Running the Numbers

by Roxanne Smith

  Naturally, Wes would take her to Bubba’s the day she wore her favorite white smock with the lemon yellow cap sleeves. He was too meticulous and neat for it to have escaped his notice. And, damn him, he knew she wouldn’t turn down spareribs. They were her weakness.

  Of course, he wouldn’t do something as undignified as order the ribs. He took a fork to his delicate steamed trout. “I asked for a shot at the Castley account,” he responded irritably. “You’re the one who blew up all over Duncan for considering me. I think you screwed both of us.”

  Not for some time, pal. She snatched her cloth napkin from the table. “And I think you were never in the running. Honestly, I don’t have time for another account of that magnitude. There are too many demands on my time as it is. And you’re underqualified.” She held up a finger smeared with sauce to hold him off. “Don’t forget, I was doing this job long before I got you hired as the junior accountant, Wes. Toot your horn all day over how quickly you were promoted, but I’m the better candidate for Duncan’s position.”

  Unruffled, he took a piece of fish cleanly from his fork with his teeth. His black eyes stayed unnervingly locked on to hers. “We don’t have to be enemies.”

  “Yes, we do.” Sadie scrubbed her fingers and took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe she’d let him talk her into this. “People don’t change. You were a controlling, manipulative jerk when we were together, and you won’t magically become someone else if I go out with you again. You’d be the same guy, I’d be the same girl, and we’d have the same problems.”

  “I disagree.”

  His lazy blink made her want to toss her iced tea in his stupid face.

  “Case in point.” She threw her napkin down and stood. “Now, quit asking me out. And quit tricking me into lunch dates while you’re at it.”

  “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to be.”

  She didn’t get a chance to deliver a scathing reply, because Blake and Kennedy walked right up on their table.

  For a second, awkward silence ruled. Then Blake gave them each a flat smile. “I guess it’s a day for working lunches.”

  From behind him, Kennedy’s arms crossed. “It’s not unusual for these two to go from threatening to rip each other’s arms off to casual dining.”

  Her stony stare reminded Sadie of her accusation Saturday morning. Sadie had half a mind to lay it all out there, put every last sordid detail of her history with Wes on display. See what Kennedy had to say then.

  Her best friend wasn’t the only one throwing shade. Blake’s eyebrows were drawn in confusion, and Sadie recalled him asking what was between her and Wes. Well, just because Blake had spilled his guts didn’t mean she owed him her own embarrassing story—the one where she’d let Wes sleep his way into Avery & Thorp, then proceed to treat her like his most favorite possession.

  “May I have a word?” Sadie didn’t wait for a reply but stalked past Blake, grabbed Kennedy’s arm, and tugged her toward the women’s restroom.

  Kennedy came willingly, even if her small pout as Sadie pushed her through the western-style swinging doors said she’d didn’t appreciate being forced into an impromptu powwow.

  Inside, Sadie turned and leaned against one of the two pedestal sinks. “We’re best friends, Ken. Be honest with me here. Do you seriously believe I’m interested in Wes? After everything I went through with him?”

  Kennedy’s put-upon expression fell away and left an unsubtle mark of near-pity on her face. She tilted her head, and one fat golden ringlet flopped over her shoulder. “No. Not really, I don’t. But I do think you tend to keep certain connections.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t mean what I said the other morning. I don’t think you’re pursuing Blake because you saw that I liked him. Maybe you saw what I saw, or you’re curious, or whatever.”

  Keep certain connections? What the hell did that mean? “You’re saying I keep Wes within arm’s reach because…”

  Indignation made her voice high. “Because it sucks to be alone. Because we’re women, and hope springs eternal. Take your pick. Look, I’ve had a thing for Wes ever since your little fling didn’t work out. You could’ve moved on, but instead, you keep him like a puppy on a string. Do something about it or cut him loose, Sadie. Fair is fair. There aren’t exactly a load of eligible bachelors around the office.”

  It took Sadie’s entire wealth of self-control to keep her mouth closed. Fling didn’t come close to describing her relationship with Wes, but Sadie had been the one to decide how the story would go. Now, she had to commit to it.

