“What is it?” he asked, keeping his voice level through sheer will alone.
“You’ve got a phone call from a Tyler Gibson…” his assistant Stella spoke to him nervously through a crack in the door.
“Take a message. Let him know I’m out of the office for the rest of the day.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “And if I have any appointments, cancel them. I’m taking the rest of the day off.”
“Of course, Mr. Montrose.” Stella closed the door silently, leaving him alone once more.
Roman sucked in a breath of air and turned toward his desk. He spied his keys waiting in the small bowl where he kept them and he grabbed them, juggling them in his hand as he headed for the door.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn’t pull it out to check the messages.
He knew Julianna had called and was probably texting him, but in his current state of mind, the last thing he needed to do was text her or call her.
His foul mood would rain over anybody who got in his way and nobody deserved that, least of all her.
21
Julianna
Julianna checked her phone.
Again.
Nothing had come in from Roman since the last time she’d checked all of twenty minutes ago.
There were several texts from Moira, and she knew she needed to get back with her friend, especially considering how adamant Moira was that they meet.
It was edging up on four o’clock and if they were going to get together for dinner, she needed to let Moira know.
“Twenty more minutes,” she told herself as she studied the layout for the spring catalog. It was due to go out at the end of the week, and although she’d already approved it, she always gave everything one last look before it went out.
Absently, she reached up to stroke the locket she wore.
It wasn’t until she’d been doing it for several seconds that she realized what she was doing and she pulled her hand away, curling it into a fist that she placed into her lap.
She thought back to lunch and the expression on her mother’s face—the second she must have recognized the locket.
“It’s a good thing Dad isn’t in the office today,” Julianna muttered, although she’d always known that sooner or later she’d have to come clean about the relationship with Roman. They were serious about each other and that didn’t look to be changing anytime soon.
“Soon,” she murmured to herself. “I’ll talk to them soon.”
She wasn’t worried that her mother would go rushing to tell her father that she’d seen Julianna wearing a piece of jewelry that had to have come from a member of the Montrose family. That wasn’t her mother’s style.
But if Mom had recognized it, then sooner or later, her father would too. There was no doubt in Julianna’s mind she’d end up wearing the locket to work again—she’d already worn it two or three times at least. She simply hadn’t thought about somebody recognizing it. And now she knew people might do so…well, she wasn’t going to hide it. She wasn’t ashamed of her relationship with Roman.
Not at all.
It was something she and Roman needed to discuss.
They could do it after the dinner with Moira.
Assuming he ever called her.
Her phone rang in the next moment and she grabbed it, but she deflated when she saw that it was Moira. Because she’d been dodging the texts and calls from her friend, she made herself answer.
“Geez, don’t sound so happy to talk to me,” Moira teased.
“I was just hoping it was Roman,” she said, shooting a look at her office door. It was open, but there was nobody loitering near so she wasn’t too concerned. “I haven’t heard from him all day.”
“How about you just text him and let him know to join us? He’s probably just had a busy day with meetings and such. You know how those days are,” Moira suggested.
Julianna was hesitant to do that. They’d had plans for dinner, just the two of them. But she knew, just as well as Roman did, that sometimes business made demands on the personal life. This was proving to be one of those times, it seemed. “This better be good, Moira.”
“Oh, I think it is,” Moira said lightly. “I’ve already got reservations for the three of us.” She named a place and asked, “How does seven sound?”
“That will work.”
Hopefully, she’d have time to get in touch with Roman by then.
* * *
She never did hear from him and ended up having John drop her off at the restaurant. “You can go on home. If I don’t see Roman, I’ll just call a cab.”
“Of course, Ms. Castle.” John dipped his head in a nod before closing the door behind her.
She headed inside, blinking to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior.
Moira had chosen a quiet French restaurant. It was one that Julianna hadn’t been to before. The scent of food in the air had her belly rumbling and she flashed a smile at the maître d’ as she gave him her name. “I have a feeling I’ll be a repeat customer. Something smells divine.”
“It’s wonderful to have you with us tonight, Ms. Castle. Let me escort you to your table.”
Moira was already there, dressed in a lovely cocktail gown of green silk that played up her eyes.
Julianna was glad she’d gone home to change out of her work clothes. The elegant brown dress she wore wasn’t quite as flashy as Moira’s, but then again, Moira was all about flash and fire. Julianna had always had a quieter sense of style.
“Don’t you look hot,” she commented as she took one of the seats at the table.
The maître d’ offered her a wine list but she declined, gesturing to the bottle already on the table. “I’ll just have what Moira is having.”
He nodded. “Very good. Shall I pour you a glass now?”
“Of course.”
Once they were alone, Moira looked around. “He’s not here.”
“You are so very astute,” Julianna commented. “I’ve always loved that about you.”
Moira grinned. “I’ve got mad powers of observation, love.”
