Chapter 8
S eb had known Mabel all his life, but two things about her stood out—she was wise enough to marry Clyde, who made the best biscuits west of the Mississippi, and she was exceptionally observant.
That second characteristic came into play when he spotted Jade scurrying into the inn, clutching her briefcase like she’d just escaped a heist at Fort Knox.
Mabel immediately noticed him noticing Jade, and before he knew it, she was waving one bat-winged arm and inviting her to his exclusive interview.
Then he saw her turn statue still, an unnatural smile on her pretty face. Yep, something was up. Not one to turn down an investigative opportunity, he motioned for her to come over.
She slowly walked to their table, her eyes shifting from his and locking on Mabel’s before sitting down opposite him. She set her briefcase on her lap, protectively placing her hands on top. The strap of a small brown purse was slung across her body.
“Jade,” Mabel said, a wide smile on her face. “Let me introduce you to one of Clementine’s national treasures—”
He cringed at her overblown praise.
“—Sebastian Hudson. He’s the owner, editor in chief, reporter extraordinaire—”
“We’ve met before,” he interjected before Mabel shoved a crown on his head. The woman did have a flair for hyperbole.
Jade nodded, her expression still a little strained.
“Oh?” Mabel’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “When?”
She was also a little nosy. Then again, who in Clementine wasn’t?
“We both used to work at The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ,” Jade said.
“In Little Rock,” he added.
“Now isn’t that a coincidence,” Mabel said with a slight smile.
Seb turned to Jade. “Yeah. Coincidence.”
Mabel pushed her chair back and started to get up. “Let me get another glass of tea.”
Jade shook her head. “That’s not necessary—”
“Sweet or unsweet?”
“Unsweet, please,” she quietly replied.
Mabel disappeared.
Seb looked at the briefcase again. “Hmm.”
Jade frowned. “Hmm what?”
“Nice briefcase.”
She gave it a quick look as if she hadn’t noticed she was holding it, then put it underneath her chair. “It’s nothing special,” she muttered, staring down at the tabletop.
“Looks like real leather.”
“It’s not. Real leather is expensive.”
“Hmm.”
She turned to him, exasperated. “What?”
“I just figured with you working at a fancy-schmancy company, you’d have a fancy-schmancy attaché.”
“I’ve never liked schmanciness.”
His lips twitched. “True. You were always unostentatious. That was one of the things I liked—” He shook his head, irritated at the almost slipup, even though it was accurate.
She looked at him, less guarded now.
Once again he was caught up in her eyes. When he and Jade first met, they were filled with determination and pluck. As they grew closer, he saw the kind softness that she kept carefully hidden. Then there was the desire, as they fell in love—
Seb’s thoughts screeched to a halt.
Jade leaned toward him. Not too close, but the distance between them wasn’t exactly businesslike. “Would you like to grab dinner tonight?”
His brows shot up to his hairline. “Huh?”
“We can have a bite to eat, catch up on the past ten years.” She smiled, but there was something off about it.
Even though he had no idea if her offer was serious or if she was trying to manipulate him, he was tempted—more than he wanted to admit.
What had she been doing for the past decade?
Did she like living in Atlanta? Did she ever miss Arkansas?
Or me? He was torn between wanting the answer and letting it alone.
His curiosity was winning, though, and he knew a cozy restaurant fifteen minutes outside Clementine that served the tenderest sirloin steaks—
“Jade!”
They both turned to see a tall, biracial man with black curly hair and freckles stride toward them, a bright yellow backpack slung over one shoulder.
“Logan,” she grumbled. “He wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow morning.”
While Seb was grateful the kid’s unexpected appearance interrupted his insane thought that agreeing to dinner with Jade was even possible, much less a good idea, he wondered who this guy was.
Jade stood as Logan reached their table. “You’re early,” she said without preamble.
Logan’s bright grin faded. “I was eager to see you.” He glanced at Seb. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Jade said.
“Kinda,” Seb added. He’d gotten sidetracked in his quest to find out what was so special about her briefcase, but maybe he’d read too much into it.
She’d set it on the ground and now didn’t seem concerned about it.
Her attention was fully focused on the kid in front of her.
