“I lost a donor yesterday. And I don’t think it will be the last. I barely make a living anyway. The last time I rented out some of my extra rooms to grad students, that ended in court.” Belinda took a deep breath. “That’s why I think that I should take a job at Meadows. It’s an annoying thought that buzzes around in my head every time something goes screwy. I just didn’t want it to be at Grace’s say-so.”
“I know that feeling.” Fiona certainly had had her life shaped at Grace’s hands. Her mother, Verona, had been a wild child and was only eventually reined in by a respectable marriage to an appropriate connection. “Ladies, I have to run. Got to go solve a crime and hopefully make an arrest.”
“Stay safe,” Dana said.
“Love you,” Belinda chimed in before Fiona ended the call.
Belinda stretched and looked over at Dana, the youngest and the most ambitious of the cousins. Success and she had been close partners from high school onward. Even after her rise up the ladder in Meadows, with all the pressures of taking over from Grace, she slipped on the CEO jacket with style and skill. All her detractors had to pause in their criticism as the company pushed onward with plans to venture into uncharted waters. Jealousy or envy didn’t cloud their relationship at all. But she did wish that she also could feel one hundred percent sure of her path, to feel that sense of satisfaction that she’d turned a dream into her passion.
That skill belonged to Fiona, the detective who worked around the clock, filling her life with hours going after the bad guys and girls. She lived the farthest away and only joined in on holidays and maybe on family gatherings. A lot of Grace’s manipulations with Fiona’s mother had set the tone of her arm’s length relationship with the family. Even her grandmother didn’t push Fiona or hint that she should work at Meadows. And like all of them, she could certainly have any job, including that of head of security. As large and profitable as the company had become, the crackpot threats and harassment had also increased against Grace and now Dana. If Dana really needed Fiona on staff, her cousin would answer the call. Otherwise, Fiona would continue doing her job as a detective in the Rochester Missing Persons Division. The only person she’d answer to was Dana or Belinda herself.
“I’m kicking around an idea.” Dana said, her voice hesitant.
Belinda waited, not sure what shade of crazy Dana was going to propose.
“What if you worked for Kent?”
“Kent? Your boyfriend?”
“Yep. He needs an assistant as he plans to expand here in America. Right now, he’s using a temping service. But I think it would be ideal. It’s not a full day of work, but it’s something. And he needs someone flexible and trustworthy. For your part, you need some dollars.”
Belinda turned over the possibility in her mind. A sliver of light cracked through her unhappiness.
“You can plan your day with that deal.” Dana pointed toward the door. “Coming here to work, you know that you won’t be able to do anything else in your day. Our employees bleed the colors of Meadows. They spout the company’s motto. Working nine-to-five is for interns.”
“Gosh, you sound like a boss. That spiel is for regular folk who come through the Meadows Media doors. But you’re talking to me.” Belinda rolled her eyes. “You sound like a bully.”
Dana ignored her comment. “Just say the word, and I’ll talk to Kent.”
“One thing at a time. Let me fix the Santiago thing and then I’ll get back to you on working for Kent.” Belinda hoped that she would get a double win on the two items. “Don’t blindside Kent by having me pop up in his office. Let him decide if he wants to work with me. And my feelings wouldn’t be hurt if he doesn’t want to go this route. Heck, he might have his own plan. Ever thought of that?”
“Yeah, well, my feelings would be hurt.” Dana winked. “Plus it will have been over a week since I last saw him. I’m pretty sure that I can get anything I want from him...in between sessions.”
“TMI.” Belinda pressed the heels of her palms against her ears. “And on that note, I’m outta here.”
Dana chuckled. “Seriously, though, don’t let pride screw you over. And don’t worry about the donor. We’ll plan a big bash, a fund-raising drive for your company.”
“No way.”
“Yes, way. Grace had her pet charities. I’m developing mine.”
“Don’t you have to get permission?”
“Let me show you how it’s done.” Dana dialed the phone.
Belinda took a deep breath.
“Hi, Sasha. Could you come in, please?”
Belinda didn’t know what to expect. As she turned to the door that opened, Sasha walked in, looking between her and Dana. Her questioning gaze intensified as she got closer.
“In two to three months, I’d like to have a fund-raiser for Belinda’s organization. What is my calendar looking like?”
Sasha tapped the iPad screen and expanded the screen. “You don’t have any openings.”
“Dana, I don’t want you to rush into anything.” Belinda knew her cousin would do anything for her. But this wasn’t a small favor.
“Clear one of those weekends. My cousins Fiona and Belinda will be hosting the fund-raiser.”
“Fiona?” Oh, now her cousin just might use her gun on her. She hated to be blindsided.
“Not a problem.” Sasha typed whatever she needed to on to the screen.
“I want you to take the lead, too. We can sit down and discuss. Or do it by conference call. It might be like pulling teeth to get Fiona in here.”
“You ain’t kiddin’.” Belinda didn’t know who would be the one to break it to her. Maybe Sasha?
“I will talk to Fiona after you all tell her what you’ve volunteered her to do.” Sasha tapped the screen. “Is that it?”
“Yes, that’s it.” Dana barely contained her grin.
