by Marla Monroe
“That would be great,” Jasper said.
“When is a good day for you to look at them?” Phillip asked.
“Oh, well I’m off Sunday through Tuesday. Maybe next Monday would be a good day.” She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to help them. What was wrong with her?
“That would really help us out. Thanks. How about we meet you at the gas station at the end of town at two, and you can follow us up to our place?” Jasper asked.
“Um sure, that would work.” Caro would be kicking herself all weekend about agreeing to do this.
“You have no idea how much this will help us out,” Jasper said.
“Yeah. We like fiddling with computer programs, but keeping records is beyond us,” Phillip said.
“I’ll do the best I can to help you guys, but I can’t promise miracles if you have them screwed to hell and back,” she said with a chuckle.
The waitress brought out their food, saving her from having to talk anymore. She needed to remember that she wasn’t on a date and they were just friends sharing a meal. If she let herself, she was going to end up agreeing to more than she wanted to. They were super persuasive and had her agreeing to help them before she’d even realized it.
“How’s the salmon?” Jasper asked.
“Very good. What about your steaks?”
“Awesome as always,” Phillip said. “You should try their rib eye sometime.”
“I will. I can already tell that this is going to be a regular place for me. Thanks for cluing me in on it,” she said.
“Our pleasure,” Jasper said.
“So, what are you working on right now?” she asked Jasper.
“A first-person shooter game based on a mission we were on while overseas,” he said.
“So, you don’t work on those fantasy ones?” she asked. “I’ve seen them advertised on the Internet.”
“Actually, I do work on some of those every once in a while,” he told her.
“What are you working on?” she asked Phillip.
“Nothing that fun. I’m working on a project to keep people from hacking into a medical company to try to steal personal information concerning their patients,” he said.
“Wow, that’s interesting. Why would anyone want to break into a medical company? What kind of information could they possibly want?” she asked.
“Insurance information, dates of birth, and social security numbers. With those they can steal identities. Plus, some of them have banking information if they’ve paid their bills online,” he explained.
“That’s crazy. I never would have thought about that,” she said.
“So, if you had a bookkeeping job open up somewhere, would you take it?” Jasper asked.
“Maybe. It would depend on the salary and the type of business it was. I don’t want to do straight bookkeeping for something boring,” she admitted.
“You must really like barkeeping,” Phillip said.
“I do. There’s always something going on, and the people are colorful there. It’s like having an extended family and lots of friends, but I can leave them there and not have to deal with them at home.”
“Do you have any family back where you came from?” Jasper asked.
“I have a brother back in Memphis, but my parents are gone. What about you guys?” she asked.
“I’ve got a sister who’s married in Boulder, Colorado, with their two boys, and my parents are living it up in Arizona,” Jasper said.
“What about you, Phillip?”
“My parents are gone, but I have two sisters and a brother. They all live up and down the California coastline. Have four nieces and nephews. Cute little buggers,” Phillip said.
“Do you see your families much?” Caro asked.
“Yeah. We visit at least two or three times a year,” Jasper said. “We all meet up in Phoenix to see the parents. Phillip and his crew meet up several times a year in California.”
“I haven’t seen my brother in almost two years now. I call him at least once a week though. He has two boys. They’re just about grown now,” she said.
“You should go see them. I bet they miss you as much as you obviously miss them,” Jasper said.
“I probably will in a few months. I’ll have to fly since the trip would be kind of rough, and I wouldn’t have as much time to spend with them if I drove,” she said.
“How about dessert, folks?” The waitress sneaked up on them, startling Caro.
“Oh, none for me. I’m stuffed,” she said. “And these are on separate tickets.”
“I’ll have the pecan pie,” Jasper said.
“I’ll have strawberry cheesecake,” Phillip said.
“Sure you don’t want to try something?” Jasper asked her.
“No. Honestly I’m full. That was a generous helping of salmon.”
When their desserts arrived, they each insisted that she try just a bite from each. She sighed and gave in only because she really wanted some. Her favorite proved to be the cheesecake.
“Thanks for coming out with us tonight, Caro. We’ve really enjoyed it,” Jasper said.
“I’ve had fun, too. Plus, I found a new place to come eat.” She leaned back in the chair. “One thing is for sure, I can’t come too often, or I’ll end up gaining weight.”
“It wouldn’t hurt for you to put on a few pounds, babe. You’re sexy as hell like you are, but a few added pounds sure wouldn’t hurt you any,” Phillip said.
“I’d rather not have to buy new clothes,” she said with a laugh.
She paid her bill as the men paid theirs, and then all three of them stood.
“Let us walk you out, sweetness,” Jasper said.
“Thanks again for asking me.” Caro walked with them outside over to her SUV.
“So we’ll see you this weekend and then Monday at two to check out our messy books,” Jasper said.
“I guess so. I hope I can help you with them.”
“Believe me. Anything will be a help. We’re hopeless.” Phillip opened the car door for her when she unlocked it with her key fob.
