Chapter 18

Kasey

It was shocking to Kasey how much things could change in two weeks. What initially seemed like a bad decision had become one she was proud of, and she was certain was one of her best. Passions Publishing had catapulted her, along with her clients, to more success than she’d imagined possible.

Over the past week, she’d developed new promotional items to showcase a client she had flying in from California. The creative team had become her close partners, loving the new ideas she had, which they said other agents rarely provided.

They’d worked together on flyers, mock-up book covers, and even designed websites she could present to clients to show how developed their marketing would be. She was overly excited as she packed her car with the boxes of products for her weekend meeting.

Just as she’d made room for the three boxes in her trunk, she noticed Renee approaching her car. Kasey had never seen Renee at Passions, and wondered what she could possibly be doing here? When she approached her at lunch during her first week, she didn’t let on to any type of relationship with Jay. If anything, she got the vibe that Renee didn’t like him.

“Kasey! How are you?” Renee approached, her arms extended as she walked toward Kasey. It was an awkward embrace, as Kasey was confused by not only her presence, but the behavior of the publisher.

“Hi, Renee,” she said, apprehensively.

“You don’t have to be worried, no one knows about our little meeting. I would never betray the trust of someone I value so much, although I can’t say the same for my competition,” she shrugged looking back at the Passions Publishing building.

“What are you doing over here?” Kasey asked, genuinely curious about her presence in the parking lot. Mostly everyone had gone home for the day, so she doubted there was any scheduled meeting with Jay or other employees.

“Jay is always trying to pick my brain, but I tell him, there’s no substitute for a bond. He’s too cold with his employees, never opening up to let them feel worthy. You know, I’ve been watching what you’re doing, Kasey, and I’m even more impressed than I was at our last meeting.”

“Thank you,” Kasey responded, unsure of Renee’s intentions.

“It’s just, you deserve more. Sure, Jay’s given you a small team to help you, but he’s not paying you nearly what you’re worth. That’s what I want to do. I can really give you the resources you need, and I won’t drool while watching work, if you know what I mean,” she leaned in to whisper the last sentence as if the two were close friends, which rubbed Kasey the wrong way.

“Jay doesn’t drool over me, Renee. In fact, he gives me all the space I need to do my job, and I’m very happy with my position here.” Kasey was proud to be telling the truth, unlike when she pretended to be happy after her first meeting with Renee.

That night, after Jay’s outburst about her bombarding his meeting, she’d seriously considered giving Renee a call. Now, with everything on the up and up with Passions, she was happy she’d never gone behind Jay’s back to speak with the woman she was sure would use it against her.

Looking over her shoulder, Renee seemed to see something out of Kasey’s vantage point. A wall of tall bushes blocked the walkway, and Renee looked pleased at whatever she could see.

“Well, it’s been good chatting,” Renee said, leaning in for another awkward hug as Kasey stood frozen again, confused by her weird behavior.

Just as Renee released her, Kasey saw Jay storming towards them, his jaw tight as his lips pierced together.

“See you in a few!” Renee yelled over her shoulder, just as Jay reached Kasey. A waiting driver opened the backdoor to a black Mercedes-Benz, before running around to the driver’s side. The luxury vehicle quietly exited the driveway, as Kasey turned to face Jay.

The frustration was clear on his face, though she wasn’t sure what was bothering him. Had he wanted to speak with Renee, she wondered.

“Are you okay?” she asked, and Jay looked at her as if she had three heads.

“You’re seriously going to ask that? Like I didn’t just see you hugging our competition?” He spat the words out as if they tasted awful on his tongue.

“Renee?” Kasey scoffed, looking back to where the Mercedes had sat just a minute ago.

“Yes, Renee. Don’t play stupid, Kasey. You’re too smart for that,” he barked.

“Jay, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she tried to sound as calm as she could. It had been a while since Jay showed any sort of animosity towards her, and she wanted to remind him of their bond.

“Oh? You didn’t even know Renee was my competition? You thought I wouldn’t find out? So, maybe I was wrong. You are that stupid,” he smiled a devious smile, glaring down at Kasey as if she’d disappointed him beyond belief.

“Yes, I got the vibe that she didn’t like you, but I don’t know her, Jay. Things have been good between us, but you calling me stupid because some weirdo lady came over to awkwardly hug me isn’t going to do much for keeping the peace,” Kasey shot back.

If it wasn’t for her great day, she would probably be screaming at Jay in the parking lot, completely making a scene. But she could tell he was furious about something, and she tried to convince herself to give him a pass since there was no way his anger could actually be directed at her.

“I can’t believe you’d stoop so low to set up a meeting with her. What is it? You want more money? Kasey, you make three times what you made a month ago. I never took you to be greedy. Are you planning to come back and leverage her offer? Because I guarantee I won’t match it. If you want to walk, walk. As far as I’m concerned, you can’t be trusted after an act like this anyway.” He seemed to be cooling down, but his words were anything but. He was beyond mad, his face reddening as he shook his head with disgust.

“Look, Jay. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m not about to try to figure it out. I’ve got better things to do, and I’m not going to let you ruin my weekend. You can talk this out with Mitchell,” she waved her hands before lifting the three boxes into her trunk, leaving Jay standing alone beside her car as she climbed in the driver’s seat, baffled by his actions.

Pulling out of the parking lot, she tried not to look at him in her rearview mirror, but she couldn’t help herself. He watched her until she turned the corner, before shaking his head and turning back to the office.

She wondered what in the world had happened for him to be so upset. Replaying the conversation, if you could even call it that, she tried to decipher his words as she searched for understanding. He seemed so upset, but it couldn’t be because she spoke to a competitor in the parking lot.

Could he have possibly heard about Renee ambushing her lunch a few weeks ago? Even if he had, Kasey felt his reaction was uncalled for. Then she remembered the mention of her setting up a dinner with Renee, and she racked her brain trying to understand what he was talking about.

Her entire ride home, she went over each detail, so distracted she almost missed her exit on the highway. By the time she pulled into the driveway of her townhouse, she decided Jay was completely out of line.

He’d done a lot to convince her that he could be respectful, but now she was certain he could not. Jay was both unreasonable and disrespectful, and she knew she wouldn’t stand for it. He would need to know how she felt, but now wasn’t the time.

So, she carried the boxes into her home trying her best to push the uncomfortable confrontation to the back of her mind, but with every recollection—from his words, to his stance, to the look on his face—she couldn’t forget or forgive the way he talked down on her. She was not going to stand for him behaving like a superior, not even giving her a chance to explain herself. Once again, she began to question her decision to work for Jay Canton.