They both knew the answer was no.
“I want to pave the way. That’s all. Just give her a chance.”
“How long were you in rehab together?”
“Two and a half months. But we’ve kept in touch ever since.”
“You’ve known her less than a year?” She threw up her hands. “What did she do to get to you?”
“She got sober,” he said, his expression pleading. “Just like me.”
Jade shook her head, not only at Logan’s words, but to ward off the tiny part of her heart that wanted to believe him. She could tell he had changed, that he was different. And while she knew he would forever struggle with his addictions, she felt in her soul he was sincere.
Her mother never had been. “She used to say that to me too, Logan. She’d get clean enough to pull me out of foster care and back home. Things would be okay for a little while. But it never lasted long. She’d have men over, get drunk, do drugs. The school or a neighbor would call Child Protective Services...” Jade whirled around, fighting for composure. He didn’t need to hear all this. His early childhood had been similar.
But that didn’t stop the memories from assaulting her—the CPS people picking her up, taking her to a home, starting the cycle all over again. Once she’d called them herself. There were visits with social workers, going to court, seeing Lydia in jail. That had stopped when Jade turned sixteen. She wasdone.
“Jade...”
Her brother’s gentle voice brought her to her senses. She swallowed her anger, like she always had, and turned to face him. “I understand what you’re trying to do,” she said, her tone icy steel. “The answer is no.”
Defeat crossed his features. “Is that what you want me to tell her?”
“I don’t care what you tell her.” She snatched her purse off the couch and walked to the door, then turned around. “I hope you can stay sober, Logan. I believe you want to. But if you don’t, I won’t be there to pick you up.” Her heart burned inside. “I can’t.”
“Understood. I have to earn back your trust, and I will.”
More than anything, she wanted to run and hug him again. Butshe couldn’t, thanks to Lydia. Any sign of weakness could be seen as a softened stance, and she couldn’t give in. Not now, not ever. “Have a safe trip home,” she said, unable to resist being completely cold to him.
His throat bobbed. “You too.”
She opened the door and walked into the bright sunshine to her rental car. Only when she got inside and drove off down the mountain did she allow herself to cry.
Chapter 11
After an hour-long phone call with his mother—he really needed to call her more often—Seb looked forward to some peace so he could focus on work. He had a to-do list a mile long, and he’d been interrupted enough for one morning. Talking to her had been a good break, though, even if she hit the phone call running with questions about his dating life.
“I’m busy, Mom.”
“I realize that, dear, but you need to learn to delegate more. Then you’d have time to pursue a girlfriend.”
Nothing better than being forty years old and talking about his nonexistent love life with his mother. “I don’t need a girlfriend.” He needed a new printing press. More employees. More advertisers. More circulation. More—
“Don’t you want one?”
“Sure,” he said absently, shifting another pile of papers around on his desk.
“You don’t sound like it.”
Their whole conversation wasn’t about dating, thank goodness. But considering his talks with her and Evelyn Margot, along with Jade showing back up in his life, he was finding it hard to get thedating/girlfriend thing out of his mind. He hadn’t pondered his future much outsideThe Times, and it was uneasy territory. Owning the newspaper had consumed him, and he’d been fine with that. Dating while keeping the paper afloat would have added more complications to his life. Ones he didn’t need.
But there was one thought he couldn’t kick out of his mind. What if he and Jade had worked out? What if they’d gotten married and had a family? What if... ?
He shouldn’t care. He didn’t care. He was still single and hadn’t come close to having a serious relationship in the past ten years. He dated a few people here and there, but he hadn’t met someone he was really interested in or worth risking his heart for. And yeah, he had to admit there were times when he was lonely, when it was hard to be single while everyone around was matched up. Except for his sister and Bo. Bo was taken now, and there was a possibility Evelyn and Haskell would get together.And then there was one...
But he had no regrets. Seb wasn’t the love ’em and leave ’em type, and running a newspaper had taken up so much of his focus, he didn’t have time for a relationship. Just because Jade had boomeranged herself back into his life temporarily didn’t mean his feelings had changed on the subject.
A knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” he said, expecting it to be Tyler or Isaiah.
