Page 54 of Hate On

“You’ve got a phone call from a Tyler Gibson…” his assistant Stella spoke to him nervously through a crack in the door.

“Take a message. Let him know I’m out of the office for the rest of the day.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “And if I have any appointments, cancel them. I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

“Of course, Mr. Montrose.” Stella closed the door silently, leaving him alone once more.

Roman sucked in a breath of air and turned toward his desk. He spied his keys waiting in the small bowl where he kept them and he grabbed them, juggling them in his hand as he headed for the door.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn’t pull it out to check the messages.

He knew Julianna had called and was probably texting him, but in his current state of mind, the last thing he needed to do was text her or call her.

His foul mood would rain over anybody who got in his way and nobody deserved that, least of all her.

21

Julianna

Julianna checked her phone.

Again.

Nothing had come in from Roman since the last time she’d checked all of twenty minutes ago.

There were several texts from Moira, and she knew she needed to get back with her friend, especially considering how adamant Moira was that they meet.

It was edging up on four o’clock and if they were going to get together for dinner, she needed to let Moira know.

“Twenty more minutes,” she told herself as she studied the layout for the spring catalog. It was due to go out at the end of the week, and although she’d already approved it, she always gave everything one last look before it went out.

Absently, she reached up to stroke the locket she wore.

It wasn’t until she’d been doing it for several seconds that she realized what she was doing and she pulled her hand away, curling it into a fist that she placed into her lap.

She thought back to lunch and the expression on her mother’s face—the second she must have recognized the locket.

“It’s a good thing Dad isn’t in the office today,” Julianna muttered, although she’d always known that sooner or later she’d have to come clean about the relationship with Roman. They were serious about each other and that didn’t look to be changing anytime soon.

“Soon,” she murmured to herself. “I’ll talk to them soon.”

She wasn’t worried that her mother would go rushing to tell her father that she’d seen Julianna wearing a piece of jewelry that had to have come from a member of the Montrose family. That wasn’t her mother’s style.

But if Mom had recognized it, then sooner or later, her father would too. There was no doubt in Julianna’s mind she’d end up wearing the locket to work again—she’d already worn it two or three times at least. She simply hadn’t thought about somebody recognizing it. And now she knew people might do so…well, she wasn’t going tohideit. She wasn’t ashamed of her relationship with Roman.

Not at all.

It was something she and Roman needed to discuss.

They could do it after the dinner with Moira.

Assuming he evercalledher.

Her phone rang in the next moment and she grabbed it, but she deflated when she saw that it was Moira. Because she’d been dodging the texts and calls from her friend, she made herself answer.

“Geez, don’t sound so happy to talk to me,” Moira teased.

“I was just hoping it was Roman,” she said, shooting a look at her office door. It was open, but there was nobody loitering near so she wasn’t too concerned. “I haven’t heard from him all day.”

“How about you just text him and let him know to join us? He’s probably just had a busy day with meetings and such. You know how those days are,” Moira suggested.