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“Aria, this is my colleague, Juliette.” Hunter stepped forward, locking his gaze to hers. “She arrived unexpectedly a couple of days ago.”
Juliette took off her sunglasses, revealing striking blue eyes enhanced with artfully applied cosmetics. Her red lipstick was the exact shade of her suit. She smiled and extended a hand to Aria.
“Juliette Sinclair,” she said. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Prescott.”
“You too.” She shook the other woman’s hand.
Sinclair.Not Bruce Sinclair’s wife. Aria had seen photos of the older, dark-haired Mrs. Sinclair, and since Juliette resembled her…
“Are you Bruce Sinclair’s daughter?”
“I am.” Juliette swept her cool gaze around the café. “This is a nice place. I can understand why you would hesitate to sell it.”
“We’re not here to discuss the contract.” Hunter put his briefcase on the counter and edged slightly between Juliette and Aria.
“Actually, I’m nothesitating.” Aria stiffened her spine and eyed the other woman. “I’ve already made my decision. I’m not selling my café.”
“That’s what Hunter said.” Juliette picked up a mouse-shaped catnip toy. Her mouth twisted. “Has he told you that we have verbal commitments from eight owners already?”
Aria swallowed her shock. “That’s not a majority.”
“Four more is all we need.” Juliette gave her an arch smile.
“Juliette.” Hunter’s voice held a distinct warning.
“You need votes, not verbal commitments.” Aria dug her fingernails into her palms. “And you may think you have this locked down, but no one knows what will happen until all the ballots are in.”
“I’m quite confident people appreciate the attractiveness of our offer.” Juliette peered through the window looking into the Cat Lounge. “I don’t mean this to be rude, but why in the love of god would you stayhere? I’m not a cat person, but some people lose their shit when they get within ten feet of a feline. With enough foot traffic, you could get rid of all these cats in less than a week.”
Anger swept through Aria. “I don’t want to get rid of them. I want to find them good homes.”
“Of course.” Juliette’s voice was a verbal eye-roll.
“We’re leaving.” Hunter took hold of Juliette’s arm and turned her toward the door. “Aria, I apologize.”
“I didn’t offend you, did I?” Tugging her arm from Hunter’s grip, Juliette lifted her eyebrows at Aria. “I want women-owned businesses, including yours, to succeed. But the fact is that you need to be in a much better location or you’re going to be forced to shut down. Then what will happen to your cats?”
Tension shot down Aria’s spine. She couldn’t formulate a response because she had none.
“I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.” Juliette walked to the door, her heels clicking sharply. “Take it for what it’s worth. For the record, it’s worth quite a bit.”
As soon as she stepped outside, Hunter closed the door behind her and turned to Aria. Irritation and regret glittered in his eyes.
“I see now why you haven’t stopped by.” She tried to keep her voice from wavering.
“I’m sorry.” He approached, lifting one hand to touch her before dropping it back to his side. “I didn’t know she was coming, and I didn’t want to bring her here. But—”
Aria shook her head to stop his words. “It’s part of the job. I know. It’s okay.”
She glanced past him to where Juliette stood on the porch, a phone at her ear. She stood like a model, one hand on her hip and her back straight as a metal plate.Confidenceradiated from every pore.
“You should go.” Aria went behind the counter to put a physical barrier between her and Hunter. “I’m sure you have work to do.”
His jaw clenched. “We need to talk.”
“I’m not interested in talking right now.” Outside, Juliette had ended the call and was swiping the screen of her phone. “Hunter, please go.”
For a moment, he stood there, immovable as a boulder. She walked to the door and opened it, pointing a finger to the sidewalk. His jaw clenched.
“I’ll be back tonight.” He grabbed his briefcase and stalked out the door, walking away so fast that Juliette had to hurry to catch up with him.
As Aria watched them continue down the street, she thought about Hunter’s longstanding plan for his future. Deep inside, she suspected that his plan included a woman exactly like Juliette Sinclair.
