“No,” his voice was stern. He wasn’t a fool; he knew that Jennifer knew damn well who was calling him.
“I can’t believe you didn’t change the ringtone,” Jennifer smirked. “You two still talking?”
James pressed his lips together irritably. “I’m not.”
“But she still calls you…” Jennifer let her voice trail. James turned in his seat to her squarely.
“I don’t call her. She’s called a couple of times but,” he shrugged, “I haven’t been available to see what she wants.”
With another teasing smirk, Jennifer flicked hair over her shoulders. “Do you plan on talking to her?”
“No,” James answered quickly, “not if I can help it,” he softened some. “But, if I run in to her, I’ll be cordial.”
Jennifer nodded, and then took a deep breath. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think she lost a good man.” James smiled at the kind sentiment.
“I think that’s worth a lot,” he said softly, holding Jennifer’s gaze steady. He pressed his lips together and looked out the car window. He didn’t want to discuss Katie. She was just another reminder of his stupidity for the past two years.
Silence fell, but it didn’t bother James. He searched for a way to transition to the job, and found it when the driver turned onto the road that would take them to their destination.
James cleared his throat and instructed Jennifer on what she could expect. These were old men who believed in the old way of doing things. They were hesitant to make changes. Even with their impressive age difference, the one common denominator these men would have in common was money. They understood that talk. The meeting was just to wet their lips about the services they offered.
Jennifer was every bit of inquisitive about New Jersey being the place James used to call home so many years ago, but she stayed focused to the business and tapered her questions. James still ntoiced her wondering eyes about the slowness of the suburb.
He wondered briefly what she would think about him coming from such a no name place. Seriously. No one but those from Summit really knew about it. This close to the New York, many only knew about Jersey City and Newark; but there were several little townships that branched out from those larger cities where many affluent individuals decided to live. Many communted to New York for work, just like any other border metropolis hovering close to statelines, like Chicago.
Timothy was waiting for the duo when they arrived. From the looks of it, ABC Training owned the entire building and leased the bottom floor to other businesses. This company had real potential for sure.
The new CEO was a thin, lanky man with silver hair. He wore a suit with a peppered hankercheif and greeted James like he was an old friend. With Jennifer, he held her hand with both of his meaty palms and kissed the back delicately. It was a bit of a southern gesture, but James wasn’t going to judge.
“And who might this beautiful woman be?” Tim asked, smiling mischeiviously. She answered him with a polite grin and locked hair behind her ears.
“Jennifer’s worked with me for the past five years. Her work within the company is beyond replaceable at this point,” James said confidently. Jennifer grinned at him.
“Let’s talk about your needs, shall we?” James tried to steer the conversation quickly.
“Well, hold on, Mr. Melone,” Tim said with a frown. “Are you in a rush?”
Jennifer turned to James and smiled. After glancing between Jennifer and Tim, James forced himself to relax and shook his head.
“No. Not at all.”
Tim beamed. “Alright. Let’s go for a walk then. I’m so grateful and pleased that you flew in so quickly to speak with me. I appreciate it a lot.”
James nodded. “Not a problem at all.”
“You know, James helped us get noticed back in the day,” Tim mummbled.
Jennifer’s brows pinched together. A smile drew at her lips and she looked between Tim and James.
“What do you mean?” She asked curiously.
“Youth sports,” Tim clarified. “As a young man, James sponsored the start of a regional league.”
“Really?” Jennifer’s eyes were wide. “That’s incredible.”
James cleared his throat uneasily, and watched Jennifer. He had always been careful to keep his personal life and interests separate from work. There was a certain type of vulnerability that came with letting someone discover who you really were.
“What’s more impressive is the slots he held each year on the training teams for scholarships,” Tim nodded and turned to James. He planted a large palm on his back.
“I don’t think I understand.” Jennifer glanced in between the two men.
Clearing his throat again, James gestured around the area they stood in. “Summit is ranked as the 16th-highest per capita income in the state. Out of the county, about 30 percent are in poverty. I wanted to help the 30 percent.” Jennifer nodded with understanding, her eyes widened as she watched James.
“And you used sports to help the youth?”
With a weak smile, James shrugged his shoulders. “I read a lot of studies. I found results that seemed to suggest innercity kids lacked drive because they had no concept of the choices they could make.”
“The reality of the real world,” Jennifer nodded eagerly in agreement, “that being born poor didn’t mean you had to stay poor.”
“Exactly,” James smiled at her. Jennifer’s eyes darted across his face. She seemed to struggle with words to say, but in the end, she fell silent and turned her back to Tim and James.
“It didn’t help everyone from Union but it did help,” Tim said emphatically. He reinforced his words with another strong pat on James’s upper back. For a thin popsicle of a man, Tim had a considerable amount of strength in his swing. James arched his back to get the older gentlement to release his hold.
“So tell me,” James said with a forced cough, “why consider New York now? After so many years? I looked through your balance sheets and fiscal reports. You could have made this move five years ago and made several billion by now.” With a tired sigh, Tim turned to James. It seemed like he was finally ready to get to business.
