Chapter 18
Y ou’re stunning, Viv.” Kalista watched her stepmother turn around in front of the tri-paneled mirror.
When Kalista got back home from work, Viv asked if she’d like to go with her to the fitting.
Of course she said yes, and now they were at a bridal shop in Fayetteville, and Viv was getting the final fitting for her wedding dress.
“Bo won’t be able to take his eyes off of you. ”
She blushed. “That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“Because it’s true.” The stout seamstress was checking the hem that hovered just above Viv’s bare feet. “You look incredible.”
Kalista had been shopping long enough in her life to know that salespeople would say anything to get you to buy their product and keep you in the store longer to purchase more.
In this case the seamstress was absolutely correct.
Seeing Viv out of her country clothes and in the tasteful dress reminded her of how Viv used to look when she was married to Kalista’s father. Glamorous .
“I love it.” Viv’s voice was soft as she spoke to the seamstress. “Thank you, Eileen.”
“It was a pleasure to work with you, Ms. Clark.”
Paying close attention to the exchange, Kalista could even see that Viv’s interactions with a store employee had changed.
She’d been young when she and Viv were on their shopping trips, but she could still remember Viv’s attitude.
A little haughty, not necessarily snobby, but she definitely had a superior air about her.
Kalista probably wouldn’t have picked up on it now if she hadn’t been around her for the past several days.
It wasn’t just seeing her in different clothes that made the difference.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” Viv and Eileen went into the large dressing room for her to change out of the gown, while Kalista browsed through wedding dresses that surrounded the fitting area.
She looked at some of the prices, stunned by how inexpensive the gowns were, even the top-dollar ones.
She was used to a handbag costing more than some of them. Still, they were all pretty.
Viv appeared. “Ready to grab some lunch?”
“Yes.” Kalista was hungry, and soon they were on their way to a restaurant Viv had picked out.
“You’re going to like this,” Viv said as they entered the eatery. “It will remind you of home.”
She was right. There were plenty of low-carb, organic choices, and she landed on a turkey sandwich with goat cheese and sprouts. After Viv ordered a ham and Swiss cheese pita, they got their sweet teas, took their trays, and sat down.
Kalista glanced around the restaurant and saw a skinny guy with olive skin, cargo shorts, and an oversize T-shirt. His black hair was worn in the same style as Tyler’s. Her heart skipped a beat, but then he turned around. No glasses. No Tyler.
“Kalista?” Viv’s voice grabbed her attention. “Everything okay? You’ve been pretty quiet today.”
Tears welled in her eyes again. She blinked them away. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in her alfalfa. She planned to tell Viv she was fine. What came out was, “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Of course not. Did someone say that to you?”
Suddenly everything spilled out. Her conversations with Abbie and Ryan, along with telling Viv how she treated Tyler in the kitchen on Saturday and that he could barely be around her now. “Am I really that bad? Am I”—she sniffed—“immature? That’s what Dad thinks. Ryan too.”
Viv folded her hands on the table, her food barely touched. “I think you’re a product of your upbringing,” she said as if she were weighing each word.
“I don’t understand.”
“Remember how I told you that I needed to get out of the modeling world? That I couldn’t take the life anymore?”
Kalista nodded.
“That’s what I mean. That entire lifestyle where everything is fleeting, competitive, and...”
“Shallow?”
“That’s a good word for it. I’m not criticizing people who like that kind of life. Your father always has. When he asked me if you could stay here for the summer, I was happy. To get you away from LA, even for a little while, was worth it.” She smiled.
“That’s why you agreed?”
“You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to my own child.
That was due to the decisions I made about my career.
Being a model and having a baby—those things don’t sync up very well.
By the time I got out of the business, I had already divorced your father.
He wasn’t interested in having more kids anyway.
I was kind of lost for a while. The one stable thing I had during those years was my relationship with you. ”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I’m glad your father never interfered with that. In fact, when he called me, he thanked me for being in your life.”
