She slipped them on and, still clutching her briefcase, walked down the hallway. Peering around the corner to the reception area, she was relieved to see it was empty as she hurried out of the building. When she got to the car, she grabbed the handle of her briefcase.
The ledger fell to the ground.
Oh no! She’d forgotten all about it. She seized it off the ground and stood, just in time to see Tyler enter the building again. She gasped.
Jade jumped into her car, shut the door, and turned on the air. All she could do was stare at the building in front of her, wracking her brain to find a way to return Sebastian’s ledger. But there was no way she could do it without looking suspicious.
I could just tell the truth.She discarded that idea too. Sebastian would never speak to her again if he found out what she did, and that would kill any chance of him talking to Miles. She would lose not only her raise and bonus, but probably her job. She broke the law, after all.
She wanted to throw up. How could she be so stupid? She’d never been underhanded in her life. It wasn’t lost on her that she deserved this too. Could he prosecute her? Oh, the irony that Logan might have to bail her out—
Stop!
She couldn’t think when her brain was on fire. After a few deep breaths, she decided to return to Clementine Inn to formulate a plan. She put the ledger in her briefcase, closed the clasp, and backed out of the parking spot.
On her way, she sorted out her whirling thoughts. Taking the ledger had been a mistake, one she could explain. Her biggest crime—shudder—had been to go into his office without him being there, despite her benign intentions. She was only snooping to figure out where he was, not to take anything.
By the time she reached the inn, she was a lot calmer and a little less nauseous. She could fix this. She still didn’t know how, but being alone in her room and away from the scene of the crime would help her concentrate.
Jade pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. Before she opened the door, she remembered what the woman had said. Sebastian was her brother. She was the one who interrupted her meeting with him. Jade had no idea he had a sister, although anytime he tried to talk about family, she changed the subject. Not because she wasn’t interested in his, but she didn’t want him asking questions about hers. Considering their quick breakup, it had been a good idea.
A slight wave of unexpected relief washed over her that she wasn’t his girlfriend. Or wife.
She pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead at the rogue thought. Sebastian’s relationship status shouldn’t affect anything.Or bother me.She jumped out of the car, hustled into the inn, rushed past the front desk, and—
“Ms. Smith! Come join us!”
She screeched to a halt at Mabel shouting her name. Yikes. If she ignored the hospitable woman hollering across the lobby, thatwould look suspicious. And rude. For a split moment she considered doing just that. There was no time for chitchat—she had a hole to dig out of.
But that hole could wait for a few more minutes. Pasting on a smile, she turned to see Mabel waving at her from the eating area, sitting at a table with two glasses of iced tea and a man who wasn’t Clyde. He actually looked a little like—
Oh no.Oh no, no, no, no.
Sebastian Hudson was motioning for her to join them.
Chapter 8
Seb had known Mabel all his life, but two things about her stood out—she was wise enough to marry Clyde, who made the best biscuits west of the Mississippi, and she was exceptionally observant. That second characteristic came into play when he spotted Jade scurrying into the inn, clutching her briefcase like she’d just escaped a heist at Fort Knox. Mabel immediately noticed him noticing Jade, and before he knew it, she was waving one bat-winged arm and inviting her to his exclusive interview.
He was ready to protest because he needed to get this interview done, and Jade had already distracted him enough today. As usual, though, his curiosity got the best of him. Seb had never been a patron of the Clementine Inn, but he’d covered plenty of events here over the years, including a massive lightning strike six years ago that took out half the structure. He also reported on the rebuilding process. He knew the place inside out, and before Mabel’s friendly gesture, Jade was hightailing it to the hallway to where rooms 101–104 were located.
Then he saw her turn statue still, an unnatural smile on her pretty face. Yep, something was up. Not one to turn down an investigative opportunity, he motioned for her to come over.
She slowly walked to their table, her eyes shifting from his and locking on Mabel’s before sitting down opposite him. She set her briefcase on her lap, protectively placing her hands on top. The strap of a small brown purse was slung across her body.
“Jade,” Mabel said, a wide smile on her face. “Let me introduce you to one of Clementine’s national treasures—”
He cringed at her overblown praise.
“—Sebastian Hudson. He’s the owner, editor in chief, reporter extraordinaire—”
“We’ve met before,” he interjected before Mabel shoved a crown on his head. The woman did have a flair for hyperbole.
Jade nodded, her expression still a little strained.
“Oh?” Mabel’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “When?”
She was also a little nosy. Then again, who in Clementine wasn’t?
