Humph again. She snatched her purse and shot up from the chair. Spinning on her heel, she headed for the door. Then she stopped and almost turned around to tell him to forget it when she realized what had just happened.
She had a job.I have a job!
An unexpected giddy feeling went through her as she opened the door and left Mr. Hudson’s office.
But as she made her way down the hall, her giddiness disappeared. She was glad she could call her father and tell him she’d found a job so quickly. That would show him she was responsible. However, under no circumstances could she let her friends find out that she was going to be a newspaper boy... girl... whatever. She would never live it down.
Chapter 5
After Kalista left his office, Seb sat back in his chair wondering if he’d made the right decision hiring her. He surprised himself when he changed his mind. Her application answers were a joke, and he initially thought she was treating the interview in kind when he saw the fluffy pink pom-pom pen she’d used to write on the form.
But there was something in her eyes—a defiant steeliness that he’d almost missed at first. Maybe she would work out after all. Viv certainly thought she was worth helping. And if Kalista couldn’t handle the job, he could let her go, although he hated firing people. He’d only done it twice since owningThe Times, but both had been necessary. He’d give her a week or three to learn and do the route, then reevaluate. He’d have to remind Tyler to keep his mind on the job and not on his trainee’s looks, though. He already seemed a bit sweet on her.
That settled, he gulped another swig of coffee and shifted his focus to Jade. He set the cup down and absently ran his hand through his hair, patting down the stray ends, then stopped when he realized he was primping. Ridiculous. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, shoving Kalista’s paperwork under oneof the stacks on his desk, then walking out of his office to the reception area.
When he saw Jade, he stilled.
She was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, her gaze focused on the screen of her PDA, a small stylus in hand. He’d never owned one of those either and didn’t intend to. He’d lived forty years without all these electronic gadgets everyone was entranced with, and he was doing just fine without them, although he did have a simple cell phone. That came in handy when he was working as a reporter.
Seb’s eyes traveled to her profile. Her hair hung in waves, partially obscuring her face. Back in the day, he thought her pixie cut was cute. But the style she wore now was sophisticated. Elegant. Sexy.
As if she heard his thoughts, she looked up, their eyes locking like they were in a schlocky romance novel. His mind whirred with memories of their short, and for him intense, relationship.
“Mr. Hudson?” she said, coming to her feet.
Her formality came as a jab, and any idea that she might still harbor feelings for him sailed out the door. No problem. He could be professional. He could forget about the past and pretend they weren’t an item. Because apparently they hadn’t been. Only in his mind. “Ms. Smith.”
“I apologize for not contacting you sooner to arrange a meeting. I should have been more considerate of your schedule.” Her gaze flicked away for a split second, the only glimpse that she wasn’t completely in control. “If you have some time, I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“And what would that be?”
His question seemed to catch her off guard. “I, uh, would prefer if we talk in private.”
Now his curiosity was fully piqued. He glanced at her hands. She had them loosely clasped and, more importantly, they weren’t shaking. Cool as the proverbial cucumber—that was Jade Smith. Although he knew she ran much hotter underneath the surface. He also saw that her fingers were bare. No wedding ring, or any other rings. Interesting.
“C’mon back,” he said, motioning for her to follow him. He’d give her a chance to explain why she was here. At this point he was dying to know.
* * *
Jade followed Sebastian down a dim corridor to his office. The words Editor in Chief were etched on the glass door, and there was an empty space for a photo next to it. She tried to pay more attention to her surroundings than to the man in front of her, but it was difficult. Keeping her cool in the reception area had been hard enough, because being around Sebastian Hudson was bringing emotions to the surface that she thought she’d buried long ago.
While waiting on him, she realized she’d made a huge mistake by not contacting him prior to coming toThe Timesoffice, something she would be sure to tell Miles. Then when Sebastian entered the room and she heard his deep, rich voice, took in his casual yet somehow appealing appearance, she had to double down on her business voice as she apologized. She could tell by his irritated expression he didn’t like the formality. He never did, and it seemed weird to call a man she had kissed more than once—and so passionately the last time they were together—by his surname. If she didn’t cling to professionalism, her toes would continue curling in her pumps at the sight and sound of him, and that wouldn’t do.
He opened the door and gestured for her to walk inside. She nodded her thanks and entered the office, pausing a few feet from the door. The room seemed to be frozen in time, andClementine Timesmementos took up almost every inch of wall and shelf space in a room filled with furnishings from the fifties. Her gaze landed on the large, scuffed desk piled high with paperwork. She almost laughed. His penchant for clutter hadn’t changed.
“Have a seat,” he said, pointing to another old chair in front of the desk.
She set her briefcase on the floor and sat down while he moved to his own seat. Against her will, her heart skipped a beat as she took in his thick sandy-brown hair threaded with gray and touching the collar of his plaid shirt, his shaggy bangs hovering over his eyes. He’d never been one to embrace the corporate look, and he’d probably thrown away his one and only tie when he moved to Clementine. She pressed her toes into her pumps.
Then she noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. That didn’t necessarily mean anything—he could still be married and prefer not to wear one for some reason.
“All right, Ms. Smith. I’m listening.”
The emphasis onMs.was a pail of cold water, and she quit admiring his looks and got down to business. As he stared her down, her doubts about her capabilities set in once again. “Uh, thank you for seeing me.”
“You already said that.”
“Oh. Right.” She grabbed her briefcase and clicked the latch, only for it to stick. Seriously? She pushed on it again, but it wouldn’t budge. “Stupid thing,” she mumbled. Then it instantly opened, making her almost drop it. With fumbling fingers, she pulled out the folder with the sales information Miles had given her and handed it to him.
