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“I’m sorry to hear about your brother, though. That’s really rough,” Glenda told her.
Merry nodded. “The divorce is really sad, and I know he’s upset about it, but she cheated, so that is what it is. His job is what’s really getting to me. He worked so hard to get where he was and had so many hopes for the future. It’s terrible because he’s really good at his job. Working with his in-laws was great for him. He was being groomed to take over the company one day, and everything seemed set. Until his floosy of a wife decided to blow that all to hell, and now he has no wife, no house, and no job,” Merry said.
I felt guilty about eavesdropping, but this explained why she looked upset when she was sitting outside working, and it gave me a little more information.
“That’s awful,” Glenda commiserated. “What is it that he does?”
“He’s an accountant,” Merry said, breaking off another piece of brownie and bringing it to her lips.
That was the magic word. I sidled up to the counter and leaned in close.
“We’re looking for a new accountant. Our guy is about to retire. Probably a good thing. He’s like a hundred,” I said. Merry’s eyes snapped to me, wide with shock, and she swallowed her bite in a deliberate movement. I realized that approach wasn’t the best. “Sorry. I overheard you talking, and you mentioned your brother’s an accountant. I was just thinking we needed to look for a new accountant to replace Artie, so it jumped out at me. But, really. Your brother needs a job, we need a numbers guy. Tell him to talk to my mom, and we can see if he’s a good fit.”
I walked away quickly, not even giving Merry the chance to respond. I crossed the kitchen right to the pan of cinnamon rolls Mom was dousing in cream cheese frosting. She protested as I reached in and grabbed one of the rolls. The still incredibly hot pastry sizzled on my fingertips and the melting frosting was sticky. Mom’s cinnamon rolls were worth the inconvenience. That and I needed anything available to get me out of the conversation with Merry.
Getting a cup of coffee, I left the kitchen and hurried to my office where I could close the door and be alone with all my disquieting thoughts. And there were plenty of them. It felt weird being so invested in helping her and her brother. I could tell how worried she was and how much she wanted to help him figure his life out, and as soon as she mentioned the accountant, the offer just popped out of my mouth. I didn’t even get a chance to think it all the way through before I said it and had her looking at me like I was a total maniac.
But it wasn’t just that. I could barely even look her in the eye. I needed to snatch my cinnamon bun and run as fast as I could because it was too awkward to stand there and look at her with the memories of jerking off to fantasies of her in my mind still so fresh. It was the hardest I’d come in a long time thinking about all the things I wanted to do to her.
As much as I enjoyed it and it released the tension I was feeling, it put me in a weird place I wasn’t familiar with. With Merry, even without her knowing, I felt like I was crossing lines with her left and right.
Offering to have Mom interview her brother wasn’t about my attraction to her, though. I told myself that a dozen times as I ate the cinnamon roll and shot Artie a quick email to have him come in for a meeting. That offer was purely about business and what was going to be beneficial for everybody. We really did need the help. Artie had been working for Freeman Racing for even longer than the mechanics. Most of them had come along no more than fifteen years ago. Artie was the accountant around here even when Dad owned Freeman Racing and it was just a tiny operation. Nothing like what I’d built it into.
Artie had started talking about retiring two years before but had never gotten around to it. He was too committed to the company, and we never had anyone lined up to take his place. Of everyone working at the complex, he definitely ranked among the hardest working, and he deserved to spend the rest of his life in a recliner somewhere. I looked forward to being able to tell him he could feel good about retiring and enjoying his golden years.
16
Merry
“What’s the best breakfast to eat before an important interview?” I asked when Brandon came into the kitchen the next morning.
