“No. It doesn’t fit you. Is it an alias? A middle name?” She pursed her lips and tapped her finger against them. “Nope I just don’t see you as a Jesse.”
His lips curled in an irresistible smirk, but he gave her nothing. “I thought after walking in the hot sun for a couple of hours you’d be low on energy, but I guess I was wrong.”
Jade waved a hand at that. “I’m naturally energetic. You’ve been watching me this entire time?” She was pleased, and a little embarrassed. “Did I look … upset?” It wouldn’t surprise her if she had. She was a complete mess.
He smiled. “At first. Then you seemed to calm down and work out whatever was bugging you. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you have a personal line to one of the Jewel family.”
His eyebrows rose above his glasses and barely below his low-slung hat. “The Jewels? As in the people who own this resort?”
“Yep. I need to get one of their employees fired.”
Jesse drew back, and his entire body stiffened. Apparently, he liked to stick up for employees. “Did some unfortunate bartender mix your daquiri wrong?” There was a definite bite to his voice.
“No.” Her eyes narrowed, and she considered stomping away, but she spoke through clenched teeth. “My boss, who reports only to Joshua Jewel, claims I’m embezzling money from Jewel Enterprises. It’s a lie. I’m being set up. I want whoever is embezzling the money to be found and fired.”
Jesse’s jaw tightened, and she saw a muscle working in it. She probably shouldn’t have spilled so much to a stranger, but she needed somebody on her side right now. Even if it was just the guy who offered her a drink.
The waiter brought their drinks, saving Jesse from having to reply to her diatribe. She thanked the waiter, and Jesse stowed his laptop in a nearby bag and gestured for the man to set their drinks on the table. He then tipped the waiter, who thanked him and walked away.
“Thanks,” Jade murmured, picking up the ice water and taking a long drink. She was hot from walking in the sun for so long, and she quickly drained more than half of the glass.
“Jade.” Jesse’s voice was soft but commanding.
She glanced over at him, still seething about the entire situation, and not sure how she could make it any better.
“If you truly are innocent, that will come out.”
“Thank you.” She inclined her head to him, glad to hear him say those words. Yet was there an inflection on “truly are innocent”? She wished she could see his eyes so she could tell if he believed her or not. It didn’t really matter if he did. He couldn’t influence Joshua Jewel. Still, she hated that she was second-guessing everything right now.
Picking up the Miami Vice, a mixture of pina colada and strawberry daiquiri, she took a sip. It was the perfect mix of sweet, icy coolness. She smacked her lips and leaned against her chair, taking in the beautiful view of the ocean and the relaxing pattern of the waves crashing on the beach. “Ah, this is more what I hoped would happen in Puerto Rico.”
“Not being accused of embezzling?” Jesse asked.
“Exactly.” She sighed. “What a nightmare.”
“Sounds like it. How long are you here?”
Jade thought his question was a little insensitive. She was in a nightmare, and he was wondering if she would be here long enough for a vacation fling? “I’m only at this resort for a couple more days; then we get on a cruise ship headed to a bunch of saint islands on Sunday.”
“Sounds fun,” he said noncommittally, as if he didn’t care either way. Maybe he wasn’t looking for a vacation fling. Whatever.
She nodded. “I was excited about it, until I was wrongly accused.” She straightened up. “But you know what? I’m going to be fine and make the best of this. I was supposed to hang out with the guys from work and a couple of their wives. Now I don’t have to deal with any of them and I can just enjoy a nine-day vacation, right?” She actually liked most of them, and now she was going to have a lonely trip, but it was always her MO to be positive and upbeat, and she wasn’t about to change that because of Curtis’s accusations.
Jesse shrugged. “I guess so. Did you report what happened to your HR department?”
“Yeah, but the lady wasn’t very encouraging. My lawyer says they have to have more proof and to wait for the investigators to find the real perpetrator, but it’s scary being accused of something like that.” Jade probably should stop sharing everything with this guy she’d just met, but it felt good to vent about it and she’d always been more of an open book. She pursed her lips. “If only I could find the man himself.” Did Joshua Jewel also think she’d stolen from him? What did it matter? She didn’t even know him, and now she never would.
“The man?”
“Joshua Jewel. He’s the only one who could do anything about Curtis. Plus, I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”
“Why would you want to meet him? I heard he’s a boring workaholic.”
“Really?” Jade gave a little dance shimmy. “No man could resist this much fun. I’d charm the work right out of him.”
Jesse chuckled and relaxed back into his chair. “Maybe you would. You’re kind of an open-book, take-on-the-world kind of girl, aren’t you?”