Chapter 44

Kasey

“What do you usually get?” Jay asked, as the waiter stood beside their table with his notepad in hand.

“Let’s start with two margaritas,” Kasey answered for the both of them, dismissing the waiter.

“I don’t drink tequila, Kasey.”

Jay was irritable and frustrated beyond all measure. The man who never let on what he was thinking or feeling, was showing his cards as he now wore his feelings plastered on his sleeve. Kasey was unsure about how to continue, but she knew that delaying it would only make him more upset.

“I don’t want to waste your time,” she began, nervously glancing at Jay, who clenched his teeth so tightly she could see his jawline clearer than ever.

“Well, I’m glad. I don’t have time to spare at the moment,” he responded curtly, glancing at his diamond encrusted watch.

“I want to talk about this whole shake-up between you and Renee.” It wasn’t exactly a question, but Kasey was simply trying to understand what was going on.

It was unlike Jay to make a bad decision in the business arena, and she still hadn’t accepted that he would risk so much for her. There had to be some sort of explanation. She’d been trying to convince herself, but had yet to figure out what it was.

The waiter gave Jay a few more moments to think, as he delivered their bright green drinks to Jay’s disgust. From the look on his face, Kasey was sure he wouldn’t take one sip of the beverage. She anxiously nodded, dismissing the waiter hoping Jay would answer her.

“What do you want to talk about?” he asked instead, putting the ball back in her court.

It was a clear indication to Kasey—Jay didn’t want to talk about the details because it was a failed attempt on his part. While she wasn’t certain what the attempt was, her confidence was increasing by the second, as she pondered the possibility of him risking so much for her.

“Why did you do it?”

Kasey was past the games. She wanted to know the truth, and felt no need to sugar coat her curiosity. If Jay had sacrificed one of his companies for her, she wanted to know.

He glared across the table, his blue eyes piercing into her as he squinted, surely trying to read her. Kasey always felt like he had the rare ability to know how she was feeling without her admission, but this time he appeared stumped. When he took a small sip of the margarita, she knew he was stalling.

“How do you even drink this?” he winced, wiping his mouth with the paper napkin.

“First of all, it’s not about how it tastes, but where it takes you. Second, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Well, I don’t want to go anywhere that nasty thing will take me,” pointing at the drink with disgust, before he finished his thought. “And as far as the deal with Renee, what is there to discuss? You want to break down business strategy?”

Jay’s poker face was flawless as he looked across the table with supreme confidence, but deep in her heart, Kasey believed he had made the sacrifice specifically for her.

“Oh, so it was just a business strategy?” she quipped.

“What else would it be?” Jay tightened his jaw, challenging her to question him, but the only way she could was to put him on his heels by revealing what she had learned from Renee.

She didn’t want to embarrass him. Regardless of his intentions, by now he had to understand that he’d made a bad call. She had sensed the defeat from the second he walked into his office looking less like himself than she’d ever seen before. The last thing she wanted to do was kick him while he was down, so she thought of ways to build him up instead.

“I never signed any of my authors to Rockwell,” she blurted out, before she could form a complete sentence.

“What does that mean?” Jay looked offended, but she knew if he could understand her reasoning, he’d lighten up. All Kasey wanted to do was help; to show that she was as committed as he was, if he was still interested. She wanted to work with him to rebuild the empire she’d admired since college.

“I can bring them to Passions, and it will help the financial burden,” she wondered if her words were too harsh. When his eyebrows raised, just before his lips curled to one side, she had her answer.

Jay didn’t speak a word, instead he slowly reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket before withdrawing his wallet and placing a one hundred dollar bill on the table, much more than the cost of their drinks.

“Jay, what are you doing?” Kasey asked, annoyed with herself for pressing too hard.

“I don’t need authors, Kasey. I have to get back to the office. Enjoy your lunch.”

“Jay, that’s more than we would have ever spent on lunch,” she stated the obvious, but it didn’t prompt as much as a pause from Jay.

“Order something you wouldn’t usually order then. Thanks for stopping by,” he said, lifting the left side of his lips slightly, but it didn’t qualify as a smile.

“Jay!” Kasey called after him, but she was drowned out by the noise of the restaurant.

“Are you leaving already?” the waiter asked.

“Uh, no. Can I have these drinks to go?” she asked, before placing to-go orders for meals for herself and Nicole. It was time for another talk with her best friend, the only person who seemed to understand her these days.

Unwilling to bombard her in the midst of her work day as usual, Kasey waited for Nicole’s scheduled lunch time in the park across from the doctor’s office. By the time Nicole strolled onto the cement pathway, outlined on both sides by an array of tulips and sunflowers, Kasey had created a spread on the flannel blanket she had found in her trunk.

“Did you really set up a picnic for me? This must be major news,” Nicole grinned, while kneeling down on the blanket.

“Things are getting out of hand,” Kasey sighed, unable to pretend she had it all together any longer.

“What’s going on?” Nicole asked, concerned before taking a sip of the margarita from the plastic cup.

“I quit my job.” Kasey said flatly, smiling when Nicole proudly pumped her fist in the air. She’d wanted Kasey to walk away from Rockwell Publishing for a long time now.

“That’s nothing to harp over,” she assured her.

“I know. But there’s more,” Kasey explained, taking a sip of her drink. “I went to meet with Jay today. I felt awful after everything went down. Renee didn’t even deny her unethical decision, instead she tried to guilt me for having a conscience. I just wanted Jay to know that I stood with him,” she shook her head, the words escaping her.

“Well, you can’t expect the man to just open up, Kase. He’s got an ego, so it’s not surprising if he tried to hide the defeat.”

“It was impossible to hide it, Nicole. His eyes were dark like he hadn’t slept in days. I could smell the defeat on him, but he tried his best to be strong in front of me. I told him I had retained all my author’s rights and would bring them to Passions, but he said he didn’t need them and left. I don’t even know what else to do,” she sighed, feeling a bit of defeat herself.

“You can’t expect him to welcome you like some savior, Kasey. He’s a man. He wants to fix this on his own. And if he can’t, he at least wants to play a role in the victory. Besides, I doubt your authors can turn around the mountain of expenses he’s under.”

Nicole was right, but Kasey still didn’t know what to do. On top of that, she was beginning to doubt his continued interest in her. Maybe this whole situation had proven to him that she wasn’t worth it—a lesson she wasn’t comfortable with him accepting.

“Do you think this could have given him a change of heart?” she asked her best friend.

“Kasey, don’t be crazy. He went out with you because he was happy to see you. His ego is bruised, but that won’t stop the way he feels about you. Jay sacrificed everything, you can’t forget or discount that.”

Kasey nodded as the words sunk in. She did believe that Jay was truly interested in her and knew she had to find a way to help him resolve the mess he’d created to get her attention. In a way, she felt responsible for his current situation, and knew she could help him dig out of the hole he was buried in.

“Let’s have some lunch,” she said to Nicole instead, deciding to find her path back to Jay on her own.

Nicole had given her the assurance she craved. Jay was still interested in her, only playing tough after his misstep. She knew she could create a plan that would make his decision to sell one of his publishing companies appear to actually be a strategic business move.

There had to be a way to turn this setback into a comeback, and she was determined to find it.