“Not even funny.” Belinda was still amazed that Sasha seemed to be the one running the office. “But appreciated.”
“Good. Well, I really do have to get back to work. And I want you to stop worrying so you can go do what needs to be done.”
Belinda nodded. The heavy weight that pressed on her shoulders when she arrived at the office had eased up. Talking through her problems with her cousins, coming up with options and coming to terms with what she needed to do with Jesse—it all helped lift the veil of depression.
At the top of the priorities list was making amends with Jesse. But if he threw that cocky behavior at her, he would live to regret it. As soon as she got back, she wasn’t going to delay what needed to be done. Mr. Sexpot and she could have a second chance.
Chapter 5
Belinda was back in her car, feeling one hundred percent better. She turned up the volume of her favorite Jill Scott CD and sang along. Her morning took a brighter and happier turn. All she had to do was follow the plan. She pushed on her earpiece and dialed her office. “Hey, Tawny, any messages?”
“Nope. Where are you?”
“I headed over to Dana’s. Had to take care of stuff. But I’m returning to the office. What’s the calendar looking like?”
“No one’s coming today. But tomorrow you have a few more potential clients. Then later today you have an interview with the county newspaper.”
“I hear your warning. In other words, don’t go off the radar.”
“Uh-huh.” Tawny knew her so well.
“What about emails? Hoping that Ed hadn’t gotten wind of the firing.”
“About that...”
“Yeah?” Dread immediately crept into Belinda’s belly. Her fingers tightened their curl around the steering wheel.
Tawny’s voice lowered. “Um...you’ve got a visitor. He’s waiting to see you. Says it’s important that he talks to you, today.”
“Who?” Belinda hated w
hen Tawny dragged out good info.
“Jesse.”
“Get outta here. In my office?” Belinda was glad the traffic light switched to red. The shockwaves of surprise almost rendered her motionless. He came back.
“Well, right now, he’s not in your office. He’s at the stable.”
“Did he say what he wants?” At the stable? That had been one of the points of their conflict. Was he trying to make a point?
“All he kept saying was that it was an emergency. He needed to talk to you right away.”
“Does he look pissed off? Or does he look like he has iced water in the veins, like the way he did yesterday after I fired him?”
“More like stoic. Quiet. Intense. Wasn’t flirty. And definitely wasn’t cocky.”
This was definitely an interesting turn of events. “Tell him to meet me at Barney’s. And could you make a reservation, please? I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Oh, push the interview off to tomorrow. Then you can head home, since nothing’s happening.”
“Then I won’t know what he wanted. What you said. What y’all did.” Tawny groaned her protest.
“That’ll give you incentive to come to work tomorrow.”
“You’re cruel. But I’ll pass on the message and then lock up,” Tawny replied. “Maybe I can beat the forecasted storm.”
“Take it easy. See you tomorrow.” Belinda disconnected the call.
So, Jesse had returned. Why? Was he bringing a message from Ed? At least he was alone and not with a lawyer to discuss contract terms. Hopefully, the situation didn’t have to escalate to that level.
Over a meal and a couple drinks, she might be able to convince Jesse to remain on the job. Now all she needed was for him to play nice and say yes, without realizing that she was pretty close to begging. The project wasn’t going to be a long-term one. Maybe they could put aside their misgivings and proceed ahead for the short duration. She could teach him a thing or two about normal life. He could share the glossy details of the superstar life. Somewhere in between, they could find common ground to tolerate each other.
“Time to eat some humble pie,” she confessed to Jill Scott as the singer continued to belt out another song. Turning up the volume, she blasted the music as a soundtrack to the drive on the other side of town.
* * *
Barney’s Bar and Grill was one of the newer establishments that Jesse had encountered on his return home. The place was quiet on the weekdays. Once Thursday afternoon hit, through to the early dinner crowd on Sunday, the parking lot stayed packed. Even the side streets off the main road had to take the overflow traffic. Thankfully today, he didn’t have that problem with the impromptu meeting with Belinda, which took place between the lunch and dinner hours. With the switch in venue, he had to apologize in a public setting. Too bad it wasn’t a normal meal between friends. He’d much rather spend an hour sipping on beer, getting to know Belinda.
“Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to Barney’s. How many in your party?”
Jesse shook his head at the hostess who reached for the menu. “I’m meeting someone. Belinda Toussaint.”
“Right behind you.”
Her greeting stroked him like a warm gentle hand over the length of his arm. His shoulder actually twitched. “Oh, I didn’t expect...” Not sure what he had been supposed to expect. Maybe that she was already here, which she was, and he’d make the walk of shame alone to her table. That she wouldn’t be only inches away from him, close enough to smell her perfume, close enough to see the double ear piercing on her left lobe, close enough to reach over and pull the hair fastener around her ponytail. Jesse took a step back to kill any sudden impulses.
“I should have reservations, but I’m cancelling.” Belinda had taken the lead and approached the hostess. She’d barely looked at him.
The hostess looked alarmed. Her attention shifted to him as if he should correct the situation. Unfortunately, he had his own problems to solve. All he could offer was an apologetic shrug.
