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“But …” she stared at him and then at her dad. “You …”
Her dad smiled. “Yes. Since you said you didn’t know what was going to happen between the two of you, I thought it better if Grant left.”
“Why, though?”
He smiled. “Because I was curious whether absence would make the heart grow fonder. And it appears it has.”
Grant smiled. “I’m not sure that’s true. My heart was already very fond of Chelsea, but I didn’t listen to it and speak up.”
She stared at him. What was he saying? And why was he saying it in front of her dad?
“I knew I loved you before I left Zosca, but I didn’t think you wanted me there anymore.”
She stared at him open-mouthed. What was he saying? “I thought you didn’t want to stay. You didn’t …”
He shrugged and gave her a rueful smile. “You didn’t either.”
She smiled back. “I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“I was scared that if I told you I loved you, you’d think I was nuts. It was too soon.”
“But it wasn’t.”
She came back to her senses, remembering that they were in her dad’s office, that he and Smoke were watching, listening. She turned to look at them. “And why are we doing this here, now?”
Her dad chuckled. “Because we thought it was finally time to intervene because we weren’t sure you’d ever get there by yourselves.”
Smoke smirked. “Come on, Chels. It’s taken you way too long. At least Grant finally figured it out.”
Chelsea nodded. She was still a little dazed. “Well, thanks, but what’s it got to do with the two of you and signing the papers and everything?”
Smoke met her gaze. “Well, after talking with dad, I feel like I need to protect my investment.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I love your wines, but I’m not convinced about your business skills. I’ll feel more relaxed about it all if you have a good manager to assist you.”
She stared at him. “You’re bringing Grant in whether I want it or not?”
He laughed. “There is noor notabout it. You just admitted you never wanted him to leave. I know you can be a stubborn little mare, so I want you to give me your word that the two of you will work together—and that you’ll listen to him.”
She glowered at him for a moment, but eventually, she had to smile. “Is this your way of helping me out?”
He nodded. “It seemed like the two of you might not get there by yourselves.”
She looked at Grant, and he nodded. She knew they were right. She and Grant had spent all their time together for weeks now, and they’d somehow managed not to tell each other they were in love. Maybe having family who cared enough to intervene wasn’t such a bad thing.
“So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’m prepared to sell you the company, as long as you have a great management team in place.”
“And I’m saying that I’m happy to lend you the money, with the same conditions.”
She looked at Grant. “And I’m saying that I’d love to be part of that management team.”
She nodded slowly. She felt like she was being manipulated somehow, but it all made sense, and the best thing was she was only being manipulated against her own stupidity. These three men who all cared about her were trying to make sure that she got what she wanted. Eventually, she smiled. “Okay. Thank you.”