  “Besides,” Kennedy went on, eying her nails, “Blake and I cleared the air this morning. I might’ve come on a little strong, and he told me under no unclear circumstances he’s not interested in me. Or you, for that matter. He’s all about Amanda.”

  Sadie chewed her lip. She hadn’t really expected Blake to like her or anything, but it still rankled a bit to come second to Amanda in any arena. “Amanda reminds Blake of his first wife. The one he’s still clearly very much in love with, despite her being remarried and mother to a young toddler.”

  Kennedy’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. You two really have done some chatting.”

  “It’s like pulling teeth. Don’t expect to get much out of him.”

  Her friend made a shooing motion with her hands. “Oh, I’m not here to sink my claws into Blake. I respect he was honest with me. And anyway, he’s not my type. He seemed nice and he’s terribly attractive, so I figured why not? I’m actually here to help him snag Amanda. If you can’t conquer the captain, might as well join the crew, am I right?”

  Fantastic. Sadie had a mighty crush on Blake, and her best friend led the campaign to help him hook up with another woman.

  If Blake had shown the slightest interest in her, Sadie might’ve come clean to Kennedy. Instead, recalling Blake’s dewy-eyed expression when he talked about Amanda, Sadie decided she wouldn’t make an obstacle of herself. It was the right call, but her heart disagreed. The potential between her and Blake sizzled like bacon fat in a hot pan every time they were together. She’d fight for it, but not one-sided; not if Blake wouldn’t fight, too.

  Some things weren’t meant to be. “Good luck with that, Ken. If there’s a trick to getting in close with Amanda, I’d love to know what the hell it is. She’s as closed off as a museum exhibit and less approachable.”

  Another tiny shrug, this one accompanied by a close-lipped smile and a far-away gleam in her best friend’s forest green gaze. “Oh, I don’t know about that. My powers of observation are fairly keen, and I’ve observed quite a bit in my time on the outskirts of the Bookkeeping Club. I may have an idea or two.”

  Sadie watched her go with a pang.

  Chapter 6

  If she didn’t have makeup caked on and eyeliner painstakingly applied, Sadie would’ve splashed her face with cold water after Kennedy left the ladies room to do some magical voodoo that would supposedly unlock the mysteries of Amanda Avery.

  Sadie hoped for Blake’s sake there were, in fact, mysteries to unlock, because, otherwise, he’d spend the rest of his life bored to tears.

  Her cell phone buzzed from the pouch pocket of her smock. Did she love it for the cheery yellow sleeves or the convenient pockets? The mundane bumbling of her brain came to an abrupt halt at Amanda’s name on her cell phone’s screen.

  Did she sense Sadie thinking about her? Was she in one of the toilet stalls? “Hello?”

  “Hi, Sadie.”

  “Hello.” Sadie waited, apprehension deep in her chest.

  “I’d like to invite you to dinner.”

  Sadie’s mouth flopped open. She promptly shut it, only for it to gape open again. “Uh…um… Like, for a work thing? Or…”

  “No, this doesn’t involve the office. It’s a personal invitation.”

  Sadie’s eyebrows shot up. “Right.” Makes about as much sense as anything else that’s happened today. “Um, I’d love to. I guess.” How bad co
uld it be? Amanda might very well be part of an interoffice power couple if Blake had his way. It couldn’t hurt to make a few friendly ties. Or, more realistically, keep tabs on Blake’s progress from an insider’s perspective. Out of sheer curiosity, of course.

  Amanda’s voice adopted a distinctly cheery note. “Fabulous. I won’t ask you to come out to the ranch in Alpine, so I’ll cook for us at my condo in town. Can I pick you up Friday night?”

  Since she’d made it a question, Sadie saw her chance to decline. Things were moving a bit fast. She’d expected to go out somewhere, not have a home-cooked meal. Forget boring, Amanda was weird. “I’ll drive myself. I usually change into something more casual at the end of the day.” She paused, giving Amanda a chance to interject. Not a peep. “If that’s all right?”

  “Of course. I should’ve thought of that. We can make it a casual affair.” A small laugh. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Sure, it will,” Sadie agreed, torn between confusion and curiosity.