“Drive carefully,” both men said at the same time.
“I will. Have a good night.” Caro smiled and put on her seat belt when the men shut the door.
* * * *
The next morning, Caro found herself thinking about their dinner date over and over. How had she allowed them to talk her into helping with their books? The fact was, they hadn’t. She’d just agreed without much fuss. What was going on with her that she wasn’t following her “no men” rule with them?
She could only believe that they were wearing her down. She needed to strengthen her resolve, or they were going to have her agreeing to just about anything if she wasn’t careful. Then it hit her. There were two of them, and they’d already hinted that they shared. Not only was she caving in her resolve not to get into a relationship with a man, she was leaning toward two men.
She wanted to smack herself on the face. How was she going to handle two men when she couldn’t even handle one? Caro shook her head. They were devious and were sneaking under her guard.
I can’t let them get to me. There’s no way I’m going to date two men at one time. That’s just crazy.
Yet she’d met them for dinner the night before. She hadn’t even thought about it as being odd. They were just three friends out sharing a meal. They’d played her perfectly. Well, game on. She wasn’t going to let them talk her into anything else after she helped them with their bookkeeping issue.
Satisfied that she’d settled the issue, she quickly cleaned her little apartment and made a list of what she needed from the grocery store. She gathered up her purse and locked the apartment before walking down to her SUV. Once she was at the grocery store, she filled her cart and lined up at the checkout. To her surprise, Phillip walked up behind her with his groceries.
“Well hey there, babe. Guess we had the same idea,” he said with a broad smile.
Caro couldn’t help the little bu
tterflies flapping away in her belly. The man was handsome in a rugged sort of way.
“Are you following me?” she asked, cocking her head.
“Nope. I’m pretty sure I was here before you, or I would have noticed your car in the parking lot. There weren’t many here when I parked,” he said with a chuckle.
“I guess with there only being one store in town it’s bound to happen,” she admitted.
“What are you cooking tonight?” Phillip asked, looking at her cart.
“Baked chicken with squash. What about you guys?” she asked.
“Spaghetti. It’s fast and easy,” Phillip said. “Won’t be long until it’s chili and soup season. Those are easy, too. Just pile stuff in the Crock-Pot and let it simmer.”
“I sense a trend here. Fast and easy,” she said with a chuckle.
“You got it. Neither one of us is much good at cooking, just like we suck at bookkeeping,” he told her.
It was her turn next, and as she added stuff to the conveyer belt, he watched and commented on her purchases. She was laughing by the time she’d finished checking out. Phillip was funny as hell. She realized that she enjoyed talking with him more than she would have thought.
“Wait up and I’ll help you load your car,” Phillip said as she started to push her cart toward the door.
“Thanks, but I can handle it. Besides, I’ll have to unload it anyway when I get home.”
“Just another reason to let me help you. One less trip with the bags. Really. It won’t be but a few minutes,” he said.
Caro found herself waiting on him. She didn’t know why, except that he was very persuasive. Besides, it would be nice not to have to do it when she was going to have to carry everything upstairs to her apartment once she got home. What could it hurt to let him help her?
I’m letting him get to me. Where is my backbone?
She guessed she should be relieved that both men weren’t there. Together they would have had her letting them carry her bags up to her apartment for her. She didn’t seem to be able to resist them when they really wanted something. That didn’t bode well for her long term.
“Here we go.” Phillip grinned and pushed his cart beside her until they reached her car. “Open her up and I’ll load you up.”
Caro opened the back and then waited until he’d finished loading her groceries. Then she closed it and started to push the empty cart to the buggy return, but he stopped her.
“I’ve got this. Better get home before that ice cream melts.” He winked at her and pushed both carts in the direction of his truck.
“Thanks, Phillip. I appreciate the help.”
“No problem. Now I know your favorite foods. Always good to know.” He smiled and then kept going.
She just shook her head and climbed into the SUV and headed toward home. She’d have to think about how to handle the two men before she saw them again. They were getting their way much too often. That didn’t fit into her plan. What was her plan anyway? Caro was fast losing focus.
Work and enjoy myself without a man to mess things up. I can’t safely pick a man to spend time with because my man-o-meter is screwed up.
And now she was mixed up with two men. How had she managed that?
Chapter Five
Tuesday afternoon, Caro pulled into the gas station on the edge of town at fifteen until two. She’d waited around at the apartment trying to pass the time after she’d donned faded jeans and a T-shirt that was just as faded. If she was going to spend the day going through paperwork to help them set up an easy bookkeeping system, she was going to be comfortable. Plus, it had the added advantage of making her look less desirable. Or at least that was her plan.
At five till two, the big black truck Phillip drove pulled up next to her. She rolled down her window.
“Hey, sweetness,” Jasper said after rolling down his window, as well. “Just follow us up the mountain. You can park behind us in the drive when we get there.”
She nodded and rolled her window back up and prepared to follow them. They drove at a sedate pace as she followed them up a winding road that led up the mountain. Once they were about halfway up, they pulled down a long drive then the guys stopped.
