“He asked youout? I’ve barely been gone a whole day!”
“Yeah, but he said you weren’t seriously serious. You know. Like on a break. Remember Rachel and Ross? He said it’s like that.”
“Abbie, you know how much he means to me.”
“I never got the impression you were all that into him. Like, youtwo were only convenient when you needed something to do or were bored.”
Her words hit home, but Kalista ignored them. “How could my boyfriend and my best friend go out behind my back?” she wailed.
“I said I was sorry. Geez, you’re always such a drama queen. If you were so into him, then why did you leave him behind for a whole summer?”
“It’s not my fault I had to... go on vacation! And I’ve tried calling him, more than once. Now I know why he’s so busy. Fine, you two deserve each other.”
“Kalista—”
She hung up, not wanting to hear any excuses—or accusations. She ran to the bedroom and flopped on her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her life was upside down and now her boyfriend and best friend had betrayed her. Could things get any worse?
Suddenly the electricity shut off, and the only light was the sun coming through the small bedroom window. Dust motes danced in the air. She sat straight up as Viv knocked on the door. “Kalista?”
“Yeah?” Without thinking, she wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand, then realized what she’d done. Ew.
The door opened a crack, and Viv poked her head in. “A worker accidentally backed his pickup into one of the electric poles by the street. The power’s going to be out for a while.”
I hate this place.
* * *
Close to noon, Jade walked intoThe Clementine Timesoffice building again. Now that she was fortified with the best coconut pie she’d ever eaten, she felt optimistic. A little. Okay, maybe not at all, but at least she was trying.
She thought about her phone call with Miles after her unproductive meeting this morning. Maybe he had a point, although she would never use her past relationship with Sebastian to get him to talk to her company. But perhaps she should have been friendlier and not just strictly business. They could have caught up on each other’s lives, made some small talk, and then she could have asked him to talk to Miles. That might have worked a lot better.
Convinced she should do a soft sell rather than drop the info into his lap, she headed upstairs more positive than before. She didn’t bother to put the small crossbody purse back in her briefcase after she paid for lunch, and it lightly bounced on her hip as she went up the stairs.
Tyler was sitting at the front desk in the reception area, using it as his workstation. His laptop was open, and he pushed his glasses closer to his eyes as he scanned the screen.
“Hi,” she said, approaching him with a smile. “Tyler, right?”
He looked up, grinning. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I’d like to see Mr. Hudson again, if he’s not too busy.”
Tyler frowned a little. “He wasn’t in his office when I got back, but I’ve only been here a few minutes. He might be out on assignment.”
“He’s still a reporter?”
“When he can be. He likes being out in the field and talking to people.”
Jade nodded. He enjoyed doing that when he worked forThe Democrat-Gazetteeven when he wasn’t officially on the job. “Is there any way I can find out where he is?”
“Well, he used to have a secretary, but that was before I started working here. Ms. Flora sometimes kept his appointments, but she retired last week.” He held up his hands. “Sorry I can’t help you.”
“That’s okay. Thanks for answering my questions.”
“Anytime.” He grinned. “When I have the time, that is.”
What a nice young man. She headed for the front door, then had an idea. “Tyler?”
He kept typing. “Yes, ma’am?”
