Page 13 of Something Unexpected

“Oh, I met her alright.”

“That bad? Did you have another fight?”

“Something like that…”

I didn’t offer that while Gram’s friend might be a pain in my ass, she’d also been the object of my dreams the last few nights. If my brother knew, I wouldn’t put it past him to hop on a plane and go visit our grandmother. Jake could charm the pants off any woman he met with his boyish ways and our father’s bone structure and dimpled smile. It helped that he wears five-thousand-dollar suits and a flashy watch. On that note, my eyes dropped to my brother’s wrist.A Rolex.On second thought, maybe he wouldn’t have such an easy time with Nora…

“So what did I miss around here?” I asked, rolling up my shirtsleeves.

My brother sat down. “I didn’t want to tell you this while you were traveling, but our auditors caught someone stealing.”

My brows drew tight. “Who?”

“Ginny Atelier, in accounts payable. While they were reviewing the books, they noticed a few of the petty-cash checks didn’t have receipts to back them up. When they questioned her, she started to cry and admitted she took the money.”

Fuck.Of all the people I employed, it had to be her? “Did she give a reason?”

My brother nodded. “She claims she has a sick mother and needed the extra cash for medicine her insurance doesn’t cover. I already spoke to HR. They’re just waiting for your nod to terminate her.”

I blew out a deep breath and shook my head. “Maybe we shouldn’t fire her.”

My brother’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? It’s a tug-at-your-heartstrings story, but not firing her is the last thing I expected you to say.”

“Why? I have a heart…”

My brother squinted at me. “No, you don’t. You’ve fired people for looking at you wrong. So something is up. What’s the deal?”

I raked a hand through my hair and sighed. “Fucking Christmas party and those stupid peppermint martinis. There’s a reason I stick to sipping whiskey and keep away from vodka.”

Jake laughed. “Oh my God, you hooked up with an employee? You’re such a dick. How many lectures have you given me about dipping my pen in the company ink?”

“You’re an employee.”

“So? Does only the boss get to pilfer the pink-collar employees?”

“You’re the dick.”

“Maybe.” My brother leaned back, grinning from ear to ear. “But at least I haven’t fucked any of the staff.”

I sighed. “Let me talk to legal before we make a decision on how to handle it.”

“You got it, big brother.”

I opened my laptop, hoping my brother would take the hint that the conversation was over. Of course, he didn’t.

I frowned. “What? Is there anything else we need to discuss? If not, I have a lot of work to do.”

“Nope. Just basking in the warmth of your flames. Your fuckups are so rare.”

I pointed to the door. “Get out. Or you’ll be taking Ginny’s place in the unemployment line.”

***

I didn’t usually check texts during a meeting. But this one was boring as shit, and it was Nora’s name that popped up. So I swiped to open. A picture of my grandmother riding a dolphin filled my screen. She looked like Rose fromTitanic, holding her arms out as the animal propelled her forward. I smiled and typed back.

Beck: Now that’s more my grandmother’s speed.

A response came as quick as her wit.

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