’m not. Lydia did this on purpose. Where is she getting the money to bankroll him, though?”
“And how deep in with her is he?” Julia asked, turning pensive.
The statement only added to his aggravation. Her concern about Luke twisted his stomach. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I probably had too much to drink.”
He rubbed her arms, wanting to take her pain away as much as possible. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t have gotten through dinner without a steady flow of bourbon. And I can’t wait to have another.”
She laughed at the statement, flicking her gaze up to him. “I think I’d better quit and just put on my big girl pants and deal with this. It just…stunned me.”
Her lips bobbed for a second before she said, “I wonder if Ally knew about this. If she didn’t tell me…” Julia shook her head as she crossed her arms.
“Oh, speaking of, I had Worthington get you a replacement phone. I was afraid your sister may beat down my door if I didn’t.”
“Instead, Luke waltzed right through it.” She pressed her palm against her forehead.
A surge of protectiveness raced through him. “Hey, if you want me to ask him to leave…”
She sighed and shook her head. “No, you’d better not. Let’s just hope this wraps up quickly.”
“And that your friend can do what he says he can. If we can take away even a little bit of Lydia’s power, this would be far easier.”
“I know,” Julia said. “Although I’m not sure how much easier it’ll be. Just because she can’t hurt Sierra doesn’t mean she won’t have something else up her sleeve. She’s already come after you how many times.”
“And you. That’s the one thing Kyle and I agree on. I want you out of the line of fire as much as possible.”
“I appreciate that,” she said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “We’d better get in there.”
“Yes, I don’t think we can avoid it much longer.”
She nodded as she took a step toward the door when he pulled her back. “Hey, if it gets too intense, let me know, okay?”
She smiled up at him as she slipped her hand into his again. “Thanks.”
They strode to the living room. Each step felt like he was walking toward his doom. He had no desire to deal with Luke or even Julia’s other friends. Guilt coursed through him about that. She finally had someone from her past at Harrington House, and he hated it.
She’d even brought them to help him, and he still found himself aggravated by how easily they conversed with Julia, how close they seemed to her despite years of not seeing her. He lived with her every day and didn’t feel nearly as close.
Worthington delivered him another bourbon as he entered and offered Julia a brandy to help with her nerves. They parted ways with Grant headed toward Sierra who glared at her mother and Luke.
As he crossed the room, he came to the sudden realization that in the two years she’d lived here, she’d never had a single personal moment within these walls. She’d never had a friend over, never invited family, never intruded on their lives.
The thought settled in the pit of his stomach, weighing his heart down, too. Why hadn’t he pressed her to expand her presence here? He wanted her to feel at home here, but he’d done a terrible job. Had he been so concerned with himself that he’d ignored her when he should have cherished every moment? He vowed to do better moving forward…if he had the opportunity.
“Hi, baby,” he said as he approached Sierra. “How are you holding up?”
Her narrowed eyes never left her mother and Luke. “Why is he here?”
Grant glanced at him, his jaw clenching. “I guess your mother convinced him–”
“To make a play for Julia?” Sierra asked.
“I was going to say to go into business with her but…”
Sierra shifted her angry gaze to him. “Really? Please tell me you are not actually that stupid.”
“That’s a little much, Sierra. I have built a billion-dollar energy empire.”
“But failed in almost two years to tell the perfect woman for you that you want to stay married to her.”
Grant sucked in a breath. “Guilty. Julia is…”
“Going to leave us for Luke,” Sierra finished for him before she poked him in the chest. “Unless you do something.”
He flicked his gaze sideways, spotting Julia speaking with Alex. They seemed to be intensely discussing something that brought color to her cheeks.
“Easy, Sierra. Your mother probably just brought him here to make the dinner uncomfortable and throw things into chaos. It’s probably just a distraction.”
“Don’t downplay this, Daddy.”
“I’m not. I’m just…trying to keep it in perspective. I know I don’t like Luke, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything nefarious going on here.”
“Pretty certain all the looks he kept giving her over dinner were nefarious. And then Julia kept drinking more and more wine. You know what happens when women drink lots of wine and then guys look at them like that?”
Grant sucked in a breath, his annoyance building again. “Yes, Sierra, I do.”
“I don’t think you do. Or maybe you’d try looking at Julia like that so she’d stay here with us instead of sailing off with Captain Luke and his ten-million-dollar yacht club.”
“It wasn’t a…never mind.”
“Daddy,” Sierra said with a stomp of her foot and a pleading expression, “I need Julia to stay here. I need her to tell me nice things about me so I can feel better.”
“I tell you nice things. You’re smart and capable, Sierra.”
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Stop, you don’t do it like Julia does.”
She flicked her gaze over his shoulder before she flung a hand in the air with a huff. “And now Kyle’s moving in on her. This night is awful. It’s almost as bad as our vacation to Maine. Daddy, do something!”
“Fine, fine. I’ll go see what’s going on. Stay here and stay out of trouble.” Grant crossed to his son and his wife. “Hey, everything okay here?”
“Yes,” Julia said with a nod. “Alex is intent on getting rid of Lydia’s leverage as soon as possible, so with any luck, one of our problems will soon be gone.”
“We can only hope,” Grant said.
“How is Sierra holding up?”
Grant glanced behind him, finding her chatting with Ava and Alex. “She may need that reminder you promised her sooner rather than later. She’s incredibly upset that her mother brought Luke here.”
“Aren’t we all?” Kyle answered.
“I’ll talk to her,” Julia said with a nod.
“Thanks, Juls. I tried, but apparently, I don’t do it right. At least that’s what she said.”
“Can I trust you two not to get into a fight if I leave you this close together?”
“Don’t worry. We have a common enemy in the room. That automatically prevents any fights between us,” Kyle answered.