They spent the next thirty minutes walking along the well maintained grounds of the complex. Hidden behind the building face was a luscious garden of trees, brush, gazeebos and flat, green grass. Tim explained that many companies would benefit from allowing their employees time to go outside and bask in the sun.
As the number one corporate team building company of choice, they had to model their own suggestions. Everyone leasing within the building benefited from the beautiful grounds. Two gazeebos were designated for smoking and four more were just for relaxing and passing lunch breaks.
“It’s not quite the Googleplex,” Tim joked, “but I think we’ve got a pretty good start.”
They passed another 20 minutes with Tim. He gave them a tour of the building and came to understand the needs they had and wanted to create with an office in New York City. That meant future trips to the East Coast. The more they spoke, the more apparent frequent travel was becoming as a requirement to fulfill a contract to satisfaction. As time passed, James caught himself watching Jennifer periodically.
She said very little, but took everything in, listening closely. She grew tense the moment it became apparent that a contract with the company would mean more trips.
It was after four before they ended the meeting and Tim walked them curbside to the escort vehicle. There was more small talk and catching up about the economy and state of the small town. Afterwards, they said their goodbyes with another polite hug, back slap, and a kiss on the hand from Tim to Jennifer. Ever the professional, Jennifer smiled and took his compliments with style.
Jennifer stepped into the car first and slid to the driver’s side door. James climbed into the vehicle next, and with a few more waves, and good wishes, shut the door with a loud sigh. He turned to Jennifer quickly, and looked her over.
“What do you
think?”
Jennifer crossed her legs lazily and looked over her nails.
“How do we have time for a contract like this, James?
He nodded quickly. “I know what you’re thinking. We have Seogen and Carnal first.”
“With everything needed for damage control, I just don’t know if we should spread ourselves so thin,” Jennifer said softly. She avoided James’s eyes.
It would be no big deal to right the time crisis he set up in Colorado. He was actually looking forward to a potential East Coast contract. He loved that side of the States, their beaches, greenery, and slow way of living; and more than anything, he loved having an excuse to visit New Jersey and come back home.
“And I don’t think hiring a bunch of staff will fix the problem. If we expand too fast internally, we’re likely to pick the wrong candidates,” Jennifer continued.
James nodded. She had a point; but, all her worry was based off an event that he more or less fabricated. James decided to put the conversation on hold. There was one last thing he wanted to do before they left New Jersey, and if he were being honest with himself, he was pretty stoked about it.
Chapter Ten
Back to Reality
“I’m pretty hungry,” James announced loudly. He was getting ready to segue to his surprise. Jennifer nodded weakly, but didn’t respond. “I’d like to take you somewhere before we get something to eat.”
Jennifer’s face drew blank. She met James’s eyes, but remained silent.
“Is that okay?” James asked, searching for validation. He itched to give the driver the new directions. Lowering her gaze, Jennifer shrugged with hesitation. She crossed her arms over her body, and then as an afterthought, drew a seat belt across her lap to buckle.
The driver met James’s eyes in the mirror. He was waiting for direction. Glancing to Jennifer, James hesitated. She slipped a hand into her purse and checked her phone. After staring at it for a moment, she looked at James and held his gaze. She supplied him with a weak smile.
James turned to the driver again. “Baltusrol Place please,” he nodded as he gave the instructions and turned his attention back to Jennifer. “What’s wrong?” He asked softly.
Jennifer shrugged and shook her head. “Nothing.”
With a smile, James chuckled. “You’re a terrible liar. You can talk to me about it,” after a moment of hesitation, he added, “whatever it is.” Jennifer only offered him a smile. She turned in the seat to lean against the door and took up her previous positon.
Her sudden change of mood was disheartening. Everything seemed to be going so well, so smooth. James couldn’t think of what could have possibly bothered her enough to shut her down. He shook the thoughts from his mind. Perhaps it was just a female thing. One minute they were happy, the next, sad, mad, or frustrated about something you did, didn’t say, or didn’t do.
James smirked to himself. At least that was his experience with Katie. Beyond her, the other small handful of serious relationships hadn’t fared well at all. He was a great guy—not to be one to toot his own horn.
He cared about the work he did and about helping others less fortunate than himself. That had to count for something. He commanded respect and delivered to his clients above their expectations again and again, yet when it came to love, he was clueless, and he knew it.
That’s why he was playing his hand so aggressively. He had to, right? Put everything out there on the table and stop beating around the bush—that’s what he planned to do. He just needed to wait for the right time, the best time. He was certain Jennifer wouldn’t refuse him. They had a history together. Albeit, a working history, but it was still something, and one he would have to work with.
The ride became the quietest part of their trip for the first time since they had boarded the jet. Jennifer said nothing and James didn’t bother to pull her out of her shell.
The location James gave the driver was just 10 minutes away. After all, Summit wasn’t a really big place. In fact, it was incredibly small, with just over 20 thousand people. Nearly all of them worked in New York.
James stared out the window expectantly, feeling a sense of calm and peace flood his soul as he passed familiar places, homes, and trees. He smiled.
“So where are we going?” Jennifer asked from his side. James glanced to her.
