Grant was still confused, but at least she was talking to him.“I see.Who exactly did you talk to?”
Jennifer shrugged as tears burned her eyes.“I didn’t recognize her voice.”
“And what exactly did she tell you?”He kept his tone relaxed and his eyes blank.
Jennifer bit her lip to hold back the tears that stung her eyes.Her heart dropped at the cold and void of any emotion in her eyes.“It doesn’t matter, Grant.I’m at fault.I should have never pushed you into something you’re not ready for.”
Seconds ticked by while Grant stood with crossed arms and stared at her.“We’ll deal with that bullshit later.What did this woman say?”
Jennifer’s stomach twisted at the angry tick in his jaw.“She said you were busy and then...”
“Then what?”Grant intoned harshly.
Jennifer flinched at the sharp tone of his voice.“Then I heard you in the background telling her to hurry up.”She raised her gaze and quickly lowered it at the fury he no longer tried to hold back from his eyes.
Silence descended.He stared at her, and she stared at her hands.
Grant ground his teeth together and held himself still when he just wanted to yell and pull her over his knees for believing any bullshit that woman spewed.“So, let me see if I got this straight.I’m assuming you didn’t get my message about a meeting and that I would stop over later?”
Jennifer’s head jerked up, and she shook her head.
“I didn’t receive your calls.I left my phone in my office because I needed to concentrate on the meeting.When I finally got time to look at my phone, I saw your messages and called you immediately.You didn’t answer, so I kept trying.I drove to your place, expecting you to be there.You weren’t there, of course, so I started to really worry.I drove by here and didn’t see your car, the place was dark.I saw your car outside just now.In the daylight, I could see you parked on the side of the building by one of the garages.You never do that.”He walked to her and squatted beside her chair, ignoring her flinch.“Jennifer, look at me.”His tone brooks no argument.
Her gaze jerked up and met his.
“Do I have it right so far?”
Jennifer shrugged.“I don’t know, I wasn’t there, and I sometimes park back there.”
An angry rumble rushed from his throat.“Jesus, woman, you’re making me nuts.”
Jennifer used her toes to move her chair back from him, stopping when she heard a low growl come from him.“Grant, listen.We don’t need to go into this.It’s none of my business what you were doing.We’re not a couple, really.”Her voice rose as her desperation climbed.
Grant’s eyes darkened dangerously.“What the fuck just came out of your mouth?”
Jennifer flinched.
Grant sighed, tugged her up, sat down, and pulled her onto his lap.He lay one heavy arm over her lap to keep her seated, and his other hand went to her back.
“I’m sorry I yelled, baby.I’m trying to figure out how to get through to you.”He held up a hand when she opened her mouth.“No, you need to listen to me.I wasn’t going to tell you until it was done.I’ve been trying to sell most of my businesses.Do you know why?”He continued when she shook her head.“Because of you.”There were other things he was trying to wrap up that had to do with the Good Knight Society cases.He had to travel for a few of them and would continue in the future, but he couldn’t be away from Jennifer for long periods of time, nor could he take her with him.
Jennifer paled and gasped as tears slid down her cheeks.“No.”She was horrified.“Why would you do something like that?”
“Because I want to spend as much time as possible with you, and I can’t do that with the size of my company, so I’m selling off most and training someone to manage most of the rest.I’ll have my hand in it but will delegate more.”
“But why?”she said as she tried to swallow back the tears that kept falling, but it was impossible.Her emotions were in an upheaval.
“I know I’m happiest when I’m with you.”Grant wiped the tears that flowed down her face.“Shhh, baby, this is a good thing.I should have done it years ago.I was working sixty- to eighty-hour weeks, and I don’t need to.I have more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes.Why shouldn’t I semi-retire if I can and spend time with my favorite person?”
Jennifer’s fingers dried her face as silent tears continued to fall.“I don’t know what to say.”
Grant gripped her thigh as his hand at her back rubbed soothing circles.“You don’t have to say anything.”
“Is that why you’ve been preoccupied lately?”
“Yes.I didn’t want to make a big deal of it, because somehow I knew you would feel guilty or take it the wrong way.”He smiled for the first time in hours at the blush that overtook her complexion.
“Let’s get back to last night.The guy I hired to manage my holdings is named Peter Sorenson.Around four, I asked Peter’s assistant, Vanessa, to call you, and you didn’t get that call, correct?”
