“What’s is this?” she asked, looking at the dilapidated home in front of them. The blue paint was chipping to reveal the gray home he remembered. Windows were covered with wood, and the front door looked one windy day away from falling off the hinges. The lawn was more dirt than grass, and a dirty brown corduroy sofa sat on the curb out front.
“My home.”
There was a long silence between them. As Jay stared at the house, he felt Kasey’s eyes on him, but he didn’t answer her silent questions. Turning to face her, his eyes begged her to speak her thoughts and after a long swallow, she did.
“You grew up here, Jay?”
“Yes. This is my childhood home. Really, the only home I’ve ever known.”
Her eyes squinted, and then she looked back towards the house. For the first time, he questioned if his plan was a good one. Maybe Kasey didn’t want to know him that way. He could have misread what he thought was unconditional commitment. This might be too much for her, and he started to apologize before she interrupted his thoughts.
“I want to go inside.”
“Well, I don’t know if anyone lives here now,” he paused. It was obvious no one lived there, it was an abandoned house. “I don’t want to break in,” he offered instead.
Kasey didn’t even acknowledge his concerns. Instead she walked towards the house as if she had a key to the front door. Watching in awe, Jay soon followed, not wanting her to go in the house alone. Who could guess what would be inside?
Chapter 52
Kasey
Just before Kasey made it to the front door, Jay jumped in front of her trying to talk her out of entering the home that she could see still meant a lot to him.
“Why’d you bring me here?” she asked.
“I wanted you to see how I grew up,” he answered, without hesitation.
“Well, let me see, then.”
Kasey could sense how much it meant to him that she knew where he came from. Surely, this couldn’t be the type of thing he shared with many people, so she wanted to let him know how interested she was in getting to know the place that had shaped him.
“Let’s just see if the door is open,” she suggested.
Jay paused before nodding, reaching his Rolex clad wrist for the doorknob, which instantly turned. Kasey wasn’t surprised, she could see the door lacked security from the sidewalk. Slowly, they walked inside, Jay leading the way, with his hand behind his back, grasping Kasey’s fingers as if someone might try to take her.
“How often do you come back here?” she asked.
He was uncomfortable, she could sense it. There was something about the place he didn’t like, yet he was still calling it the only home he ever knew.
“I come back quite regularly, but I haven’t been inside since we moved out,” Jay answered, wearily looking around the run down house.
It was obvious no one had lived in this home in years—from both the appearance and the smells.
“Why do you come back?”
“To remind me of why I can never be broke again.”
His answer struck Kasey, and she wondered if he feared his bad deal with Renee could possibly result in the type of financial devastation that could lead him back to a life of poverty. It had never occurred to her that he could suffer from the same anxiety she endured—knowing that she never wanted to be poor again. For Kasey, it would only take a few months of unemployment, but she thought it would be different for Jay due to his massive fortune and empire.
“You said this is the only home you’ve ever known. But what about your mansion? That’s the nicest home I’ve ever seen.” She heard the compliment coming out of her mouth, despite her lack of permission.
Kasey never wanted Jay to notice how impressed, and even flabbergasted, she was by his wealth. So, she tried to downplay her reactions, pretending she’d seen similar homes, when that was far from the truth. Everything Jay had was the nicest version she’d ever seen, especially his mansion.
“That’s a house, not a home,” he answered flatly.
“What’s the difference?” she huffed.
“Things aren’t all they’re cracked up to be if you don’t have anyone to share them with, Kasey.”
He was serious, looking directly into her eyes so intently that she had to look away. Could Jay consider her the right type of woman to share a home—or even a life with? The thought made her feel lightheaded, a dream too big to ever consider seriously.
Jay Canton was the most powerful man in the industry, with far reaching power, and she knew he could have any woman in the world. Yet, here she was in his childhood home, learning more about him than any Google search would ever reveal. It humbled her, while also leaving her with a privileged feeling that made her eager to put him back on the top of the publishing world, where he deserved to be.
“You’ll never have to go back to living like this, Jay. The new company is going to be bigger than the last.”
It was the way she had pitched her idea to him, but it was also what Kasey believed from the bottom of her heart. She wanted more than anything to prove herself to him professionally, while also demonstrating her commitment to him personally, and helping build this new company was the perfect way to do it.
“I have no doubts, sweetheart. We’ll figure it out.” Jay wrapped his arms around her at the perfect time, because when he called her sweetheart she felt the world open beneath her, ready to swallow her whole.
