My entrepreneurial interest in controlling shares of Wade Pharmaceutical was increasing by the minute. I turned to Julia. “What do you think?”

“She doesn’t have the information,” her mother interjected.

“I can speak for myself,” Julia said. “I don’t have the information. I want it. Send me everything and to Van too. The recent upheaval has made me realize that I do care about Wade. This new information makes me hopeful that I’m not simply asking Van to save a failing company, but that by saving it, we could see the fortunes turn.”

“My father won’t agree to sending the data,” Butler said. “It’s all in-house. We can’t risk a leak.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell this runt what I thought of him and his father. Before I could, Julia stepped in.

“Marlin has a say as long as he maintains his twenty-five percent. That’s all he has, Skylar—a twenty-five-percent say. As I said at the hotel, don’t push me. If you do, I’ll make sure you, your father, and your uncle are permanently removed from the day-to-day running of Wade.”

Logan is involved?

In what capacity?

He wasn’t listed as a stockholder, board member, or anywhere among the employee information.

“You can’t do that,” Butler said.

“Julia has a say, too,” Mr. McGrath said. “The McGrath shares will be under her jurisdiction upon her marriage.”

I was awed by Julia’s expression, seeing the way she internalized her father’s acknowledgment of her position.

“Not to him,” Butler said, his chin coming my way. “Julia is kidding herself if she thinks she’ll have a say with him. He won’t listen. She’s handing Wade to the enemy.”

“How is Van the enemy?” Julia asked.

Her father spoke, “I think it’s best to keep tempers out of this. Right now, it’s business.”

“Your father wants to sell,” Julia said.

“No,” Butler rebutted. “I told you that his plan was to give the shares to us.”

Standing, I reached for Julia’s hand and spoke to her parents. “It was nice to meet you.”

The McGraths both stood, recognizing the cue I’d given for them to leave.

“Hopefully, by this time next year, we can celebrate together as a family. If you’ll excuse us, I don’t want our dinner to be overdone.”

“Please come home,” Mrs. McGrath said to Julia. “There is no rush for this...wedding.”

“Not for the wedding, but there is a rush,” Julia said. “The bank wants the balloon payment by the third.” Her blue eyes came to me. “Van is our only hope in making that payment. I can’t and won’t ask him to do that without him knowing I’m steadfast in my decision to marry him. He deserves that.”

“You can reassure him from Chicago,” her mother said.