Page 31 of Stuck with the Grump

The building was everything I wanted and couldn’t afford.

I wrote down number after number in my notebook, trying to find the money I needed to purchase the warehouse. I had just over half of what I needed in my savings but that didn’t include the cost of renovations. When I took the renos into account, there was no way I would be able to afford the building without serious help.

To banish the feeling of disappointment, I took to scrolling through social media but that was only more disappointing. The pictures of Clarke photoshopped as a stripper were starting to fade from my feed but the pictures of us in the grocery store were living on. Each comment I read was more brutal than the last.

“Why do you look like you’re about to cry?” Clarke asked, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a glass from one of the cupboards.

“Just more horrible shit being said about us online. You think they would give it up and start caring about something else but apparently not.”

He sighed and filled the glass with water, taking a long sip as he leaned against the counter. “Why don’t you come help me dig through files? It will keep your mind off all the bullshit these people keep posting. You have to know that none of it is true.”

“How would you know?” I slid off the counter and crossed my arms. “You haven’t been reading any of it. Hell, most of what these people are saying about you is nice. Apparently, you could do much better.”

Clarke stared at me for a moment, a tic in his jaw as he put his glass down. In three steps, he was across the room, his arms wrapping around my waist as he pulled me in for a kiss. His kiss was scorching, deeper than he had ever kissed me before. When he pulled back, we were both gasping for air.

“Just so we are both on the same page about this,” Clarke said slowly, his forehead resting against mine as his eyes fluttered shut. “Those people don’t know fuck all. There is no way in the world that I would be able to do better than you.”

“I don’t know how true that is,” I whispered, feeling his arms tighten around me. “You could do a lot better than me. There are models and actresses that would love to be with you. They would understand the world that you live in far better than I ever could.”

“Leigh, there is no woman that could hold a fucking candle to you.”

I sighed and opened my eyes, stepping back from his embrace. This was getting dangerously close to a territory I both wanted to explore and run from. I definitely didn’t want him saying those things if he didn’t fully mean them.

“How about we go work on that embezzlement case?” I asked, my tone light as I headed for the dining room. “I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at getting things organized.”

He sighed, his expression dropping slightly as he nodded. “Alright, come on. If you’re so interested in the world of embezzlement, I have a lot to teach you.”

Clarke led the way down the hall to the dining room. I tried to focus on anything other than the way my lips still tingled with his kiss. Clarke looked at me over his shoulder as he opened the door, a small smile on his face as if he knew what I was thinking.

“This is the wonderful world of proving embezzlement. It’s dry as hell and you’re going to want to cry looking at the numbers.” Clarke pulled out a chair for me and waited until I sat down before taking his own seat.

“Aren’t there companies that would do this for you?”

“There are,” Clarke said, pulling a thick file over and opening it up. “But we don’t want them involved in our business. They would spread the news to the media. Financials would be leaked and private information, trade secrets, and anything else we have in the works would be broadcasted to the public.”

“Don’t they sign contracts saying they won’t do that?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing as I looked at the pages of tiny numbers he set in front of me. “You wouldn’t think that they’d still be in business if they’re leaking information.”

“They pick a scapegoat—usually somebody new to the company—blame it on them and fire them. Their public image eventually recovers and the process repeats.”

I nodded and grabbed a highlighter. “What am I looking for?”

“Anything that looks suspicious. Highlight any company names you only see going through once. I prefer to work with the same company multiple times and have held contracts with them for years. If there is a company that only goes through once in a year or two, it’s likely fake.”

I got to work, the thoughts of social media gone from my mind for a little while. However, it wasn’t more than an hour or two before the nasty comments started rushing back. Scowling at the papers, I pressed the highlighter into the page harder, leaving a dark yellow mark.

“Leigh, are you okay?”

“Nope,” I said, offering him a wry smile before looking back down at the bank statements. “I’ll be fine, though. I just need to get a thicker skin if this is going to work.”

Clarke sighed and got up from the table, his jaw set in a hard line. “Stay here. I’ve got a plan in mind, and it should take your mind off all of this.”

14

CLARKE

Angerboiledmybloodas I stormed out of the dining room and shut the door behind me. This was my fault. I had allowed those pictures to be published. I was responsible for how Leigh was feeling. After being used to the nasty things people said on the internet, it didn’t occur to me that it would bother her that much. Instead, I thought she would be fine and the image of my company was more important to protect.

“Fucking idiot,” I muttered to myself as I stood in the living room and listened to the storm raging outside. The patch over the hole in the house was holding for now but the cold was still seeping in. I sighed and paced across the floor, trying to figure out a way to make this better.

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