A Taste of Temptation (Las Vegas Nights 3)

“Sending it now. Don’t leave them hanging too long about this.”

“I won’t.”

When he received Vince’s email a minute later, Ashton scanned through the contract with only half his mind on the words. He could really use Harper’s input on this. But the last thing he wanted to do right now was disturb her. She had enough on her plate.

Maybe he could talk to her when she returned to Las Vegas for the opening. If she returned. It occurred to him with her grandfather out of commission, it was a perfect time for her to step into the role she’d been training for. She’d decided to follow her head not her heart. He wasn’t convinced that was the right decision. And now he had the project that would allow him to be with her. If only it all felt right.

* * *

Harper entered her grandfather’s New York apartment and was immediately embraced by Violet. The warmth of her greeting was a delightful contrast to the indifference Harper had felt from LeDay. Biology didn’t make a family. Caring did.

“How’s grandfather?”

“Much better,” Violet said, reaching her hand back to her husband for support. JT Stone put his arm around his wife and hugged gently. “He’s already protesting the doctor’s order to rest.”

“Did the stroke cause any permanent damage?”

“From what Dr. Amhull told us, it was a very minor stroke so there shouldn’t be any lasting effects. It was a warning that worse could come. He prescribed medication and wants Grandfather to slow down.”

“Can I go see him?”

“Of course. And afterward, I think we should talk. Scarlett and Logan went for a walk. They should be back shortly. The six of us should sit down before dinner. There are some things we think you should know.”

“The six of us?”

“Isn’t Ashton in New York with you?”

“The restaurant is opening in a few days.” Harper’s stomach turned over as she pictured his tight expression when she told him to go on to Las Vegas without her. “He needs to be in Vegas for that.”

Violet stared at her a long moment before nodding. “Of course.”

Further explanations would have to wait until later. The most important thing was seeing her grandfather. “Is Grandfather in his room?”

“No. He’s in his study. We confiscated his cell phone to keep him from working, but nothing can convince him to stay in bed.”

Harper shook her head as she walked down the hallway toward her grandfather’s favorite room in the apartment. His work ethic had inspired her own. They were so much alike. Maybe that’s why it had been such a shock to discover they weren’t related.

She found him sitting in one of a pair of leather chairs that flanked the fireplace. He had a stack of magazines on the table beside him eight inches high. Pausing in the doorway, she scrutinized him. His color was better than she’d expected, and he was scowling at the article he was perusing. Temper was a positive sign.

“Grandfather?”

He looked up from his reading and waved her over. “This is nothing but a fluff piece.” The page he showed her had a photo of Gil Kurtz, one of her grandfather’s classmates from Harvard and a Connecticut state senator. They’d been rivals since they were twenty years old, and Henry rarely had anything but disparaging things to say about Gil’s political career.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Your sisters won’t let me leave the house. Don’t they understand I have a business to run?”

“They’re just concerned about you.”

“Violet said you were in Africa. Feel like telling me what you were doing there?”

“I just needed a little break.”

Her grandfather grunted. “Bob tried not to give me the impression you’d cracked up, but wasn’t able to mask his concern.”

“Cracked up?” She laughed a little at the thought. “Why?”

“Because you dropped the entire running of the hotel on him and disappeared.”