  They ended the call, and Sadie stared at her phone, as perplexed as she’d ever been. Amanda was reaching out, and Sadie had no clue why. She guessed by this weekend, she’d have her answer.

  * * * *

  Blake spread his paper napkin over his lap and pointedly ignored Wes a few booths away. He didn’t have to worry about it for long. Sadie exited the bathroom a minute or so behind Kennedy, snatched her purse from the booth, said a few heated words to Wes, and promptly strode toward the exit.

  Something was definitely going on between those two. He struggled for a moment with his instincts to go after Sadie. She was like a gnat in his ear, a constant low hum he couldn’t quite ignore. If only his instincts had ever proven a reliable guide. Was it instinct or simple attraction that drew him to Sadie? His history pretty much told the story. He had to quit reacting to those initial gut feelings and follow his brain for once.

  Before him sat Kennedy, the woman with the answers to all his questions.

  Kennedy perused the menu and grinned at Blake. “I’ll take the salad bar, with a side of fries. Can’t get by without a carb at lunch. No clue how Reba does it. Fruit and a limp homemade salad every day. I know it’s healthy, but that can’t really be good for you, can it? Not spiritually.”

  Blake ordered an iced tea and the pulled pork sandwich and waited for Kennedy to slip from their booth and return shortly with a heaping mound of cold-cut veggies piled high onto a thin bed of lettuce, with chunks of chicken, ham, olives, and bits of hardboiled egg. “What can you tell me about Amanda?”

  Kennedy plucked an olive from her plate. “Straight to the point. Yes, let’s talk about Miss Avery. First, I have to ask, are you sure about this? You’ve seen how she dresses?”

  He tugged on his tie. It seemed a little tight around his neck. “Hard not to notice.”

  Today, Amanda wore a glowing orange wrap-around skirt with matching pumps and a blood-red blouse. Lots of bold African-inspired jewelry completed the head-turning ensemble.

  “Says she’s a risk taker, doesn’t it?”

  Kennedy’s searching stare turned flat. “Bookkeeping says risk to you? Look, I’m only making sure, because my theory is that her clothing is her way of making up for her lack of other attributes. She’s not open or particularly friendly. Opal and Pearl adore her, but only in her job capacity. No one really knows Amanda outside of work.”

  “Could it be because of her personal ties to the firm? Maybe there’s some kind of conflict of interest.” He sipped his tea. “The standoffishness. Not the clothes.” The clothes defied theory.

  “You have the current high score in wishful thinking. Congratulations.”

  A waiter brought Kennedy’s fries to the table, along with Blake’s sandwich.

  “I’m as sure as I can be given how little I know about her.”

  Kennedy went straight to dipping her fries in the metal container of ranch dressing on the side of her salad. “You asked for it. First, Amanda is privy to certain information, which is why she sticks to bookkeeping. Imagine, if you can, how Sadie or Wes might act around her if they thought she had an inkling of who was to replace Duncan as chief accountant. And anyway, if she went after anything juicier, Mrs. Avery would be accused of favoritism every time Amanda was handed a major account. As long as she works at Mommy’s firm, she sticks to a position of little to no drama. I heard it from Reba, who heard it from Nina, who picked it up from Duncan, that Amanda has Mrs. Avery’s blessing to work for another firm if she ever decides she wants more. Which, from what I gather, she doesn’t. At least, until little Avery inherits the position.”

  “What’s any of that got to do with me?” Blake picked up his sandwich and leaned carefully over his plate before taking a bite.

  “Think, Blake. Amanda’s prone to certain assumptions. I would be, too. She’ll think you want information if you get cozy. Especially since everyone thinks you’re dating Sadie.”

  Blake nearly choked but managed to get the wad of pork and bread down with a swallow of tea. “Excuse me?”

  Kennedy returned to picking through her salad. “Well, yeah. You guys have been to lunch together a bunch of times. Hung out a few weekends now. Basically, if you’re spending time together off the clock, everyone’s going to assume you’re involved.”

