Page 99 of Without a Hitch
“We’re good,” I answer. “Go eat. I’ll be there soon.”
He answers with an uncomfortable nod, then retreats to the cabin.
“In-tense,” Sara mutters.
She doesn’t know the half of it.
CHAPTER31
LOCHLAN
“She’s a caretaker,” Ross comments as we make our way off the boat.
As a general rule, talking like this makes my head explode with the effort of keeping the skin from crawling off my body. Especially with business associates, because altruism in business does not exist. People are out for themselves, end of story.
But there is something about John Ross that I connect with, so I swallow my practiced curt quip and reply, “She is.”
My gaze drifts ahead to where Tilly laughs arm in arm with Doreen.
“Can I be honest with you, Lochlan?” His tone is contrite and gives me pause, but my game face stays firmly in place, my gaze locked on Tilly.
“I prefer it that way.”
“I thought you might. I had my reservations about you.” My jaw ticks, but otherwise I take great care not to show my irritation. “The truth is, the circle we run in is small, but the talk is plentiful. The gossip surrounding you since your divorce has not shown you in a positive light.”
“Gossip is stories created of non-truths by jealous people,” I say calmly, even though internally I’m preparing for a battle.
“Are they?” He questions with a hint of humor, and I stop walking. I stand tall with arms hanging rigidly at my sides. It’s a stance I’ve perfected over the years, and it tells everyone within my orbit not to fuck with me. Any passerby would see a confident man. Anyone who causes me to react this way knows differently. They see a man ready to burn you to the ground. I casually flex my hands to release some of the tension building from this conversation. The last thing I need is for John Ross to question my self-control.
“Yes, John. I have no private life for gossips to shred. The life they have access to is my professional one, and I provide for my employees as I would my family. No one messes with my family.”
“And Tilly?”
“She’s a goddamn saint.”
His head turns to watch our women. “Why do you really want my winery, Lochlan?”
Revenge, retaliation, retributionall flash through my mind, but then Tilly’s smiling face freezes when she turns back to check on me, and some of the hatred I’ve been holding onto melts away with her warm expression.
“Are you okay?” she mouths, and all the fight leaves my body.
Yes, I’ll still avenge my past, but now there’s a new reason, a greater reason for making dreams come true. Tilly. My lip curls even as my breath stalls. I nod once, and she raises her brow, assessing my stance.
“I’m fine.” I silently mouth the lie with a smile before she finally believes me and turns back to her partner in crime. They’re three glasses of champagne in, and I love how carefree she is in this moment. Tilly settles the rage rotting my soul even from twenty yards away.
John clears his throat, and I snap my attention back to find him watching me closely. Then I remember his question. “Tilly doesn’t ask for anything. Not a damn thing, and she deserves more than I can give her.”
“Good women usually do.”
My shoulders droop to a neutral position as I give him my full attention. “It makes good business sense for my ten-year plan on all my boutique properties. I will rebrand some of the wine to fit each property, but the Ross name will remain.”
“But why do you want my property in particular?”
As I stand before this man, my reasons for wanting his winery splinter and become twofold. “Your winery is one of the few remaining with a proven product whose event space still remains untouched, but you have the land for all types of events. Tilly needs to build something of her own, and I want to give her the opportunity.”
“You want the winery for Tilly?” He seems genuinely surprised.
“It’s not completely altruistic, no. I’m branding my boutique hotels into a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Food, wine, entertainment? They’re all part of that experience. You have a proven product. I want your wine in my hotels.”
