Promises of Forever

by Celya Bowers

  “Yes, Kayleigh.”

  She wanted to know more about him. Now seemed as good as time as any. “What are your parents like?”

  She felt him shrug. “Normal parents. We have a big family. Mom is all about family. If it happens to one of us, it happens to us all. When I was going through my divorce my siblings called me every day and checked on my emotional health, since I was here in Texas alone.”

  “That’s nice. I guess I’ve missed that family thing.”

  “Well, when you meet my family in a couple of weeks, remember that you said you missed the family experience.”

  “I thought only your parents were coming?”

  “Well, since Beth told them she met you, Mom said two of my brothers and sister are coming.” He shifted and faced her. “It’s going to be okay. Mom is an awesome cook and there’ll be plenty of food.”

  “I just wasn’t prepared to meet your whole family.” Kayleigh pulled the sheet up to her neck. “Do they know I’m staying here with you?”

  “I love my family, but I am a grown man, Kayleigh. I do as I please. To answer your question, yes, they know you’re staying here on occasion. The first time you spent the night, Beth called while you were sleeping and she spilled the beans. So to answer your future question of do they know that we’ve been intimate. No one came right out and asked me. Not that they would.”

  That made her feel a little better. In Kayleigh’s mind, she imagined his family acting like a watered-down Harley. She could handle a watered-down Harley. It’s the real Harley she was having problems with. She’d have to talk to her tomorrow when she went in to work to take a leave of absence.

  “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “About what?”

  “My family,” Finn said. “I’m afraid it’s a package deal. Love me, love my family.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  * * *

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Finn asked as he parked the truck in the parking garage. “You didn’t have to come to work today,” he said.

  He opened her door and helped her out. “If it’s too much, call me, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.” They walked to the elevator hand in hand. “Why don’t we meet for lunch?”

  She looked up at him. He was wearing a dark blue suit. It did wonders for his blue eyes. “That sounds good. How about the deli?”

  He smiled at her. “Great. Call me when you can go. Invite Harley.” He pushed the button for the elevator.

  “I will. I’m surprised she didn’t call last night,” she told him. They got on the elevator.

  “She was probably preoccupied, just like you were yesterday.”

  She leaned against him, remembering how they were preoccupied most of the evening. It was a wonder she could walk today. “I guess you’re right.” The door opened and Kayleigh stepped off onto her floor.

  After she heard the doors shut, she took a deep breath and pushed the glass doors open. It was hard walking past all her co-workers, but she made it to her desk. Harley wasn’t at hers. She tried to make this day seem normal. She turned on her computer and looked for the files that should have been on her desk.

  “I didn’t think you’d be in today,” Harley said, sitting down at her desk. “It’s been crazy since Saturday. I had to call the vice president and tell him what happened. He flew down yesterday and we talked. I really didn’t think you’d want to step foot in the office, so I gave your work to Harriet.”

  Kayleigh nodded. It was logical, since Kayleigh was actually the one who pulled the trigger and killed Harry. “I actually just came in to put in for a leave of absence. Uncle Teddy insisted. I’m going to take the rest of the semester off.”

  “No way! You’re dropping out of college? That’s so not you.”

  She stared at Harley. “Are you mental? I meant here. I’m just going to concentrate on getting through this semester without worrying about work.”

  “I think it’s wonderful. I’ll miss you, though,” Harley said. “Speaking of missing, auditors are coming to look over our books. It seems there’s some money they can’t account for. Those invoices you worked on the other day caused a red flag to finally go off. It was a phony account. Or at least no one could verify the company.”

  “So the idiot was trying to embezzle money. What does this have to do with Harry?” For two days, Kayleigh had tried to connect the dots to the puzzle, but couldn’t. “At least they caught it in time.”

  “Not necessarily,” Harley told her. “There’s still issue of a missing million.” She couldn’t believe this much drama was going on in her drab little office.

  “What are they going to do about his job?”

  Harley broke into a large smile. “That’s the best part. They’re going to promote me, after the audit, of course. I think the answer to all this is in his office. I know you came in to take leave, but how about helping me this week, then start your leave next Monday?”

  If this had been two months ago, she would have answered in the affirmative with no hesitation. But now, since Finn sneaked his sexy way into her life, she had to consider him. “Let me check with Finn. I told him that I was going to do it today.”

  Harley nodded in understanding. “Yes, you have to consider him now. If that contented look is any indication, I would say that some good news is bubbling just beneath the surface. Share.”

  Leave it to Harley. She knew Kayleigh better than anyone else. “He said he loved me.”

  “I thought you guys already did that in Cali?”

  “No, this was different.”

  “Oh, I bet the sex was off the chart!”

  “Harley!” She couldn’t stop laughing. “Can’t I have any secrets from you?”

  “This coming from the woman who told me that Ben looked like he was packing. Which he was.”

  They shared a laugh at their blatant honesty with each other. Kayleigh shared an abbreviated version of the story Uncle Teddy told her about her parents.

