She so didn’t want to go down this path. Any topic but her mother. Anything but discussing Amanda and her problems in front of this perfect man who grew up with the perfect family in his perfect home. But what choice did she have? He waited for an answer, staring at her expectantly.
“Uh...she actually is ill. In a way.” She took a deep breath. “My mother’s been having a hard time the past few years. Trying to kick a drug and alcohol problem.”
Cabe blinked at her. Clearly, he hadn’t seen that coming.
“She’s trying really hard,” Jenna added. Another lie.
In fact, her mother had just shown up at her door last night, asking for money for “groceries.” When Jenna had insisted on taking her to the market herself, Amanda had grown violent, shattering a vase on her hardwood floor before storming out. She’d wanted groceries of the more liquid variety. It had been the last thing Jenna had needed as she’d been trying to finish up her presentation for today. Thanks to Amanda’s visit, she’d been up most of the night due to the upsetting interruption.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cabe said in a gentle and soothing voice.
“I’m sure you’re a tremendous source of support for your mother,” he continued. “She’s lucky to have you.”
Though her mother didn’t see it that way. In Amanda’s eyes, Jenna always came up short. Even though if Jenna hadn’t stepped in on numerous occasions, Amanda would no doubt be in jail. Or worse.
“I’m doing what I can to help her.”
Cabe cleared his throat. The look he gave her was so understanding, so gentle that it made her breath catch. “It’s quite admirable that you’re trying to help your mother.”
Oh, heavens. What could she say to that? She didn’t have a choice but to help her mother. Otherwise, she and her brother would be left to deal with the cleanup.
“Thanks.”
Several moments passed in awkward silence. So awkward that she wanted to give the waitress a hug when she interrupted to fill their glasses.
Jenna watched her leave before hesitantly turning her gaze back to Cabe. He gave her an unreadable look. Curiosity? Admiration?
She didn’t and couldn’t care. What did it matter what Cabe Jordan thought of her or her broken family? In a few days, he’d be gone from Boston and hopefully he wouldn’t return for another three to four years. He would just go back to being nothing more than an electronic signature at the bottom of her office emails.
But for now, she still had to get through this godforsaken lunch with him sitting right across from her.
He’d never understand, Jenna thought as she pretended to eat. Even under the best of circumstances, she’d never be in league with people like Cabe or even his parents, who had always been so sweet to her. Cabe had probably never had to hide from a drunken tirade or had to clean up after a parent who’d barreled in at three in the morning then promptly gotten sick all over the carpet.
She and Cabe Jordan may have grown up in the same town, but they were from two different worlds.
CABE PUSHED HIS plate away with half his sandwich still untouched. He’d lost his appetite. Clearly, Jenna had none, either, since she did nothing more than move lettuce around her plate.
He couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe Jenna indeed did have some involvement in the jewelry theft. Was her mother in that much trouble that Jenna may have needed a large supply of cash to help her? Cabe didn’t want to believe the worst, but his manager of security had been adamant that Jenna may indeed know something.
Damn. That would change things. Though wrong and criminal, if Jenna was guilty, she hadn’t done it for herself but for her mother. She’d practically just admitted that she would do whatever she could to help her parent.
He’d decided back at the office that he wouldn’t ask her about it there. Not in front of her friends and colleagues. So he’d taken her to lunch instead.
Now he just wanted to know the truth. He wanted to tell her he could help. That in turn she could get her mother some help.
After all, he and Jenna Townsend were not that different under the surface. His life could have easily turned out as difficult as hers if not for the random hand of fate all those years ago. Pure luck so often determined the entirety of one’s life. He knew how lucky he’d been.
“Listen, Jenna,” he began, not sure exactly where to start. Business school didn’t prepare you for every scenario. “About my visit to Boston. There’s something I came here specifically to see you about.”
“Yes?” Her question was barely a whisper.
“I want you to know that I can be a friend as well as your corporate CEO.”
Was she trembling? “You can be straight with me,” he added. “I hope you realize that.”
She gave her head a quick shake. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“You really don’t have anything you might want to talk about? Regarding the store, perhaps?”
“No. Not really.” She swallowed. “Have I done something wrong?”
Cabe leaned back in his chair. If she did know anything, then she had the acting skills of a Hollywood-caliber actress. “Huh. You really have no idea what I might be talking about?”
“Not a clue.”
Cabe tried to regroup. Damn. This conversation was becoming way too messy. “Allow me to explain. A routine inventory check last week by security resulted in a troubling discovery.”
She sucked her bottom lip, and heaven help him, he lost his focus for a split second. “Why wasn’t I made aware of this? As the regional manager of that store?”
“It’s our policy to keep such matters quiet until a thorough investigation.”
She gave her head a quick shake. “Investigation? What exactly was this troubling discovery?”
“One of the more valuable pieces seems to be missing. A bracelet.”
Cabe watched as understanding dawned. Jenna sucked in a breath and grew as pale as the white linen tablecloth. “Oh, my God. You think I took it.”
Whoa. He hadn’t expected her to go there quite so soon. “Jenna, wait just a second—”
Her cheeks suddenly grew cherry red. “That’s why you came down here yourself. You think I stole from my own store. You think I stole from you!”
It came so fast he didn’t have time to react. Before he knew it, he wore the rest of his sandwich on his lap and his shirt was drenched in iced tea.
As he watched her storm away, Cabe came to three distinct conclusions. One, Jenna Townsend moved as fast as a prizefighter ducking a punch. Second, judging by her confusion and the vehemence of her reaction, she was most definitely innocent.
And third, if he didn’t get to the bottom of it all real soon, he was likely to lose a damn talented regional manager.
* * *
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She would never learn.
Jenna bypassed the elevator and ran up the three flights of stairs to get to the floor that housed her office. She didn’t want to risk running into anyone. How would she explain the tears?
To think, for a while there she’d believed Cabe Jordan might actually be in town to promote her! What a laugh. Instead, he’d accused her of stealing from him.
People