Page 96 of Fortune's Control
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand to show her. “This is the email.”
Lilah scanned the two images. “They’re the same age. One went missing fifteen months ago, and the other eighteen. If they’re connected, why the long break?”
“There’s no way to know. Neither of them lived in Atlanta, which doesn’thelp, either.”
“Well, this is proof. I was right.” Lilah bolted upright. “It was never Wilson Skane. I should have listened to myself from the beginning. We need to call his attorney or maybe drive up there.” She rolled her shoulders at the idea. “If we have to.”
“First thing in the morning, and we figure out what to do afterwards.”
“What else did you want to tell me?”
“I found your grandmother.”
32-Lilah
“McCormick and Associates. Can I take a message?”
“A message? I need to speak with Mr. McCormick.”
“This is his answering service. He’s in court today.”
I covered the phone. “It’s an answering service.” Shane pressed two fingers to his temples, reflecting my frustration. “All day?”
“I don’t know. This is the answering service.”
This was absurd. “Can you contact him for me?”
“Are you a current client in an emergency situation?”
“No, I’m calling about one of his clients.”
“If you’d like to leave a message, I assure you it will be passed along.”
I passed along my contact information and ended the call. “That wasn’t part of my plan.”
“Keep trying. He’ll recognize your name and call. Until then, shall we go?”
My stomach hurt. “I’m nervous. Also, I was supposed to meet with Aiden today.”
“Don’t be nervous.” Shane tilted his head and shook it. “I retract that statement. Nerves are expected. I’m going with you, and I’ll stay as long as you want. If she’s awful, we can declare her the new town pariah and solve that problem.”
I snorted and covered my mouth. “You’d run my family out of town just to please me.”
“For you, absolutely.” Shane took my hand and kissed the inside of my palm, leaving a tingle behind. “As for Aiden, I sent a text letting him know you had plans. He’s on call for the nexttwo days and with a customer after that. He’ll work around your schedule.”
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. “Did he volunteer that, or did you order him to be patient?”
“What do you think?”
Poor Aiden. “Well, thank you for remembering.”
“Also, you’ll be busy with your new client.”
“What new client?” It’s possible someone hired me, and it slipped my mind. An intense few days did that to a person.
“Me. I’m taking back those rental properties and need someone to handle the accounting and paperwork aspects of it. Do you want the job?”
I wanted to pay him back, while Shane kept insisting it wasn’t necessary, and now the opportunity presented itself. I stopped counting the number of times he said so, but it never ceased bothering me. Shane’s generosity came when I needed it most, but it also made me dependent on him. Working on his business, with him relying on my knowledge, changed that up and made us closer to equals.