  Harley sighed. “Now that’s a tragedy, but your mom found true love with your dad. Poor Uncle Teddy. He had to love from afar.”

  Kayleigh’s heart swelled every time she thought of the hurt her godfather must have felt every time he saw her family. “I know. I don’t know if I want a love like that. But it cleared up a lot of things about Mom and Dad.”

  “So what did Finn say about all this?

  “Honestly, I think we were both so flabbergasted with the whole story, we didn’t know what to do or say. He said that’s why he had to tell me how he felt that very moment.”

  “Wow! So Finn does have a romantic bone in his body.”

  Kayleigh waved a hand at her friend. “Don’t get me started on how many romantic bones he has.”

  Harley nodded. “I know. I can see one of those bones on your neck! You have a hickey!”

  CHAPTER 28

  Finn walked into his office and was shocked at the number of people already waiting for him. He’d taken a detour after Kayleigh had gotten off the elevator. He needed some caffeine, so he went to the coffee shop across the street.

  He adjusted his briefcase and the coffee cup, using the time to survey the office. There were at least ten people in the room besides Sarah. Eight of them were clients, and two were the boys in blue.

  “Sarah? What’s going on?”

  She shrugged. “They heard about the incident this weekend and that you were the one that had called the police. Most just wanted to make sure you were okay. The Garcias wanted to know about Kayleigh, but I didn’t know any details to tell them.”

  He looked at the two police officers. “Okay, why are you guys here? I was told they would be no charges filed against Ms. Hardy since it was self-defense.”

  The officers walked toward him. “This is about the case, yes, but not about any charges. We would like to speak to you privately.”

  “In my office or at yours?”

  The older cop laughed. “Your office will be just fine
. It won’t take but a few minutes.”

  Finn shrugged. “This way.” He motioned for them to precede him down the hallway. To Sarah he said, “Hold my calls.”

  “Sure thing, Finn.”

  He followed the police officers into his office. “Sit down.” He did the same and faced the men. “Now, what is this about?”

  “In your statement you said Ms. Hardy had texted you not to come.”

  “Yes, but I was already in the office. There was no way I was going to leave her in such a precarious position without some kind of backup.”

  “Do you know why the deceased was in the office in the first place? He didn’t work there. We do know until last week you were his financial planner. Records state you had been handling his investments for the last five years.”

  “You records are correct.”

  “Why the sudden break?”

  He had known Harry would bite him in the butt. Even from the beyond. “Harry, er, Mr. Benton had wanted to invest the bulk of his estate in a stock that I didn’t think was stable. I advised him to not to invest all his money. If the stock failed then he’d lose everything.”

  “So why did he still invest?”

  “Because he said some guy promised him at least a fifty percent gain. No broker would have promised those kinds of dividends, especially in this volatile market.”

  The older officer took out his notepad and began writing furiously. “But you’re known as the man with the Midas touch. You’re one of the most successful planners in the state. If I could afford you, I’d let you take care of my money.”

  “Even I don’t offer promises I can’t keep. No financial expert would offer guarantees in this market. Life doesn’t have any. Why would I offer them? I told Harry something didn’t smell right and to sit tight until I could check the company out, but he didn’t want to wait. He demanded that I make the deal. That’s when I told him to find another broker.”

  “I don’t understand, Mr. Callahan.”

  Finn sighed. “I’m a certified financial planner, not a babysitter, not a parent. I can only offer you options. If you don’t want to take my advice and follow it, then we don’t have a relationship. We’re wasting each other’s time.”

  The older man nodded in understanding. “What about this restraining order you placed against him?”

  “After I told him to take his money and use the broker of his choice, I learned the company was being investigated and the stock plummeted. If he’d sold his shares, he would have made a mint, but he wanted more.”

  “And?”

  “After he’d lost his money, he was demanding that I get it back for him. I explained that the money was gone and that only infuriated him. He showed up here a few times ranting like a mad man. I won’t have my clients intimidated. That’s when I cut him loose.”

  The cop smiled. “I like your style.”

  “The last time I saw Harry was a few weeks ago.”

  “Did you know he was going to sue you?”

  Finn smiled. Thank goodness for Ted. “Yes, I knew that. That case would have gotten thrown out of court. You know there was an article about Harry in Fort Worth Financial, chronicling this very thing.”

  “According to your assistant, he was livid about that and wanted to sue them.”

  “That was Harry. He always wanted someone else to pay for his mistakes.”

  The officers looked at each other and rose. “I think we have all we need, Mr. Callahan. Thank you for your time.”

  Finn stood as well and shook their hands. “Any thought as to why Harry was in that office? I could see it if he had been in this one, but he wasn’t. Hartley and Bennet is an accounting firm and have nothing to do with him.”

  “We’re still trying to piece it together. We’ll let you know if we can find anything out.”

  Finn nodded. “You know I do a free seminar every month on how to plan your financial future. It’s the second Saturday of every month, which was why I was in the building. I’d just finished one. You should come next month. Free donuts.”

  The officer smiled. “I just might show up. I love some good donuts.” The men left the office.

