Chapter 6
D isappointed didn’t begin to describe Jade’s feelings when she left Sebastian’s office, and not only because she hadn’t sealed the deal.
She walked out of the building into the hot, sultry air and went straight to her rental car.
Now what was she supposed to do? He was an immovable object, and she had no idea how to push him forward.
Ugh, her neck and back were sweating, whether from the heat, nervousness, stress from Logan, or Sebastian’s rejection, she didn’t know.
Probably all of it. For sure she had to get rid of this jacket.
She whipped it off, thankful she wore a short-sleeved blouse underneath, then opened the car door and tossed it on the passenger seat, along with her briefcase. There, that was better—
Brrrrring!
She sank against the car. Couldn’t she get just one break?
She got inside, closed the door, and started the engine.
Cool air flowed from the vents. Much better.
She opened her briefcase without a problem and grabbed her phone, expecting Logan’s name to pop up on the screen.
Instead, it was an unknown number with an Atlanta area code.
She quickly answered before it went to voice-mail. “Hello?”
“Good morning, Jade!” Miles’s bright voice sounded in her ear. “Were you able to talk to Mr. Hudson yet?”
Oh no. Should she lie and tell him no? That would put him off for a bit. She didn’t like lying to her boss, though, and invariably lies were always exposed in the end. Better to rip off the Band-Aid now. “Uh, yes. I just finished speaking with him.”
“Wonderful. What did he say?”
She gulped. “He, um, isn’t interested in selling.”
Silence.
Jade squirmed in her seat, waiting for him to respond. When he didn’t, she wondered if he heard her. She was about to tell him again when he finally spoke, his tone no longer upbeat.
“Try again.”
“I don’t think I can convince him—”
“Do whatever it takes, Jade. I’m not going to let some country bumpkin get in the way of my deal.”
She flinched. Sebastian was smart, driven, and extremely capable.
The newspaper business was going through tumultuous times, and he was committed to keeping his paper alive.
She found that admirable. Besides, there were plenty of so-called bumpkins who were also smart, driven, and capable.
It wasn’t the slur Miles thought it was.
“You’re an attractive woman, Jade.” His aggravated tenor switched to a near murmur. “Use that to your advantage.”
Blech. His oily compliment gave her the creeps. She wanted to tell him to go stuff his shirt, but ticking off her already ticked off boss was the last thing she should do.
His suggestion wouldn’t work anyway.
Sebastian had already accused her of trying to use their past to get to him, and she truthfully denied it. If she tried, he’d see right through her. He made it clear that he wasn’t interested in her, not even enough to listen.
There was also another problem. She couldn’t deny there was still something inside her that was drawn to him after all these years.
Attraction for sure, although any woman in her right mind would be attracted to him.
How had he managed to get even sexier at forty?
If he wasn’t taken, she was sure he had plenty of female interest.
Still, there was an undeniable flash, a spark inside her, especially when their eyes met. A little tickle appeared in her tummy just thinking about it. If she had to act on that, either by pretending, or worse, by unleashing her real feelings, she would be making a huge mistake.
There were so many reasons she and Sebastian would never work out, but the number one was crystal clear—he was over her.
His tone, body language, and the overall sense she got from him was that he had moved on.
Good, because she was over him, despite the tickle and the nerves and the weird spark thing.
Stress, her brother, and the fact that she absolutely stunk at negotiations explained all that.
“You can do this,” Miles said, a sudden smile in his voice. The man could alternate moods with whiplash speed. “I believe in you. Give it another shot, okay?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. It wasn’t like she could go back to Atlanta anyway—she had made a commitment to see Logan tomorrow, although she half expected him not to show up.
Maybe there was a sliver of hope that Sebastian would be open to talking to her again.
She just had to figure out another angle that didn’t require flirting, or as Charlotte Rae would say, bedroom eyes .
“Okay,” she agreed, without a shred of confidence.
“Great! I’ll be in touch.”
Jade threw her phone inside the open briefcase and leaned back on the headrest, trying to decide on her next move. She could go back to the inn and regroup. Or...