With a roll of her eyes, Julianna reached for her glass. “I still haven’t heard from him.” She hesitated a moment, then added, “I’ll be honest. I’m starting to get worried. He never takes this long to get back to me.”
“I’m sure everything is fine,” Moira said, reaching over to touch Julianna’s hand.
An awkward silence passed and Moira cleared her throat, offering Julianna one of the menus. “Don’t threaten me or anything, but I’m ordering the escargot. It’s delicious here.”
“It’s snails,” Julianna pointed out.
“Yummy snails.” Moira winked at her. “The bisque is delicious, too, if you’re curious.”
“I’m not so sure I want menu recommendations from a woman who’ll eat snails.” Julianna was glad Moira had changed the subject, even if it was to something as silly as the foods they couldn’t agree on. It was an old argument, one that went back to their days in college. “You’re weird, Moira. You won’t touch a rare steak, but you’ll eat raw fish and snails.”
“You see the cow’s blood with a rare steak,” Moira said loftily. “It’s not that complicated. If I saw snail blood or fish blood, I wouldn’t eat sushi or escargot, either.”
“Whatever.”
They chatted more about the menu for a few minutes, then, as their server appeared, they ordered some appetizers and once they were alone, Julianna committed a fine dining faux pas by pulling her phone out to check for a message from Roman. There was one.
Hope you enjoyed your day, gorgeous. On my way.
She sent him a reply.
You too. I’m at the restaurant. Hope to see you soon.
She didn’t mention Moira or that her friend had something she wanted to talk about with both of them, figuring it would be easier if Moira just explained herself. Especially since Julianna had no idea what it was Moira wanted to talk about.
The service was qu
ick and the appetizers, including Julianna’s bisque and a basket of warm, crusty bread were served while they were still chatting, mostly about friends and things that had happened in school and friends who’d had married since graduation.
“What about you?” Julianna asked. “Anybody special on the horizon for you?”
Moira rolled her eyes. “I’m having a hard time finding anybody who isn’t a douche, darling.”
Julianna smiled in sympathy. She’d been there, done that.
Roman had changed things for her. Thoughts of him brought up her worries about the lack of contact, but she shoved them back down when she’d finally found a text. He’d be late, but had most likely just been involved in a busier than expected day and had waited to get back with her once things settled down.
Sure, a little past seven was typically well past the time when things settled down, but she knew a little about running a company and sometimes things went a little sideways.
“You’re distracted,” Moira said softly. “Thinking about Roman?”
“Trying not to worry,” she admitted.
“Let’s go ahead and order,” Moira suggested. “If he doesn’t show up soon, the two of you can talk about my proposal and you can get back to me. I don’t know if your head is going to be completely on straight until you hook up with him and assure yourself that everything is okay anyway.”
Julianna agreed and searched the menu for something that sounded appealing.
She chose the steak tartar, barely noticing how Moira wrinkled her nose at her selection.
As Moira ordered, Julianna skimmed the crowd and eyed the entrance, hoping to see a familiar dark head appear.
But no such luck.
“Has your mother said anything to you since you two ran into each other earlier?” Moira asked, cutting into the flaky white fish on her plate after their entrees had arrived.
Julianna shook her head. “I haven’t heard from her. I’m sure I’ll get the third degree the next time I’m home, though.”
A smile bowed Moira’s lips upward. “And did you take the necklace off before you went back to the office so your father wouldn’t see it?”
“He wasn’t in the corporate offices today. He was visiting the flagship store and making a trip to the lab.” Julianna touched the necklace and made a face at her friend. “But no, I didn’t take it off. I wouldn’t have, either. Sooner or later, I’ll have to tell him about us. I wanted to talk to Roman first.”
“The two of you can’t hide it forever. Even the way you look when you say his name makes it obvious there’s something going on,” Moira said gently.
“Really?” Julianna found herself smiling a little.
“Yes.” Moira rolled her eyes. “You get a smile just like the one you have on your face now. It’s like a billboard announcing…I’m in love! You ought to be modeling for some of the engagement ring spots your family does.”
“Whatever.” But the smile on her face widened.
She glanced up then, her senses going on red alert in that very moment.
A tall, dark-haired man was heading in her direction.
“Ah…no. That’s the smile of a woman in love. The other smile was just a hint.” Moira sat across from her, head cocked and a grin on her face.
“Oh, shut up.” She rose to greet Roman.
He was stiff as she pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth, rising on tiptoe to do it.
“Everything okay?” she asked, lowering herself back to stand in front of him.
“What is this?” Voice stilted, he looked from her to Moira then back.
“Moira wanted to talk to us both—”
“Can I talk to you?” Roman caught her by the elbow without waiting for her to answer. He guided her out of the dining area to the lounge and over to one of the high-top tables. Neither of them sat down.
“What’s going on, Roman?” She smiled, a little uneasy at the expression on his face.
“What are you doing here with Moira Templeton?” he demanded.
