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The idea didn’t sound as preposterous as it should.
Immediately heat flamed in Alina’s cheeks. “Of course not. I just wondered if your mother was right. Do you have a life outside the office?”
Graham placed the ornament back in the box. “I don’t have time.” He got to his feet. “Why can’t anyone understand that it takes a lot of time to run a company the size of Toliver? Once I get a firm hand on everything, things will change. I’ll have more time.”
She knew he wanted to believe that, but she had her doubts. “My father used to say you had to pick what was important in life and then make a concerted effort to make time for what makes you happy.”
He frowned at her. “So you’re siding with my mother.”
“I’m not. I’m just trying to understand.”
“Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Once this agreement is over, you’ll never have to see me again.” And with that he started to walk away.
“Graham, wait. That isn’t what I meant.”
With his back to her, he waved her off and kept walking right out the front door.
Ugh! That had gone totally wrong. She hadn’t meant to upset him. She shouldn’t have said anything, but she thought they’d reached a point where they could talk to each other openly, like friends. As his friend, she worried that his mother might be right.
Not that she wanted him to date her or anything. Far from it. They were too different from each other. She loved Christmas. He couldn’t care less about it. He loved working at all hours. She only worked the long hours out of necessity. She craved a big, loving family. He seemed happier being alone. They definitely didn’t belong together.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t feel bad about the way the conversation went. It was getting late, maybe they were both tired. She’d apologize to him in the morning.
Oh, who was she kidding? There was no way she’d be able to sleep with things left like this. And so she stood and headed for the door.
She pulled open the door to find Graham standing there. His head hung low as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“I’m sorry,” they both said in unison. And then they both smiled.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” she said. “I know you’re doing your best.”
“And I shouldn’t have let it bother me. It’s true. I work a lot. But it won’t be forever.”
She wanted to ask if that meant he was planning to marry and settle down with a family of his own. Suddenly the image of his arm around a tall, slender woman with perfect hair filled Alina’s imagination. The thought stirred unease in the pit of her stomach. Refusing to acknowledge what it might mean, she shoved aside the thought.
“Well,” she said, “I’ll just go clean up and call it a night.”
“I’ll help you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.” His tone was firm.
“Thanks. That would be great.”
She breathed easier as together they walked back to the living room. She was starting to see that this challenge of getting him to see the apartment building as something more than an obstacle to his goals was going to be more difficult than she’d originally envisioned.
How did she draw him into the charm of the building without making things personal? Because they needed to keep their distance. No matter how handsome or thoughtful she found him, they came from different worlds.
Even with that warning in mind when she glanced over at him, she felt a flutter in her chest. This was going to be so much harder than she’d ever imagined.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
HE’D NEVER BEEN so busy.
And yet Graham found himself happier than he’d ever been.
Monday morning he’d slipped away from the Stirling for a very important meeting. He was hoping to persuade a couple that owned a sizable company to go in on a project with his company, considerably lowering Toliver’s financial obligation. However, when the topic of the holidays came up, he soon learned they loved Christmas celebrations.
