“He was working on it when we were together. I didn’t know it was done, though. He never mentioned it to me.” Although he didn’t really have a reason to.
“Here’s what drives me bonkers about Seb. He holds everything in, and that includes his accomplishments. The only reason I know that he published a novel was because I asked him straight out how he was keepingThe Timesin business. I’m the advertising manager—I know where most of our income comes from—and for several years, we weren’t making a dime of profit. I asked our bookkeeper, Flora, about it, but she didn’t know either—just that money kept showing up in the business account.
“I can be persuasive when I want to be, although Seb calls itnagging. Whatever. He finally admitted that he sold his book and had made money on it. Of course I wanted to take out a full page ad and publicize it, but he refused. To this day he won’t tell me a thing about it. I’m sure he published under a pen name too, because I can’t find any novels written by Sebastian Hudson or any iteration of his name. Believe me, I tried.”
Jade believed her. But she was confused. “Why would he keep that a secret?”
“I can only guess.” She pushed off her slippers and folded her feet under her. “He’s humble to a fault. You probably already know that.”
She did. Even before they started dating, she’d heard people atThe Democrat-Gazettetalking about his writing. And she’d read every one of his articles, then his columns when he switched to writing Seb’s View. She wasn’t surprised to hear his book had done well. He never promoted himself, though, and brushed off any praise that came his way.
“He also doesn’t like notoriety. He’s just a small-town guy who loves his town. I can’t even imagine him doing book signings or being interviewed. He’d probably break out in hives. As for financially supporting the paper, I guess he didn’t know what else to do to keepThe Timessolvent. That newspaper is his life.”
Jade mulled over Evelyn’s words. His resistance to Miles and any other corporate takeover made even more sense. Not only did he have financial skin in the game, but he had an emotional attachment to the paper and the community. And then she showed up and kept pushing—nagging, really—for him to consider selling it. If she’d known all this, she would have refused Miles’s assignment.
“Whew, it felt good to finally talk about that.” Evelyn smiled. “Mum’s the word, though. He’d be super mad if he knew I said anything.”
Jade made a zipping motion over her mouth. “It’s safe with me.”
They finished their coffee and Jade got ready to return to the Clementine Inn, where Sebastian would pick her up in an hour. Evelyn had kindly washed her smoke-filled clothes, and when she changed into that outfit, she felt much better. Evelyn’s clothes had been a bit too tight, although Jade appreciated her giving her something to wear.
When she was packed up and ready to go, she thanked Evelyn. “You’ve been so kind. I really appreciate it.”
“Thanks, but it’s no big deal.”
It was a big deal, and she could see humility ran in the Hudson family.
“How long are you staying in Clementine?” Evelyn asked.
“I’m going back to Atlanta tomorrow.” An odd feeling of disappointment came over her. Strange, because since her arrival in Clementine, she couldn’t wait to go home. Now she wished she had more time.
“Oh. I was hoping you weren’t leaving so soon. I just thought...”
“Thought what?”
“That you might be the one that got away.” She waved off her words. “Not sure where I got that idea. Seb rarely talks about his personal life. I didn’t know about you until you showed up. I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
“I know.” Jade wasn’t offended, but it did give her confirmation that their relationship hadn’t been serious. For him anyway, despite his spontaneous admission of love during their last conversation.
“I’d better let you go before I put my foot in my mouth again.” Evelyn quickly hugged her. “Take care, and don’t be a stranger.”
Jade returned her hug without responding. It was nice to hear, but there was no reason for her to come back. Sebastian hadagreed to talk to Miles, and her assignment was over. By tomorrow evening, she would be headed back to Atlanta, where she belonged.
But until then, she was going to enjoy her time with Sebastian for as long as she could.
* * *
SEB’S VIEW PART DEUX
JULY FOURTH REMINISCING
It’s almost that time again, fellow Clementonians, for the July Fourth parade. The entire town is festooned with flags and banners, and Mayor Pancake’s decoration crew has outdone themselves this year.
July Fourth was a little more than a month away, and Seb wasn’t sure why when he woke up this morning he was inspired to write about his most prominent memory of summers past, but he’d learned long ago that when inspiration struck, he needed to follow. He’d edit the details later.
Main Street is dripping with red, white, and blue, and the Clementine High School marching band has been practicing their patriotic songs with musical zeal. If you see a band member, give them a pat on the back. They relinquish part of their summer to bring us the best in high school marching band entertainment, and it’s a crying shame they haven’t been chosen for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade yet. Hope springs eternal.
I was never a musician, but I have my own vivid Independence Day memories from when our quaint town was even quainter. One in particular sticks out in my mind the most.
