Page 30 of Love & Other Disasters

“Go away, Violet,” he said.

Her lips disappeared into a thin line and she stepped inside, closing the door behind her anyway.

“If your goal is not to rouse suspicion and keep the rank and file blissfully unaware that the ship is still sinking, you’re failing.”

“It’s not that bad.” He heard the defensiveness in his tone.

“You or the situation?”

“Both,” he replied, not positive about either.

“You look like a frat guy after a week-long bender. It’s not doing you any favors.”

“What does a frat guy look like?”

“Well… like you only you’re having a hangover after going off the deep end on spring break. The complete dishevelment is odd. Your shirt’s untucked, hair’s a mess, bags under your eyes. And in the breakroom you were drinking coffee as fast as it brewed, and I can only assume you have burned your tongue beyond repair.”

He laughed. He didn’t think it was possible, but out it came and with it some of the of the tension in his shoulders loosened. “Why are you so worried about my tongue, darling? Been thinking about it?”

Violet stilled and looked at her feet, pink blossoming across her pretty cheeks. Interesting, so she had thought of their night together. He couldn’t get it out of his head, but he assumed it hadn’t been the same for her. After all she’d scurried out leaving only her panties. The white cotton sensible pair had gotten mixed in with his clothes and laundered by the service and returned with his weekly wash. He assumed the workers’ conversation around the lone woman’s undergarment among his things. Did they gossip about it? Or did they even give a shit? He’d taken comfort that the practical underwear had signaled she hadn’t planned on hooking up with anyone, and their connection had charmed her into choosing him.

“J.P.,” Violet said, regaining her composure and bringing him out of his thoughts. “This isn’t helping matters any.” She pointed at him for emphasis. “You will cause panic walking around looking like the apocalypse is imminent.”

“It’ll take months to untangle.”

“Why is it yours to untangle?” she sat across from him.

“It’s my job to save this company,” he replied.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I assume that you haven’t figured it out.”

He shook his head.

“Have you asked Melvin about his system?”

“One, there shouldn’t have been a system beyond proper accounting procedures. And two, I did, and I’m guessing he’s skipped town by now.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He asked me to call him back, and when I did the number was disconnected.”

Violet gasped. “Wow… Well if that’s true, you need to call the authorities. This is beyond what they hired you to do. This is a job for a forensic accountant.”

“That would involve alerting Bob.”

“So?” She shrugged and shifted in her seat. “Shouldn’t he know?”

Was she worried about something? “What if Melvin wasn’t working alone?”

“You think Bob’s in on it? Then why would he bring in a new CFO who’d find out something was wrong?”

“It wasn’t all his decision,” he leaned forward, studying Violet’s eyes. Those, large brown, doe eyes that he could get lost in. If she were in on any of this, it’d kill him. On one hand she seemed innocent and a little naïve. On the other, she lied to him. “The board did.”

“Isn’t he a board member?”

“Sure, but it may have been a case of where they outvoted him on the matter, but we’ll never know.”

“Why not? Aren’t those meetings recorded?”

---