“Did you have to bring her up?” Frost tinged Portia’s voice.
This was one barrier that he couldn’t understand. Both women were practically orphans and yet they resisted becoming family. Imagine how strong their bond would be if they put that energy into their relationship. They’d be unstoppable.
“You can’t avoid her forever.”
“I can try,” she retorted smartly.
He met that comment with silence, wondering if she would fill it. Portia didn’t seem like a woman who would fall for that. He guessed she was the one who used the silence to get others to talk.
Once again, she surprised him.
“Fine. Yes, I imagine that the Solveigs and your city will be overrun with newsies demanding the story of the long-lost heir.”
“Maybe that will get them to leave you alone.” He couldn’t imagine living under the constant scrutiny she faced.
This time her laugh was a bit bitter. “Not once she tells the story of how the terrible Tremaine Corporation ruined her life and kept her locked away from her rightful family for years and years. The newsies will be camped out on my steps just like they were after the accident. And if Dizzie adds in how her own sister tried to kill her? Well, I’ll never see the end of them.”
“What?” He couldn’t have heard that right. Aleks looked over at Portia, but she was looking away from him. “Did you just say you tried to kill Dizzie?” He tried to temper the horror in his voice, but his mind was too busy scrambling to make sense of her words to control his tone as well.
“Yes.” Her answer was clipped. “It was just a few days after she killed Tommy.” She paused, grief contorting her features. She took a sip of coffee, then rephrased her answer. “It was a few days after Tommy’s death in the bombing and everything pointed to her being the killer. So, when I saw her with Killian, all I could see was a way to get justice for Tommy. I gunned the engine and hit her with my car.”
She stopped walking, her body radiating tension. She was waiting for him to judge her.
He knew what it was like to be judged. He’d arrived with some preconceived notions about Portia already. She’d proven those wrong, so he wouldn’t judge her now. “She, uh, obviously survived.” Smooth, Aleks. Totally non-judgy.
Portia nodded but kept her gaze far off, never once looking at him. “Killian got her to the hospital in time. That’s how they discovered that she was my father’s daughter.”
He noted her careful wording but challenged it. “Your sister.”
Her gaze, tinged with sadness and a little heat, swung back to him. “Fine. My sister. Why do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Pushing me to acknowledge her?”
“You’re isolated from everyone, sitting up there in your cold office, looking out over the city, but not interacting with it. You need someone to connect you to the outside world. To remind you that there’s more to life than work.” He swallowed a laugh as the words tumbled out. He really should take his own advice.
“That’s what Tommy did,” she said quietly.
Aleks reached for her hand but stopped just before taking it. He tilted his head, silently asking for permission.
She hesitated, then shoved her empty napkin into a pocket. When she tentatively offered her hand, he took it, no hesitation.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” He held her gaze, willing her to read his sincerity. Had he come to town while her husband was still alive, he’d have never known her on this personal level. “I’m sorry that you lost that key person, but you have a chance to build a new relationship. Maybe it won’t work. Maybe she’ll want nothing to do with you. Maybe she’ll want to move to Sweden, but you’ll never know until you ask.”
“Is that the plan?”
His brain whirred, working to understand her question. “To build your relationship with Dizzie?”
She shook her head. “To get Dizzie to move to Sweden.”
Aleks paused and considered his answer. Telling her the truth would be considered a betrayal by his employers, but keeping her in the dark would forever ruin any chance he had with her. Not that he thought a chance existed, but he could dream, right?
“It will be up to Dizzie.” He chose his words carefully. “I think Mrs. Solveig believes that your sister will choose to come back to Sweden and join the family business there.”
“After an angry repudiation of the Tremaine family, of course.” Her tone was light, but her gaze was heavy.
He smiled, despite the seriousness—and accuracy—of her statement.
