With an unspoken understanding, the women shifted their attention back to their own discussion, disregarding the couple that had just arrived. Jade feigned interest, smiling and nodding her head on cue as she attempted to keep up with the conversation, but her focus was elsewhere.The couple, all too consumed by greetings and pleasantries, hadn't even glanced in her direction yet. They migrated across the room, shaking hands and conversing with fellow patrons. Even as Jessica looked around the dining area with apprehension, she didn't notice the woman sitting merely a few feet from her. Jonathon wrapped an arm around her petite waist and pulled her in towards him, never dropping eye contact with the man he was speaking with. To anyone else, it would appear to be a sign of affection, but Jade knew differently; he was warning his date to keep up appearances.A nearby waiter intruded into their friendly conversation. Even if Jade weren't able to hear him, she could distin

Departing the hotel early that Saturday morning, the young woman never strayed far from his thoughts. The regret of not leaving her some sort of contact information lingered like a bad taste in his mouth, but he knew there was no other choice. As the days turned to weeks, Miguel waited for his publicist to send him the bad news— Jade Meadows was just another girl looking for her fifteen minutes of fame. How long would it be before a tell-all gossip column surfaced, or he received a blackmail letter trying to extort money out of him in exchange for her silence? The day never came, and he couldn't hold back his interest in her any longer.Within forty-eight hours, his private investigator had located Jade Meadows and sent the file over to his office, assuring Miguel that she wasn't an external threat. He studied over the contents of the folder and was utterly baffled that she hadn't recognized him, given that they'd attended quite

Jade slammed the locker and took in a deep breath, attempting to control her temper. She wasn't sure what to think of his omission, but it would have been helpful to know who he was beforehand. She was caught off guard, having learned that he'd twisted the truth about such a basic detail of his life, in front of everyone else! She released her hair, letting it hang down her back.Financial management. Jade rolled her eyes at the job title he'd previously told her and tried to make herself presentable. It wasn't technically a lie, just a ridiculous oversimplification. How could she be involved with a CEO and have him here, schmoozing with all of her friends, and not even know that he was some bigwig? Jade couldn't believe that Brian, of all people, knew him and that they had lunch together regularly. What were the odds that she would be friends with his attorney's wife? It felt like she'd walked straight into an ambush. Of cou

With the changing of the season, the days began to grow shorter and colder. Jade could barely recall when she'd last seen more than just a glimpse of sunshine, other than from behind the glass pane of a window. She woke in the early hours of each morning, before dawn, in order to make the long drive into work. The sun had barely started to peek out over the edge of town as she would disappear behind the doors of the office building for the day. The fluorescent bulbs simulated daylight as they were intended, but each evening as she said goodbye to her coworkers and then headed for the lobby doors, the darkness of the sky wouldn't allow her to see anything past her own reflection. The following week, she decided it was time to quit procrastinating. The long commute and her job had overtaken her entire schedule, leaving little time for day-to-day activities, let alone the list of important items she'd been neglecting to do.  She was determined to take back charge of her life.

Jade felt the steady pull of stop-and-go traffic as the Towncar snaked and crawled along the narrow streets of downtown. The stream of brake lights seemed to go on for blocks ahead. She knew it would be a while before they reached the entrance. She blew out a puff of air and tapped her fingernails against the leather seat.Miguel looked up from his phone. "Everything okay?" "Yes," she murmured, never turning towards him. She continued staring out the window, her knee now bouncing as well. She watched the street light turn from yellow to red."If you don't stop that, I'm going to tie you up."Jade blinked and then looked over at him, almost laughing at the words. "What?""The fidgeting, it's driving me crazy." He glanced at her knee, which was still bobbing in anticipation."Sorry," she stopped, "I'm just a bit nervous." His brow creased, "Nervous for the symphony?""No, for our first public outing toge