An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [62]
In the morning, Julia woke to the sound of Anna and Alek talking in the kitchen. They were speaking in Russian and it was apparent that Anna was upset.
Donning her robe, Julia wandered in and poured herself a cup of coffee. Anna eyed her with open hostility.
“My brother would not do this thing,” she said forcefully.
“Anna,” Alek barked. “Enough.”
“He loves you. How can you think he would ever hurt you? He is a man of honor.”
“It isn’t as simple as it seems,” Julia said in her own defense. Anna didn’t understand, and she didn’t expect her to.
Alek said something sharp and cold in Russian, but that didn’t stop Anna from turning to Julia once more. “You do not know my brother. Otherwise you wouldn’t believe he could do this terrible thing.”
Alek reprimanded his sister harshly. Julia didn’t need to understand Russian to know what he was saying.
Anna responded by yanking the apron from her waist, throwing it on the kitchen counter and storming out of the apartment.
“I apologize for my sister’s behavior,” Alek said after she’d left. He was so formal, so stiff and proud. He hesitated, as if trying to find the words to express himself. “There is a meeting with the marketing people this afternoon. It is a very important discussion. I need to be there to answer questions. If you’d rather I wasn’t, I’ll see if someone can take my place.”
Julia felt incapable of making any decision, even a straightforward one like this.
“I suggest you attend it, too,” he said. “If you feel I am doing or saying anything that would hurt Conrad Industries, then you can stop me. I suggest Jerry be there, as well.”
“Alek, please try to understand how awkward this is.”
“Come to the meeting,” he urged.
“All right,” Julia agreed reluctantly.
He told her the time and place, and afterward they were silent. Julia thought with a kind of sad whimsy that she could hear the sound of their heartache, like the loud ticking of a clock. She was sure Alek heard it, too. After a few minutes, he left the condo.
Rarely had Julia ever felt more alone. Her thoughts depressed her. She dressed, determined to act as if life was normal until they resolved this problem.
It wasn’t until she was at the office that she made a clear decision, her first sensible one since this whole nightmare began.
She pulled the phonebook out of her desk drawer, swallowed hard, praying she could pull this off, and then, with a bravado she didn’t feel, dialed Roger Stanhope’s number.
“Mr. Stanhope’s office,” came the efficient reply.
“This is Julia Conrad for Mr. Stanhope.”
“One moment, please.”
A short time passed before Roger’s smooth voice came over the wire. “Julia, what a pleasant surprise.”
“I understand you met with my husband.” Preliminary greetings were unnecessary.
“So you heard about that?”
“Alek told me. I’m calling you for your own protection. Alek meant what he said about you staying away from me. If you value your neck, I advise you not to try contacting me again.” Her heart was in her throat, pounding so loudly she was sure he must be able to hear it.
“I think there must be some misunderstanding,” Roger said in an incredulous tone. “I did meet with your husband. Actually, he’s the one who contacted me, but your name didn’t enter into the conversation. He wanted to talk to me about Phoenix Paints. He was hoping the two of us could strike some kind of deal. Naturally Ideal Paints is very interested.”
“Good try, Roger, but it won’t work.”
He laughed that slightly demented laugh of his, as though she’d said something hilarious.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?” he added sarcastically.
Julia hung up the phone.
She sat there for several minutes with her hand on the receiver. When she found the strength, she stood, walked out of her office and directly past her assistant’s desk.
“Ms. Conrad, are you feeling all right? You’re terribly pale again.”
Julia shrugged. “I’ll be fine,” she said, more brusquely than she’d intended.
“Have you thought about seeing a doctor?”
Julia didn’t know any physician who