For a moment after Jason spoke, the bookstore felt too quiet. Selena glanced toward the window, her gaze fixing on the unfamiliar car still idling across the street.
"Who exactly is Sebastian McGrey?" she asked.
Jason leaned one elbow lightly on the counter, studying the rows of books as if he were deciding how much of the truth she could handle. "Short version?" he asked.
Selena nodded.
"He runs McGrey Holdings."
The name didn't ring a bell. Selena's silence must have shown it, because Jason let out a quiet breath of amusement. "Global investment group. Technology, infrastructure, media… a few other industries too."
Selena felt her eyebrows lift slightly. "That sounds… big."
Jason laughed under his breath. "Big is an understatement." He straightened and glanced around the bookstore again. "Sebastian is the kind of man whose calendar is planned months in advance. Meetings in three different cities in a week. Investors waiting for him in offices across the world."
Selena thought about the quiet man who had been sitting in the reading chair by the window, turning pages slowly and watching the sunlight move across the floor. "You're telling me that man runs something like that?"
Jason followed her gaze toward the now-empty reading corner. "Yes."
Selena shook her head slightly. "He doesn't act like it."
"That's exactly why he comes here," Jason said, gesturing lightly toward the shelves. "Places like this are rare for him."
Selena folded her arms over her chest. "So he just disappears whenever he wants quiet?"
Jason's expression changed slightly, growing more somber. "No." The single word lingered in the air between them. "Sebastian doesn't disappear," he continued slowly. "Not unless something is wrong."
A small chill ran down Selena's spine. "Wrong how?"
Jason hesitated for a moment before answering. "Let's just say the last few months have been complicated."
Outside, the sharp slam of a car door echoed down the street. Jason glanced toward the window and sighed quietly. "Looks like we're too late."
Selena stepped closer to the glass. Two people stood near the café across the street; one held a camera, while the other had a small notebook in hand. Another car pulled up nearby, and Selena felt her stomach tighten. "Are those reporters?"
Jason didn't answer immediately. Then he nodded. "Yes."
One of the strangers scanned the street slowly, their gaze drifting toward Ashton Park—toward the bookstore, and eventually, toward Selena. Her heart started beating faster. "What do they want?" she asked.
Jason pushed away from the counter. "They're looking for Sebastian."
"Do they know he's been here?"
"Maybe. I'm not sure. I mean, the article didn't disclose the exact store he was in."
The door suddenly opened, the bell chiming softly. A woman stepped inside with a camera hanging around her neck, her eyes moving quickly around the store before landing on Selena. "Hi," she said politely. "Sorry to interrupt."
Jason quietly moved a little closer to the counter beside Selena.
"We're asking around town," the woman continued. "Have you seen a man named Sebastian McGrey recently?"
The name sounded louder in the quiet room. For a moment, the entire bookstore felt frozen. Selena forced herself to remain calm. "I'm not sure who you mean," she said carefully.
The reporter studied Selena's expression for a moment before nodding. "Well, if you do happen to see him, people would be very interested." She placed a small card on the counter, then turned and walked out. The bell chimed again. Outside, the other reporters were already talking to someone further down the street.
Jason exhaled quietly. "That's how it starts."
Selena picked up the card slowly, the bookstore suddenly feeling much smaller than it had that morning. "What happens if they find him here?" she asked.
Jason leaned lightly against the shelf again. "If reporters confirm Sebastian McGrey has been hiding in this town..." He gestured toward the window. "This place will fill with cameras within hours."
"And after that?"
"Investors. Business partners. People who need answers."
Selena swallowed hard. The idea of Ashton Park surrounded by journalists made her chest tighten. "This is just a bookstore."
Jason's expression softened slightly. "That's exactly why Sebastian came here."
Outside, another unfamiliar car drove slowly past the street. Jason straightened up. "I should go."
"You're leaving already?"
"For now."
Selena looked toward the door the reporter had just walked through. A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Wait," she said, looking back at him. "Weren't you worried they would recognize you?"
Jason raised an eyebrow slightly. "Recognize me?"
"You were standing right here when she walked in."
Jason gave a small shrug, his expression turning faintly amused. "They weren't looking for me. Sebastian is the one people recognize. I stay out of headlines." He glanced once more toward the window where the reporters were still moving down the street. "Which is exactly why I can walk into places like this without anyone asking questions."
He walked toward the door, then paused. "Oh, and Selena?"
"Yes?"
"If Sebastian comes back..." He glanced toward the street again. "Try not to let the reporters see him."
The bell chimed as he stepped outside. Standing alone in the center of Ashton Park, Selena realized something unsettling. Her quiet little bookstore had somehow become the hiding place of a man the entire world was searching for.