Sebastian Hudson—Owner, Publisher, Editor in Chief.
Her gaze flew to Miles. “I can’t do this,” she blurted.
“Sure you can. In fact, I think you’re the only one capable of getting through to him. I did some digging and found out he used to work forThe Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you worked there too.” He sat back, extremely satisfied. “What are the chances?”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, glancing at Sebastian’s name. She hadn’t thought about him in years. Not too much anyway. When she packed up and left Arkansas shortly after their last conversation, she’d been filled with guilt over how she’d handled ending their relationship. His telling her he loved her had thrown her for a thousand loops... and it had also felt nice. Like when he surprised her with that intense, amazing kiss that nearly made her lose her mind. Those heavenly moments in his arms had nearly made her lose her resolve too, and she almost told him she wouldn’t take the job. Somehow, she had regained her senses. Logan was her priority, not her feelings for Sebastian. Better to end it then instead of breaking it off later. That would have inevitably happened—no man would want to be saddled with an instant family and a troubled teenager.
In the end, she didn’t even have a family anymore.
“Jade?”
She shifted her focus to Miles. “I’m sorry,” she said, pushing the folder toward him. “I’m the last person Sebastian wants to see.”
“Because you used to date?”
Her brow lifted, and she almost asked him how he knew that. Then again, she shouldn’t be surprised. His uncle Mayfield Harrington and the executive team were very thorough, conscientious, and successful. Of course Miles wouldn’t have left a stone unturned. “It didn’t end well.”
“That was ten years ago. Surely bygones are bygones?” Heleaned forward. “Even if they’re not, you can both be professional. I wantThe Times, Jade. It will complete our acquisition of all the community newspapers in that region. The other owners were eager to sell. They understood our mission—to keep newspapers alive in an uncertain industry.”
Miles was making sense. And while her time atThe Democrat-Gazettehad been brief, she knew how newspaper employees loved and believed in their work—Sebastian in particular. Besides, he was probably married with a family by now. She had been a quick blip in his life, an unimportant one at that, despite his declaration of love. There was no way he still harbored any feelings for her. Still, doubts persisted. “I’ve never negotiated anything.”
“You don’t have to negotiate. Just convince him to talk to me. Once that door is open, I’ll take over from there.” He stood. “Tifanni has your itinerary, your flight information, where you’ll be staying in Clementine.”
“But—”
“You’ll also have plenty of information aboutThe Clementine Times. I’m sure once you’ve read my proposal, you’ll understand we’re doing the right thing by purchasing the newspaper. Then you can convince Hudson he’s making a mistake by not talking to us.”
Jade opened her mouth, then closed it. Miles wasn’t looming over her, not exactly. But he was leaning forward and staring intently at her with piercing black eyes that weren’t as friendly or eager as his smile. She didn’t like that he was making her feel obligated, or that he assumed she would say yes. Then again, she couldn’t exactly afford to lose her job or be demoted because Sebastian was being obstinate. “I just have to get him to talk to you?”
“An open line of communication, that’s it.” He straightened alittle. “Once you’ve accomplished that, you’ll return to Harrington and receive a raise and a bonus.”
Both?That was unexpected. She stared at Sebastian’s name again. She could use the bonus money, and the raise would be nice too. It wasn’t like she could say no. Technically she could and he wouldn’t fire her, although she didn’t think he had that kind of clout... yet. But she could kiss any career advancement goodbye if she refused to do what he asked.
“We have a deal then?”
When she glanced up, his smile was almost gone and his expression turned impatient. Clearly he was ready to mark this off his checklist and move on. “Okay,” she said, her fingers slightly trembling. She gripped them tight, just as her phone rang in her pocket again.
“Excellent.” He gestured for her to leave. “I’m sure you want to get that call.”
What she wanted was not to have to go to Arkansas. Instead, she nodded.
“Don’t forget to get your packet from Tifanni. I’ll be in touch.” He went to his desk and back to work.
As Jade left his office, her phone thankfully stopped ringing. She paused at Tifanni’s desk.
“Here you go,” the secretary said with a smile, handing her two glossy folders with the Harrington Media logo on them. “Have a good trip.”
“Uh, thanks.” She took the folders and left the office, still in a daze. When she got to the elevator, she almost changed her mind and turned around, then realized she was being silly. Or to be more accurate, cowardly.
She straightened her shoulders and pressed the elevator button. Her assignment was a simple one. She didn’t need any specialnegotiating skills, and she expected her trip to Clementine would be short and sweet. She would be professional, and so would Sebastian. No emotions involved.
If only her nerves would get the message.
* * *
A week after Flora’s retirement, Seb stared at the mess of papers spread across his desk. He needed to work on his column, Seb’s View Part Deux, but he’d put off dealing withThe Clementine Times’s financials long enough. Before she left, Flora had explained her bookkeeping method, and Seb had taken notes. But it wasn’t easy looking at a balance sheet that had been in the red more often than the black over the years, and now that he was solely responsible for keeping track of the books, he dreaded opening the ledger. The only thing he was thankful for was that Flora had resisted using a computer bookkeeping program. He definitely didn’t want to have to use one of those things.
He shoved his bangs back from his forehead and reached for the ledger. What he really needed, besides a sudden influx of cash, was a haircut.
