Chapter 24

Kasey

It was rare for Kasey to go into the office at Rockwell Publishing—a stipulation she made sure to add into her contract. While she hated to admit it, there was something about Renee she didn’t care to be around regularly. She needed her independence, and during their negotiations, Renee seemed so desperate to sign her, Kasey knew she could construct her dream deal with no objections.

Pulling into the parking lot of the small publishing house, she missed the valet option at Passions Publishing. It was a bit overzealous to refer to Rockwell Publishing as small, especially considering where she’d been working just a month ago, but Kasey couldn’t help but feel like she’d taken a step backward after leaving the largest firm in the country.

She had just pulled around to the VIP parking when she saw him. Jay was walking out of the building, looking even more breathtaking than usual as his jaw muscles tightened with every step.

What was he doing at Rockwell? She wracked her brain for a logical reason, meanwhile scrambling to think of a plan of action.

Instinct told Kasey to run, it was the obvious choice. She didn’t want to face Jay, yet there was a small part of her that was excited to see him, so she pulled beside the Mercedes she knew to be his and rolled her window down just as he approached.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, drawing his attention to her Honda Accord.

“Kasey,” he spoke her name like it was a breath of fresh air after a day at sea. His eyes lit up with a glimmer as he looked down into her window. “I came to see you,” he added, as if it was obvious.

“For what?” Kasey asked, shutting her car off before reaching for her small purse and opening the door.

Jay stepped back, making room for her as she planted her stiletto clad feet on the cement. She immediately wished she was better dressed. She’d only planned to run in and out of the office to pick up a delivery from a writer, so her skinny jeans and t-shirt were not what she’d hoped to be wearing the next time she ran into Jay Canton.

“I need to talk to you,” Jay held his hands up, as if he’d never had to explain his reasoning for requesting someone’s time. Most people were happy to meet with Jay Canton, Kasey knew, but he had burned himself with her.

There wasn’t much Kasey had when it came to comparing herself with Jay. He was by far more successful and wealthy, but they did match up on work ethic and integrity. After working together for a short period of time, she was confident he respected her work ethic and ability to get the job done. But his actions had shown her that he failed to acknowledge her integrity, and that was a miscalculation on his part that she was not willing to let slide.

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” she said, holding her chin high as she struggled not to get lost in his dreamy blue eyes.

“Kasey. It’s only dinner, about business. Come on, let me talk to you,” he stepped forward, and she could feel her insides begin to boil up, and it was not with anger. Despite her desire to hate him, Kasey couldn’t bring herself to harbor ill feelings toward this man.

“I’m not hungry,” she heard herself say, as if that was excuse enough.

“You’ve been reading,” Jay ignored her statement, brushing a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear as he smirked. He remembered how she tied her hair up whenever she got lost in a book, and for some reason that meant a lot to her. Jay had remembered her work ethic.

“I have to go,” she declared, but her feet didn’t move. The two stood face to face, only a few tense inches between them.

“Kasey, let me explain,” he said in a pleading tone. “Please.”

It was all Kasey needed to walk away—a reminder of how badly he’d fucked up. He wanted to explain, because he’d broken the trust between them, something that could never be repaired.

“I have no interest in your explanation,” Kasey looked directly into his deep blue eyes before walking down the narrow pathway that led to Rockwell Publishing.

Without ever looking back, she knew Jay watched her entire journey. He was the kind of guy who didn’t want much, but when his attention was captured, it was hard to turn him away. Kasey had captured Jay’s attention, this much she knew. The reasoning was questionable. Maybe he realized how great of an agent she was, maybe he felt guilty for misjudging her, or maybe he’d even suffered a decrease in sales after her departure.

Regardless of why he’d shown up, she knew it had nothing to do with the personal relationship, but she couldn’t be sure how she felt about that. Did she want Jay to care about her on a deeper level? The confusion was so captivating she didn’t even notice Renee at the elevator doors once they opened.

“I know you’re not going to walk right past me,” Renee held her arms up. Unaware of her boss’s presence, Kasey had planned to do just that, catching herself as she forced a smile and walked into another one of Renee’s awkward hugs.

“I was hoping you’d come by today. There’s so much I wanted to congratulate you on,” Renee said almost too cheerily as she followed Kasey to her office.

The entire journey felt forced and uncomfortable, as Kasey racked her brain for an explanation for Renee’s pushiness. There were no new releases, and she hadn’t signed any new authors, so what could be bringing on the faux friendship?

“Well, I just came for these. So, I’m going to head out to get ready for a meeting,” Kasey lied, holding up a set of paperback books.

There was no meeting, but she needed out of Renee’s desperate plea for commitment. It was draining to attempt to match her fake smile as they both sat in Kasey’s office, which seemed too small for the energy Renee was harboring.

“I know you’re busy. That’s why I value everything you do for this company,” Renee said, in a tone that sounded rehearsed and overused.

With her arm wrapped around Kasey’s shoulder, she pulled her in as the two walked back to the elevators. Anyone watching the interaction would think Renee was Kasey’s long lost best friend, but Kasey knew better than to take Renee at face value.

The ability to read people was what had made Kasey successful as an agent, but now it was a detriment, because there was never a moment she could ignore the cloud of insincerity that hovered above her new boss. It had been two full weeks of trying to fight what she knew to be true—Renee was a fake person, and working for her was not a good feeling.

“I’ll email you,” was all Kasey said as she stepped into the elevator, happy when Renee decided not to ride down to the lobby with her.

For all that Jay and Passions Publishing was not, there was never a time when Kasey felt unsure about their intention. She always knew where Jay stood, even if it was on a side she didn’t want him on. He was clear and concise, and when she walked out of Rockwell Publishing, she missed that freedom, even more than she missed seeing him.

A small lump formed in her throat when she noticed the empty spot where his Mercedes had sat next to her Honda. He was gone, along with the sincerity that came along with working with someone of his caliber. As much as she didn’t like admitting it, Kasey missed Jay, and his company.