For a moment after Jason spoke, the bookstore felt too quiet. I glanced toward the window. Across the street, the unfamiliar car was still parked there.
"Who exactly is Sebastian McGrey?" I asked.
Jason leaned one elbow lightly on the counter, studying the rows of books like he was deciding how much to tell me.
"Short version?" he said.
I nodded.
"He runs McGrey Holdings."
The name doesn't ring a bell. My 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."
My eyebrows lifted 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."
I thought about the quiet man sitting in the reading chair by the window. Turning pages slowly. Watching the sunlight move across the floor.
"You're telling me that man runs something like that?"
Jason followed my gaze toward the empty reading corner.
"Yes."
I shook my head slightly.
"He doesn't act like it."
"That's exactly why he comes here."
Jason gestured lightly toward the shelves.
"Places like this are rare for him."
I folded my arms.
"So he just disappears whenever he wants quiet?"
Jason's expression changed slightly.
"No."
The single word lingered in the air.
"Sebastian doesn't disappear," he continued slowly. "Not unless something is wrong."
A small chill ran down my spine.
"Wrong how?"
Jason hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Let's just say the last few months have been complicated."
Outside, a car door slammed somewhere down the street. Jason glanced toward the window. Then he sighed quietly.
"Looks like we're too late."
I stepped closer to the glass. Two people stood near the café across the street. One held a camera. The other had a small notebook in his hand. Another car pulled up nearby. My stomach tightened.
"Are those reporters?"
Jason didn't answer immediately.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
One of them scanned the street slowly. Their gaze drifted toward Ashton Park. Toward the bookstore. Toward me. My heart started beating faster.
"What do they want?" I 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 chimed softly. A woman stepped inside with a camera hanging around her neck. Her eyes moved quickly around the store before landing on me.
"Hi," she said politely. "Sorry to interrupt."
Jason quietly moved a little closer to the counter beside me.
"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.
I forced myself to remain calm.
"I'm not sure who you mean," I said carefully.
The reporter studied my expression for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Well, if you do happen to see him, people would be very interested."
She placed a small card on the counter. Then she turned and walked out of the store. 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."
I picked up the card slowly. My bookstore suddenly felt much smaller.
"What happens if they find him here?" I 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."
I swallowed. The idea of Ashton Park surrounded by journalists made my 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.
"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.
"They weren't looking for me."
His expression turned faintly amused.
"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. And for the first time since opening Ashton Park that morning, I realized something unsettling. My quiet little bookstore had somehow become the hiding place of a man the entire world was searching for.