He wanted to believe her. And he could carve out some time to make vendor phone calls and help Evelyn in her advertising search. He hated sales almost as much as bookkeeping, but it had to be done. He glanced at his half-finished column. He’d work on it tonight. With another sigh, he picked up the phone, moved his Rolodex closer to him, and started dialing.
Chapter 3
Water cascaded over Jade’s car as she leaned back in the driver’s seat and closed her eyes. She barely had time for the deluxe car wash, and after the seven-minute-and-thirty-second cycle was complete, she’d have to rush to the airport to catch her flight to Little Rock. That’s what she got for procrastinating— something she normally didn’t do. Usually she was ahead of schedule.
After reading Miles’s information aboutThe Clementine Timesand his plans to keep the paper afloat after the acquisition, she was convinced he was correct. She just wished he hadn’t tapped her for this assignment. The thought of going back to Arkansas filled her with dread. She had had trouble sleeping the past two nights, and her continued self-reassurances that she and Sebastian would both be professional and let the past stay where it belonged didn’t help.
Colorful soap bubbled across her white sedan and the industrial scent filled the car interior. She closed her eyes, pushing her impending trip and Sebastian Hudson out of her mind and focusing on the sound of swishing brushes. For a few moments she felt a little peace... until her phone rang.
Her eyes flew open, and she grabbed her purse from the passenger’s seat and took out her Razr. When she saw the number appear on the small gray screen, her chest tightened.Logan.He’d called her at the end of her meeting with Miles but didn’t leave a voicemail. She didn’t call back, and neither did he. She hadn’t heard from him in nearly two years, and it figured he’d pick the worst time to call.
She slipped the phone back inside her purse and closed her eyes again. The water from the rinse cycle crashed against her car, causing it to rock slightly. There. She was getting her bearings back.
The phone rang again, but she refused to answer it. As the huge blow-dryers dried off her car, her cell rang a third time. She grabbed the Razr just in case it was someone else, but it was Logan again. Worry set in. He never called her three times in a row. What if something was seriously wrong? She’d never forgive herself if that were the case. Against her better judgment, she answered. “Logan?”
“Finally,” he said, relief in his tone. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t pick up.”
His voice was raspy and old sounding, especially for a twenty-three-year-old. A side effect of years of drug and alcohol abuse. He also didn’t sound upset or panicked. Which was good, but she couldn’t stop feeling that he would try to manipulate her again. “What do you want?” She winced at her harsh tone, but she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t let down her guard.
“I know you’re still mad at me,” he said. “Just give me a few minutes. Please.”
The dryers shut off and she put her car in Drive and inched forward. Something in his tone made her pull over by the manual car wash stalls, although she kept her foot on the brake. “I’m notmad.” Well, not as mad as she had been the last time she bailed him out of jail and he promised not to get into trouble again, only to call her a week later for more bail money.
“You sure sound like it.”
“Logan—”
“I’ve changed, Jade.”
She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, resisting another snide remark. How many times had he said those very words? Had promised to get his act together? She believed those promises, just like she believed her mother when she said the same things. And just like her mother, he continued to use, continued to break the law, continued to drain her financially and emotionally. Lydia had finally left her alone after five years of bleeding her bank account, and Jade had to cut off Logan just to keep from going bankrupt.
“I’m telling the truth this time. I’m sober and living in a halfway house.”
She could almost picture him, his ebony eyes darting around as if trouble constantly followed him, because it usually did. “If you’re okay, then why are you calling me?”
“We need to talk.”
“We’re talking now.”
“Not over the phone.” His tone turned urgent. “In person.”
She tilted her wrist and glanced at her watch. “No. I told you the last time we talked I was done helping you out.”
“But—”
“Bye, Logan.” Before he could say anything else, she cut him off and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. She hung her head and tried to settle down. This was the first time he’d mentioned a halfway house. Was he finally getting his life on track?Or is he trying to play me again?
Jade lifted her head, her teeth clenching as she left the car wash and drove to the airport. She wasn’t responsible for Logan anymore, and she wasn’t going to support or fund her little brother’s self-destruction. She’d told him that right before she’d cut off contact, and he’d been upset, spewing vile things at her—words that cut her to the core, even though she knew they were coming from a drug-induced haze.
Her watch glinted in the sun, and when she saw the time, she panicked. If she didn’t hurry, she’d miss her flight. She zoomed off to the Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Whatever Logan wanted, he’d have to figure it out himself.
Two hours later, she was settled in her seat on the airplane, waiting for takeoff. In about ninety minutes she would land at Little Rock airport, then pick up the rental car reserved for her, and drive nearly three hours to Clementine. Even though she’d grown up in Little Rock, she’d never been to the Ozarks. As an adult, she’d been too busy, and it wasn’t like her mother would have ever taken her anywhere during the infrequent times she was able to keep custody of Jade.
She pushed off those thoughts and switched to Sebastian. Miles hadn’t set up a meeting time with him, and she had sent him an email asking why.“How busy can he be? I’m sure he’ll fit you in,”was his response. At first she was confused and almost asked him for clarification, only to realize that surprising Sebastian at his office would make it harder for him to say no. Theoretically anyway. She’d find out if that was the case soon enough.
The plane lifted off, and she pulled out her handheld personal digital assistant and worked on her plan, although there was nothing left for her to do but a few tweaks. It was straightforward—she’d explain Miles’s position and how it would benefit Sebastian andThe Times. Miles had revealed how much Harrington Media waswilling to pay, and the offer was more than generous. From a business standpoint, Sebastian would be a fool not to accept, consideringThe Times’s desperate financial position.
But would he be willing to hear that information from her? She wasn’t sure. All she could do was hope he would be reasonable.