Caro stared up at the beautiful house as she parked her SUV in the drive behind the guy’s black truck. It was three stories tall if you counted the carport beneath the first level. Right now, there was a red truck and a couple of motorcycles parked under it.
“Wow, guys. This is unbelievable. I wasn’t expecting something like this,” she said once they’d joined her on the front walk.
“Thanks,” Jasper said.
“We fell in love with it when we saw it. It needed a lot of work, but we think it was worth it,” Phillip said.
“Come on in,” Phillip said. “We’ve got coffee, tea, and Diet Cokes for you to choose from. Then there’s snacks if you want them while you work.”
“You got Diet Cokes for me?”
Jasper chuckled. “Noticed that you liked them when we ate with you the other day, and Phillip saw that you’d gotten a pack of them at the grocery store. Just wanted to be sure you were comfortable since you’re doing us a favor and all.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. Now show me the mess you want me to clean up,” she said.
“This way.” Jasper led her to the front door and into a wide entrance hall.
The area had room get out of your outerwear and hang it up when you came inside. There was even a place to put boots for when it snowed. The floor was black marble and reflected the light perfectly.
The two men led her into a large living area with a gas log fireplace and a large screen TV mounted on one wall. The furnishings spoke of comfort instead of style. She liked it. It suited them. They continued into the kitchen that was open into the living area. There was a table with four chairs on one end with the rest of the room dedicated to cooking. She noted that there was plenty of counter space with a large island in the middle of the room. She’d love to cook in a kitchen like this.
“It’s beautiful. I gather you updated the house after you bought it,” she said.
“Yeah, Austin and Caleb a little below us are carpenters and handled the job for us. You should see the bathrooms. Even I’m impressed,” Phillip said with a wide grin.
“I’ll take a rain check on seeing them. Show me where I’m going to be working.”
“Follow me,” Jasper said.
Caro followed him down a hall off the living room and stopped when he opened a door. She stepped inside and found that it was larger than she would have thought with three desks in it. One was much smaller than the other two that held multiple monitors on them. She had no doubt that was where the two men did their work.
“Hope this will be okay. The computer is a little older than ours, but should work for you. I loaded all of our floundering attempts at keeping up with the books, and those two plastic boxes are all our receipts and bills that we’ve paid for,” Jasper said.
“The one thing we are good at is labeling the receipts as what they were for,” Phillip said.
“That will make things much easier,” she said. “Plus, I won’t have to interrupt you asking lots of questions.”
“Interrupt all you need to,” Jasper said. “We really want to get this right. I wasn’t kidding that our accountant cringes when we bring in our taxes every year. He’s threatened to double our fees if we don’t get better organized.”
Caro laughed. “Hopefully I can save you some money then. I’ll get started.”
For the next hour, she navigated through their businesses and the complete mess they had made of the books. She couldn’t help but smile at the challenge it presented her. She loved puzzling out things, and this appealed to her need for order.
“How about a Diet Coke?” Phillip asked, setting one on a coaster near her elbow.
“Thanks. You weren’t kidding when you guys said it was a mess. I’m finding all sorts of surprises in this,” she said.
&nb
sp; “Hope you can figure it all out,” he said.
“I’ll get it. It’s just taking a little while to sort through,” she told him.
“We really appreciate it. I know it can’t be fun,” Phillip said.
“Actually, it is kind of fun to me. I like figuring out things. I just don’t like the same boring numbers all day long like you find in some businesses. This is interesting,” Caro told him.
“Phillip. Quit distracting her,” Jasper called over.
Phillip chuckled and winked at her. “Better get back to work. The boss has spoken.”
Caro concentrated on what she was doing and finally got the paperwork under control and sorted out. She quickly entered all the receipts and created a report of sorts that they could look at each week or month to see where they were in their finances.
By the time she’d finished, it was nearly six o’clock. She stretched and realized she’d been sitting there for four hours. At some point the guys had set a small bowl of chips along with a fresh Diet Coke on the desk for her. She smiled at their thoughtfulness.
“Okay, guys. I think I have you sorted out. If you can follow the directions, you should be okay for taxes in a few months. There’s only four months left in the year. Think you can keep up?” she asked.
“Maybe you could plan to come back once a month and make sure we’re doing okay,” Phillip suggested.
“Really, I think you should be able to handle it. I could come back at the end of the year and straighten up anything if you really need me to,” she said.
There I go offering to help again. What is wrong with me?
Caro didn’t have a clue. They suckered her into it. That’s all she could figure out. These two men were dangerous to her resolve to not date or get mixed up with men at all.
“That would be great. Plus, if we have any questions, we can ask you when we see you at the bar,” Phillip said.
“Sure. That would work.” Caro stood and stretched again. “I really should be going. It’s already dark outside.
“You might as well stay for dinner. We’ve already got it ready. Nothing fancy, just soup and grilled cheese sandwiches,” Jasper said.