Page 13 of Knight's Desire

“Could we have a virus or something that just put information in the fields based on autofill?”

Kayla shrugged. “Maybe. But as far as I can tell, this is the only one. I’m going to go through them one-by-one though just to make sure. Our order will be a little late, but I don’t want to risk a legitimate order being incorrect because of a virus or whatever is going on.”

“Good point but see if you can get a computer tech in to look at the system. Maybe we should upgrade our security. I never would have thought something like that would be necessary, being a small boutique, but with our clients’ payment information in the computer, I don’t want to take any chances.”

“I will, but, Hope, there’s one more thing I want to show you. Look at the wedding details at the bottom.”

Her gaze automatically found the spot on the form Kayla referred to. They liked to include details on each bride’s wedding as part of their records to make sure they stayed on track with orders and fittings. The bogus form had all that information completed, and it left Hope feeling stunned. The date was her three-year anniversary of when she opened Hope’s Bridal Shoppe. The location was the country club in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. The only bridal party listed were her sister and her brothers. And the space that listed the name of the groom only said, “the man of my dreams.”

“Kayla…”

“I’m on it. I already googled a computer tech on my phone and found a couple with good reviews. I’ll see which one is the most affordable and can get here ASAP.”

A moment passed before Hope could gather her wits to respond. “Don’t worry about the cost. Just get someone here to figure out what’s going on. And for now, let’s work off the hard copy forms. I only have one more client, and then I’ll help you get everything together for the order. And maybe you should lunch delivered for us. It’s shaping up to be one ofthosedays.”

“Right. Go see to your bride. I’ve got this handled. We’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you.”

Giving Kayla a small smile, Hope moved to retrieve a veil, absently worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Something nagged at her, but she didn’t have time to think it through. Her client needed her at her best, and she wasn’t about to ruin this special time for her and her loved ones.

∞∞∞

Hope and Kayla were deep into sorting order forms when the bell over the door chimed several times. They looked up to see two people walking in together. The redhead had a messenger bag over her shoulder and held the door open for the other — a man with his hands ladened with bags sporting the logo for their favorite deli.

“That was fast,” Kayla murmured. “I just placed our lunch order ten minutes ago.”

“Well, you get the order. I’ll help the customer.”

“Deal.”

Hope set her forms in a neat stack and moved over to the redhead, her smile wide and inviting. “Good afternoon. May I help you?”

“Yeah, I’m Sydney Atwood. I got a call about some computer problems. I’m a computer analyst specializing in cybersecurity.”

Hope extended her hand. “Yes, my assistant called you. I’m Hope Robertson, and my assistant, Kayla Sumner, is over there. Thank you for coming so quickly. Did Kayla explain what was going on?”

“She did, and it looks like the two of you are about to eat lunch. If you’ll just log me into your system, I’ll have a look around and see what I can do to locate the problem and install some security protocols.”

Hope motioned for Sydney to follow her to the computer behind the counter. “Thank you. It’s all very strange.”

“So is this,” Kayla spoke up, her expression bewildered.

Hope paused, looking from Kayla to the impatient delivery guy. “What’s wrong?”

“He didn’t bring us what I ordered. He brought us our usual, but I ordered two specials today. Not to mention, he said the bill’s been paid in full. We don’t have an account there, so they don’t have a method of payment on file.”

“So he brought the wrong order. It’s okay. I’m sure the deli will straighten it out when he gets back.”

Kayla shook her head. “It’s in our name. The ticket is right here.”

The delivery guy rolled his eyes. “What do you want me to do? I got other deliveries to make. I need to get going.”

“Just leave it. We’ll straighten it out later. Thank you.”

Hope turned back to Sydney with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Today seems to be the day for strange occurrences. Let me get you logged in.”

“No problem. You two enjoy your lunch, and I’ll see what I can do.”

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