"Ok, please tell me why you feel that way".
"I'm sorry-I shouldn't have said anything".
"Jennifer-please. Please tell me".
"Ok. But this stays between us".
"I swear it".
"I was mixed up with him for about a year. We ended contact officially about 8 months ago. He owns a game ranch in Australia, and an airboat business. He does very well for himself, he just has zero ethics and morals with which he does it".
"Can you be more specific?"
"I was a writer's conference, and he was staying in the same hotel. He saw me in the lobby and began to pursue me. About 2 months after the conference, he contacted my editor, asked if I could come interview him. Said he was winning an award, and he wanted me to write about why he was so deserving of the award. I made the arrangements, and I went. And I put in some good, honest work. I was determined that I was going to write an amazing article on him. And then I arranged to meet with some of his former employees, and one of them told me things that he had conveniently left out. Such as the fact that he hunts and poaches animals even though he has a game ranch. He attends a contest every year to see who can bring home the most exotic animal. I find that disgusting. He also has a tendency to overextend himself, so he dips into the employee funds often. More than he should. And she also admitted that there wasn't an award-he made the whole thing up just to get me there. So, I changed my flight as soon as I could, and I got out of there. For the next 5 months, he sent me flowers every week that said "I love you", and presents of kinky lingerie and tacky outfits. I am not saying I don't enjoy getting flowers, or that I would never wear lingerie, but I want it to come from someone who respects me. He doesn't respect women-he sees them as objects. Trust me-if he comes to your office, he will find a way to grab your secretary inappropriately. He will find a way to work a lewd comment into conversation, like it's just supposed to be there. And if you are paying him for something he owns, I promise you, he is overcharging you".
"Wow. I can't believe he did that to you. I'm sorry, Jennifer. You deserve better than him".
"Thank you. I think he's finally gotten the point that I won't be treated like that, by him or anyone else."
He parked at the hotel, and got out and opened the door for her.
"Can I walk you up to your room?"
"I would love that".
They took the elevator to her floor, and she unlocked the door and he followed her in.
"It's still early yet, only about 10 p.m. We can continue with your questions, if you'd like".
"Fine with me".
She dug out her notebook, and sat on the bed.
She looked up at him.
"Please, make yourself comfortable".
He pulled the chair from her desk over and kicked his shoes off and put his feet on the bed.
"Ok, so you told me about your childhood, and how you started the business. What would you say is something that people would be surprised to learn about you?"
"That I am single because I choose to be, not because I haven't found the right woman. I have had plenty of chances to settle down, I just prefer to stay single".
"Why is that?"
"Because I am in the spotlight so much, and it wouldn't be fair to me to bring someone else into that".
"That's a very interesting perspective. Have you ever considered the possibility that someone might want to be in the spotlight, with you?"
"In my experience, anyone who claims to enjoy the spotlight must be lying. Nobody would enjoy that".
"They might, just to be with you".
"Maybe, but I doubt it".
"Have you ever truly been in love?"
"One time. We met in college. I was still active in the Navy, so I had drill one weekend a month. I was stationed about 6 hours away for almost 9 months my junior year of college. I wrote her every day, and came home to find out she was engaged to someone else".
"Ouch. How did you handle that?"
"Not very well. Drank myself stupid for a few weeks, and then I started my company. I threw myself into my work and got over her".
"Do you think that maybe you blame all the other women you come in contact with for what she did to you?"
"No, that would be silly".
"It would. It would also explain why you don't let women get close to you".
"I didn't say I don't let women get close to me. I said I choose to stay single. If I wanted a date, I could get one, with ease".
"Same thing".
"It is not the same thing. I didn't have a choice in the fact that she cheated on me and got engaged to someone else. I have a choice in the fact that I won't let myself fall in love".
"One is the cause, and the other is the effect".
"One is something that happened in my past. The other is the way I choose to live my life currently".
"Maybe. But don't you ever wonder what you are missing out on?"
"No. If I want a date, I can have one. There are tons of women who would jump at the chance to be with me, and who realize how fortunate they are to get to be with me".
The look on her face said it all. She couldn't believe someone could be so pigheaded.
The rest of the interview was awkward, so she decided after about 20 minutes to wrap it up.
"If you could make sure people knew one thing about you, above all else, what would that be?"
"That I am selfless, and put other people first, no matter the situation".
She chuckled, and wrote down his answers.
"What is it?"
"You say are selfless and that you put others first. But you refuse to settle down because you don't want to get hurt. It's not about them, it's about you. That's not selfless, that's selfish".
"Me? Selfish?"
"Yes. You are a chauvinist. You want to have your cake and eat it too. You expect the women in your life to be there when you want them to be, never you mind what they want or how they feel. I have news for you Jonathan, this isn't 1940. One of these days, you might call a woman and find that she's moved on from you, while you were trying to make up your mind".
