Chapter 8 #2
She knew she was being unreasonable, and she wanted Logan to stay in a nice place.
But his early arrival, along with her earlier, unexpected dinner invitation to Sebastian, had her all spun up.
After Mabel left and they were alone for a few minutes, she simply wanted to open the door with him again and decided to be more personable.
That had instantly turned into her practically asking him out on a date.
Even worse, she thought it might actually be a decent idea, and after his initial shocked reaction, he almost seemed to be mulling it over.
Then again, maybe she just wanted to believe he was.
So confusing. For once, Logan’s timing was spot-on.
“Thank you for giving him a place to stay,” she said, measuring the speed of her words so they didn’t come out in a mangled rush. “It will only be for one night.”
“You sound sure of that.”
“We’ll go to another hotel tomorrow morning.”
“An hour away?”
“There really isn’t one closer?”
“Nope.”
That did put a damper on things. She’d lose precious hours commuting back and forth, and Logan was going to take up some of that time too. “All right, we won’t change accommodations. That way I can meet with you tomorrow to continue our discussion.”
His hands went to his hips. “I made it clear to you this morning that our discussion was over.”
She moved toward him, tilting her chin so she could look him directly in the eye. “It’s only just begun.”
And that ended up being a grave miscalculation.
Her intent had been to show him how serious she was.
Instead, she couldn’t breathe. She’d forgotten what it was like to be this close to him, inhaling his scent, appealing and familiar.
She could also see shades of brown mixed with a little gray in his scruffy beard.
His blue eyes held hers, and a jolt of heat traveled through her.
The patio door opened. They jumped apart as Logan stepped outside. “Everything okay out here?”
Jade turned to him, stunned. When was the last time Logan had asked her if she was okay? She literally couldn’t remember.
“We’re cool.” Sebastian went to him. “Everything’s set.”
“Thanks, dude,” he said to Sebastian. “I owe you one.”
For the first time since his arrival, she took a good look at him.
He didn’t reek of cigarette and marijuana smoke.
His hair was clean, and he was dressed in casual clothes any twentysomething guy would wear in hot weather—a T-shirt and shorts—not ripped, torn, and stained clothing.
It had been a long time since Logan had looked so. .. normal.
“No problem,” Sebastian said. “I just need to finish my interview with Mabel, and I’ll take you there.” He turned to Jade. “You’re welcome to come along.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond. His friendly offer and demeanor seemed surreal, considering they were in contentious business discussions and Logan was unknown to him.
Since Sebastian had to talk to Mabel, Jade and Logan could go back to her room and she could find out what was going on with him—because something odd was going on.
After their discussion she would decide whether to go to the cabin.
It might give her another opportunity to talk about negotiations with Sebastian.
All she needed to do was get her briefcase—
My briefcase!
How could she have forgotten? She was supposed to be figuring out how to return Sebastian’s ledger.
Hold on, she needed to keep her cool. She would just get her briefcase, go to her room with Logan, and take things from there.
No need to act weird. “I’ll be right back,” she said, not waiting for a response, slowing her steps to an almost awkward gait to avoid rushing back inside.
When she entered the eating area, she halted. The entire room and lobby were packed full of guests. Some were at the front desk where Clyde was manning the reservations, and others were seated at the tables near the empty buffet. Where did they all come from?
She weaved through the small crowd to where she had been sitting with Sebastian and Mabel, looked under her chair, and freaked out.
Her briefcase was gone.
Her crossbody purse slapped against her hip as she rushed to the desk, pushing her way to the front.
“Hey,” a woman said as Jade shoved her aside. “What are you doing?”
“Sorry, it’s an emergency. Where’s Mabel?” she asked Clyde.
“Wish I knew.” His expression was pleasant, but there was a slightly stressed edge to his tone.
“Hopefully she went to get Caroline to help us out. We weren’t expecting everyone to show up at once.
This has never happened before.” He tapped on the computer and nodded to the gentleman in front of him.
“Yes, sir, your reservation is here. Give me just a second—”
“Have you seen a briefcase? Brown with a big gold latch?”