Belinda continued explaining to the hostess. “It’s my fault. An emergency meeting came up. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Jesse didn’t know what the heck was going on. So far, he was bouncing from place to place at Belinda’s command. Like the hostess, he was disappointed that he wasn’t getting the chance to fix the issue. Unlike the hostess, he masked it with a cool reserve and pretended not to be irritated.
“Let’s take my car.” She’d breezed past him. Once again, a mere glance tossed in his direction. With her latest command, she’d swept out the restaurant as if a queen. If she kept this behavior up, he’d have a hard time remembering his apology.
“Where are we going?” Jesse slowed and then stopped.
“What?” She finally realized that he wasn’t following. “I said we’ll take my car.”
“I heard you.” Jesse remained stubbornly in place. “Where are we going? I only came to talk to you.” And to see her again, but not like a puppy following her.
“You’re right. My brain was moving faster than my words. Are you free for the afternoon?”
He nodded. To spend the afternoon with her—hell, yeah.
“Good. It’s a surprise.” When he raised his brows, she hastily continued through a wide grin, “I promise...it’s not bad.”
Jesse didn’t like being laughed at. Even if Belinda’s laughter had a rich rippling sound that shot out and hovered before falling around him.
“You need to stop with the suspicious vibe. I promise to bring you back, safe and sound.”
“Uh-huh.” Jesse resumed walking. “I will follow you in my car.” Taking back some control was his top priority.
“Yes, you can. But I want to talk to you.” Before he reached her, she took off at the brisk pace across the parking lot to her shiny black SUV. She looked at him over the hood. “I suspect you may want to talk to me, also.”
“No argument, there.” Talk. Hug. Kiss. Yeah, there was a whole lot that he might want to do. The familiar warm rush pumped through his belly to his groin. Should he drive or submit to her wish and the temptation defining his thoughts? A fat, warm raindrop hit his nose, followed by another. Decision made. He opened the passenger door and hopped in just in time, as the clouds released their water in a deluge.
Within seconds, a fast-moving storm rolled in with dark thunder clouds and a formidable display of blue-silver streaks of lightning. Rain pounded the area, including the SUV. Wiper blades whipped aside the water from the windshield, giving him spotty views of the surroundings. The blurred images of trees and neighborhoods didn’t provide any clues as to their destination. Belinda hadn’t stopped singing since they started their journey. From the widening distance between neighborhoods, he suspected that they were heading into farm country.
Reading signs into everything wasn’t in his belief system. Normally. Nothing had an air of the normal or of the regular around her. Every thunderclap felt like an exclamation point to the time he spent with Belinda, past, present and hopefully, future.
His driver kept her foot on the gas and her focus on their destination in parts unknown. Hopefully, the turn in the weather wasn’t a signal of how his apology would be taken. From the occasional side-glances of her profile, he couldn’t tell if this would be a good meeting or not. And if she didn’t stop singing and acting as though they were on a Sunday afternoon drive, he’d muzzle her.
Jesse turned his attention out the window. The gray, rain-soaked landscape sliding past his window had a hypnotic effect on the worrisome thoughts pinging in his head. Another thunderclap set his teeth on edge. He glanced over to Belinda. She’d stopped singing. Whatever internal dialogue she was having, her demeanor spoke volumes. Her mouth had a grim set. As a result, tension between them swirled with a growing edge of something about to touch off.
The silence now bothered him. What
to say to dispel the quiet? It wasn’t as though they had a winning streak and could rehash the highlights. If they’d had a successful meeting, they’d now be chatting about the work schedule, the materials and what was behind her vision. As he’d learned, anything dealing with her vision had to be approached on tiptoe.
“Are we almost there?” he asked after forty-five minutes of them navigating nonstop rolling hills and winding roads. “Are we in the state?”
“Just about there.” Her face relaxed for a small smile. “Yes, you’re still in New York.”
“Good. Needed to know if I had to send out an SOS.”
“Afraid that I’d kidnap you?”
“Nah. Maybe you were lost and refused to use your GPS.”
“Think I’m stubborn?” She glanced over at him with a smile.
“Better than me thinking that you secretly planned to kidnap me.” Jesse had no problems with the kidnap option or the driving blind in small-town America. Not when the experience came with Belinda playing a prominent role.
“All my kidnappings are done by Tawny. She’s much more unsympathetic to any cries of help.” Now Belinda was grinning. The idea clearly humored her.
“I’ll take that under advisement if I cross paths with Tawny.”
The conversation dipped. This time, the mood had lightened considerably. Jesse didn’t mind the comfortable pause.
“So...is there a girlfriend waiting impatiently for you back home?”
The question caught him off guard, but he readily replied, “No. Not at all.” He looked over at her. “Anyone for you?”
She shook her head. “Not for a while.” Belinda looked at him, up and down, and stared hard at his face. “And I like it that way.”
“I didn’t argue.” Jesse agreed with the last emphatic sentiment, but her adamant tone nettled him. Plus, she had blindsided him, a frequent occurrence, with the very personal turn to their exchange.
“A man would interfere with my plans.”
“You have to lay down the law at the beginning. Kind of like a policy and procedures.”
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