“And you found us an alternative without anyone asking you to.”
Her cheeks turned red.“I wanted to help.”
“Valerie,” John said, holding out her phone to her.“You didn’t need to find us a replacement company, but I’m glad you did.Would you mind staying on to look over their books?”
“I’m sure Lucas can do that.”
Was she that anxious to leave?Damn, I had to fix this.Somehow.
“He’s more than capable, but he’s going to be busy as I’ve decided to add a new warehouse for the company.”
I sat back in my seat.“A warehouse?”
Everyone started talking at once, but I kept my gaze on Valerie.Her gaze darted from person to person.I wondered what was going through her mind.
“Settle down.”John waved his hands.“I wasn’t going to say anything until next week, but now that this company has been brought to my attention, I think we should jump on it.Lucas, how do you feel about this?”
“Marcus said he has met this company’s owner.If he can introduce me, I’ll set up a meeting.Josh and Dean can ask all their questions.Hopefully, their books are clean.”
“They will be.”There was certainty in Marcus’ voice.
John nodded.“Who in your group can you put in charge if Valerie isn’t staying.”
“You don’t need a forensic accountant,” Valerie commented.
“Not all the time, but you have talent, young lady, and I’d love to have you on my team,” John said, leaning forward.“Would you consider coming to work for Fantasies, Inc.?”
Valerie sat back in her chair, shock on her face.“I don’t know.I need time to think about this.”
I wasn’t sure what she needed to think about, but I was going to lobby hard for her to take the job.There was no way I was going to let her slip away from me again.
“No worries.Lucas can get the ball rolling while you decide.How about I buy the next round of drinks, and we celebrate.”
Four hours later, the party broke up.I walked Valerie to her car.“I’ll follow you home.”
“Thank you.”We stood facing each other.
“Tomorrow, we need to talk.”At the lines of fatigue on her face, I knew I didn’t want to press any issues tonight.“Get a good night’s sleep.”I leaned down and brushed a kiss over her lips.“Now, get into your car before I change my mind.”
Her lips turned up.My mood brightened as I walked to my car and followed her home.She hadn’t shot me down about talking and even smiled at me.Maybe we could work this out?
Chapter Thirty-Four
Valerie
I woke early Saturday morning, and for the first time since I realized what my father had done, I didn’t have a lead ball in my gut.Last night had been more fun than I’d expected.Finding a company that might take the place of Rustic made me happy.Everyone’s surprise had been worth it.My time with Fantasies, Inc.showed me how special this company was, and my father creating havoc with Rustic and tanking FI’s acquisition wasn’t fair.
Nothing my father did was right.Money laundering, embezzlement, cheating on my mother.I shook my head.My family was out of my life now.And honestly, while it hurt, I would not miss all the drama.
Grabbing a cup of coffee, pen, and paper, I went out on the back patio.The job offer from John had taken me by surprise.Now I needed to figure out if it was worth it.After taking a sip of my coffee, I picked up the paper and pen.
Pros and cons of accepting the job offer, I wrote at the top.Then I started listing the pros and cons.When I finished, I wasn’t surprised to see there were more pros than cons.Interesting.I enjoyed working for Smith, Rogers, and Associates, but I wasn’t growing there.I had a feeling with Fantasies, Inc.I could find some growth.
Not that I wanted to take Lucas’ job, but doing more than just forensic accounting intrigued me, and FI had a lot of different departments, and all of them worked with Finance.
And then there was Lucas.My heart sped up.This last week in the office together had been like walking a tight rope.There had been no time to talk, and the office wasn’t the place for any kind of relationship discussion.
Plus, I’d had that therapy session Thursday afternoon.Eye opening was an understatement.My therapist helped me realize that while my mother and sister were toxic, not having them in my life would help me physically and mentally.