“No,” he said. “Sorry, Mr. Tate. I was saying that to her.” Clyde looked at Jade. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Panic anchored deep inside her. She couldn’t lose her briefcase. She had other work-related papers in there. And if the ledger was gone, how was she going to explain that to Sebastian?
A swarm of people pressed against her, and she managed to slip away and get back to the dining area. When she couldn’t see underneath the chairs, she dropped to the floor and started to crawl.
Logan was suddenly beside her as they avoided getting stepped on. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t find my briefcase.” How could she have been so stupid to leave it unattended? She’d had it close beside her the whole time since she left Atlanta, and that was before she’d taken Sebastian’s file. She started to hyperventilate.
“It’s okay, Jade. I’ll help you find it.”
Her brother’s words calmed her, and they crawled around the dining area for a few minutes.
“This is impossible.” Logan took her arm and brought her to her feet. “There’s too many people here.”
“You don’t understand,” she said. “I have to find it.”
“Find what?” Sebastian asked.
She turned to see him standing behind her. “Nothing—”
“She’s misplaced her briefcase,” Logan said.
“Oh, right. It was by that table over there, wasn’t it?” He looked at Jade. “I’ll help you—”
“No!”
Logan and Sebastian drew back.
“I mean,” she said, an ungainly chuckle escaping, “it’s probably in lost and found by now. When things settle down, I’ll ask Mabel or Clyde to get it for me.”
“Are you sure?” Sebastian said.
“Positive.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “One hundred percent.”
He glanced at the crowd in the lobby. “Looks like I won’t get to talk to Mabel for a while.”
“Then why don’t you and Logan go to your cabin?” She mustered a smile. “You can get him settled.”
“Are you coming with us?” Logan sounded hopeful.
She shook her head. She would continue to look for her briefcase without having to worry about Sebastian finding it first. Just the thought of him picking up the case and the latch opening on its own terrified her. “I’ve got some things to do back in my room.”
The men exchanged looks. “Sounds good to me,” Sebastian said. He nodded to Jade. “See you later.”
Logan put his arm around her shoulders. “We’ll talk soon, sis.”
Another surprise. Logan rarely hugged her once he became a teenager. When he was little, she used to cuddle him in her lap and read stories, mostly before bedtime. Her heart squeezed. She missed those days.
She watched her brother and ex-boyfriend make their way through the congested lobby to the exit.
Unreal. When they disappeared, she blew out a breath and rubbed her temples.
Once everything settled down, she could ask Mabel to check the lost and found.
Surely it had to be there. No one would steal a briefcase. Would they?
* * *
As Seb made the twenty-five-minute drive to his cabin with Logan following in his small gray sedan, he took the chance to process the last hour with Jade.
He hadn’t expected her to get so upset, not only about his offer to house Logan, but also about the briefcase.
He was still puzzled that she’d been against her brother staying at his cabin.
The kid seemed nice, and like Seb told Jade, he was her family.
It was almost as if she didn’t want to trust Logan with Seb. Or was it the other way around?
Then there was the briefcase debacle. Her strong reaction to losing it brought his curiosity back.
He’d seen fear in her eyes when he offered to find it, and she quickly covered that up with a bizarre laugh and enthusiastic suggestion that he take Logan to the cabin, when a short while earlier she’d been against it.
Strange, strange, strange.
The rest of the way to the cabin he made a mental note to get with Mabel again after the hoedown. He could push back his Clementine series. He was the boss after all.
Reaching the top of the curvy mountain road, he pulled into his driveway and Logan parked right next to him. He got out of the car and breathed in the Ozark air. It was fresh. Invigorating. He loved it up here. He saw Logan exit the car, a cell to his ear.
“Gotcha,” Logan said into the phone. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning. Hopefully I’ll have some news.” He hung up and slid his cell into his short’s pocket, then reached inside and pulled out his backpack. When he turned toward Seb, he looked a little green around the gills.
“You all right?”
“I will be now that we’re stopped.” Logan leaned against the car.
“Sorry. Should have warned you about all the curves.”
“That’s okay. I’ll be fine.” He paused, his eyes filling with concern. “You think Jade’s all right?”
