Believe in Me: A Rosewood Novel by Laura Moore Page A

retorted. The words went unspoken, though, for the phone clicked on the other end of the line and she was left with dead air.
    Anger welled inside her as she slammed the receiver onto its cradle. She could just imagine what Owen Gage had said to change Nonie’s mind. He’d probably shot down every one of her ideas within minutes of her departure. Damn Nonie, too, for being so easily persuaded. Given her penchant for gossip, she bet Nonie would be sharing the results of her decision with everyone she met at the hair salon, the local market, and every single party she attended in the coming weeks. It galled that her best chance to get her business off to a flying start had just crashed to the ground.
    Shoving her stool away from the counter, she stood, grabbed her tea mug, and went over to the sink to dump its tepid contents before putting it in the dishwasher. Her movements jerky, she closed the dishwasher with barely controlled violence.
    Damn, damn, damn, she thought. Why couldn’t things go her way for once? Hadn’t Richard done enough damage? Why did her first attempt to make something of herself professionally have to be snatched away, and by the likes of Owen Gage, too? He had everything: good looks, charm, success … and greed galore. How embarrassing to think that while her heart had been fluttering madly in her chest simply because he’d lowered his face to hers, he’dbeen plotting to steal the decorating commission from her. Men were such cheating, underhanded bastards—
    “Hey, have you seen my car keys?” Jade asked, hurrying into the kitchen, a bulging bike messenger bag slung across her shoulder. “I swear they were in my bag but I can’t find them anywhere and I’m going to be late for class if I don’t leave in, like, thirty seconds. Mr. Jawolski is a headcase about coming late to class.”
    “Try Olivia’s Sesame Street Playhouse. Or Max’s fire truck. Olivia was playing with them earlier in the library.”
    Jade dropped the heavy book bag at her feet, spun around, and dashed out of the kitchen. Less than a minute later she was back, keys clutched in her hand. “They were in the truck. I gotta tell ya, Jordan, your kid is deeply weird and possibly a klepto. What’s with taking my stuff all the time?”
    “Because it’s yours, Jade. She thinks you hang the moon in the sky.”
    “Well, you should tell her she’s risking any chance to ride Doc if she keeps making off with my wallet and keys.” She stopped, her gaze narrowing on Jordan’s face. “Is something wrong?”
    “No, nothing.”
    “Come on, you can’t fool me with that super-calm look. What’s the matter?”
    “Don’t you have to go to school? Have you forgotten Mr. Jawolski?”
    “For God’s sake, Jawolski can suck an egg. What’s up?”
    “It’s nothing, really. I’m just a little disappointed. Nonie Harrison decided not to hire me.”
    “What!”
    “She’s decided to give the job to Owen Gage’s firm.”
    “That fat witch. I can’t believe it—No, I take that back. I can totally believe it, and it’s my fault. She’s getting back at you because I got Blair suspended last year.”
    “Don’t be silly, Jade. Nonie made it perfectly clear it was because she preferred Owen Gage’s ideas to mine, which is completely within her rights.”
    “There’s no way he could have better ideas than you.”
    Jordan smiled. “It’s nice of you to say that, but I’m afraid you don’t know how good he is.”
    “Here’s what I know,” she countered. “One, Mrs. Harrison’s a vindictive cow. Two, I should never have turned Blair and Courtney in last year. It’s not like anything good came of it.”
    “Doing the right thing isn’t like winning the lottery. Often it’s hard and difficult and scary. But that doesn’t make it any less important. And do you really think that things at school would be easier if you’d let Blair and her friends continue to bully you?”
    “But now it’s not just hurting me,