Kalista fell back in her chair. “I didn’t know any of this. I always wondered why you and dad divorced.” Because she couldn’t help it, she added, “Was it because he cheated on you? I’m sure he’s cheated on all his wives.”
“No, Kalista,” she said softly. “I cheated on him.” She paused, letting the words sink in.
“I never loved your father. Looking back on it now, I think there might have been some affection there for him, but I didn’t love him like he needed or deserved.
Maybe if I hadn’t been so immature back then, we could have made it.
I could have learned to love him. He does have a lot of great qualities, but the truth is, I married him because he was rich. ”
Kalista was so shocked, she couldn’t say anything.
“I don’t want you to blame your father for the divorce.
I want to make that clear. I think part of my infidelity was that I felt lonely.
He was very busy making the money I thought I wanted so badly.
But ultimately I wasn’t the wife I should have been.
” She hung her head. “I’m ashamed to say all that, but it’s true.
I’m sure you think I’m a terrible person. ”
“Viv, I could never think of you that way. You’re the only one of my dad’s wives that ever stuck around or ever did anything with me.
Paid attention to me. I don’t remember my own mother, and I love you for being the mom I never had.
” Tears slipped from her eyes. She’d never been this emotional before.
Maybe when her real mom died, but she’d been so little back then.
Viv took her hand. “I’m glad I could be, Kalista.” She gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go. “Raymond did ask for one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“To be nicer to Bettany.”
Kalista rolled her eyes. Leave it to her wicked stepmonster to ruin the moment. “No. Way. Do you know she’s barely older than I am? Ick.”
A tiny smirk appeared on Viv’s lips. “He does have a type. I’m not asking you to be... best friends, but you could give her a chance. It’s not easy becoming a stepmom.”
“I’ll think about it.” She didn’t have an intention to take the request seriously. Wasn’t she suffering enough? Well, not suffering exactly. Lunch was good, and staying with Viv was really nice. She was even getting used to the house and was feeling more confident about her job.
The only snafu was Tyler. She thought about asking for Viv’s advice, then changed her mind. She needed to forget about him and stick to it this time. She was spending way too much energy on a dorky guy with glasses. He wasn’t even her type.
As of right now, she wasn’t going to think about Tyler Hernandez anymore. Not ever. Ever. And never.
“Want to get pedicures?” Viv asked.
Kalista grinned. Finally, she was going to do something fun.
* * *
Jade’s eyes grew wide. Leave it to Sebastian to keep throwing her loops.
During the ride back from Crescent Ridge Café, her stomach churned with dread, the scrumptious pie she’d just eaten making it worse.
All morning she’d been able to forget about the ledger.
Sebastian had made that easy. It felt like they’d picked up right where they left off ten years ago, even sharing a bite of food the way they used to.
For the first time ever, she allowed herself to think about what would have happened if things were different.
If she had told Sebastian about Logan and hadn’t run off to Atlanta to make more money, only to ultimately fail to adopt him.
If she had trusted him enough, would they still be together?
Would she, Seb, and Logan have been a family?
When he pulled into the inn’s parking lot, she ceased her thoughts.
There was no point in what-ifs. She was just grateful to have spent this time with him.
A complete one-eighty to how she felt almost a week ago.
Then he parked his car, and the time had come.
She had to confess to taking and losing the ledger.
She shoved her shaking hands under her thighs.
Then he knocked her off guard with his question. Her automatic answer was something he could relate to—she was too focused on work and her own security to have a social life. She turned to tell him that.
His tender gaze caressed her, making the words disappear and uncovering the real truth. Sebastian Hudson had her heart. He always had. He still does.
Suddenly he turned away. “Doesn’t matter,” he mumbled, opening the car door. “I’ll walk you to the inn.”
