“You and me both.” Brenda reached out to give Jade a hug goodbye. “We’ll talk some more tomorrow. What time do you start?”
As Jade started to speak, she felt a vibration in her pocket. “Oh, Hold on. I’m getting a text.” Jade would have waited to read it if she hadn’t applied for so many apartments and turned in so many job applications. She was anxious about getting any information she could about them. She pulled the phone out of her purse and looked at the screen.
You’re still just as beautiful as I remember. I’ll always be just over your shoulder.
She dropped her phone on the ground as if she’d been scorched. Her heart began to pound as she whipped her head around. Jade turned in a full circle, squinting into the darkness to see if she could see the person who sent the text.
“What? What’s wrong?”
She stuttered and bent down to pick up her phone. “I-I…just got a really weird text.” Jade handed her phone to Brenda to take a look.
“Hmm…that is weird. The number is blocked. Well, you’re a gorgeous girl, but...” Brenda could tell Jade was really on edge and was close to freaking out. She knew that sometimes, Jade could be jumpy and wound up over the smallest things. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Someone probably slipped Tommy a hundred dollars at the bar for your phone number. Guys are always coming on to you. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. You might want to be just a bit more cautious.”
Nervously, Jade chewed her bottom lip. “Right. I’m sure that’s all it is. I’ll talk to Tommy tomorrow.”
Cheekily, Brenda tried to calm her down. “It could also be from that hunky ex you’re denying.”
Distracted and still looking over Brenda’s shoulder Jade whispered. “He would never. He’s only ever seen me as a sister.”
She hadn’t been able to put her finger on it, but finally, Brenda understood. Almost quietly she responded. “Ahh…so that’s it.”
It was her tone that caused Jade to re-focus her attention back to her. “What?”
“Nothing. Anyway, we better get out of here. Call me to let me know you made it home safely, okay?”
“I will.” They hugged again before getting into their own cars. Jade locked her doors as her eyes continued to scan the parking lot. She had to stop over-reacting to every little thing. Mumbling to herself, she spoke into the darkness. “Calm down Jade. There’s no need for you to be looking over your shoulder. You’ve only been in this town for nine months. There’s absolutely no need to run away except maybe from Cole.”
*****
Jade didn’t feel as if she could exhale until she pulled her car up into Cole’s driveway. He lived in a gated community with a security guard on staff. His own personal property also had a security gate. Someone would have to know the code in order to get inside. Still, she anxiously looked around to make sure it was safe to get out of the car. She didn’t have a garage door opener in her car.
Jade found the key she needed so that she wouldn’t be messing around when she made it to the front door. Quickly, she got out of the car and ran inside. Jade wasted no time closing and locking the it. Just for a moment, she rested her back on the door and closed her eyes. Of course, she thought when she opened them, the first thing I would see would be Cole.
“Hey.” Concern was etched on his face. “Are you okay?”
Jade stumbled over her words. “Oh…I’m…everything is fine.”
“Are you sure?” Cole looked around her as if trying to see what might be causing her anxiousness. Are you running away from someone?”
Jade pushed herself off from the door. “I told you I'm all right, Cole. I just…sometimes I hate walking alone in the dark.”
Cole folded his arms across his chest. “Really? The same girl who would sneak out of the house at all hours of the night by herself?”
She was pissed that he kept trying to act like he knew her. He didn’t. She spoke through clenched teeth. “That was a long time ago, Cole. A lot has changed, so please stop trying to act like you know me. You don’t!”
Jade brushed past him as she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Cole was beyond frustrated. He’d tried being patient, supportive, and anything else he could think of to break down Jade’s walls, but she just wouldn’t let her guard down. He couldn’t seem to do anything right except piss her off. Cole didn’t know what else to do. He had to remind himself that it had only been a couple of weeks. Patience. He had to exercise patience.
Jade hated the person she was becoming. She was bitter, angry, and had just been unnecessarily mean to Cole for the crime of showing concern. Too bad he didn’t show more concern when it really mattered. “Come on Jade. Stop being childish,” she said aloud. She walked farther into her room and kicked off her shoes then lay down on her back looking up at the ceiling. Thoughts of what he hadn’t done were never too far away, and neither was her attraction to him. Both bubbled just underneath the surface. This is an impossible situation. I’ve got to get past the past. And, just because he’s sexier than any man had a right to be doesn’t mean I’ve got to let it affect me. Jade didn’t know how it was possible to feel attracted to Cole and want to strangle him at the same time. She made up in her mind that she was going to get it together. First things first, I’ve got to get control of my feelings. Freaking out over every little thing is ridiculous. Secondly, I most definitely need to re-launch Operation Crush the Crush. That has to start right now.
Chapter 9
Cole hadn’t had a chance to talk to Jade after she’d stormed off to her room last night. When he woke up she’d still been in her room. He had an important meeting, so he left earlier than usual and didn’t get the chance to talk to her.
Doug strolled into his office. “Our meeting with Sean went well this morning.”
“Yeah, it did. I’m confident we’ll get the account.”