Not really. But he had no way to explain that answer, so he said, “As far as I know.”
“How long have y’all known each other?”
Ah, the inquisition. He would do the same if he’d met an “old friend” of Evelyn Margot’s he’d never heard about. “About ten years. We met at the paper.”
“That’s where she was working before she moved to Atlanta, right?”
“Right.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “She went on to greener pastures.”
“I don’t even know what she does there,” Logan said. “Not exactly. Something with business.”
“Yeah,” Seb said. “Business.”
“I’m proud of her. She’s always done well for herself.”
“Seems to have. It’s been a while since we last talked.” No need for him to know how long.
“Same here.” Logan was staring straight ahead, looking past Seb, his jaw set.
For once, Seb didn’t pry.
Logan blinked and looked at Seb again, this time with a grin. “Nice place.”
“Thanks.” He walked down the incline to the cabin’s front steps and unlocked the door.
It had been a few weeks since he was last here, and as soon as he walked inside, he pulled down the window on the screen door and left the wood-paneled front door ajar.
“I’ll open a couple more windows in here to air it out,” he said as Logan entered.
Logan glanced around the cabin. “Wow,” he said.
Wow was an exaggeration, but the place was a gem. Seb had been shocked when Buford had bequeathed it to him, and worried that Bo would be upset. “Nah,” Bo had said. “You went up there more than I did to visit him and Aunt Glenda. I’m glad it’s yours.”
Seb was glad too, and while the cabin was his retreat, he wished he had more time to spend up here. Maybe someday he would again, once his problems with The Times were settled.
Buford and Glenda had designed and built the one-bedroom, one-bath home with chocolate-brown wood flooring, maple walls, and a high ceiling.
The living area and kitchen were one continuous space, and a red cast-iron stove stood in the corner, cords of firewood stacked nearby.
The weather was too warm to use the stove now, but in the late fall and winter, there was nothing better than a warm fire, some stout coffee, and a good book to read. Or possibly write.
“The bedroom is down the hall in the back.” Seb opened up another window. “You’ll see the bath right across from it.”
“Thanks. I’ll put up my stuff.”
After Logan disappeared, Seb checked the near-empty fridge, save for mustard, ketchup, a jar of pickles, and two cans of Coke. The pantry had more supplies, but if he had been thinking, they probably should have stopped at the store on their way here.
“This is really cool, Seb.” Logan walked into the room. “Thanks for giving me such a great place to stay.”
“It’s not the Clementine Inn, but it’ll do.” He turned to Logan. “Supplies are pretty low. I can run to the grocery store and get you a few things.”
“It’ll be okay for one night. I brought some stuff with me in my pack. I wasn’t exactly sure about Jade’s reception.” He shrugged. “I don’t want to keep you if you have to get back to work.” Logan stood by the brown suede recliner next to a matching overstuffed couch. “I can take care of myself.”
Independence. A quality the young man shared with his sister. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
Seb was tempted to stay but needed to get back to town.
Even without the Clementine history series to work on, he had plenty to do.
“Make yourself at home. There are some wicker chairs on the back porch and a hiking trail in the woods behind the house. It’s about a mile and a half around and will bring you back to the cabin. ”
“Thanks, but I’ll stick around and wait for Jade. We were supposed to talk tomorrow, and I can tell I threw her off schedule. But maybe she’ll change her mind.”
Seb didn’t miss the hope in Logan’s voice.
“Oh, before I forget, cell reception can be spotty up here, so I can’t guarantee your phone will work.
I have a landline just in case.” He opened up the junk drawer and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil that was worn to the nub.
He scribbled down his phone number, address, and his nearest neighbor’s same information.
“Just in case,” he said, handing the paper to Logan.
After saying goodbye, Seb headed back to Clementine. Before he reached his office, a crazy thought came to mind. Should he go to the inn and check on Jade? Make sure she found her briefcase?
No. She wasn’t his concern or responsibility. He did hope she would go see Logan and work out whatever was going on between them. Whatever that was, he had to remind himself once again that it wasn’t his business. And she was after his actual business. That was enough to maintain his distance.