The encompassing warmth she’d felt a second ago vanished, making her think she’d imagined the moment. She probably had. Anything to keep the sick feeling at bay. She got out of his car, and he met her on the passenger side.
“I guess this is goodbye,” he said.
Jade nodded. “Thanks for talking to Miles.”
Seb shrugged. “I’ll see what he has to say.”
They both knew he wasn’t going to agree, and Jade was fine with that. Actually, she was glad. Sebastian was The Clementine Times . He deserved to keep it.
She swallowed, ready to tell him about the ledger. She lifted her eyes to meet his. She’d been enough of a coward. “Sebastian...”
Her words, her thoughts, everything around her disappeared as their gazes met. Her pulse danced—no, it do-si-do’d as he took a step forward. Bedroom eyes. He has bedroom eyes.
She willed his mouth to meet hers, pressing against him, kissing him with so much emotion she wanted to weep. His arm went around her waist, drawing her closer, slightly arching her back while his fingers dug into her hair as he returned her kiss. The hollow emptiness inside her began to fill.
At some point he pulled away, but not very far. “I missed you,” he said, his already deep voice husky and deliciously low.
She smiled, fully relaxing in his arms. “I can tell.”
“Yeah, I’m not exactly hiding it.”
He wasn’t. And he was perfect.
He traced his fingertips down her cheek. “Stay, Jade. An extra day or two. Three, even. Let me get to know you again.”
Her instinct was to say no. Her default setting whenever it came to doing something for herself. She was a logical woman who worked with numbers and understood objectivity and order. Objectively, she had to go home. She had work to do. She had... nothing else.
Yet, in Clementine she had this sexy, dependable man, right in her arms. Right where I want him. Taking a day or three off wouldn’t hurt. She had plenty of vacation time accrued. “Yes,” she said. “I’ll stay.”
His eyes lit up and he kissed her again. “Then it’s a date.”
“When?”
“Tonight.” He grinned and backed away. “Pick you up at six.”
She giggled. When was the last time she’d done that? “What are we doing?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
Sebastian got in his car, and she stepped away. There would be time to tell him about the ledger. Time to get to know each other, and he would be more apt to understand what she’d done. She waved as he drove off, and she headed toward the inn. Floated, actually.
When she walked inside, the inn was empty, and no one was manning the counter.
She tapped the little metal bell and waited for someone to show up.
Now that the hoedown and Memorial Day weekend were over, she might be able to extend her reservation.
She reached for her purse. Oh no. She thought she’d put it over her shoulders, but she must have left it in Seb’s car.
A moment of panic, then she remembered she’d be seeing him tonight. That made her smile.
“Jade!” Mabel appeared behind the counter, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re not going to believe this.”
It had been an unbelievable morning so far, that was for sure. “Try me.”
She put a briefcase on the counter and grinned.
Jade’s briefcase. She shot a shocked look at Mabel. “How did you find it?”
“That’s the unbelievable part.” Mabel still beamed.
“One of our guests that stayed for the weekend saw it on the floor after they had checked in. She thought it was her husband’s.
She was so mad at him for bringing work with him on vacation that she took the briefcase and hid it from him in the hotel room.
When they were packing to leave this morning, she gave it back to him, and she was mortified to find out it wasn’t his.
You weren’t here when she returned it, or I would have given it right back to you. ”
Jade couldn’t believe it. She stared at the briefcase, making sure it was truly hers.
This solved everything! Now that she was staying in Clementine for a few days, she could sneak the ledger back in Seb’s office.
He would never know what happened. She almost fainted with relief.
“Thank you,” she said to Mabel. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m just glad someone didn’t steal it. Not on purpose anyway.”
The inn’s front door opened as Jade grabbed the handle.
“Jade, you forgot—”
She turned at the sound of Sebastian’s voice and saw he was carrying her purse. She grinned and picked up the briefcase. “Thank you—”
Suddenly the latch gave way, spilling everything onto the floor.
Including Sebastian’s ledger.