“I have a new author I’ve been courting for years. She would never sign with me, because she’s very into the indie life—she likes the freedom and enjoys the role she gets to play in her marketing. She’d be the perfect client for the new company, and her sales would pay for all the costs we’ll incur.” It was an idea she’d been playing with, but the author was a bigger deal than she could handle alone. She and Jay, however, could work together and persuade the writer to join their new venture.
“Is that so?” he asked, and she could see the pride in his eyes.
“Yes. And I can get a meeting with her,” she boasted, looking up into his bright eyes.
“Set it up. We can talk to her together,” Jay kissed her neck softly as he led her from the home.
The ride back to his estate was filled with a comfortable silence, as their fingers remained interlocked. Something about the trip had brought them even closer together, a feat Kasey thought impossible.
Every day she thought there was no way she could care more deeply about him, but every day Jay found a way to pull her further in. She was beside herself when they reached his mansion, her head in the clouds. The air was thick with an emotion she wasn’t ready to identify.
Instead, she just followed him back to his bedroom, where the two remained for the rest of the day, expressing the words they weren’t yet ready to say out loud.
Chapter 53
Jay
“Cappuccino, sir?” Jessica greeted Jay at his office.
“Macchiato, please,” he corrected her order, which caught her by surprise.
In all the years she’d worked for him, her boss had never differed from his standard order, but that was before he had spent two days with Kasey, sharing everything—including her favorite morning beverage.
“Coming right up,” she quickly reacted before scurrying off to the kitchen.
Jay spent the first hour of his day responding to emails and answering messages Jessica had taken before he arrived. There were a lot of press contacts, seeking comment on the sale of his company, and he wanted to spin it as publicity for his new venture. Before he could begin bragging about Kasey’s idea, he wanted to talk things over with Anthony Greenbrier, the head of the accounting division at Passions Publishing.
Jessica ordered a few dishes from Shi Ket, a popular fine dining Chinese restaurant, so that Jay could have a working lunch with his top accountant.
“The company sounds promising,” Anthony smiled, using his chopsticks to carry a pale dumpling to his lips.
“Don’t bull
shit me, Anthony,” Jay pushed on, wanting to know his accountant’s true thoughts.
“I’m serious. This is a new and innovative way to satisfy clients, and it’s more than anyone else is offering. I think it’s brilliant.”
“But?” Jay asked the inevitable. There was something his accountant wasn’t saying, and it was the reason he’d invited him to lunch in the first place.
“It’s going to cost you.”
There, he’d finally said it. Jay knew it would not be a cheap investment, but he was certain it would pay off in the long-run. He’d thought about it intently before concluding that he would be willing to put up his own capital, something he had never done before in business. It was completely against the industry norms, but it didn’t matter to him. Jay was confident in Kasey’s idea.
“No, that won’t be necessary,” Anthony assured him, when he offered to provide the capital. “There are more than enough liquid assets to provide the cash we’ll need. I’ve already developed a few scenarios for cutbacks, because I figured there was an elaborate strategy behind selling one of the houses.” Anthony smiled, impressed by his boss.
Jay didn’t share the real reason behind the sale to Renee. Instead, he enjoyed his lunch with Anthony, going over more details while enjoying a variety of dishes.
After the meeting, Jay went back to his computer, continuing to make his way through the mountain of emails he’d incurred by taking the weekend off—something he never did. Kasey was making him enjoy home more than work—a new feeling for the man who arrived early and stayed late every day.
Every few minutes, he glanced at his watch counting down the hours until he could see her. Jay had made it clear that Kasey could work from home as often as she wanted, hoping to provide the same level of freedom that Renee had once boasted about giving her. But in the back of his mind, he hoped she found a reason to come into the office every day, because he loved seeing her.
“Got a minute?”
Jay looked up to see Mitchell in his doorway wearing a nervous smile. He waved his good friend in, and watched as he sat in his normal leather loveseat.
“What’s going on?” Jay asked.
“I heard about your meeting with Anthony,” he answered.
Jay wondered if he felt left out by the exclusion. Typically, Mitchell would be the one to speak with the accounting team about projects and associated budgets, but on this new venture, Jay wanted to be the point man.
As important as it was for him to reclaim his top spot in the industry, it meant more to him to see Kasey’s idea succeed. He smiled thinking about how happy she would be to watch the business flourish, and knew he wanted that more than anything. Seeing Kasey smile was a treat, but being the one responsible was even better.
“Oh yeah. I just needed to fine tune some details,” Jay hoped to downplay the meeting, not wanting Mitchell to be offended. He didn’t want any tension between him and his best friend, but lately that seemed unavoidable.
“He sent the proposals out for possible budgetary solutions,” Mitchell held a folder in his hand.
“Oh, did he?” Jay asked. He’d already seen the projections, but he wasn’t aware Mitchell received a copy as well.