Seb’s gaze dropped to her wringing hands.
Mabel showed up with Jade’s tea and set it on the table. She looked at Logan. “Now who do we have here?” she said.
“Logan Mitchell.” He held out his hand. “I’m Jade’s brother.”
Seb hid his shock and saw Mabel’s pleasant expression slip into the tiniest bit of confusion.
He didn’t blame her—he was just as confused.
He didn’t know Jade had a brother, and from appearances they weren’t fully blood related, although genes were always unpredictable.
Not that it was a big deal, just unexpected.
Then again, neither of them had said much about their families when they were together.
Other than one mention of her mom, she had avoided any discussion of the topic.
“Nice to meet you,” Mabel said, back to her usual hospitable geniality. “Welcome to the Clementine Inn. I’m Mabel, the proprietor.”
“Thanks. I’m glad to be here.” He glanced over his shoulder at the front desk. “Is that where I can reserve a room?”
“For tonight?”
He nodded. “If you have one near Jade’s, that would be great.” He turned to his sister. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Jade flinched.
“Oh dear.” Mabel frowned. “We don’t have any free rooms until after Saturday’s hoedown. We booked our last one this morning.”
Logan nodded, looking disappointed. “Is there another hotel I can stay at?”
She shook her head. “Not nearby. The Juniper Arms is about an hour away.”
He turned to Jade. “Guess I’ll have to bunk with you.”
Her eyes widened. “I only have one bed. It’s a double.”
“No big deal, I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Seb stepped forward and extended his hand. “Seb Hudson. I’m...” He glanced at Jade. “An old acquaintance of your sister’s. I’ve got a cabin not too far from Clementine. You can stay there.”
That suggestion brought Jade to her feet finally. “But—”
“Really? You have a cabin?” Logan adjusted his backpack. “Cool.”
Jade was shooting quizzical arrows at Seb, but he ignored her.
It didn’t seem right for Logan to sleep on a motel room floor, no matter how clean Mabel and Clyde kept their premises.
“It’s about half an hour outside Clementine, in the mountains.
It’s remote, though. The nearest neighbor is more than two miles away. ”
“Sounds good to me. What do you think, Jade?”
Seb looked at her, and he could tell she thought this was a terrible idea. From Logan’s crestfallen expression, it was obvious he could read her thoughts too. “Can I talk to you privately for a minute?” she said.
Logan nodded. “Sure.”
“Not you.” She turned to Seb, her eyes narrowing. “You.”
* * *
Jade tried to control her frustration as she dragged Sebastian by the arm to the patio outside, off the eating area of the inn. She shut the door and faced him, thrusting her trembling hands behind her back. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He lifted his hands. “Giving your brother a place to stay.”
“You had no right to do that!” She almost added that he didn’t know what he was getting into.
She wasn’t even sure she knew Logan was sincere, although she was glad to see he was looking healthier and more clear-eyed than he had since their last meeting, when she cut off her financial and emotional support.
She pushed the sudden stab of guilt away, remembering that he’d told her he had to get out of Little Rock.
If he was in such a hurry to leave, then he had to be in some sort of trouble, even though he wasn’t acting like it.
“You want him to sleep on your floor?”
“I want you to mind your own business!” She pushed her hair to the side and off her sweaty neck. Taking a small breath, she modulated her tone and crossed her arms so her unsteady hands were still hidden. “You don’t even know him, Sebastian. Why would you take in a complete stranger?”
“He’s your family.” He held out his hands. “Why wouldn’t I?”
His words caused warmth to spread in her chest. Of course he would do this.
Opening his home to someone in need was quintessential Sebastian.
Her hands stilled and she dropped her arms. “I...” She didn’t know what to say without revealing Logan’s past. If her brother truly had turned his life around, she didn’t want to poison Sebastian’s view of him.
“I’ll rescind the offer if it means that much to you.” He turned toward the door.
“Wait.” She touched his arm. His bicep, in particular. Nice. Hard, firm, as if he still went to the gym like he used to back in Little Rock—
“Jade?”
Her eyes refocused and she saw him look at her, then at her hand. She snatched it away. “He can stay at your cabin.”
“How kind of you to allow him.”