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Finally, something clicked in Chloe’s brain and it all made sense again. This was the auditor she’d been waiting on from the Department of Education. She’d been told that one would show up this month, but had no idea when. The man standing in front of her certainly wasn’t what she’d expected.
“Yeah, I got it.” She shook her head and swallowed hard. “Have a seat, Jordan.”
He thanked her and dropped into the chair, looking around at their tiny office. Six towers of silver filing cabinets lined the wall behind her desk. The door to the right led to Gemma’s office, and the desk near the door was Laurie’s domain. In all, they didn’t take up much space.
As Chloe went about shuffling her files and getting organized, Laurie turned up the Christmas music at her desk. They’d been listening to it since Halloween. It made the cold weather seem lighter, somehow, and easier to bear. She swayed along as a Mariah Carey tune filled the silence.
“I don’t suppose she plays anything a little less, well, cheesy?” Jordan asked. He grimaced and then laughed. “I’m not sure I can handle that for the next three weeks.”
“Three weeks?” Chloe gaped at him, the files of last year’s receipts nearly slipping from her hands. “You’ll be here that long?”
“Well, yeah.” He leaned back in his chair, as if afraid to be any closer to her. “Audits take a long time. I have to comb through every receipt, every documentation you have. The state needs to know you’ve been reliable with your bookkeeping and records. They’ll especially want to know if they can trust you with more money.”
“I promise that our bookkeeping is flawless,” she shot back, lifting her chin high. “And every dollar accounted for.”
“Cool, cool.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I believe you. I just have to prove it to my boss. And speaking of…” He took a buzzing cellphone out of his pocket, looked at the screen, and sighed. Holding up a finger, he shrugged and jumped out of the chair. “Just a minute. I’ve got to take this.”
Chloe didn’t listen as he chatted with his boss. She was too busy grumbling over the filing cabinet, yanking out folders. The New Hope Foundation had never needed a babysitter before now. They had nothing but a sterling reputation. But if they wanted to expand their support of the community, they needed more than just the funds from the Barkley & Barkley cooperation. They needed state funds. They needed Jordan.
In a passive-aggressive form of vengeance for her lost pride, Chloe walked over to the radio and dialed up the volume on the Christmas carols. Jordan was watching her as he listened to his phone, raising one dark eyebrow at the bold look she shot him. Inwardly, she laughed at the prospect of torturing him for three weeks. He might be the finest man she’d ever seen, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t mess with him just a bit.
Besides, there was no way the two of them would work out. He didn’t like Christmas songs, for heaven’s sake. He didn’t know how to change a tire and he couldn’t even keep his suit from wrinkling in the front. She had bigger things to worry about - like finding a lead for her Christmas musical.
“Alright,” Jordan said, finally hanging up his phone. Weary lines crossed his forehead as he rubbed his temples. “Let’s get started. My boss is already jumping down my throat.”
“Whatever you say.” She dropped a piles of files in front of him, papers spilling out across the desk. “Have at it.”
They worked that way for a couple hours - Jordan requesting more files and Chloe handing them over, tight-lipped and tense. She dared him to find any mistake. A single one. But he didn’t say a word. He tap tap tapped on his laptop, analyzing the pages she’d given him and periodically answering his phone. It was on the fifth call of the afternoon that she finally felt the need to flash an annoyed glance his way.
He had the phone plastered to his ear. There were the occasional yes, ma’am and no ma’ams, but mostly he seemed to be tuning his boss out. Chloe watched him from the corner of her eye. Every time she looked Laurie’s way, the trim redhead would give her a goofy smile and two thumbs up, making her want to toss a stapler at her.
It was lucky for Laurie that at that moment, Chloe’s favorite song came on the radio. Brian McKnight’s sweet tenor voice crooned about being home for Christmas. She closed her eyes and soaked in the tune, feeling a calmness settle like a warm blanket over her body.
As she listened, a hum interrupted her thoughts. It matched the notes of the music, but sounded much closer. She snapped her eyes open to locate the sound. Jordan was humming along, seemingly unaware he was making any noise at all. He stared at a poster of Ricardo’s Pet Shelter hanging on the wall, the phone to his ear while the buzz of someone talking came through the speaker.
Chloe felt adrenaline spike through her system. She’d never heard a voice like that - at least, not in real life. Not even in her church choir. Jumping out of her chair, she moved closer to him, leaning in to hear more clearly. The annoying buzz of his boss didn’t seem to bother him. He swayed along with the music, his shoulders even dipping the slightest.
Unaware of her close observation, he escalated from humming to singing along, hitting every note with extreme clarity. Laurie had even paused her typing to listen and smiled up at her with a knowing smile. A more perfect Christmas present couldn’t have dropped into her lap.
When Chloe could take no more, she snatched the phone from his hand and snapped it shut. “You can sing.” It came out more like a demand than a question. Jordan stared at her, bewilderment clouding his eyes. “You can sing,” she repeated.
“That was my boss.” He took the phone from her hands and frowned down at it.
“Tell her the call dropped.” She waved off the issue and stepped closer. “You can sing. I need a man who can sing.”
“That’s great.” He took a step backwards and gave her a fake smile that didn’t hide the nervousness in his voice. “I hope you find him.”
“What she means, is she needs a man to sing in her musical,” Laurie offered from her desk. She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded her head. “Chloe’s putting on the Christmas Eve play. We had auditions this afternoon, but she’s had no luck for the part.”
“And I’m really sorry for you, but that’s got nothing to do with me.” He held up his hands, the phone grasped tightly in his fingers. “I’m just here to do the audit.”
“Please!” Chloe tried to think fast. She had to find some sort of motivation for him to join. “It’s a great cause. The whole town turns out for the Christmas Eve service.”
“I don’t think so.” He shook his head, his back against the wall. “My boss would kill me if I got involved in anything other than the audit here. I can’t afford to lose this job.”
Chloe bit her bottom lip, frustrated at the idea of losing him for the part. He just said he was going to be in New Hope for three weeks. That would keep him around until after Christmas. It was perfect. She just needed the right motivation.
“Richard Garret!” She nearly shouted the name. That was it! The motivation he needed. “Professor Garret. You do this, I’ll get you an interview with him.”