She glanced to her left. The Clementine Diner was a block down from The Times office, and despite the large breakfast she had this morning, she was craving something to eat—preferably fried.
She could have a snack while she figured out a new way to approach Sebastian, and then return to his office and meet with him this afternoon.
This time the element of surprise was crucial, because if she tried to call and set up an appointment, he would absolutely refuse to see her. Zero doubts there.
With renewed focus, she closed the briefcase and took it with her as she exited the car and locked it.
While she walked to the diner, she thought about the woman who barged into his office.
Sebastian hadn’t bothered to introduce her, not that she expected him to.
She was cute—petite, slim, with long brown hair and dark amber eyes.
Quite striking. Was she his girlfriend? Or something more?
She bounded into the office like she owned it, or owned Sebastian at least.
Jade shook off the thoughts. She needed to give all her attention to her goal of getting Sebastian to talk to her again. This time she wouldn’t let him interrupt or distract her. She would read the folder contents to him if she had to. And she would for sure turn off her phone.
As she neared the restaurant, the scent of delicious food made her stomach growl. A few minutes later she walked inside, once again thankful for the air-conditioning. The diner had a Southern feel to it with plenty of down-home kitsch.
The sign near the door said Seat Yourself, so she found a booth near a window and sat down. As soon as she did, a young waiter wearing a stained apron appeared.
“Welcome in,” he said, putting a menu in front of her. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Coffee. The strongest you have.”
“Sure thing. Cream or sugar?”
“Black, please. Oh, and a glass of water.”
He nodded and walked away. Jade fell back against the seat, tension draining from her body.
The diner wasn’t that crowded, and eighties music piped in through the speaker.
Her gaze landed on a bird clock on the wall, and she was shocked that it was only ten thirty.
Seemed like more time than that had passed since she arrived in downtown Clementine. Like an eternity.
Jade eyed the menu. Everything looked fried, loaded, and mouthwatering, but there were also the requisite chef, taco, and side salads.
She should get one of those, but the crispy chicken tenders were calling her name.
She’d eat more strictly when she returned to Atlanta. Right now she needed comfort food.
“Here’s your coffee.” The waiter set a white ceramic cup in front of her. “Ready to order?”
Jade looked at his name tag. She got the tender platter, which included a side of fries. “Thanks, Tad.”
“Welcome.”
After he left to put in her order, she took a sip of coffee and watched as an older couple walked in, followed by a pretty young woman, and she realized it was the one she’d argued with this morning. She didn’t look nearly as angry or arrogant as she had earlier. Mostly just confused.
Jade watched as she sat down in a nearby booth and pulled a phone out of her expensive, soft pink leather purse with a gold Chanel logo on the front.
Jade didn’t collect purses or wear designer clothes, but plenty of her coworkers did, and she knew Chanel cost a pretty penny.
The woman flipped open the latest cell phone model and punched in numbers.
When she put the phone to her ear, she jerked it away, stared at it in disbelief, and punched the keys again.
She repeated the action two more times before scowling and tossing the phone back in her purse.
The young woman wasn’t just scowling. She looked scared and was trying to hide it. Jade understood that expression all too well.
Jade set down her coffee and frowned as she thought about her behavior this morning in front of The Times office.
Not one of her better moments. Normally she wasn’t snotty to strangers, but with her emotions already at the surface after coming face-to-face with Sebastian so unexpectedly, she lost her cool.
She owed the woman an apology, although she wasn’t sure if it would be accepted or not.
She rose and walked over to her booth. “Excuse me,” she said.
The woman looked up at her, her expression suddenly guarded. “What?”
Now that her nerves were more under control, she wasn’t offended by the snippy response. “I wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior. I shouldn’t have snapped at you the way I did.”
Manicured eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Uh, thanks,” she finally mumbled, looking down at the pale blue Formica table. “I’m sorry too.”
“I noticed you were having trouble with your phone.” At her questioning look, Jade pointed to her booth where Tad was setting down her salad. “I’m sitting over there. You can borrow my cell if you need to make a call.”
Once again the young woman seemed shocked. Then she shook her head. “It’s okay. I was just trying to reach my stepmom. I’ll call her later.”