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Alina’s fork hovered over her salad plate. “The Stirling is irreplaceable. It is full of family and friends.”
“Nothing that can’t be found somewhere else.”
She inwardly groaned. He wasn’t hearing her, not the way she needed him to hear her. If her words weren’t enough, she needed to show him what the Stirling meant to her and its residents.
“Is that how you feel about your home?”
He took a sip of ice water. When he returned the stemmed glass to the table, he said, “I like where I live, but if there was a compelling reason to move, I’d do it without making a big deal out of it.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “I think it’s easier said than done.”
“Are you doubting me?” His eyes challenged her.
She leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin ever so slightly. “I am.”
His brown eyes grew dark as a muscle in his cheek twitched. “You presume to know me, but I don’t care how much you’ve read about me, you still know nothing about me.”
But that wasn’t exactly true. She could see that he was a man who rose to a challenge. It was knowledge she intended to use to her advantage.
The main course consisted of a pasta dish served with marinara sauce and topped with fresh herbs. On the side was chicken parmesan with a thin but crispy coating and some steamed vegetables. It looked delicious and tasted even better.
As she savored each delectable bite, she considered how to open Graham’s eyes to the fact that the Stirling was so much more than an old building—more than a hitch in his plans.
When she could eat no more, she pushed aside her plate. It was then that she glanced over at Graham. She noticed he didn’t seem interested in his food as he moved it around his plate. He appeared lost in his thoughts.
“Thank you for the meal,” she said. “It was very good.”
“This was a mistake.” Graham balled up his napkin and tossed it on the table.
“What do you mean? The meal?”
“All of it. I thought we could conclude our business over a friendly dinner but obviously that was a miscalculation.” Graham stood. “I think we should conclude our business in my office.”
She welcomed the excuse to get away from this cozy candlelit dinner. Because even though the room was quite large, Graham’s larger than life presence made it feel so much smaller.
Alina nodded in agreement. She folded her napkin and then set it on the table. She noticed that he didn’t wait for her as he took long strides toward the exit.
They went down one floor and it was a totally different atmosphere. Instead of being black and white, the foyer was done up in earth tones and royal blue carpet to muffle footsteps. A large reception area sat directly in front of the elevator. On the wall were gold letters that spelled out GH Toliver Investments.
He moved to the right and held open a glass door for her to pass by. And then he led her to the office at the end of the hallway. When he swung open one of the two oversize wooden doors, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but it wasn’t to find his desk stacked with files. When she looked to the side, there was a long table. It, too, was piled with files.
“I’m sorry for the disheveled appearance,” he said. “Since I’ve taken over, there has been a lot to review and my father was old-fashioned, preferring paper files.”
He walked ahead of her, picked up a hefty stack of manila folders and clipped papers and placed them on the table. He returned to his desk. “There. That’s better.”
She sat down in front of his desk, while he took a seat in a large black leather chair. She didn’t like the way she felt at a disadvantage now because her chair seemed shorter than his and a large desk sat between them. She remained perched on the edge of the chair, trying to decide if she should stand.
She wanted this man to take her seriously. After all, this was a very important matter, not just to her but to everyone who lived at the Stirling. Those people were the ones that brought her chicken soup when she didn’t feel well and celebrated her birthdays with her. They’d unofficially adopted her after her father passed on and she would do anything for them.
“Mr. Toliver—”
“I thought we were past standing on ceremony.”
“There’s a lot at stake here and I want you to take me seriously.”
“And I won’t do that if you call me Graham?”
She narrowed her gaze on him. Why was he making this so difficult? If he was trying to distract her, it wasn’t going to work. She had an idea in mind, one that had come to her at dinner after learning a bit about her enemy. A sexy one but an enemy all the same.
