Page 17 of Miss Treated

Her eyes sparkled. “A wise choice.”

Yep. It was wise. And it sucked. Maybe that’s how one knew a choice was wise? Was this adulting? That was my goal in taking this job, right? To grow up and take responsibility. To commit to something for the first time in my life and get serious about my future. To put the job above my wants, even when my desires centered around a brown-eyed girl who’d been sexier eating a fish taco than my last five dates combined.

“How’s the job? You look tired.” My mom slid a glass of iced tea my way.

“It’s fine.” I could be honest with my mother with almost anything—but not this job.

She sipped her wine. “You always were a terrible liar, Nicky. If it’s not for you, then it’s not for you.”

“I said I’d give it one year, and I mean to keep my word.” I was tired of being labeled a quitter.

She sighed. “Which is admirable, but if this isn’t the path for you, I’m supportive.”

Yes, but if this wasn’t the path for me, then what was? It made a certain kind of sense I would ponder the question on my nineteen-year anniversary of being cancer-free. Was it the uncertainty about my future at a young age which made me hesitant to commit to anything long term? Maybe it was a trust issue: I didn’t know when life might throw another curveball. But I couldn’t go through my whole life waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Thanks, Mom. What smells so good?”

“Your favorites, of course. Can’t celebrate nineteen years cancer-free without homemade ravioli with cream sauce and peanut-butter chunk cookies.”

No matter how successful my father’s company had become or how much money they had, my mom was still the same loving person I’d grown up with. She didn’t put on airs, and she always made me feel loved. Not with a big pretentious party, but by cooking my favorite meals and ensuring we celebrated such a significant day together.

Chapter Seven

Kelsey

I loved my job. The numbers, the spreadsheets, the hunt for anything out of balance. Even if that hunt meant I was in the office on a Saturday morning. I rolled my neck, determined to be productive today. It had been a long week, but I was damned well going to do the best job possible on this audit.

I started with looking for the areas at high risk for fraud and laid out my questions. They centered around identifying the controls in place, meaning approvals and documentation. For example, the same person should not set up a new vendor, pay a voucher out of the system, and then cut the check. It was like a puzzle, and the first step was to identify all of the current processes.

Finalizing the list of questions I planned to ask the AP supervisor, the cash receipts supervisor, and the general ledger specialist, I was all set. All were benign questions with the goal of better understanding the processes. They needed to flow in a logical format so I’d be using their time efficiently. God knew Sophia would be watching like a hawk for any reason to doubt my abilities.

Although she’d been prickly about me bothering her staff with this audit, I had to give her credit for creating the meticulous financial records Dominic had ferried to me two days ago. So meticulous that unless she was the one stealing, I doubted anything could get by her.

The thought gave me pause, but I shook it off. Surely if Gerard suspected his sister-in-law, he would’ve mentioned it to me. And hadn’t Dominic told me about her husband’s successful business? What would be her motivation?

After a couple hours of work, I sought out the ladies’ room and a Diet Coke. As soon as I stepped out of the restroom, I ran smack into the last person I expected.

“Whoa, sorry. I didn’t expect anyone else to be here,” he apologized.

Dominic was dressed casually in a black T-shirt and dark-washed jeans, and he smelled like a woman’s fantasy. The “Dominic effect” was like a slap in the face.

His head cocked to the side. “I thought you said you were heading home this weekend.”

I had originally planned to, but my brother was instead flying his girlfriend and our good friend Daisy down here instead. We planned to eat, drink, and catch up. Both women were incredibly supportive of me, and I loved spending time with them.

“Change of plans.” I didn’t owe him any explanations, but he almost sounded hurt. “I needed to—” Jesus, think, Kelsey. And whatever you do, don’t stare at his golden skin or muscular arms. “—put in some more hours,” I forced out, tearing my eyes away from his chiseled body and lifting my gaze up to his face.

What was with this guy and his ability to make me regress to a fourteen-year-old girl? Around him, I couldn’t remember I was an adult woman with some dignity.

His grin with dimples did nothing for my ability to regain control. “Yeah, I use the weekends to catch up too.”

Movement caught my eye, and I peeked down to see a dog hiding behind his legs. “Who’s this?”

He smiled, laying his hand on the dog’s head. “This is Lady. Don’t take offense, but she’s shy with strangers. She’s a rescue, so she had a rough start.”

“You adopted her?” Every rich person I knew had a pet with a pedigree.

“Yeah, through a local greyhound rescue. When this little girl came in, it was love at first sight.”