“I’d better go inside and wash my hands. That was pretty gross.”
“Glad it was you and not me. But if you need help again—”
“I don’t.”
“Got it.” He turned around and stalked off.
Jade would have face-palmed if she hadn’t just touched the dumpster. How was she supposed to get on his good side if she kept making so many mistakes? “Sebastian, wait.” She rushed over to him. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried about the... bracelet.”
Thankfully he turned around. “Someone special must have given it to you.”
“I bought it for myself a while back,” she said quickly. She had splurged on a pair of 24-karat gold hoop earrings shortly after she was hired at PU, so it wasn’t a total lie, even though that was years ago.
They were closer to the lamplight, and she could see his face, relieved his expression wasn’t as hardened as she thought. “Thanks for helping me.”
“You’re welcome.”
Despite her frustration over the briefcase, she felt calmer. Sebastian wasn’t doing anything special, just standing near her and accepting her apology. “I’m not used to asking for assistance.”Whoa, where did that admission come from? But in a conversation sprinkled with lies, that statement was the truth. She learned early on that the only person she could fully depend on was herself. Her foster mother, Madeline, was the closest she’d had to a reliable parent, but that had been during her teen years. Before and after her time with the Westins, she’d been on her own.
Except for the four months she’d dated the strong, solidly dependable man in front of her. He was never late for any of their dates, he never made her feel like a burden, and she could fully relax when she was around him—something she’d only been able to do in a car wash.And I threw that all away.
A lump formed in her throat, but she quickly swallowed it. Her reason for leaving Sebastian had been sound—she had to put Logan first.Logan.She was so focused on her missing briefcase, she’d pushed him to the back of her mind. They had to talk soon. She also had to meet with Sebastian again, but not here. In his office, preferably. Outside the business setting she couldn’t seem to keep a handle on her emotions. “What’s your schedule like today?”
“Busy. Always busy.”
“Could you pencil me in this afternoon?” She took a step forward, but it was instinctual, not calculated.
“To talk about Harrington?”
“Yes. I’m not giving up, Sebastian. We haven’t had a genuine discussion about the deal. Will you at least hear me out?”
He paused, and she fully expected him to say no. He didn’t owe her anything. In fact, she owed him for giving her brother a place to stay. “How’s Logan?” she asked, surprising herself by her sudden conversation shift.
“You haven’t talked to him?”
“I will. This morning.”
“Good. He’s eager to see you.”
Jade glanced at her tennis shoes. “I know. Things between us are complicated.”
“So I gathered.”
Her head tipped up. “Did he tell you what he wants from me?”
Sebastian frowned. “Only conversation, Jade. That’s all he said.”
There had to be more. While Logan had obviously made surface changes, she couldn’t allow herself to trust him. “I’ll call him. We can meet in town—”
“Or you can go to the cabin. It’s more private there.”
His offer softened her more. “Why are you helping us?”
Sebastian smiled. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“There’s at least one reason I can think of.”
His grin flatlined. “Then you know more than me.”
