It was like a balm to Jenna’s soul.
“He told you that?” Jenna could barely believe it.
Why would Dima do that?
“He made me do an electronic signature on an NDA first, but yes. That guy is a year younger than me, but I don’t mind admitting he intimidates me.”
Jenna surprised herself with a laugh. She hadn’t felt much like laughing the last few days. “He’s a prince. It’s in the job description.”
“You think? I never got the impression anyone in that family intimidated you.”
“They don’t.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us what happened?”
Jenna grimaced. “I signed an NDA too, a long time ago. Telling you would have breached it.”
“Like any of us would have let them know,” her brother scoffed.
“My integrity was already ripped to shreds. I wasn’t flushing it down the sewer too.”
Her brother’s sigh was long. “Jenna, you expect too much from yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I hired the wrong person. I made friends with the wrong person.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Nataliya. Being friends with her painted a target on your back, and I didn’t even know it.”
“There is no target on my back. Has anyone ever told you that you take your role as the oldest way too seriously?”
“I’m not the oldest.” Matt had died, but he’d lived too, and she’d never claim his spot in their family.
“No, I know.” This sigh was a lot less gusty.
Luke understood how important that distinction was. She was the oldest surviving sibling, but she would never actually be the oldest.
“Listen, sis, you need to stop taking yourself so seriously. You weren’t the only one who approved your assistant. In fact, I doubt she was hired right into her position.”
“She wasn’t.” Oh, man, had they bothered to look into the two years Skylar had worked at the magazine before she’d become Jenna’s assistant?
“Right,” he said, like he’d had no doubt. “Skylar is an opportunist. She wasn’t just selling information about the royal family, but about designers—”
“And your company. She had a file on it.” That still bothered Jenna. A lot.
“Sure, but nothing really actionable to work with. You are about as interested in genetic research as I am in fashion. We don’t talk business.”
That was true. “But she had a file.”
“A useless one with no information that isn’t already public. Prince Dimitri made sure I got a copy so I could mitigate any potential damage. Stop feeling guilty about me and my company. We are both fine.”
“Did Dima tell you to call me?” Jenna asked.
“Yes. He thought you needed someone to talk to because you aren’t talking to any of them.”
Okay, so she’d neglected to return Emma’s latest phone call and her text trying to firm up plans for dinner again.
“I don’t want to talk to them.”