"That is ridiculous to say that I am selfish and a chauvinist. You obviously haven't been paying attention to me at all".
He stood up, put his shoes back on, and put her chair back at the table.
She could see he was upset.
"Jonathan, let's start over. I will ask you different questions. Let's not leave things this way".
"No thank you. I am tired, I am going to go home. I will call you tomorrow when the meeting is over, because like it or not, I intend to finish this interview and give a nice article about me to the board".
She nodded.
"Well, thanks again for dinner".
"You're welcome. Good night".
He didn't even look at her as he spoke to her or left the room.
She felt bad, but if he was being honest with himself, and her, he would see that she was right.
***The next day***
Jonathan got up and went to the office. He was determined that as soon as he got there, he was going to pull Hart Industries out of the deal with Manning. Even though Jennifer had upset him, he heeded her warning about doing business with Manning.
He called Elliott and told him he was pulling out and that the meeting was canceled.
He looked at his calendar.
"Jennifer Edwards, 12 p.m.".
Why did she upset him so badly? He knew her about as well as he knew every other woman in his life, and they didn't upset him anywhere close to how she did. He hated to admit it, but she had a made a pretty good point, that he pushed people away because of what he wanted, without considering their feelings. She was also right that he blamed other women for what Stefanie did to him when he was in the Navy, when really, the only one he should have ever blamed for that was Stefanie. He was going to have to really apologize to Jennifer when he saw her next, for how he acted last night.
Jennifer went out and purchased some riding clothes really quickly, since she hadn't brought any with her. She was excited to get to go riding again. And if Jonathan Hart was an ass, well, she would just leave him in the dust.
She was in her hotel room packing a quick bag with a change of clothes when the phone rang at 11:30.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Ms. Edwards? Mr. Hart asked me to call and let you know he will have a car outside your hotel at 12 sharp, to bring you to Hart Industries".
"Ok, thank you".
She threw an extra change of clothes into her bag just in case, and was sitting in the lobby when the car pulled up.
They arrived at Hart Industries at precisely 12:15.
She grabbed her bag and headed up to his office.
Deanne showed her in.
"Hi. Ready to go?"
"Yes, I am. But if you aren't, take your time".
"No, no. I am ready. Let me just grab my coat and my keys".
He walked over to her.
"Here, let me take that", taking the bag from her.
"Thank you".
He walked her to the elevator, and they rode down to the parking garage in silence. He put her bag in the trunk, and opened the car door for her.
As soon as he started the car, he adjusted the A/C.
"Are you cold, or hot?"
"I'm fine, thank you".
"It's about a 4-hour drive to the ranch. I had Max make us some sandwiches and pack us some drinks. Do you have enough leg room? I want you to be happy".
"You've made your point".
"Good. But seriously, I do want you to be comfortable, it is a long drive".
"I'm fine, honest".
They set out, and chatted easily on the drive. He was interested in her, what her childhood was like, what her college was like.
"I attended Gresham Hall for high school, and then went to Vassar, NYU, and Stanford for college. I graduated with a degree in linguistics, and two Journalism degrees, as well as a certification in International holdings".
"That's quite impressive. What languages do you speak?"
"English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Japanese, Greek, and some Russian, as well as some Cambodian."
"That's pretty impressive".
"Yes, well, I thought I was going to be in demand, knocking job offers away left and right. I figured a degree in linguistics, with a certification in International Holdings, I would be sitting in on business meetings all day long. Boy was I wrong".
"So, what led you to Journalism?"
"I joined a sorority as a freshman in college, and I was voted the editor of our chapter newsletter. I found I enjoyed writing, so I took an Intro to Journalism class as an elective, and really enjoyed it, and then when I couldn't get work as a translator, I went back to school for journalism".
"That's wonderful. I know your father is proud of you".
"Yes, he is. We weren't on the best of terms then, but we are ok now".
She turned to look at him.
"How did your meeting with Elliott go?"
"I pulled out of that deal. I decided to heed your advice".
"If only someone had given me the same advice a year ago".
"Well, you live and learn, I suppose".
"How did he take it that you were pulling out of the deal?"
"He wasn't happy. He promised me that we would do business at some point in the future. We won't, but I didn't tell him that".
They were about ½ way there, when they stopped for gas. She went inside to go to the bathroom, and came back out.
"You hungry?"
"Yes, actually".
She grabbed him a sandwich. "Looks like we have tuna salad or pastrami".
"Max's pastrami sandwiches are legendary. You should try one".
"Ok. Which would you like?"
"I will take the tuna salad".
She unwrapped it for him, and handed it to him.
"Thanks".
"Want a drink? Looks like we have regular Coke and Diet".
