14. Jade

CHAPTER 14

JADE

A s we walk into Pelletier Design's office the next morning, I feel like I'm going to throw up.

My stomach tosses and turns. Even though they agreed to meet with us and discuss the app design, they could still turn us down.

Grayson presses his hand against the small of my back as we head into the conference room. "Stop worrying. We've got this. We're going to nail it."

"I don't know about that." I take a deep breath before forcing a smile to my face as I look at the two men sitting on one side of the conference room table.

They both stand as we walk in, the one with gray hair stepping forward and holding out his hand. "You must be Jade and Grayson. I'm Pierre, and this is Christian."

I shake his hand and Christian's. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us. I know that this is all very last-minute, but we're trying to save a family business and I think you might be our last hope."

Pierre and Christian take their seats. Grayson nods to the chair closest to them and I sit down, putting my purse on the floor and pulling out my tablet to show them the website designs and branding packages.

I bring up the presentation and pass the tablet to them. "As you can see, we're trying to bring the nostalgia of a newspaper into the modern age. We're going to keep running the physical newspaper and the website, but we thought that having an app would be a good place for our readers to go."

Christian swipes through the slides, taking his time looking at each one. "When Paloma said I would be interested in working with you, she wasn't kidding. She designed these, yes?"

I smile and nod. "She did. She spent the last few weeks working on getting the website together, and in that time, we've been working on expanding the content in the newspaper."

Pierre hums, his fingers steepling together beneath his chin. "And you said that you need the app done within the next six weeks?"

"We know it's a big ask," Grayson says, his voice smooth as he looks between the two men. He gives them the warm smile he saves for charming people to get what he wants. "However, my father started the business before I was even a glint in his eye."

"Then why are you here and not him?" Christian's lips press into a thin line, his tone dry.

Grayson shifts in his seat, but the smile doesn't falter. "One day, the company is going to be mine. When Jade came to us with a plan for taking the newspaper back to its former glory, I didn't quite see her vision at first, but once I did, I knew this was going to work."

Pierre nods. "I have to admit, this is an interesting project."

I lean forward a little, barely able to contain my excitement. "Does that mean you're going to do it?"

"Yes." Christian hands the tablet back to me. "I reviewed the notes you sent the other day about everything you would like to incorporate into the app, and we should be able to do it all within the timeline."

Grayson stands and holds out his hand. "Thank you both for taking the time to meet with us today. To be honest, I was expecting this conversation to be more involved."

"It would have been," Christian says as he shakes Grayson's hand, "if Jade here didn't send overly detailed notes." He turns to me. "I spoke with my colleague who worked with you, and he assured me that you would be able to answer any questions in a timely manner."

I nod, my heart soaring at the confirmation that they're going to work with us. This is everything we needed. The last piece of the rebrand puzzle. "I will. You have my email, so if there are any questions, just send them over and I'll answer them right away."

Christian looks impressed. "I have to tell you this is one of the tightest deadlines we have ever agreed to take on."

"And we are so grateful for you being able to fit us in," I say. "I only had great experiences working with the Pelletier team in the past."

Grayson's charming smile wavers a little as if it's getting harder to keep up now that he has what he wants. "I may not have worked with your team before, but you came with Jade's highest recommendation. She was champing at the bit to get me on side about working with you."

Pierre winks at me, his grin stretching. "It seems like the woman knows what she wants."

I nod. "Only the best for LRH Global. I really believe in the company, and I know this rebrand is going to push them over the edge."

Grayson sits a little taller beside me, his chest swelling with pride. "We're glad to hear that you're on board."

Christian stands, his chin tipping to the door. "I'll be in touch if there's any more information I need from you."

Pierre walks us to the door. "Enjoy the rest of your time in Paris."

"Thank you."

Grayson leads the way out of the office, waiting until we're out onto the street before sweeping me into a big hug.

I laugh as he spins me around before setting me back down. "I thought that was going to be a lot harder than it was."

He chuckles. "I'm glad it was easy. It gives us time to go get dinner together before we fly out tomorrow morning. I was thinking we could go to a vineyard that's not too far from here."

My eyebrows climb high, the butterflies in my stomach coming to life at the thought of spending a seemingly romantic evening with him. "That sounds great."

The lights hanging over our table twinkle, the vineyard hauntingly beautiful in the darkness. Grayson sips the white wine, picking at the chicken dish in front of him.

I eat another spoonful of my pasta, eyes nearly rolling back in my head at the taste. "This place is amazing. You're going to have to send me the details so I can come back here again with Mom."

"If you need a personal tour guide, let me know."

The offer is so casual, but it implies that there would be a world in which I introduce him to my mom. One where the three of us travel together.

And that's the exact moment when the strings attach, making themselves known as they stretch taught between me and Grayson.

"Maybe." I reach for my wine, needing an excuse to not say anything else.

He has another bite of his food before wiping his mouth. "You did a great job in there. With this whole thing, honestly. I keep thinking that there is going to be a day you finally stop surprising me."

"You know I care about what happens to the company."

"I've seen that. Thank you." His smile softens, sending my heart racing. "I really do appreciate all that you're doing to keep us from going under, even though I know I've done a terrible job of showing that to you."

I take another sip of the wine, swirling it around in the glass.

Right now, I don't know what to make of the version of Grayson sitting across from me.

He's too kind. Too willing to give me credit for everything I've done instead of pushing me to work harder than he normally does.

Candles flicker between us as a warm breeze filters through the vineyard.

Grayson leans closer to me, his hands folding together on top of the table. "You want to head back to the hotel?"

I finish off the glass of wine before standing up and nodding. "Yeah. I'm a little tired."

His eyebrows pull together, studying me like I'm a puzzle he can't quite figure out. "Yeah, it's been a long day. You got up early this morning to worry about the presentation."

"What can I say? I wanted to be prepared." I force a smile on my face, but inside I'm at war with myself.

The version of Grayson that holds my hand on the way back to the car isn't the man I'm used to. When he opens the door and waits for me to get in before sliding into the back seat beside me, I can't help but wonder what he's doing.

This isn't us.

This isn't the way either of us works with each other. We've built a long history of barely getting along and not knowing how to act around each other on a good day.

We're competitive.

We're not the couple who holds hands in the back of a car on the way to the hotel like we're doing right now.

When we get back to New York, this has to end between us.

There's an expiration date hanging over our heads.

As we pull up in front of the hotel, I dread the moment we're fully alone together. I might want him, but I'm going to curl into bed and try to forget that the last two days have ever happened.

When we're alone in the suite we're sharing, Grayson comes over to me. He cups my face in his hands, tilting my head back until I'm looking up at him.

"What's wrong, Jade?"

I shrug, pulling away from his touch and the sparks of electricity it sends through my body. "Nothing. I'm just tired. I don't think I'm in the mood to fool around tonight — do you mind if we just sleep in separate beds?"

The words taste bitter as I say them, but I have to put them out there.

I could be falling for a man who wants nothing to do with me beyond what I have to offer him in the bedroom.

We don't go out on dates, and while we may be friendly enough at work, we aren't friends.

Grayson takes a step back, surprise crossing his face. "Of course. Good night, Jade."

"Good night."

I head into one of the bedrooms, shutting the door behind me and slumping against it.

Out of all the bad ideas I've ever had, giving myself the opportunity to fall for Grayson again was the worst.