causal. Perhaps she was nervous I’d told all of them about the loss of her baby.
Karina turned sharply to stare at me, blue eyes all but piercing through me like a javelin as she pieced together the puzzle.
I cleared my throat, nodding quickly, "Not even a cough." I responded, laughing uneasily.
"Join us, please." Harry offered, pulling up two chairs from a nearby empty table.
Karina turned her death glare to him, but he only settled back beside her and wrapped his arm back around her shoulders.
"Macy, darling, you look absolutely exhausted." Alissa chuckled with a shake of her head, "That baby keeping you up all night?"
Nope. Not that baby. I could feel a blush warming my face as I avoided looking towards my husband.
“It’s been a long few days.” I said instead, sipping my water.
"Actually, I'm glad that you're here, Father." Sebastian said, leaning forward on his elbows, "I have a proposition for you."
"What is it, son?" George asked, ordering a bottle of wine for the table, "I'm quite enjoying my retirement."
"He's going crazy." Alissa responded with a roll of her eyes, "Please give him something to do."
"I wouldn't say I'm going crazy." George scoffed, though after a second of thoughtful brooding he responded, "I did have a rather enlightening conversation with the microwave last week though."
"He couldn't figure out the start button." Alissa murmured dismally.
"How would feel about opening a chain of businesses." Sebastian continued, "Say...some bakeries."
He glanced towards me as I stared at the young billionaire wide eyed.
What was going on?
"I'd love to get back into interior decorating." Alissa sighed dreamily, "It's been so long. George, won’t you think about it, at least?"
She turned her puppy eyes to him, and hapless to refuse his new bride, George sighed and gave a slow nod, “Whatever you want, Pumpkin.” He drawled as Alissa smugly sipped her wine.
"Good. So we've got a decorator, the funds, now we just need a manager for our home store." Sebastian responded, glancing back towards me, "Where do you think we could find one of those in such short notice?"
"You better stop looking at me!" I snorted, "Don’t you remember how much I ruined things last time?"
"So, I suppose you'll need a partner then. Someone to help you out." Sebastian continued casually, sipping his white wine.
I didn't respond, waiting for him impatiently to get to his point. With the Davis family, you had to wait them out. My patience skills were going to be through the roof.
"I'd love to give it a go." He responded with a grin, "A family venture. Wouldn’t that be nice?"
"What are you saying?" I gasped, leaning forward, "Spit it out, Bast."
He paused, head tilting just slightly. I'd never once called him 'Bast' before.
"Tell me!" I said impatiently, clapping my hands together.
"I decided recently that I was leaving our business venture, Father." Sebastian said, turning back to George, "Recent circumstances made me realize how little I'm invested in it. It’s too cutthroat, people are only out for themselves."
He waved a hand with blasé frivolity, as though they weren’t talking about millions of dollars at stake. It was almost unsettling, really.
Karina slammed her hands on the table, gaze shifting between her ex-husband and the son she looked like she was ready to disown, "Don't you know how important that business is to the family?" She gasped, "I’ll have you know that your father-"
Before Karina could go on another three hour tirade about how important the corporation was to the Davis name and to George, the man himself held up a hand to still her.
"Sebastian, if there is one that I've learned, it's that you must do what you want to do. If I had followed my heart years ago, I would have never hurt your mother." He paused to look at Karina.
For a moment, he frowned deeply before heaving a heavy sigh that rolled out of him like a train's roar.
"I knew we shouldn't have gotten married back then,