Pinkie Promises (A Promises Novella #1) (4 page)

PRESENT: JACE

That seems to be becoming a regular thing…making an ass out of myself and sticking my foot in my mouth. And I fear I made things worse. Now Simone is going to call this Guy up and have a meeting. At least she introduced me as her boyfriend.

“I’m sorry. Just call him in the morning and set something up.”

I try to smooth things over. Simone is going to do what Simone wants to do, anyway. Yet, she can’t see what’s right there in front of her. Maybe she doesn’t feel the same way about me, because I’ve given her subtle hints that she doesn’t seem to notice.

I should tell her sooner rather than later. But tonight is about her, and I can’t drop this kind of bomb on her now. We continue to mingle with the other guests. Every guy in this room has been checking her out. It’s as if I can sense what they are thinking…all the things they want to do to her, including Guy. He’s just a little more clever about it. Then I remember she’s on my arm, holding my hand, laughing at all the right moments. She plays the card well. We’ll have no problem fooling James, and I can’t wait to see the look on his face.             

“What’s on your mind?” Simone asks as we go outside to get some air.

“Nothing. I hope I didn’t screw anything up for you. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not mad at you. I don’t want to seem too eager about any business propositions. I really have to think about them. So you were right. I just got caught up in the evening.”

I hold my hand up. “No. I was wrong to interject like that.”

Simone smiles. “Fine. How about we call it even?”

“Okay,” I say, nodding. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

We load into the truck and head home, the award resting in Simone’s lap, her mind wandering as she looks out into the night air. Then she turns to me. “I think Leah and Jared had a nice time.”

I give her a quick glance. “Yeah, I think so. It was a nice event.”

“Thanks for coming along with me.”

“Sure thing.”

“You coming to Mom’s tomorrow for dinner?”

“Sure am,” I announce.

Pulling up to our apartments, I watch as Simone pulls off her heels and jumps out of the truck, oh so gracefully. I approach my apartment, next to hers.

“Thank you again, Jace.”

“Goodnight, Simone.”

She offers a smile, and I head into my own apartment.

SIMONE: Age 10

“Hey, Simone. Where’s your boyfriend, huh?” Samuel taunted.

“I don’t have one.” I stormed off.

Samuel caught up with me and got in my face. “That’s right, because you are a dork. Simoney Bologna.”

“Shut up, Samuel!” My fists balled at my sides, like I could take a boy twice the size of me. But anger burned in me so bad. I wanted to punch him right in the face.

The kids around us started laughing at him teasing me. I wanted to cry, but knew it would just make things worse. But I was horrified, nonetheless. And I’m sure my face was beet red.

All of a sudden, I saw a fist come flying by me and into Samuel’s face. It was Jace, punching him. Samuel’s nose started to bleed, as well as his upper lip. Jace was laying into him pretty good. “If I hear you or anyone else calling Simone names, I will do you even worse. Do you hear me, asshole?”

It took two teachers to pull Jace off Samuel. Jace was suspended from school for three days, even though he was defending my honor. Jace was still so mad as we got off the bus from school.

“You’re going to be in so much trouble. You didn’t have to beat him up,” I told him.

“I don’t care if I get grounded. Samuel deserved it, and much worse. I bet no one will mess with you now.”

I shrugged. “Well, thanks for sticking up for me. I hope your mom won’t be too mad.”

Jace stopped since his house was right across from mine. “You’re my best friend, Simone. I would do it again if I had to. I promise you that.”

“Pinkie promise?”

He hooked his pinkie with mine. I smiled as he walked into his house.

Not only would Jace have to deal with his mom, my mom would be just as upset. But I hoped I could at least smooth things over before she heard about the fight from anyone else. Because, in that moment, I knew Jace would have my heart. Even though we were young and didn’t know any different. I knew Jace was special. I just hadn’t realized how much of an impact he would have on my life. Because Jace is a lifer. The ride or die type.

PRESENT: SIMONE

The next morning, thankful for the few extra hours of sleep, I wake, stumbling out of bed to start my day. My hair is in wild waves, so I run my fingers through, hoping to tame it enough to look presentable for the day.

Picking up my phone, I take the business card that was given to me last night and call Guy.

“Hello?” he greets with his deep British brogue.

