Chapter 4
FOUR
Jada
I threw on a purple shift dress and a pair of nude heels the following morning, twisting my brown locks into a quick knot on the top of my head. I had overslept after a fitful night’s sleep and being late was not something I was comfortable with.
I had tossed and turned the entire night. Each time I closed my eyes, Cane’s face flashed through my mind. I could hear his laugh, see that sexy-as-hell smirk.
He’s having an adverse effect on my life and I barely had a conversation with him.
Cane’s words echoed through my mind as I tried to sleep that night. “We will see each other again.”
I slammed my mascara wand onto the vanity.
I couldn’t stop thinking about him. But, by his own admission, he was exactly what I had to avoid.
I had no business thinking about a man who admitted he took the player role to a whole new level.
If I were able to separate things, block my heart, and operate on a purely physical level, there wouldn’t be an issue.
I could get his number from Max and have a good time.
But that wasn’t me—it never had been. Even before Decker, I had dated a few guys and wrapped my heart up in the relationship way too soon.
I wasn’t sure if that was because I was too caring or because the guys I chose were all the same.
Regardless, I couldn’t afford to go that route again.
I had to guard my heart and pick a different type of guy.
And Cane was the same as the rest of them.
I jumped into my Jeep Compass just a few minutes behind schedule. Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill album blasted through the speakers, her girl anthems distracting me from the Adonis who had taken over my subconscious. By the time I reached Stanley Real Estate, I was almost on time.
The office hadn’t changed a bit. Dad’s plaques were still on the eggshell-colored walls. The same plant was in the corner, although it was much bigger than I remembered, and the lamp and magazines on the corner table were still in place. All that was missing was Alice, Dad’s longtime secretary.
I made my way through the building and to my old office. The last occupant had rearranged it, but it still felt like mine and I was relieved. Who says you can’t go home?
I tossed my things on my desk and opened my blinds, gazing out at the small grassy patch behind the building.
Kari and I played on that growing up, racing around, practicing gymnastics, and playing tag.
Mom would pack picnic lunches on the weekends if Dad had to work, and then we’d eat lunch out on the grass.
The wave of nostalgia hit me unexpectedly. I had been gone for so long, and had been so caught up in my life that I had forgotten about those little moments—the moments that made me who I was.
My throat constricted as the memories flooded by, comforting and saddening me at the same time.
“You got this, sweet pea.” I closed my eyes as I remembered the line Mom always said to encourage me.
I wished so hard that I could hear her say that to me one more time, to assure me as I started this new chapter in my life.
Will I be okay this time? Do I have this?
I wasn’t sure, but I had to keep plowing forward either way.
“It is so nice having you back,” Alice said, bringing me out of my reverie. “You were very missed around here. But you know that.”
I turned and smiled at her, pushing my memories away. She looked remarkably the same as she did when I left, her graying hair pulled tightly back into her signature bun. “Thank you. It is really nice to be back.”
“Well, everything feels right now that you’re home—where you belong.” She pushed her eyeglasses up on her nose, giving me a motherly look. “Your father wants to see you when you get a chance, by the way. He has a bounce in his step this morning that I haven’t seen for a long time.”
She turned to leave and I followed her out of my office and down the hall. We reached my father’s door and she gave me a pat on the shoulder and a small smile before disappearing around the corner.
Alice had always been more to Kari and me than just Dad’s secretary. We saw her as a family friend or an aunt of sorts. But after our mother’s passing, Alice stepped up to the plate. She took care of everything but gave us all room to grieve—especially me.
The seventh day of March, my birthday, would always be a rough day. There had been no celebrations, no parties, no festivities from my fourteenth birthday on. It would always be a sad day for me.
The day my mother died is the day we lost our light.
A stay-at-home mom who made homemade dinners, played Candyland, and volunteered her time at a local women’s shelter, Anne Stanley was the ideal mother.
Kari and I were the center of her life. Not having her left a tremendous void, but Alice tried to fill it as best as she could.
Not in a disingenuous way, but because she had loved our mother, too.
