A Sweet and Spicy Kind Of Love by Minx Charmer Page B

wry smile Julian shook his head “Her hopes will not be dashed. She is like a monkey…if she falls from one branch she will simply grab hold of the next one. Besides, her original boyfriend has always been standing by and he loves the very ground she walks on. Some Livingston or other. Tommy I believe.”
     
    Lionel did not care about the particulars of any boyfriend who loved Valeria. Getting up, he leaned over and met Julian’s gaze dead on. With a thunderous frown between his eyes, he pointed his finger at his son and bellowed “That is the most preposterous thing I have ever heard in my life. Whatever disagreements you may have had will end this instant do you hear me? You will march over there and declare yourself to that woman once and for all. No more waiting, gifts, travels or any other such matters until you find yourself. I want you to get this done.”
     
    Julian placed his hands upon the table and matched his father’s gaze with a thunderous one of his own. “Father, I do love you to some degree and I respect you just as much.” he bit out with clipped words “however from this day forward I will choose my own life, my own plans and my own future. And you will not interfere any longer. I want to be happy, which is something you fail to comprehend. If you truly loved my mother as deeply as you claim, you should understand when I say… I wish to marry for love and not for convenience. I bid you goodnight.”
     
    Lionel watched Julian’s retreating form and felt frustration eat at his soul. His plans were falling apart and he had no doubt who was responsible. It had to be the red head. That Molly girl who worked at the Inn. Somehow she had gotten under Julian’s skin and the result was outright rebellion. The boy was dead set on upsetting years of planning. Just casting his future to the wind on some fanciful notion of love. Ignoring the tug of conscience that reminded him of his departed wife Elenora, Lionel decided that the moment had come to visit Molly personally. It was time to get her out of Julian’s life once and for all.
     
    ~~~
     
    Belinda kept her voice as low as possible, as she brought Molly up to speed on the latest news at Templeton Manor. “The walls have ears my dear and I don’t want one of the servants to hear something and take it back to Mr. Chambers. Julian’s father is a bit of an ogre you know.”
     
    “I know Mom. You’ve told me that before. How are things going?”
     
    Belinda brushed of her question and focused on her daughter instead. “Don’t worry about me. How are you doing? Are you feeling better after that bitter spat with Julian?”
     
    Molly’s jumbled feelings prevented an honest reply “I really don’t know, but I sure hate to leave it like this. If only you had seen the way he looked at me. It was enough to make me run and hide.”
     
    “Darling, I have told you before that the sun does not rise and set on a man. But I do have some good news for you, so listen carefully.”
     
    Molly’s ears perked up at her mother’s conspiratorial tone and she listened with breathless anticipation.
     
    “Something is up with Julian. He has been in such a black mood, that even his father is avoiding his company. I have never seen anything like it. When he shows up the staff scatters like bug under a table. Even I avoid him, although he doesn’t look at me with dislike. Sometimes, I think he wants to talk with me and then he changes his mind at the last minute. I would say that a conflict of some sort is going on inside of him, so I think you have finally made an impression of some kind. The question is… what kind of impression have you made?”
     
    Molly refused to get her hopes up and dashed the niggling feeling of elation at her mother’s comments “It is probably nothing.  However, Yolanda seems to think that I should do my best to ignore him for a few days, but I don’t have the energy or the heart for something like that. I feel that I don’t