“Hi. This is Simone Rayburn, owner of Taste. We met last night, and I was calling to see if you still wanted to set something up?”

“Of course I remember. How about tomorrow evening? I can cook at my loft.”

“Um, okay. Sure. Just text me your address.”

“See you then, Simone.”

“Bye.”

With the phone call out of the way, I go over to the coffee pot and press start. Exactly three minutes later, Jace comes bounding through the door.

“I got bad news, Simone.”

“What? No,” I say, pulling two mugs from the cupboard.

“I’m afraid there’s an issue with the game that is supposed to launch next Tuesday. So I probably won’t make it to dinner.”

I frown. “That sucks. But I know you got to do what you got to do. I’ll bring you leftovers.” I force a smile.

Jace leans against the counter as we talk and sip our coffee. “One more week until the wedding extravaganza,” he teases.

I roll my eyes. “Don’t remind me. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you; I called Guy, and we are meeting at his place tomorrow to go over whatever he is wanting to propose.”

Jace’s head whips back. “Do you think that’s a good idea? Going to his place. You don’t even know the guy.”

Taking my last sip of coffee, I let out a sigh. “I’m sure it will be fine. It’s not like I’m going to sleep with him. It’s dinner and nothing more.”

Jace throws his hands up in frustration. “Okay. Fine. If you need me for anything, I’ll have my cell with me. I gotta go.”

He leaves without a glance back at me. He’s been acting weird for nearly a week, and I have no idea why. Maybe it’s the launch of the game that has him snappy and stressed. Any little thing sets him off. And that’s not like us. We are always good, and quickly get over any issues we have.

And it’s definitely not like Jace to be the jealous type. Maybe a little over protective, but not jealous. Of course, I didn’t mention to him that Guy is clearly in love with Emily. I could spot that love sick look straight away. Even though he introduced her as his colleague, there is clearly something there between them. Jace was just too blind to see it, I guess. But they have a business proposition and I plan on hearing them out. If Jace has an issue with that, then it’s his problem.

***

After arriving home from Mom’s for dinner, I notice Jace still isn’t home. Either he’s working late or he’s mad at me for some unknown reason. Instead of calling him or texting him, I decide to let him be and put his leftovers that Mom wrapped up in his fridge with my spare key.

Since it was only Mom and I at dinner, I convinced her to take the night off by ordering pizza and watching 27 Dresses with me. I’ve only seen the movie, like, fifty times.

By morning there is still no Jace as I rush off to work. When I get in my car, I decide to text him.

You alive?

I don’t check my phone until I get into my office. Finally, I have a message.

I’m okay. Just trying to solve this disaster. We might have to push back on the launch. Talk later.

Okay. So he isn’t mad at me.
Okay. There’s some leftover pizza in your fridge.

Closing my phone, I head to my tiny office where my little award is perfectly displayed on the shelf. “How long did you guys stay at the party on Saturday?” I ask Leah as we get started with the day.

“Until they kicked us out. But you and Jace left early.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“I’m not even going to comment on that. Get to work. Unless you want to talk about you and Jared.” I smirk.

Clasping her hands behind her back, she steps back. “Nope. I’ll just get started on work.”

I stifle a giggle, because there is definitely something going on with those two.

***

When work is done, I freshen up in the office and head over to Guy’s loft. It doesn’t take me long to find the place. The loft is right on the edge of the city. A perfect location, and hidden quite well. Entering the elevator…more like a cage, it takes me right into the loft.

Guy comes over to me with his hand outstretched. “It’s so nice to see you again, Simone.”

“Thanks for having me.”

Emily appears from out of nowhere and beams at me. “Yay! You’re here.” She places an arm through mine and guides us to the open kitchen.

“I hope you like seafood,” Guy tells me as he flips a hand towel over his shoulder.

“Yeah. Sounds great.”

“Go ahead and have a seat.” He gestures. “Wine?”

“Sure. I’d love some.”

I’m thankful that Emily is here, too. Just so there is no confusion on what this is; a business meeting. Emily hands me a glass of wine and sits next to me.

“So what kind of work are you into? I know Guy had mentioned you were colleagues.” I take a sip of the red wine, and it goes down smoothly.