  After his heart starting beating regularly again, he went to the lobby to take care of his clients. They were still waiting for him, but the crowd had grown to at least fifteen people, including Hannah Benton, Harry’s widow.

  This was going to be one long day. He walked to Hannah and extended his hand. He didn’t expect her to take it, but she did, then engulfed him in a hug.

  “Finn, I know you did your best.” She wiped her eye. “When he got a burr up his butt about something, there was no stopping him. I came to get his financial information, so I’ll know where I stand.”

  He could have told her where she stood, but he didn’t want to risk getting slapped in front of his clients. “Hannah, I don’t have that information anymore. Harry wasn’t my client at the time of his sudden death.”

  “What?”

  “I terminated him as a client a few weeks ago. It’s all on public record.”

  Now she did look like she wanted to kick his ass all across Texas. “You mean there’s really no money? He actually lost it all in that idiotic deal?”

  “Most of it, yes. I believe he still had some assets. The house is paid for, you could sell that.”

  “I can’t believe this.” This time she did slap him and stalked out of the office.

  “Well, that was different,” Sarah drawled.

  Finn rubbed his face. For such a small woman Hannah packed quite a hit. Finally, he could deal with his clients. “Now, I’ll answer all your questions. Sarah will order us some refreshments and I’ll tell you all about it in the conference room.”

  After Sarah placed the order, Finn went to the conference room and began recounting the ordeal. “After most of you had left, my friend, Kayleigh, had texted a message to come downstairs to her office. Her company was also working on Saturday. She said something was wrong.” He continued the story, giving as much detail as he could possibly remember from that day. It seemed so long ago.

  About thirty minutes later, Sarah entered with a rolling tray of sandwiches, coffee, tea, water and dessert.

  As everyone helped themselves to food, they asked more and more questions. “How was Kayleigh doing?”

  Kayleigh! They were supposed to have lunch today. “She’s doing well. She was a little shell-shocked Saturday and Sunday, but she’s good.”

  “Our son said that Harry was broke. How can that be if you were handling his money?” This came from Mrs. Garcia, one of Finn’s oldest clients.

  Finn figured that question was in the back of everyone’s head. He took out his copy of the financial magazine he’d mentioned to the police officers. “I have a copy of the magazine that will explain why he lost his money. At the time of his death, Harry was no longer a client of mine. If anyone has any doubts about me, feel free to take your money elsewhere. I can’t be a good planner for you if you don’t trust me or if you’re having misgivings about my expertise.”

  The room was silent. Finn figured he’d lose some clients over the Harry fiasco. But he’d bounce back. He always bounced back in his professional life.

  “I trust you, Finn,” came a soft voice from the back.

  “Yeah. You’re good at what you do. It wasn’t your fault, Harry wouldn’t listen to you,” said another client.

  “So you all want to stay with me?”

  “Yes,” said the crowd.

  His clients wanted to stay with him. It was almost as good a feeling as making love to Kayleigh. Almost.

  * * *

  Kayleigh waited until she was calm before she called Finn. How dare he put a hickey on her neck like she was a teenager! She’d run to the bathroom when Harley pointed it out. It was actually pretty small. It could pass for an insect bite, if this was the swamps of Florida.

  She dialed his private line and he answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”

  “A
lot, buster.”

  He laughed. “Buster? Oh, this sounds serious.” There was chatter in the background.

  Was he having a party up there? “What’s going on up there?”

  “Jealous?”

  “Maybe,” she said.

  “Some concerned clients came by wanting to know what had transpired Saturday. I was also visited by Fort Worth’s finest.”

  “Oh, my goodness. I thought they said there would be no charges filed!” Kayleigh hoped they weren’t coming to her office to arrest her.

  “Calm down. They were more interested about why Harry was in your office. You think he went there by mistake?”

  She’d played the scene over and over in her head. The answer always came out the same. Harry walked in like he was very familiar with the layout of the office. “No, he didn’t ask for my boss by name. But he knew where he was going.”

  “Something is missing. Until all the pieces are connected, we’ll never know what happened,” he said. “Now what’s all this ‘buster’ stuff?”

  She decided chastising him about something he didn’t realize he’d done right after a visit from the police was probably not the brightest thing to do. “Oh, that can wait. Are we still going to lunch?”

  “Of course,” he said. “I can’t wait. Maybe then you can tell me about this ‘buster’ stuff. Sounds kinky.”

  She laughed. “I think you’ve had your fill of kinky for a while. Why don’t you save those kinds of thoughts for later?”

  “Have you put in your notice yet?”

  She was going to have to be as crafty as he was, if she wanted his blessing. So she skirted the issue. “You’ll never guess who has taken the idiot’s place?”

  “Not you?”

  “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said. “Harley got promoted. She’d called the VP and he flew down yesterday. Anyway, they’re doing an audit of the books here, then she’ll be officially named supervisor. Turns out we were on the right track. There was some embezzling going on. And I think you were right. I think he had help.”

  “Since Harley is going to be named supervisor, you don’t want to take a leave of absence.”