Page 10 of Tempting Sebastian

“I’m not saying let’s go getting in the business of all of our staff, but I really want us to be mindful of their time and safety. That’s all. It’s important.” I exhaled deeply and said, “I’m not sure how long Jackson will be staying with me, but I told him he could stay as long as he needed to. I don’t want anyone to know about his situation unless he tells them. I’ll let him know I told you what happened since you’re the co-owner.” Ian nodded. We sat there in silence for a few moments before I finally said, “Alright. I’m heading out. I want to check on Jackson and I need to get some stuff done at home. Can you lock up, tonight?”

“Yeah, man. Of course.” He gave a half smile, clearly still deep in thought about everything.

“Oh, and I know it’s still early, but think about coming over for Thanksgiving. I don’t know whether you’re seeing anyone or not, but bring them, too. It’ll just be me, Quinn, mom, and I don’t know if Jackson will still be around. I doubt it but yeah, that’s it. Small setting.”

He nodded and said, “Yeah, ok. I’ll think about it and let you know,” then he left my office.

There was an odd sensation coursing through me as I got into my car. I was anxious to get home and make sure Jackson was all right. I’d be lying if I said a part of it wasn’t excitement that I was feeling. It was great having him in the house. It wouldn’t last forever but, at that moment, it was nice.

I walked through the front door and set my keys inside the dish that was sitting on the foyer table. “Hey! Jackson, I’m home.” I listened for someone to greet me, but didn’t hear anything. I walked into the kitchen to see that the dishes weredone, and everything looked clean from the dinner we had the night before.

I made my way up the stairs toward Jackson’s room. The door was wide open. “Jackson! You in here?” No answer. I went to the closet and all of his things were gone. A panic started to rise in my stomach, and I was feeling nervous. His bed was made and there was a note on top. I picked it up and read:

Sebastian,

Thank you for your care and kindness to me over the past couple of weeks. If I’m being honest, it’s been the best few weeks of my life. It was pretty devastating to wake up and learn not only of my injuries, but that everything I’d worked so hard for was gone in an instant. I know that my problems are my own and have caused me to be absent from work and impacting your business. I never wanted to be a burden, nor do I want to be one in the future. I’m sorry that learning of my sleeping arrangements made you angry. I’ve always taken great pride in my position with Moore and Holbrook and never wanted to jeopardize that. Thank you again for your hospitality. Your home is beautiful, and again, you’ve been more than kind to me. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure everything out. I hope you find someone who loves the position and takes pride in it. Again, thank you for hiring me and thank you for helping me. I wish you nothing, but the best and hope Moore and Holbrook continue to prosper.

All my gratitude,

Jackson

What the fuck!I couldn’t believe what I’d read. He thought I was angry about him missing work. He had it completely wrong. I tried to call him, but he didn’t answer.

I called my sister next. “Hey Bash, what’s up?”

“Quinny, he’s gone. I need your help.” I know I sounded panicked because I was a train wreck.

She always had a way of grounding me. “Bash, slow down. Who’s gone?”

“Jackson. Jackson left and he left a note, and he thinks I’m angry about work but I’m not. I have to find him, Quinn. I…”

She cut me off. “Ok, listen. I’m on my way. I’ll text you when I’m outside. I’ll drive.”

Quinn made it to the house pretty quickly. I locked the door, raced down my front steps, and got into Quinn’s car. I didn’t say anything. She shot me a concerned look. I rested my elbow on the door, as I ran my hand through my beard. I didn’t know what to say to her, but I didn’t have to say anything.

In a soft tone, she asked, “Bash, where should we start?”

I cleared my throat and stared out the window at the amber colored streetlights. In front of us, the wind blew the leaves around. It was getting colder and darker every day. I didn’t know if he would go back to the shelter, but I wanted to try there first. Without looking at Quinn, I gave her the address.

“We’ll find him. Stay calm.”

I just nodded. I needed him to know that I wasn’t angry with him. He did nothing wrong.

When Quinn pulled up in front of the shelter, I ran inside to the front desk. A middle-aged woman with brown hair in a bun was sitting there, looking concerned. “Can I help you, Sir?”

“Yes, I’m looking for a friend. His name is Jackson Hall. He’s stayed here often.”

The receptionist looked like she felt bad, and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you who’s staying here. There’re privacy laws.”

“Ma’am. I…I understand that. I want him to stay with me though. He was jumped outside of here a couple of weeks ago and I…I just don’t want that to happen again… Please.” She looked down at her paper and hesitated before looking up andgiving me the slightest movement of a headshake telling me he wasn’t there. I nodded and said, “If he comes here, please tell him Sebastian is looking for him. Here’s my information.” I handed her a business card. She quietly took it. “Thank you.”

Getting back in the car, I said, “He’s not here. dammit.”

“Sebastian, what happened?” Quinn turned to me.

Shaking my head, I said, “Last night, I asked Jackson about his living situation and when I realized I’m…we…me and Ian, are partially responsible for him having to sleep on the street or the bus depot when he works late…” I paused, the realization hitting me. “Quinn, that’s where he is…”

“What? Where?” she asked.

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