She baked cookies for our bake sales, picked us up from school when we were sick, and I’m fairly certain she wrapped our Christmas presents every year.
She kept things from spiraling out of control.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I looked across the room at my father. He was handsome, with rugged features and a charismatic smile. He was an astute businessman, but always a father first. There was never any doubt that Kari and I were his first priority.
“Good morning, Jada.” He looked up from a stack of papers in his hands. “I hope you’re ready to jump in headfirst.”
“Is there any other way?” Excitement started to build inside me as I took my seat across from his desk. I loved work and the challenge of making things happen. It was in my bones.
“That’s my girl.” He smiled proudly. “We had a call come in this morning about listing a property in Scottsdale. It’s a commercial building for a new client.
It’s known as Solomon Place. They asked that we head up there today and get the ball rolling.
” He set the papers on the desk. “It’s a good thing you showed up to work today instead of next week. ”
“And why is that?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“They asked for you.”
“They? Asked for me?” I was baffled. “That makes absolutely no sense, Dad. No one even knows I’m in town.” I racked my brain for a connection but came up short.
“Do you know someone named Max Quinn?”
The fog began to lift. “I think so.”
“Well, Mr. Quinn asked for you to meet him at the property this morning. I typically like to handle new clients and accounts this big budget myself, but I trust you.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “If you’re ready, of course.”
“I’d love to do it. That’s why I am here.”
“Here’s the address,” he said, scooting a piece of paper across the table. “Alice has the rest of the information you’ll need.”
An hour later, I pulled up in front of a one-story, stucco commercial building on the outskirts of Scottsdale.
I was excited to get started, to kick off this new phase of my life. But an undercurrent of confusion coursed through me.
What did Max have to do with it?
Stepping out of my Jeep, I took in a hasty breath. The temperature overtook me as the hair on the back of my neck became damp with sweat. Dry heat, my ass. I quickly made my way to the front of the building, ignoring the construction workers watching me from the building next door.
Looking through the glass, I didn’t see anyone. The door was unlocked, it was hot, and the address matched, so I went on in.
“Hello?” I called out into the space. “Is anyone here?”
I was met with silence, save the faint sound of the air conditioner working overtime.
The building looked to have been empty for a while. The floors were dusty and there were odds and ends of office furniture scattered throughout the large entry room, but otherwise, it was vacant.
“Hello? Max?” I announced again, peeking into one of the cubicles lining the side wall. A sound cracked from a back room and I jumped in surprise. I laughed softly and headed toward the sound, hoping that it was Max and not a murderer.
As I cautiously approached the doorway, I could hear someone inside. I rounded the corner and stopped abruptly, my heart skipping a beat.
He was sitting at the desk in the back of the room, his head resting in the palm of one of his hands. I could see his fingers pressing against the sandy-colored strands as if in thought. His watch caught the light and sent a prism of color onto the wall.
He looked so out of place—so large and powerful in the small, drab area. It was a play on opposites—excellence meeting mediocrity.
He hadn’t heard me arrive, completely absorbed in whatever he was reading, and I took a second to steady myself before I caught his attention. Just looking at him was enough to take my breath away.
I briefly considered sneaking out before he saw me but remembered that I was there on business.
Breathe.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked gently on the door. He didn’t move anything but his eyes, raising them to mine. A slow smile crept across his face, and my heart picked up its pace.
Cane leaned back in his chair and grinned smugly, like the cat that ate the canary. “Well, what do you know? We see each other again.”
I was now fueled by irritation instead of lust. This is the first day of my new life, and I’m being toyed with by another jerk? Heaven help me.
I briefly closed my eyes and tried to stay calm. Ripping into him, giving him a huge reaction, would be letting him win, and I was tired of handing victories to assholes.
“It seems that we do. I was told that Max asked to see me?” I forced a smile.
“Oh, Max would probably enjoy that.” Cane laughed. “But no, you’re here to see me.”
“And why is that?”
He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk and his grin growing wider. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“I’m hoping there’s a valid reason.”
“Why do I sense hostility?” He smirked.