He picked up a ball from Cole’s desk and tossed it into the air. He caught it on the way down and tossed it up again. Doug attempted to sound as light-hearted as possible. “You seem a little distracted. Would that have anything to do with your new house guest?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I’ve never seen you lose focus more than you have since she arrived. I can’t imagine Elise is dealing with it very well either.”
“No. She’s not. I’m not quite sure what to do about it either. She wants me to kick Jade out and put her up somewhere else. It doesn’t make sense to do that when Jade can just stay with me.”
“Hmm…well, I can tell you, Carmen would castrate me if I tried to pull what you’re doing with Elise and her.”
“First of all, Carmen is your wife. There is a big difference.”
“Elise is gunning for the position. You two have been dating seriously for a year now. She’s expecting to become your wife.”
“I don’t know how we arrived at that place in our relationship. I’ve never said marriage was in my future with her, or anyone for that matter. But, back to Jade, what’s the big deal? I’m letting an old friend crash at my place.”
“C’mon Cole. You can’t be that dense. You’re a smart guy. If Jade were Jude maybe you could get away with that. But, she’s not. She’s incredibly beautiful and from what I can tell a single woman. You’re a man. I know you haven’t missed that.”
“Of course not. Yes, she’s attractive, but she’s always been attractive. My motivations are not romantic. The bottom line is…” Cole’s voice was strained. “I’ve let her down once. I won’t do it again.” Frustrated he exhaled. “You just don’t understand.”
Doug stopped tossing the ball. “Then explain it to me in a way that I can.”
“A long time ago, I made promises. I messed up. I need to fix it. Things might be drastically different in both of our lives if I’d been able to follow through.”
“That sounds a little bit like guilt. That has never been a good motivator for doing anything.”
Cole shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe there
is a bit of guilt in there but I also really care about her, and I want to help.”
Doug could see all the warring emotions on Cole’s face. He had to ask. “Are you sure there aren’t any romantic feelings involved?”
Cole was so tired of this question. “Let’s say that there were…which there are not, but if there were, Jade can seem to barely stomach being in the same room with me. Believe me, if she had any other place to go, she would not be staying at my place. Man, we were so close, and it kills me.”
Jokingly, Doug said, “Every day that you make it to this office is a blessing. I keep expecting to get a phone call that Elise has killed you both. So that is, at least, another day to try and fix it with her.”
He let out a little laugh. “She just might. I can’t say trying to reconnect with Jade hasn’t been a strain on our relationship. I may not be gunning for marriage, but if I were, she would be a good fit.”
Doug put the ball back down on Cole’s desk. He started walking toward the door. “All I know is if you’re ever more than thirty minutes late for anything over the next several weeks, I’m calling the police.”
Cole laughed out loud. His laughter stopped just as Elise walked into his office. As he started to speak, his phone rang. “Hold on. Let me get this call. Thornton. No problem. Well, since your flight has been delayed why don’t you have dinner with me at my place? I’ll have my assistant send you the directions. Great. I’ll see you then.”
Cole disconnected the call and got up out of his chair to greet Elise, kissing her on the lips. “Hey, babe. I wasn’t expecting you.”
She shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by. I was hoping that maybe I could convince you to take me to dinner?”
“That sounds good. Only, I just got a call from one of my clients. His flight was delayed overnight, so I invited him to my house for dinner.” Cole turned to Doug. “I know it's short notice but do you think you can make it?”
“If this means we have a few more hours to convince Sean to sign the contracts, then yeah. Let me go to my office and call Carmen.”
“Good. Then, meet me at my house around 7 pm.”
After Doug had left, Elise turned to Cole. “Why don’t we kill two birds with one stone? I’d love to come over and play hostess.”
Cole wasn’t really sure how he felt about that, but they’d been arguing so much lately, he decided to give into her request. “Okay.”
“Fantastic. I’ll make a few phone calls and take care of everything. You should probably give me your keys so I can let myself inside.”
He was hesitant about giving Elise a set of keys to his house. “Olivia should be home until 5 pm.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I bet Jade has a set of keys.”
Guilt made Cole walk around his desk and pull his key ring out of the drawer. He removed two keys. “The big one is for the main door, and the smaller one is for the garage door that leads to the kitchen.”
Elise had been dying to get her hands on a set of his house keys. Her smile covered her entire face. “Don’t worry about anything. I promise I’ll take care of everything.” She kissed him on the cheek. “See you at home later.”
Her parting comments left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Cole needed to sort out his feelings for Elise. He wasn’t sure when their relationship made the turn from casual dating to something a bit more serious. He rubbed his forehead as he sat back down in his chair. No one was going to solve the world’s problems in a day, and he wasn’t going to solve his either.
Cole needed to make one more call. He dialed her cell phone. After two rings she answered. “Hey.” She didn’t sound very thrilled to hear his voice. As a matter of fact, if he didn’t know any better, he would almost think that she was still angry with him. He couldn’t figure out what he could do to change their dynamic.
“Hey, Jade. I wanted to give you a quick call to let you know a client of mine’s flight was delayed. So, I invited him over to the house for dinner and drinks. Doug and Elise will probably come over too.”