Julia stepped away from them, and Grant stepped back away from his son, afraid they would end up in an argument if he stayed.
“Whoops,” Ava said as she pressed a hand against his back and skirted around him. “Near collision.”
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t looking,” he answered as Julia collided with Luke, spilling some of her drink onto him.
“No, your eyes seemed transfixed elsewhere,” Ava said, following the direction of his gaze.
He tore his eyes from them, trying to pretend he wasn’t the jealous husband. He didn’t want another of Julia’s friends to accuse him of being overbearing.
Ava offered him a tight-lipped smile. “That can’t be easy.”
“Uh, it’s…fine. Julia and I are married now and–”
“Her ex just walked back through the door. I can understand this isn’t an easy situation.”
He huffed out a partial laugh. “You’re right. It’s not.”
“It seems your ex-wife did this on purpose.” Guilt flashed across her features. “Oh, I’m sorry. Julia and Alex told me what’s going on.”
He pressed his lips together, hoping he could trust her.
“Don’t worry, I understand complicated situations better than you’d think.”
The cryptic remark furrowed his brow, but he forced a smile onto his face. “I wish I didn’t.”
Her laugh seemed genuine. “I’ll bet. I’m certain Alex can solve part of your problem, though. He really is the best at what he does. Most people discount him because of his…interesting personality, but there is no one better.”
“We really appreciate your help with this.”
“Of course,” she said with a bob of her head.
“So, you knew Julia well in college?”
“We were sorority sisters, so I knew her fairly well. She’s such a sweetheart. But I’m sure you know that. Obviously, you married her.”
The statement stung. They had no idea he’d married her days after meeting her, not realizing he’d just stumbled upon the luckiest find of his life. “Right. She is…incredible.”
He hoped to ask Ava a few leading questions to learn more about Julia when Sierra interrupted them. “Hi Daddy, can we talk?”
He crinkled his brow, surprised at his daughter’s odd behavior. She’d been raised better than to interrupt a conversation like this. “Uh…”
“It’s super important. Sorry, Ava, I just need to steal my daddy for a second.”
“Of course,” the woman said as Sierra dragged him a few steps away.
“Sierra, what are you doing? I was trying to talk to Ava about Julia. I wanted to learn a little more about her for when I…you know…”
“There’s going to be no ‘you know’ if you don’t do something fast.”
He screwed up his face. “What?”
“Luke and Julia just left together. I think you’d better go find them.”
Grant scanned the room, finding Lydia with Kyle, and Julia and Luke missing as Sierra said.
“Daddy, go! Quick!” Sierra said as she shooed him from the room.
Grant downed the last of his bourbon and set his glass down before he strode from the room. Where had they gone and why?
A sinking feeling filled him as he strode down the hall in search of his wife. He spotted the closed library doors. His footsteps faltered but he forced himself to continue forward. Julia had been overwhelmed at the sight of her ex. And now he’d absconded with her.
He imagined Julia being dragged down the hall, her features pinched as she tried to protest. Was this Lydia’s idea?
He reached the library doors and pushed one open. He froze as he spotted Luke’s lips pressed against Julia’s as he held her face in his hands.
His heart pounded against his ribs as he stood stunned, staring at them. Part of him wanted to race across the room and rip Luke away from her. Maybe they could have it out once and for all. The visceral urge to fight for what he wanted tightened one hand into a fist.
But the other part of him remained stunned. Julia had picked Luke once before. She’d agreed to marry him. Had she only returned with him for the contract?
Maybe she loved him. Maybe she wanted him. The fear and doubt paralyzed him.
Across the room, Luke pulled back from her, still caressing her cheek. She didn’t pull away from him. Her eyes slid sideways, going wide as she spotted him.
“Grant,” she gasped, a tremor in her voice. Was it the shock of being caught?
Betrayal filled him. His wife loved another man. He’d lost her before he’d ever had her. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He wanted to shout that he loved her, that he wanted her for himself, but instead, he said the only three words that came to his mind. “Sorry to interrupt.”
A lump formed in his throat as he spun on a heel and retreated, embarrassment, anger, shock, and sadness coursing through him.
She called after him, but his anger burned too bright to speak to her right now.
Alone in the softly lit hall, his facade crumbled. He slammed a palm against the wall, fighting back a surge of emotion. The turmoil raging within him made his eyes sting with tears, a rare crack in his stoic exterior.
He blinked them away and forced himself down the hall. With each step he took, his fingers curling into fists, he replayed the image, shifting the blame to Lydia and Luke. This was planned. Julia had nothing to do with it.
If he wanted her, he had to fight.
He strode into the living room and went straight to the drink cart, pouring himself a bourbon that he downed in one gulp. An internal battle raged inside him. Was the choice he was considering a way to protect Julia or simply stoking his own jealousy?
“Is there a reason you’re tossing back bourbons like that?” Kyle asked. “And is it related to the fact that Lydia dragged me away from Julia so Luke could run off with her?”
Grant twisted to face him, his eyebrows pinching. “Lydia took you away from Julia?”
“Yep. She was talking to Luke. Of course, I inserted myself into that situation only to be literally pulled away from it by Lydia. And now Julia is gone and so is Luke.”
The information only further confirmed what he was telling himself. Julia had nothing to do with this. Lydia and Luke set it up. He had to avenge it. His decision was made.
He poured himself another bourbon, sipping this one much more slowly as he turned to Kyle. “Remember when you said we should destroy Luke?”
His son’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?”
“What did you have in mind?”
He channeled his anger into the request. He couldn’t let Julia slip through his fingers, but he couldn’t win her over with Luke here. He’d have to get rid of the man. And he didn’t care how he had to do it.