AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She offered a surprised glance, her brows knitting, as he rubbed her arms. “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.”
A chuckle escaped her as she flicked 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 moved though no sounds came out as she failed to be able to form words. She didn’t want to tell her husband that seeing him again had brought all the pain, uncertainty, and raw emotion she’d felt when she’d seen him last. A time when she’d nearly succumbed to the temptation to slip back into the warm familiarity of her past life.
Her mind flitted to those fateful days in Harbor Cove that had nearly changed things forever. She wondered if Alicia knew about this. She made a mental note to ask her sister when she realized her cell phone now sat at the bottom of a riverbed.
“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.
“Hey, if you want me to ask him to leave…”
As much as she wanted to hide, she worried it would make the situation even worse. Lydia didn’t do this so Grant could toss Luke out.
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.”
She sucked in a deep breath as they headed into the living room to join their guests. Julia scanned the space as they entered. Worthington delivered a bourbon to Grant, and a brandy to Julia. “Forgive me, Mrs. Harrington, but I felt you may need it.”
She smiled at him as she accepted the glass. “Thanks, Worthington. You are correct.”
After a sip, she strode further into the room. Alex grinned at her as Grant approached Sierra. “Hey, Sunshine, looks like a cloud is raining all over your sweet personality.”
Julia raised her eyes to Alex. “Yeah, it’s…complicated.”
“I can imagine. I don’t know what happened between you and Luke, but having your ex-fiance hanging out at your dinner table with your current husband seems…tense.”
“You have no idea. We were in Harbor Cove a few months ago and…things didn’t go well. Anyway, I’m sorry for the difficult dinner.”
“No worries, kid. I found it most entertaining, although I missed that fabulous smile of yours.” Alex flicked his gaze to Lydia. “I assume the Iron Lady is responsible for this little…social awkwardness.”
“She did it on purpose. She knows Grant and Luke don’t get along and that the situation is complicated between us.”
“Don’t worry,” he said after a sip of his drink, “I’ll have her leverage scattered into cyberspace in no time.”
“Thanks, Alex,” she said with a squeeze of his arm.
“Anytime, kid. Looks like the old man isn’t taking the latest development too well.” Alex arched an eyebrow as he cradled his drink in his crossed arms.
Julia followed his gaze, noting the tautness in Grant’s jaw as he stared at Lydia and Luke who laughed over a drink. She didn’t feel much different, though she questioned if it annoyed her that Lydia was trying to disrupt her marriage or if the annoyance came from jealousy over Lydia’s closeness with her ex.
“No, I can’t imagine he is. Maybe I’d better get over there.”