  He set his sandwich down. “So, you think Amanda avoids me because she believes I’m involved with Sadie and, therefore, only after information when I try to talk to her? Like finding out who’s getting Duncan’s job? That’s stupid.”

  “Could be you want to find out for yourself. Another perfectly reasonable assumption for her to make. It makes sense you’d put your name in the hat for Duncan’s job.”

  Exasperation stopped him from picking up his sandwich again. First Sadie, now Amanda. He guessed it made a certain sense. New guy with an impressive résumé shows up, takes over a position he’s overqualified for, and not long after, the chief accountant puts in his notice? “For the record, my name’s not going anywhere near the hat.”

  Kennedy’s golden eyebrows wrinkled together. “It’s not?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Amanda is wrong about me on both counts. All I have to do is explain.”

  Kennedy shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world. “Basically.” Then, her gaze drifted to his with something like an apology. “And maybe quit spending so much time with Sadie. Unless you are dating her.”

  “No. No, of course not.” He went back to his sandwich. Finally, some progress. He was going to have a fair chance at asking Amanda out. There was a niggle of guilt when he imagined Sadie’s face the next time she offered a helping hand and he had to decline for the sake of keeping the office gossipmongers at bay…Well, she’d understand.

  “You’re right,” he told Kennedy. “Sadie has enough to keep her occupied, doesn’t she? Between Wes and her bid for the promotion.”

  “You mean between Wes and Wes? Yeah, I’d say she does.”

  * * * *

  Blake checked his watch for the tenth time in the same five-minute period. Should he ask Amanda out at eleven to give her time to prepare? Or right at twelve so they could leave straight away?

  He paced in front of his desk. Probably eleven. That way, if she said no, despite his best efforts to assure her no strings were attached to his offer, he’d have time to come up with other lunch plans. He shook out his hands. Why was he so nervous? Something about the way Amanda kept her thoughts and reactions so neatly buttoned down poked and prodded at Blake’s insecurity. He preferred Quinn’s generally direct approach but didn’t miss the sarcastic bite that often came with it.

  Well, they weren’t alike in everything. Of course, Amanda wouldn’t be exactly like Quinn. That’d be too weird, anyway.

  He checked his watch again. He’d better ask now, before Amanda made other plans. He opened his office door far more deliberately than the act warranted and approached Amanda with an auspicious smile.

  “Hey, Amanda. M
ay I have a minute?”

  She glanced at him and blinked her pale eyes. “What can I do for you, Mr. Cobb?”

  “Um, Blake is fine, actually.” Not a great start. Blake clasped his hands together and wished she had a less exposed work area. “It’s something of a private matter. It’s been brought to my attention you may have some incorrect assumptions regarding my intentions concerning Duncan’s resignation. I’m not interested in the job. Just so you know.”

  She stared at him blankly.

  He checked a sigh. He’d chock it up to failure and try again another day. Before taking his leave, he squeaked in one last comment. “Also, I’m not involved with Sadie. She helped me get firewood. It wasn’t a date or anything. I, uh, would actually like to take you to lunch today. You seem pretty busy, though. Sorry to interrupt.”

  He turned to leave when her hand flew out and grasped his sleeve.

  “You and Sadie aren’t dating?”

  “No. She, uh, helped me out, that’s all. My new place has a wood-burning stove, and she kind of gave me a crash course in how to operate it so I don’t die of hypothermia this winter. I have plans to spend Christmas in L.A. I’d hate to miss them.” Great. This was going great.

  Amanda cocked her head. “And you won’t be applying for the chief accountant position?”

  “I have no intention of doing so, no.”

  A bona fide smile blossomed and lit up Amanda’s whole face in a way he hadn’t seen yet. She didn’t quite meet Quinn’s caliber, but when she smiled like that, she came very close. “I think lunch would be okay.”

  Blake beamed. “Great. I’ll meet you in the lobby at noon.”

  Amanda surprised him by standing and reaching for her purse and jacket. She folded her long coat over her arm and leaned in close to Blake. “I’ve known for a while who Mother and Duncan are considering for the job. Since you’re not in the running, I wouldn’t mind discussing it. If you can keep a secret. You won’t tell anyone?”