“Good luck!” she called out as Jade hurried down the hall. “And if he gives you bedroom eyes, flirt right back!”
Bedroom eyes?She’s lost her mind.She meant well, though. Jadehad worked with Charlotte since she joined Preston and Ustace—or PU, as it was informally called, much to the chagrin of the owners who hadn’t quite thought through the ramifications of combining both their names. Her cubicle mate was a little eccentric, nosier than she should be, but it was nice that she cared.
As she made her way to the elevator, she shifted her thoughts to Miles. The only encounter she’d had with him was at last year’s Christmas party, and that had been in passing. She stayed fifteen minutes, a suitable length of time for a drop-in. She couldn’t stand small talk, and what little free time she had, she preferred to spend volunteering at one of the women’s shelters in Atlanta or helping with charity events for the children’s home and foster children’s association.
But Charlotte didn’t know that. No one at Harrington did, and neither did they know about her past. She intended to keep it that way.
When she stepped onto the elevator to go upstairs to the executive offices, she felt the phone in her jacket pocket buzz. She pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number on the small screen. She let it go to voicemail and straightened the collar on her white shirt to make sure the button was securely fastened. “Bedroom eyes,” she mumbled. She had no idea what bedroom eyes were. “And I’m not going to flirt with Miles—”
The elevator doors slid open, and an office worker she didn’t recognize tilted his head at her, confused.
Jade’s cheeks flamed. “I, uh... Never mind.” She brushed past the man and hurried down the hall toward Miles’s office. When she was halfway down the hall, she turned to the right. A plaque right outside the door read Miles Harrington, Vice President. She took in a big breath and opened the door.
A beautiful young woman with long blond hair, French tipnails, and burgundy lipstick smiled at her from behind a modest-sized desk. “Ms. Smith?”
“Yes. Hi.” She gripped the folder.
“I’ll let Mr. Harrington know you’re here.” She gestured to a chair on the other side of the room. Jade nodded as the woman buzzed her boss, but before she could sit down, Miles came out of his office.
“Ms. Smith. Or can I call you Jade?”
“Jade,” she said.
“Perfect.” He smiled and waved her in. “I promise this won’t take long.”
Jade followed him into a simple office adorned with photos of Miles and various people, mostly on golf courses. She noticed a few golf trophies on a shelf behind his desk, and on the opposite side were several diplomas. Near the desk was a medium-sized round table with three neat stacks of folders on it.
“You can sit here.” He held out one of the chairs at the table for her.
She sat down, and he sat opposite her. “Sorry about the mess,” he said, moving one of the stacks to the side. “I’m in the middle of research.”
As someone who liked tidiness, she didn’t think it was even a little bit messy. She’d seen worse. Much worse.
“Thanks for meeting me on short notice, Jade.” He folded his hands and rested them on the table. “I’ll get to the point. I need your assistance.”
That explained the data sheets he asked her to bring regarding several newspapers in Oklahoma and Missouri. She handed it to him. “I’m happy to help.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” His smile widened, and she had to admit Charlotte was right—he was a nice-looking man. A littletoo nice-looking for her taste. His short black hair was slicked to the side, his dark eyebrows perfectly groomed, his chin appearing freshly shaven despite it being three in the afternoon. His navy blue suit and crimson tie looked perfectly pressed and expensive. All things she would expect from the nephew of a very rich CEO with an impressive financial portfolio.
“I want you to go to Arkansas,” he said.
She froze. “W-what?”
He took one of the folders near him and opened it. “I’m putting together a huge acquisitions deal, but I’ve run into a snag.” He pushed the folder toward her.
Jade looked at it. “The Clementine Times?”
“It’s been a thorn in my side for months.” He tapped the folder. “This small newspaper is the last piece I need to make this deal work, but I can’t get to the owner.”
She lifted her gaze. Clementine sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. And she didn’t want to. She’d left that state behind a decade ago, and after her failure with Logan, she never looked back.
“I need you to go to Clementine and open negotiations with him.”
“But I’m just an accountant.”
“Now, you’re more than that, Jade.” His smile widened, to the point she thought he might hurt himself. “You’re a valuable member of the Harrington team.”
So valuable he never bothered to talk to her before this, but she shoved that thought aside and looked at the folder’s contents again. The top page was mostly specs about the newspaper’s circulation, expenditures, history, other business things. Then she got to the list of employees.
