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She sandwiched Logan’s hand between hers, leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.”
She gazed from him to her sisters and finally to JT. This was her family, she realized. Not some stranger in South Africa who wanted nothing to do with her.
“I’m so lucky to have all of you,” she told them.
“So, now that your secret is safe,” Violet began, “are you going to take the CEO job?”
This was important to all of them, she realized. It meant that Scarlett could continue pursuing her acting and Violet could stay in Las Vegas with JT. They expected her to do the job she was trained for.
“Whenever grandfather wants me to take over, I will.”
Twelve
Two hours before the restaurant opened for the first time, Batouri’s kitchen was operating more smoothly than Ashton had a right to expect. After being gone during the week before their grand opening, he’d half feared he was coming back to absolute chaos. Thanks to Cole, this was not the case.
Without any major crisis to deal with, Ashton had too much space to think. He tried to focus on the food, but bits of conversations with Harper kept intruding. He second-guessed how he’d handled things when she’d told him she loved him. Had it been a mistake to question her sudden change of heart? He’d been on the verge of sweeping her into his arms and agreeing to make all her dreams come true when the message about her grandfather’s stroke had come to her phone.
Carlo approached him. “Harper is here. She’s asking for you.”
Ashton followed Carlo from the kitchen, struggling to keep from rushing past the restaurant manager in his excitement to see Harper. She stood by the hostess stand, tense and uncertain in a white dress that draped her slim form in wispy layers of lace. Her hair had been pulled back from her face and loosely clipped in a romantic style. The impact of her appearance stole his breath.
He crossed to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. From her surprised expression, she’d obviously expected something different.
“I haven’t heard from you,” he said, making no attempt to hide his unhappiness. “How is your grandfather?”
“The stroke was minor and he’s stubborn. Keeping him at home for the past few days has been a challenge when he already feels strong enough to go back to work.”
“I’m glad to hear it. What did you tell him about South Africa?”
“That it’s a lovely country.”
Her answer disappointed him. “That’s not what I meant. Did you tell your grandfather the truth about LeDay and your mother?”
“He’s just had a stroke. It would be cruel of me to burden him with such a shock.” She looked down at her hands. “And thanks to Logan, my mother’s blackmailer has been stopped.”
“You don’t ever plan to tell him.” He saw the truth in the way she was avoiding meeting his gaze. “You don’t think he’ll love you anymore if you’re not his flesh and blood.”
“Five years ago he
went looking for Violet and Scarlett simply because they were his granddaughters. He loves them. What’s to say he wouldn’t stop loving me when he finds out we’re not related?”
“You don’t really believe he would do that.”
“I don’t.” Her voice didn’t rise above a whisper. “But I can’t take the chance. And they’re all counting on me.”
“Who?”
“My sisters. JT and Logan. They’re happy. Their lives are perfect exactly as they are. If I don’t take over as CEO either Scarlett or Violet will have to and neither one wants the job.”
In a flash, he saw the future unfold. She would take the CEO job and live in New York City. He would move on to bigger and better things with the new show. The network was ready to get behind him and push him into superstar range. There would be more shows, more opportunities to expand his career. Most important, he and Harper could start a life together.
But was it the life either of them wanted?
“Can we talk about this later?” he asked.
“There’s no need. I think you’ve told me everything you need to.”
