She smiled. She was Kalista Louise Clark, and the most irresistible guy she’d ever met had just told her that he liked her. But he didn’t believe that she could like him. Time to redress his assumption. Ooh, even her vocabulary was changing.Thanks, Jane Austen.
“Is there any way I can convince you that I’m telling you the truth?”
His chocolate-brown eyes widened. “Huh?” he said again.
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Does this help?” His little gasp made her smile and boosted her confidence. She kissed his other cheek, letting her lips linger. “Or this?”
He pulled back, not saying anything, still looking shocked.
Oh no. This was a mistake. He was her boss, and he just said he couldn’t get involved with her. Just when she was going to apologize again, he said, “I think you missed a spot.”
“Where?
“Right. Here.” He touched his mouth.
She inwardly squealed and gave him a light kiss. “Now do you believe me?”
He took her hand. “I might need more convincing later.”
Absolutely adorable.Although she didn’t want to, she dropped his hand. At his surprised look, she said, “We’re at work. We have to be professional.”
“Oh. That’s right.”
She turned and headed for the truck.
“Where you going?” Tyler asked.
Grinning, she said, “To fix the engine.”
His mouth dropped open. “You know how?”
“Of course I do. I’m the one who broke it.”
* * *
Seb stared at the computer screen as he read the latest email from Bennett Communications. After coming back from his cabin and beginning his search for buyers forThe Times, he discovered that everyone was doing business through email now—at least the communication part. That was when he noticed his computer was missing. Evelyn Margot had fessed up, pointing out that it hadtaken him forever to even notice it was gone. Touché, but he was angry anyway. All she had to do was ask for it and he would have given it to her.
She’d quickly returned it, and he’d given himself a crash course on all things Mac.
He had to admit it did make some things easier. He would never write on one, though.
Writing. Not only hadn’t he worked on his novel since Jade’s betrayal, but he hadn’t written another column. No one seemed to miss it much either. Then again, he’d kept to himself except for the occasional discussion with Flora, who still didn’t know about the impending sale and hadn’t been able to make money appear out of thin air, which only proved that selling was the right thing to do. He did give out assignments and edited articles, but he was more hands-off than he’d ever been. Subconscious or not, he was pulling away. Hopefully that would make the inevitable easier to swallow.
He leaned forward and read the screen.
Dear Mr. Hudson,
Per your last email, I have put together a final proposal for purchase of The Clementine Times,incorporating your requests and suggestions. Once you’ve read this document and agree to the terms, we will execute the contract.
We look forward to The Times joining our family of community newspapers.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Vuong
Seb sat back, the wheels of his antique chair squeaking. He’d been going back and forth with Bennett, and the negotiations had gone smoothly. His biggest demand was that every single employee and delivery person would keep their job or get a severance if they decided not to stay. He had to take care of his people.
As for him, he would get a nice chunk from the sale. Not as much as if he’d gone with another company, and Harrington had offered the most. But integrity meant more than dollars, and he believed Bennett would do right byThe Timesand the Clementine community. He hoped so anyway. He didn’t trust his judgment anymore, but he’d done as much due diligence as he could.