“Having dinner,” she replied. “She wants to talk to us about something. That’s why I’ve been trying to get in contact with you. We had lunch together earlier—”
“You had lunch with her? Are you trying to get a leg up on me, Julianna? I thought we were past that.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” she sputtered. “We had lunch. We talked about friends from college and you—”
He cut her off. “You know why I haven’t been in contact with you today? I had a fight with my father. About you. He found out about us and he’s threatening to remove me from the company, Julianna. I’ve been fighting for us and you’re running around behind my back, trying to curry favor about this fucking deal. How could you do this to me?”
Julianna felt like she’d been slapped.
“I’m not doing anything to you,” she said, her voice shaking. She sucked a breath in, forcing herself to be calm and think. He clearly wasn’t able to do so right now. “Would you just…try to focus and think, Roman? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all day. I’ve been talking to you about dinner all day. I texted you about meeting me here earlier this afternoon. If I was going behind your back, why would I tell you what I was doing?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having lunch with her?” he fired back.
“Because we were having lunch as friends!” she snapped, her own temper snapping perilously close to the brink. “Don’t you ever have lunch with a friend?”
“Not one who’s connected to a deal as big as this one!” His blue eyes were so cold, they almost burned as he glared down at her.
“The only way she’s connected to it is through her last name!” Julianna retorted hotly. “She doesn’t have anything to do with the mines or the tech arms of Templeton Legacy. She and her sister are involved with the stores, not the mines.”
“Oh, so she knows nothing about the sale her father is doing?” Roman snapped.
Julianna opened, then closed her mouth.
He read more into what was there and she knew she should have said something. She just didn’t know what to say. “I’m sure she knows something, but that has nothing to do with why we had lunch,” she insisted. “Am I supposed to ask your permission before I meet my friends now? Is that what you’re saying?”
“You know what?” He bent low, shoving his face into hers. “You do what you want. I don’t care.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed off.
Julianna took a step after him, but her legs shook under her and she ended up bracing a hand on the table to keep her legs from wilting under her. What in the hell had just happened?
* * *
Her legs were still shaking when she returned back to the table.
Moira took one look at her and said, “Oh, no. Honey, what happened?”
“He thinks I’ve been using you to get an unfair advantage about the deal with your father,” Julianna said, lowering herself into the seat across from Moira.
She was terribly glad to be off her feet. She reached for the wine glass only to laugh in despair when she found it empty.
“I think you need something stronger than wine,” Moira said, raising her hand to flag down the server.
It didn’t take long to get a double of Glenlivet fifteen year and Julianna took one sip before dropping her head into her hand. “I don’t understand what just happened, Moira.”
“Honey, he’s a man. They don’t always think things through,” Moira said sympathetically.
“I don’t get it,” Julianna whispered. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with him all day to let him know about meeting with you and he thinks I went behind his back?”
Moira took her free hand and squeezed. “Again, he’s a man.”
“I guess that explains that old phrase, can’t live with them, can’t kill them.” Julianna laughed weakly and blinked back tears. She felt like somebody had ripped her chest open, yanked her heart out, then messily
tried to piece her back together—and not everything fit.
Long, aching moments of silence passed and Julianna sipped her whiskey as Moira sat back and let the servers clear the meals neither of them were interested in now.
“You want to finish this up via a phone call tomorrow?” Moira asked. “I’d give you more time, but frankly…we don’t have it.”
“We might as well discuss it now.” Julianna waved a hand. “It’s not like not talking about it is going to magically undo anything, is it?”
“No. I guess not.” Moira huffed out a short breath. “But when I see Roman again, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
“Moira…”
Moira shook a finger at her. “Don’t tell me I can’t either. He’s being an ass and I’m your friend. It’s my job!”
Julianna sniffed and managed a smile for the other woman before sitting up straighter. She took another, stiffer sip of Glenlivet then put the glass down. Slipping her hands under the table, she fisted her hands, then relaxed them, trying to center and focus herself. “Okay, so what exactly is this deal you want to talk about?”
Despite the somberness of the moment, Moira couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. “Well…I’ve been thinking…”
* * *
Nearly twenty minutes later, Moira was finally done and she leaned back, head cocked.
“What do you think?”
Julianna’s head was spinning.
She held up a hand and reached for her glass, finishing off the whiskey. Catching the server’s eye, she tapped the edge of the glass to indicate she wanted another, then she met Moira’s gaze.
“I think…” Julianna blew out a breath. “I think you’re a little crazy. The three of us buying the mines and venturing out together? First…where would we come up with the capital? On our own?”
Moira’s lips curled in a smug smile. “I’m a trust fund baby. Aren’t you?”
Julianna laughed, but she said, “I don’t have that much sitting in the bank. And I’m not sure my dad will be keen to loan me money if I go to undercut him in a deal like this.”
Hate On: A Standalone Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 13