Great. They were the last people she wanted to see when she got off from work. “It’s no problem. I’ll make myself scarce when I get off and see if I can find a good movie at the theater or something. What time do you think it’ll be okay for me to come back?” Jade was tired. She didn’t really want to go anywhere but to bed, but again that’s what happens when you live with somebody else. She couldn’t wait to get her own place. Unfortunately, she hadn’t had any success in her apartment search.
She also knew she was being cold to Cole. Her current irritation with him had more to do with her warring emotions about him than anything he’d actually done. After that night in the bathtub, after her imagination went wild, Jade actually kicked her job search and apartment hunting into overdrive. Jade knew it was crazy to still have feelings for him after all these years, but she did. Time had not diminished them.
“No, that’s not why I called. You don’t have to go anywhere. I just didn’t want to surprise you by coming home to a house full of people.” Cole paused for a minute as he dragged his hand across his face. “Jade…are we okay? Did I do something else to upset you?”
She sounded insincere even to her own ears. “Why would you think that?” Jade was being childish and needed to get herself together. She had her issues with Cole, but he hadn’t really done anything wrong. He’d actually been more than gracious.
“I don’t know? Last night when you came home, I was just concerned. You also seem a little more irritated with me than usual.”
Jade exhaled. “Honestly, I have been, but it’s not really you. My life is just a mess, and I’m wrong for taking it out on you. It’s actually me who owes you an apology. I’m sorry.”
That was the last thing Cole expected. Maybe they were turning a small corner, and it made him feel like celebrating.
Chapter 10
Elise was running around Cole’s kitchen like a chicken with her head cut off. Olivia was pissed, especially when Elise insulted her skills in front of the private chef she’d hired.
The last straw was when Elise tried to chastise her. “Olivia, you’re going to have to do better with stocking this refrigerator! There’s barely any of the things my chef needs to prepare a proper meal for Cole and his guests.”
“I stock what Mr. Thornton likes.”
“He’s a man. You’ve got to think for him. They rarely know what they want. I swear, when I move in here there are going to be plenty of changes. Anyway, I’m going to need you to run to the store and pick up a few items.”
Olivia walked over to the kitchen closet where she kept her purse and coat. “Then, you better ask your chef to get it because I’m going home for the rest of today. Maybe even tomorrow.”
“You can’t just leave! Cole has an important guest coming over this evening.”
Olivia responded sarcastically. “You seem to have everything under control.” She would call Cole tomorrow when she calmed down and tell him about Elise’s actions. She shook her head from side to side unable to believe Elise’s audacity and left.
Elise was pissed. She mumbled to herself. “No staff of mine would ever behave that way. She is so fired.”
*****
Doug arrived with Carmen for dinner. She and Elise had been on their best behavior as they entertained Mr. Pfingston. Cole was more than satisfied with how she pulled everything together on such short notice, proud even. The food was delicious, and now they were all standing around his living room having an after dinner drink celebrating Sean Pfingston’s decision to work with Thornton Enterprises.
Yet, Cole couldn’t fully enjoy the moment. He took a quick glance at the door. Jade still hadn’t arrived. He was a little worried considering something scared the shit out of her last night. Maybe after their breakthrough, she would feel comfortable enough to tell him what was going on. Whatever trouble she’d found herself in, it didn’t matter. He had resources to help get her out of it.
&nb
sp; While Doug and Sean chatted away, Carmen leaned over and whispered into Cole’s ear. “Looking for someone?”
He smiled but didn’t answer.
Elise was standing on the other side of Cole and couldn’t hear what Carmen said but wondered what it was that made him smile. They had been far and few in between. He had been more than a little pre-occupied the entire evening.
Jade sat outside in her car for about an hour dreading going inside. She’d stalled long enough. She didn’t want to deal with prying eyes, jealous girlfriends, or anything else. She was going to go straight to her room.
Back inside, Elise whispered to Cole again. “Are you happy with the results?”
He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Very. If I haven’t told you already, then shame on me. Not only do you look stunning, everything turned out perfectly. I’ll have to think of something special to thank you for all of your hard work.”
Elise purred in his ear. “Oh, I can think of several different ways and positions that you can thank me later.”
Cole’s attention was immediately snatched away from her the moment Jade walked passed the door. He let out a barely audible sigh of relief. Barely, but Elise heard it.
He called out to her as she tried to quickly make her way down the hallway. “Jade!”
She stopped in her tracks, took a deep breath before turning around, and pasted on a smile. She slowly walked back toward the living room.
She was still in her work uniform, a pair of black khaki’s and a polo shirt, she spoke. “Hi everybody.”
“Come on inside and let me introduce you properly to everyone. This is my newest client, Sean Pfingston. Sean this is my sister, Jade.”
Elise rolled her eyes. Was he really introducing this woman as his sister? For heaven’s sake, this is business. Jade was black, and he was white so who the hell was going to believe that? Cole was taking this thing entirely too far. It didn’t make any sense.
The Right Side of My Pillow Page 6