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“I think either your uncle or Tommy is stealing from you. And honestly, I think it’s your uncle because he’s the only one with access to the books.” She hated to be the bearer of such dreadful news, but he had a right to know the truth.
“My uncle isn’t stealing from me. He’s done his best to step in and help when I needed him the most. And I wouldn’t think Tommy is capable either, as he seems to be a good kid. You must be mistaken.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “I found the problem, whether or not you like it. Every time the BOGOP account goes higher, the deposit comes up lower, almost dollar for dollar. And don’t forget, there was no BOGO display any of the times we were there.” She hadn’t been paying much attention, but now it was suddenly relevant.
“You’re forgetting I told my uncle to stop the BOGOs, so perhaps he took down the display and sent the items back for a credit to help the store. So, you see, there’s a perfectly good explanation. And not one that implicates my uncle.”
“But your explanation doesn’t explain the number matches. Do what you want with the information, but I’m telling you to look deeper.” Madison shrugged, ready to wash her hands of the entire matter.
“Thanks for the information and your help in figuring out what was going on. I’ll investigate the matter, not that I feel my uncle is complicit.”
“Well, all right then. I should pack up and be on my way. At least I’ll have more time to prepare for the job interview. I’ll let you know when I’m coming over to drop everything off.”
“Sounds good.” Caleb turned and headed to where his daughter and Star waited.
Madison followed and hugged Joelle. “Maybe I’ll see you at the house later.” A chance to say goodbye. Otherwise, Caleb would have the honor of explaining why he fired the nanny.
“Okay. I’m going to ride on Star. I’m so excited,” Joelle said, her eyes glowing. “Bye, Madison.”
She would miss Joelle with all her heart. And Caleb too. But sometimes life didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.
And sometimes it did.
All she had to do was get the job.
Chapter Fifteen
Joellehadn’tbeenunderstandingin the matter of Madison when Caleb explained why she wouldn’t be her nanny any longer. His daughter had worn a frown like a grumpy girl who didn’t believe the sun would ever shine again. The two had tearfully hugged goodbye when Madison dropped the car off. He appreciated Madison’s efforts to make things right between him and Joelle, impressing upon his daughter it was only a matter of days before she would have had to leave anyway for the interview.
As of this morning, Joelle was finally talking to him again. Dealing with a daughter who thought he had dropped the moon into permanent darkness by cutting Madison out of their lives made the days drag on.
Caleb parked the truck, all the while going over in his head what to say to his uncle. Asking questions without revealing the “why” he was asking wasn’t an art he had ever learned, much preferring straightforward, to-the-point conversation. Except this was his uncle.
Madison had to have this all wrong, and it was simply a coincidence. Or Tommy was craftier than they gave him credit for. “Did you bring your dolls?” Caleb asked.
Joelle nodded. “Yup.”
“Good. I need you to play a bit while I talk to Uncle Bill about some things.”
“Okey dokey. After, can we go to the beach? It’s a sunny day. I want to play in the water, and I didn’t get to the other day. And then can we go for another ride on Star? I want to have fun.”
“We’ll see.” It was the best answer Caleb could give. It’s not that he was against fun, only the dangers that seemed to go hand in hand with adventure. But riding Star…had him thinking of the past. The good parts, that is. And he missed them.
The overhead bell jingled as they entered the store. “Good morning, Mr. Duncan. What brings you here today?” Tommy smiled, greeting him as though nothing was amiss.
“Good morning. Is my uncle in the back? I need to speak to him.” He preferred to get this over with and not deal with small talk.
Tommy shook his head. “No. He had to leave in a hurry but said he wouldn’t be gone long.”
His uncle seemed to be out of the store more often than Caleb appreciated. How could Bill manage the place properly if he was never there? “I reckon Joelle and I will wait in the office and stay out of your way.”
“Gotcha.”
“Oh, and Tommy, quick question. What happened to the BOGO display?”
Tommy frowned. “This may sound terrible considering I work here and all, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of a BOGO. What is it?”
Caleb took a deep breath. Strike two against his uncle. Something was seriously wrong, but there had to be some other explanation. His uncle wouldn’t steal from him or his great-niece. “It’s a promotional thing and stands for buy one, get one free. Do you have anything like that in the store?”