“Oh. That’s what we are going to get into.” With a hand to her chest, she says, “I’m an event planner. So Guy and I have merged our businesses to make one great one.” I try to take turns watching Guy work in the kitchen and listening to Emily.

Then Guy interjects. “Yeah. We thought between the three of us, we could expand farther and get more business for all of us.”

“Oh, okay.”

I know where this is going.

“What kind of food do you make?” Emily asks, sipping on her wine just as Guy plates the food to bring over. The plate is elegant in its own right.

“Oh. I make a variety of foods, but I do specialize in baking. However, I have never done weddings. For some reason, that freaks me out.” I try to laugh it off.

Emily laughs and places a hand on my wrist. “Well, if you are willing to go in with the two of us, your primary job would be baking, and that includes wedding cakes. It’s something for you to think about.”

“Shall we eat?” Guy asks with raised eyebrows, and remains standing. “I’ve prepared a pan seared chilean sea bass in a roasted red pepper sauce. Let’s eat,” he says, taking a seat across from me.

“Oh my god. This is amazing,” I say, after taking a bite into the sea bass and sauce. “Wow.” I dot my mouth with the napkin.

Guy chuckles. “I’m so glad you like it. As Emily was saying, we would love to add you into the mix and make one hell of a business for the three of us.”

“What about the people I have working for me? What about my office space? How would all this work?”

I continue eating.

“Well, they can still work for you. You would have your own space away from the main kitchen. And you would have to sell your office space. There is plenty of room for us at Sous. And your pay would raise you up to close to eighty thousand dollars a year.”

My eyes widen, and I try not to choke on the food. “Did you say eighty thousand dollars?”

Emily laughs.

Guy nods and chuckles. “That’s correct. I have the contract drawn up. Feel free to look them over before you sign them.” He quickly stands to grab the folder and hands it to me.

After small talk, I stand to leave, contract in hand. “Thank you so much for having me over. I really appreciate it. And I’ll definitely get back with you on this,” I say, flashing the folder.

Emily comes over and hugs me goodbye, as well as Guy. I already feel comfortable around them, like a little family.

PRESENT: SIMONE

After looking over the contract last night, my eyes started to cross. The easiest thing to do is to get a lawyer to look it over. You can never be too careful. Contracts can be tricky. I definitely need another set of eyes.

Dressing for work, I make my way to the kitchen and put the folder on the counter so I don’t forget to take it with me. I press start on the coffee pot. Five minutes, later Jace comes bounding through the door. “Got time for breakfast?”

“Sure,” I say, grabbing two thermoses so the coffee doesn’t go to waste. Once those are full I pass one to Jace. With my folder in hand and coffee in the other, I follow him outside.

“I’ll drive. Then I can drop you off at work and pick you up so you can start packing for the trip. We leave early tomorrow.”

I nod. “That’s fine.” I let Jace take the lead on most of the conversation because I’m still trying to gauge his attitude for the day.

He points to my folder. “What’s that? Oh. How did your dinner go?”

“It went great. Guy and Emily both want me to go into business with them. This is the contract that they gave me to look over. But it’s a bunch of gibberish to me. So I’m going to have a lawyer look it over.”

Jace pulls into a local diner. Once we enter, we are seated in a booth and menus are placed in front of us. Once the waitress comes over, we go ahead and order two specials with coffee.

“You know, my brother could look at that for you. He probably wouldn’t even charge you.”

I cringe at the thought of even having a conversation with James. “I don’t know. Besides, I’m sure he is busy getting ready for the wedding.”

Jace shrugs. “It’s up to you. Whatever you feel comfortable with.”

I wrap my hands around the coffee that the waitress brings us. “The meal Guy cooked was amazing. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that Guy is in love with Emily. I totally read that at the party on Saturday. I don’t know the story, but there is something there.” I can’t help but smirk.

“Oh. So he really isn’t into you?”

“No. As I said before, it was strictly business. Emily is an event planner, while Guy is in charge of the restaurant.” When the food arrives, I change the subject. “Did you get the game worked out?”

“Yes. Thank fuck for that. The bugs were harder to get out than I thought. But I worked around the clock to get it fixed. So no interruptions this holiday weekend. What happens with your office if you accept their offer?”