“I really thought it was going to cost more than this,” Mitchell admitted.
“What’d you think?”
“I don’t know, man. You know I’m not the best with change. You’re the innovator, not me. But I can now see how beneficial this will all be. It seems like we can come out even better,” Mitchell fought the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Mitch, it’s going to be alright, trust me. Kasey’s idea is brilliant, we have nothing to worry about.”
Jay didn’t fight his smile, and Mitchell matched his grin as the two finally released all the frustration they’d been carrying regarding Jay’s impromptu decision to sell off a large portion of their shared company.
“I knew you would only bring her on if she was valuable, and I never doubted that, Jay. It was just the shock of it,” Mitchell began, but Jay tried to interrupt him with a wave of his hand.
“No! I need to say this. I was wrong, Jay. And I’ll be apologizing to Kasey too. She’s come back not only with her remarkable talent, but with a plan to take us back to the top. I know she’s going to be everything we need.”
Jay smiled, identifying the sincerity in his friend’s eyes. He was remorseful for his behavior, although Jay didn’t think it was necessary. Mitchell was supposed to be the cautious one in the partnership, so he expected nothing less than skepticism.
He was even more excited to think of Kasey’s reaction to Mitchell’s apology. His friend had come around, finally understanding Kasey’s plan, and it made Jay proud.
What Mitchell didn’t know was that Kasey was more than an improvement for Passions Publishing. She improved Jay as a man, and he took all the professional improvements as a bonus.
“Let’s have a drink,” Jay announced, walking to the bar in the corner of his office.
He didn’t want Mitchell to feel bad about his past behavior, so he poured each of them a small glass of whiskey to lighten the mood.
“I want you to find the building for the new company,” Jay explained.
“You know I can handle that,” Mitchell smiled, grateful for inclusion in the new company after his initial apprehension.
The two friends drank together, catching up on all they’d missed in each other’s lives. Mitchell had thought Jay was still upset with him, since he hadn’t called to take him up on his offer for golfing. He was relieved and happy to learn that Jay had spent the weekend with Kasey.
After settling their differences and getting back on the same page with the company they loved, Mitchell left Jay’s office so he could return to his never ending inbox.
After a rollercoaster month, Jay finally felt his life getting back on track. Kasey was happy, and growing more and more comfortable with him. Renee was out of his hair, struggling to run a company larger than she could handle. And the new company would be launching in a matter of days. Everything was looking up in such a short time. There was nothing that could knock his positivity.
When he finally finished combing through his emails, Jay left the office a little earlier than normal. Kasey had told him she would be meeting with an author, but the two had plans for afterwards. He left the office with a mental countdown, looking forward to the moment he could reunite with her beautiful face.
“See you later, Jessica,” Jay smiled on his way out the office.
The staff was working away, everything back to normal. He waved to groups of employees huddled around cubicles, staring at computers and sharing ideas. They would soon learn about the new direction of the company, and Jay couldn’t wait to see their reactions.
Chapter 54
Kasey
The music was playing through the car, one of Kasey’s favorite songs by Coldplay, when her phone began vibrating in her lap. Glancing down, she saw Jay’s name and a smile swept across her face. She lowered the volume of the radio before tapping her iPhone a few times, placing the call on speakerphone.
“Hi,” she gushed.
“Hi, sweetheart. How are you?” he asked. She could tell from the sounds on the phone, he was walking.
“I’m good. Heading to the meeting I told you about.” She answered while making a left turn into a quaint neighborhood. Every home had an immaculate garden, which made Kasey believe it must be a well off community.
“I want to see you,” Jay cut to the chase, and she felt her stomach tense with lust at the tone of his voice.
“I want to see you too,” she admitted. He was all she had thought about all day. Even going out of her way to stop by the office unnecessarily, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. When she learned he was in a meeting with his accountant, she decided not to push it further, despite Jessica ensuring her that he would be happy to pause the meeting if she needed. In fact, she made Jay’s assistant promise that she wouldn’t even deliv
er the message that Kasey had stopped by.
“Your house or mine?” he asked, just before the sound of a car door closing came across the line.
“Is that really a question?” Kasey laughed. She loved Jay’s home, and would never choose her townhouse when given the option. It seemed much smaller after a weekend in Jay’s mansion.
“I like your place too,” he added, always careful not to offend her.
Kasey found it amusing how Jay went out of his way to make her feel comfortable dating him, despite the extreme differences in their lifestyles. Before, she had thought it a bit charitable, but after seeing his childhood home, and spending the weekend with him, she knew it was all from a genuine place.
My One and Only: A Bad Boy Secret Baby Second Chance Romance Page 52