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“Jesus. I didn’t realize it was that late. Glad you’re here,” he said, looking at the clock on the corner of his computer.
Grinning, he grabbed stacks of file folders from the desk and handed them to her.
Since Chloe had a degree in accounting, and specialized in forensic accounting, Deacon thought it may be a good idea to get her opinion on what he’d started uncovering. The billing inconsistencies had started out randomly, but were starting to take on a pattern.
Settling down on the couches, they started to go through the invoices Deacon had pulled, when he heard a light tap on the door.
“Come on in.”
The door opened and Sara walked through and spotted Chloe on the couch. “Oh hey. I didn’t realize you were busy. I can come back.”
“No no. Just working on the accounting stuff from the other night. This is my forensic accountant and favorite sister, Chloe. Chloe, this is Sara, our caterer.”
“Only sister,” Chloe said dryly. Standing up, she moved toward Sara and shook her hand.
Smiling as she looked at the table, Sara said, “Nice to meet you. Looks like you’re gonna be busy.”
Directing her next statement to Deacon, she said, “I can really come back. This isn’t exactly pressing, right?”
“No worries. Take your time, Deak. I’ve got enough to work with for now,” Chloe piped up.
Chloe directed her attention back to the mountain of invoices.
Deacon approached his desk and sat down. Gesturing at the chair in front, he quickly printed off the event calendar and circled a few upcoming dates. Scribbling, he noted the approximate number of people at each event.
Leaning forward, he looked up. Sara leaned in, watching him scribble on the paper. Looking up when he stopped writing, their eyes locked for a moment, then held.
Sara finally broke the eye contact, looking back at the page. Finally he scribbled “Chloe’s Birthday” in a blank square. “Want to do something special for her. Call me about this later?”
Giving him a curious look, she spoke, “I’ll be in touch on the next couple events tomorrow. I’m sure we can accommodate you, though.
Oh and before I forget. There are some leftovers in the fridge. It’s mostly the vegetarian stuff,” she said with a slight grimace, “but there’s a little jambalaya and cornbread in there, too. Probably better than ordering in again.”
Perking up, he asked, “Any of those minidonut things with the powdered sugar and strawberry stuff?”
Piping up from the couch, Chloe said, “Oooh! Donuts?”
Sara laughed and said, “The resemblance is suddenly uncanny. There should be some left, along with the strawberry compote, too. On that note, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got twelve straight hours of uninterrupted sleep to catch up on. Nice to meet you, Chloe. Deacon. Talk soon.”
After the door closed, Chloe said, “So that’s Sara? She’s cute. I like her. She seems nothing like your bitch ex-fiancée if that helps any.”
Claire. He’d dated her for two years. They’d been engaged for six months, when he found out she’d been having an affair with someone in her office for about a year. He’d been hurt by the whole thing, but mostly angry with himself for being such a shitty judge of character.
Rolling his eyes, Deacon said, “I’m sure she’d be thrilled to know that, but she’s just my caterer, Chloe.”
Snorting, she responded with, “Not for long, bro. All those sexy eyes you guys were making. I’m surprised your desk didn’t catch fire.”
“What? You’re being ridiculous,” Deacon said. “We’re friends. Professional acquaintances, really.” Chloe smirked and said, “That will last, I’m sure. By the way, your accounting staff was shitty, but not maliciously so. I want to look over the rest of it, but that’s my gut feeling.”
“I’m just glad I caught it quickly.”
Deacon sighed then continued. “And you’re probably right about Sara. It probably won’t stay professional for much longer.”
Chloe stared blankly, as if she was waiting for him to go on.
“I kinda like her. We’ll see what happens. She’s a little gun shy because of the business angle. But, accounting. Money. Work. Let’s get back on track.”
With a smile Chloe said, “Before we do, what’s this talk of donuts? And jambalaya? Feed me. I demand it.”