"Regular, please".
She grabbed a diet for herself, and opened his and put it in the drink holder for him, and then opened hers and put it in her drink holder. She took a bite of her sandwich and moaned.
"This is amazing! What's his secret?"
"He makes his own mustard, and paints it on the pastrami".
"I need his recipe. These are better than the ones in New York".
They arrived at the ranch around 4, and Jonathan opened the door for her and then brought their bags to the porch.
"This is absolutely beautiful".
"Thanks. It's nice and peaceful up here, pretty quiet."
"How long did you want to stay?"
"We can stay till just after dark and then head back".
"Perfect".
He showed her where she could go change, and they both went and changed into riding clothes.
He walked her down to the stables, and introduced her to his stable hand.
"Randy, this is Jennifer Edwards. Jennifer, this is Randy, he runs the ranch and takes care of the horses for me".
"Nice to meet you".
"Nice to meet you, ma'am".
"Two horses please, we would like to take a ride".
"Sure thing."
He turned to Jennifer.
"Have you ridden before?"
"I grew up on a horse farm and rode every day of my life till I was in high school".
"Ok, so that's a yes. How about Vanderbilt for the lady, and Express for you?"
"Perfect".
They saddled up, and started riding. They rode all over the property, and after a few hours, stopped by a pond so the horses could have a drink of water.
There was a little swing nearby, so they sat there while the horses were drinking.
"What made you buy this place?"
"When I was a kid in the orphanage, around 8 years old, we used to watch a lot of westerns on TV. It was the only thing the nuns wouldn't try to lecture us on during the commercials. And in every western, you see horses and ranches, and I kept telling myself that when I was a grown up, that I would know I was successful by whether or not I owned a ranch. So, my first major purchase, after I paid Max back, and after I had bought the bank, was this ranch. If the office gets crazy, I can come up here and nobody can find me. Nobody at the office knows where this is. Max is the only one in my life that knows where this is, or when I come here".
"I can see why you would like it. It's gorgeous here. How many acres do you own?"
"About 150".
"That's impressive".
"Well, shall we head on back?"
"We shall".
He gave her a leg up, and she got right on up on the horse, and then after he was on the horse, they took off again.
They made it back to the stables and saw that Randy had left. They got the horses brushed down and in their stable for the night, and fed them, and then he walked her up to the main house.
"I had the house stocked with groceries. So, if you'd like, we can shower and then have dinner here".
"That sounds great".
He showed her where the shower was, and where the towels were, and then headed to his room to shower as well. They emerged at the same time.
"Feel better?"
"Much, thank you."
"Let's see what's in the fridge".
She walked over and looked in the fridge with him as he opened it.
"We could grill some chicken breasts and maybe have a salad?"
"Perfect. I will make the salad, if you do the grilling".
"It's a deal".
She made them a big salad, and he grilled them two big chicken breasts, and then set the table for them.
She continued the interview while they ate.
"So, you work hard at the office, and you have this ranch, how often do you come here?"
"Once every few months or so. More often in the Fall than the other seasons."
"Perfect riding weather, I can understand that".
"And that's when football season is, so I can come up here, watch the games in peace, and go riding before and after".
"What else do you do for fun?"
"I enjoy Sunday brunch, football games, fishing".
"So, you mentioned that you never knew anything about your parents. Let's say they just fell into your lap, so to speak, and you only had time to find out one thing. What would you want to know?"
"Naturally, I would want to know what happened that led to me being at the orphanage. No judgements, just information".
"Did you always want to be in business when you grew up?"
"When I was little, I wanted to be Joe Namath, like every other boy in the world. When I was a middle schooler, I just wanted to go camping. I have never actually been camping- tent, living off the land for a weekend, the whole works. Never did that. Still want to. As a teenager, I just wanted to get out of the orphanage and make my own decisions, my own rules".
She did the dishes after they were finished, and they packed up their things and headed to the car.
He packed some of the groceries into the cooler, and put it in the backseat.
He went to start the car, and nothing. Wouldn't turn over, wouldn't even try to start.
He went and pulled the tractor over to the side of the car, and tried to jump the car off the tractor, but it didn't work.
Jennifer was holding the flashlight for him.
He looked at her.
"Do you have plans for tomorrow?"
"No, I don't".
"Well, I'm sorry, but it looks as if we will have to spend the night here. I can call Max and have him come get us tomorrow, or send a tow truck".
"That's fine. No problem".
They took their things back inside, and she changed into a pair of yoga pants and a tank top.
She came out and found him on the back porch, on the hammock.
"May I join you?"
"Please".
He scooted over and made room for her.
"Thank you".
They sat out there quietly, for a few minutes.
She finally turned to him.
"Jonathan, can we talk?"