“It’s a surprise,” he grinned. The somberness than had befallen Jennifer earlier seemed to dissipate with each minute of the drive. When she smiled at James, it was with a certainty that wasn’t there at the beginning of their drive.
“We’re in a residential neighborhood,” she paused, “Am I going to meet your parents?”
James laughed and quickly shook his head. “No.”
Jennifer snapped her fingers. “Too soon?” She giggled. “Maybe next time then, right?”
He beamed as he heard Jennifer’s cute giggle join with his in the car. He liked this side of her laughing. He’d call it sweet music to his ears, but that was just being dramatic.
As his chuckles lessened, James wet his lips. The twinkle was back in Jennifer’s eyes and it made his heart turn over, or something else, for that matter.
The car began to slow and James snapped his head to the windows. He reached for the handle and held it eagerly. There was no need to wait for the driver to open their door. As soon as the car stopped, he bounded from within and turned back to reach for Jennifer’s hand. His smile was proving to be infectious. Jennifer allowed James to help her out the vehicle. She shouldered her purse and looked around with unease.
“Where are we?” She spoke in a soft, hushed voice.
“You’ll see,” James said eagerly. He shut the door behind Jennifer and led her along a stone path to the front door of the house, something that appeared to be two stories high. It was large and beautifully arranged with a car resting peacefully to the left of the building in the driveway.
He wanted to pull Jennifer along, but restrained himself, allowing her to take her time along the path as she stopped to look around the house and neighborhood. At the front porch, he took the short steps in one stride and quickly moved to the door and knocked. A few fat seconds later and Jennifer joined at his side.
“Who lives here?” Jennifer asked again.
James ignored her this time and knocked again. There was a doorbell, but he rarely used it. He felt himself growing a little impatient. He should have called—normally, he would have; but, the car was in the driveway so he knew she was home.
It was difficult to hear if anyone were moving around inside the house. Above them birds chirped and cars glided lazily along the road. With a frown, James knocked on the door again, trying to be louder than the previous two times. At his side, Jennifer pulled at her fingers.
“Maybe they’re not home?” She tried to offer optimistically.
“Just a moment!” It was a muffled shout from within the house. James breathed a sigh of deep relief, something that Jennifer noticed. She glanced between James and door, and then her eyes grew wide.
“I’m I going to meet Melony?” She asked, an excited pitch in her tone. James only grinned at her.
Moments later, the doorknob and locks rustled from within. When the door pulled back, a gorgeous redhead greeted them. She was probably two inches shorter than Jennifer, but just as lovely with a dusting of freckles on her cheeks. She had intoxicating emerald eyes. Her face morphed from shock, surprise, and then to excitement.
“James!” Melony exclaimed, pushing through the screen door to give him a hug. It was full and hearty, like it always was. “You’re in Jersey?” She turned to Jennifer, a wide beam still on her lips. “And you?” She glanced to James. “Are you going to introduce me?”
“Yes, yes,” James grinned and gestured to Jennifer. “This is the famous Jennifer Rhodes.”
“Oohh,” Melony’s face changed and she grinned at Jennifer, “the assistant,” she said merrily as she extended a hand. Jennifer took it and chuckled as the short woman shook her hand
firmly. “I’m Melony.”
Jennifer nodded. “It seems James had done a good deal of talking about the both of us.”
Melony smiled brightly. “What does he say about me?”
“Well, you should tell me what he says about me,” the women giggled together and James rolled his eyes playfully.
“Nothing but good things, ladies. You’re both fantastic,” James said proudly. “We had a meeting today with the president from ABC Training.” Melony nodded eagerly, listening to Melone’s words.
“Wow. Well, that sounds good. Will you be in town long?”
James shook his head. “Leaving tonight, maybe within the hour,” he reached out and touched Melony’s arm. Had they been alone, he might have tipped the edge of her chin in good, innocent fun.
“I just couldn’t come home for business and not see my good friend,” he glanced behind Melony, towards the front door, but it was nearly closed. “Is Lydia home?”
Melony nodded and rubbed her hands together. “Yes, she’s upstairs. She’ll love seeing you—you should step in for a bit,” Melony nodded vigorously when she saw Jennifer attempt a protest. “No, really, step in. Have a glass of tea or something.”
James grinned, and then looked towards Jennifer. “We’ll just be a few minutes or so.”
Inside, Melony quickly gathered glasses for drinks. They hovered in the kitchen, a large square on the first floor with an open cooking area a large dining table as well. Instead of helping themselves to the seats, however, they stood and held their drinks.
“So how’s the new contract going?” Melony asked, mostly to Melone. “I mean, how are you here?”
“We took a jet,” Jennifer answered. She seemed more at ease in the presence of another woman than she was with Tim. Melony turned to Jennifer and grinned.
“Oh, the chartered jets, eh? Aren’t they wonderful?”
“James has taken you before?” Jennifer asked. James pressed his lips together and watched Melony carefully. She glanced towards him casually with a wry smile and nodded.
Millionaire Romance: In Love With My Personal Assistant - A Contemporary Romance (Millionaire Romance, Contemporary Romance, Comedy Romance Book 2) Page 9
