Page 75 of The Best of Friends
“He’s not.”
“Good. So after sex, he asks you out, and you refuse. That’s playing hard to get.”
“I’m not playing,” Jayne grumbled. “He didn’t ask me out to dinner or the movies. No, he asked me to his mother’s bride-hunting party.”
“Thatwasstupid. Typical guy.” Rebecca glanced at her. “You know to be careful, right?”
“You’ve already warned me. Don’t risk my heart. He’s not going to fall for anyone.” Jayne was clear on that. “I tried to explain that all to him, but it didn’t go well. I almost think I hurt his feelings.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible.”
That’s what Jayne was telling herself, and yet there was something about the way he’d acted. Something almost… defensive.
“I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “I feel guilty.”
“You feel guilty about too much,” Rebecca told her, leaning back in her chair. “Let it go.”
Probably good advice, but somehow it didn’t sound right. “Maybe I was too harsh.”
“Not possible. You’re the nicest person I know.”
“It’s not exactly a tough competition.”
“Still. Let it go. He’s fine.”
Jayne wanted to believe that, but she wasn’t sure. Maybe her concerns about David were a twisted response to her fight with Elizabeth. Or maybe they were because she’d been a bitch. Either way, she was going to have to do something or let it go. Living in the middle was impossible. And denial, while Rebecca’s specialty, wasn’t a skill she’d ever learned.
But apologizing to David would mean offering an explanation, and she didn’t know how to do that without confessing her lingering feelings. Talk about a disaster waiting to happen.
***
David spread the samples across the table in the smaller of the two conference rooms. Some pieces he’d commissioned from local artists. Some came from inventory, three had been ordered from QVC, and the rest were from his trip to the mall.
He’d already put the two binders on the table. They contained his proposed business plan. He’d done his research, had a list of suppliers he wanted to talk to, and had several designs he’d commissioned from the same artists who’d made the samples.
He’d spent the past week working on his proposal. There had been plenty of time—he still hadn’t been given a whole lot to do around the office. His father had told him to study the books and learn about the business side of things. He could spend only so long staring at computer printouts. His evenings were quiet. Despite his mother’s not-very-subtle requests that he take out each of the women who attended his party, he wasn’t in the mood. The only woman he wanted to spend time with was Jayne, and that pissed him off.
A week after the party he was maybe, just maybe, willing to admit that he might not have thought through the consequences of taking a date to a party designed to help him find a wife. When he’d invited Jayne, he hadn’t been thinking about that. He’d been thinking that he wanted to spend more time with her. Which was the point she’d blithely ignored.
But it was her assumption that he didn’t care about their having sex that had prevented him from calling her. He knew that wanting to be right rather than working things out wasn’t something he could be proud of. But there were principles at stake here. And pride, he admitted grudgingly.
He didn’t sleep with just anyone. He’d given that up years ago. For him, the thrill was no longer about volume and much more about connecting with someone he liked. And he liked Jayne.
The mistake had been in telling his mother he was back to find the right woman and settle down. She’d taken the idea and run with it—not exactly a surprise. But finding the right person on paper was different than finding her in person. There was something about Jayne… something intriguing. He wanted to spend more time with her, but because of the great marriage hunt, there were complications.
The conference room door opened, and his father walked in. Blaine had a mug of coffee in each hand.
“If this meeting is as boring as the rest of my meetings, we’re both going to need the caffeine,” Blaine teased.
David took the mug. “I’ll have you on the edge of your seat.”
Blaine sat across from him, in front of the display of jewelry. “An eclectic collection,” he said, picking up one of Rebecca’s pieces. “This has been selling well.”
“Classic, with a fresh twist.”
“That was the marketing campaign.” Blaine leaned back in his chair. “All right, David. This is your meeting. Why am I here?”
“As you suggested, I’ve been studying the business side of our empire.”