“My staff comes with me, if they want. And the office would just be up for sale. Guy said there was more than enough space for all of us. And he offered me almost double my yearly salary.”

“That’s amazing. I hope it all works out for you.”

I lean back and sink into the booth. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“You know this is my way of saying I was an ass the other day, right?”

I smile. “I know.”

“Come on; I better get you to work.”

“Actually, I forgot I have some errands to run. Do you mind dropping me off at the apartment? Then I’m meeting Emily and Guy at Sous around lunch time for a tour.”

“That’s fine. I can do that.” Standing, he throws a few bills on the table. And I try to snatch the check from him, but he’s too quick and holds it so I can’t reach it.

“One of these days, you are going to let me pay.”

He smirks and throws an arm across my shoulder. After paying the cashier, we leave and head back to my apartment. I think my old Jace is back.

“I’m going to get off early so I can get a head start on packing,” I tell Jace as he pulls into my apartment. “See you later.”

With a quick wave, I hop in my little car and call the office. Leah picks up. “Hey, lady.”

“Is that how you greet your boss?” I tease.

“Sorry.”

“I’m kidding. Do you think you and Jared can handle the place for an hour, or so?”

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah. I just have something that I need to take care of that can’t wait.”

“Okay. See you later then.”

Hanging up the phone, butterflies flutter in my belly as I pull into a familiar building. The plaque on the door reads
James Prescott, Attorney at Law
.

The last time I was here, I caught him with his pants down and that slut sucking him off like there was a draught. I shudder at the memory. Walking in, the secretary greets me. She’s a lot older than the last one. “Hi. I’m Simone Rayburn. I’m here to see James Prescott if he’s available.”

“Of course. Have a seat while I let him know,” she gestures.

A few moments later, his office door swings open as he appears to greet me. “Simone. What a nice surprise. Come on in,” he motions with a bright smile.

He stands a foot taller than me, with wide shoulders and a lanky frame. He has the same color hair as Jace, and his eyes are a lighter shade than Jace’s. While Jace is more built, with more meat on his bones.

“Can I get you a water, or coffee?”

“No thanks,” I say before sitting in the chair. “I came because I was offered a business opportunity and I’d like you to look over the contract, if you could.”

Pulling his glasses on, he takes the folder and carefully looks at it. It feels like forever before he takes his glasses off and looks at me. “It’s a really clean contract. Basically, it binds you in for three years before you can move on. You will own one third of the company, and the three of you will split the profits. The salary they are offering is way above average. It details that your staff at Taste can come with you. There are no hidden agendas. It’s a great opportunity for you and I wouldn’t have an issue with you signing it.”

My shoulders slump. “Doesn’t it sound too good to be true?”

James chuckles at my apprehension. “Sometimes a good deal is just that. Trust me, I’d never let anyone take advantage of you when it comes to your business.”

“Great. Thank you so much for looking it over. I appreciate it,” I say, standing to leave.

“It was nothing.”

“Make sure you send me a bill for this.” I point at him playfully. “I mean it.”

“Alright, Simone.”

“Well, I guess I’ll see you at the wedding.” I pull the door open and don’t look back at his reaction.

I figured seeing James before the wedding would make it easier when I see him with
her
. I guess you can call us friendly exes.

When I arrive at Taste, I call Leah and Jared into my office. They both take a seat across from me.

“Am I being fired?” Leah asks nervously.

I can’t help but laugh. “No. If anything, it’s the opposite. You both know how Taste won best catering in the area.”

Leah and Jared both nod.

“Well, I have been offered a great opportunity to merge with another company called Sous. And it just so happens that I specialize in baking. They offered me a great salary, and I wanted to know if you two wanted to come with. You’d make a lot more money, but you’ll work harder. It’s a really great opportunity. I already had a lawyer look at the contract.”

Jared scoots to the edge of his seat. “What about this place?”

“It’ll go up for sale. Are you guys in?”

Leah and Jared exchange a look before saying, “Yes,” in unison.

I beam. “I’m so excited. We probably won’t start until after the holiday. Why don’t you guys go and enjoy the time off?”

Leah jumps up to wrap her arms around me. “Thank you.”

“Just be ready to work on Wednesday. Okay?”

“We will,” Jared says as they wave on the way out of my office.