by JoAnn Durgin
“That’s something between you, Lauren, and the Lord,” Caty said. “I take it you know the contents of the letter?”
“Yes. Helena shared it with me. She wanted me to know what she’d written. Since it’s more about her hopes for Lauren’s family, I’ve assumed it’s best to wait until she finds the man she wants to marry.”
“Pray about it, and I’m sure He’ll reveal to you when the time is right.”
Caleb nodded. “It’s that old impatience streak in me again, I suppose. After Helena died, I established a cancer center in a Dallas hospital in Helena’s honor. A substantial percentage of my personal profits from the sales of cigarettes and tobacco products in the Reidco stores have been donated to the center. I’ve had conflicting emotions about the irony of that, but it is what it is. I may have a battle on my hands when I make the announcement on Thursday morning at the quarterly board meeting, but I feel the Lord will honor my stance.”
“I’ve always admired your strong stand,” Caty said. “I have every reason to believe He’ll continue to guide and bless your efforts. I saw Helena’s photo in the living room, by the way. She was beautiful.”
“Yes, she was.” Caleb’s voice was quiet. “She was a complicated woman who never seemed to find her own place. She’d gone from being Daddy’s little girl—her father was a wealthy cattle rancher—to being my wife and then Lauren’s mother. Although she was involved in a number of charitable and civic-minded groups in Dallas, she never took the time to figure out who Helena was, if that makes sense.”
“I’m sorry, Caleb. That’s sad. I think some people never find their place, unfortunately.”
They stopped walking as they reached the pool.
“Oh, Caleb. What a perfect place to unwind at the end of the day.” Stepping close to the waterfall, Caty dipped her hand beneath it and laughed as the water flowed over her fingers. The water was warm, and she could only imagine how relaxing it must be to take a swim at the end of the evening.
Caleb smiled at her enthusiasm. “You’re not wearing a swimsuit under your clothes, are you?”
“Not today. Or I’d be seriously tempted.”
He lifted his brows. “You don’t need—”
“Don’t even go there.” She waved a finger in his face.
“The water’s heated in the pool, and the Jacuzzi’s right over there.” Caty followed the walkway a few more feet and found the Jacuzzi hidden in a cozy alcove along with a brick oven and a large grill.
“You’re welcome to come anytime.” Sitting on the side wall of the pool, Caleb kicked off his shoes. When she moved to sit down beside him, he stopped her. “Allow me.” He helped her remove one boot and then the other, his eyes never leaving hers. Finally, he lowered them on the pavement beside his shoes. Who knew something so simple could be so…sensual?
She dipped her feet into the water, and they splashed a little.
Caleb turned to face her. “I’ve had a few dates here and there in the past five years, but I haven’t actively sought out female companionship. I won’t lie. I’ve had opportunities, but nothing I wanted to pursue. Until you walked into my life.”
He wrapped both of his hands around hers, his eyes earnest, his expression serious. “I value you as a friend. I need a woman who wants to share everything with me. Someone I can go to when I need advice. A woman who cares about me as a person instead of the man behind the corporation. Someone who likes me for who and what I am, flaws, warts, and all—the man who wants to be an honorable father and a man worthy of respect. A woman who understands my desire to help others and to better themselves. A woman who can love a man…”—his eyes searched hers and his words slowed—“who understands he doesn’t want to journey through the rest of his life alone.”
Caty’s breath caught. What was he saying?
With one hand, Caleb skimmed his thumb over her cheek. “My question for you would be if that’s the kind of man you could love?”
“I already do. I’m looking at him now.”
“Very, very good answer.” He leaned closer. So did she.
“Wait.” She put one hand on his chest and felt his strong heartbeat beneath her hand. “You don’t really have any warts, do you?”
“No. It was just an expression.” His voice was low, teasing. “We have much more important things to discuss.” Caleb’s smile etched itself on her heart. Dipping his head, he brushed his lips over hers. “I’ve fallen in love with you, Caty, and I want to do this right. I want to court you. Give you flowers, take you to dinner, get to know your family, and have you beside me as I try to navigate the many moods of Lauren. And that’s only the beginning.”
Caty glanced up at the back of the house. “Do you think Lauren’s watching us from her window now?”
“This area’s well-hidden by the trees.” He came closer and moved his arms around her. “At the moment, I don’t want to think about anything but kissing you.”
“Just keep holding onto me so we don’t both fall into the pool.”
“Now that’s a thought.” Caleb’s lips captured hers.
Caty’s heart soared, and she was lost in the pure joy of the moment.
Chapter 38
Caty glanced at the time on Thursday morning. Bowing her head, she said a prayer for Caleb’s board meeting. Lord, be with him as he presents his idea to the board this morning regarding the ban on tobacco products sold in the Reidco convenience stores. Give Caleb the right words and your confidence. If the response isn’t positive, help him to accept the comments and be able to give a fair and calm answer.
She’d made sure he’d gone into his meeting armed with all the stats he’d requested. He had the sales figures for the Reidco division broken down by store and category. He might have a fight on his hands, but if anyone could prove his point and convince the board, it was Caleb.
His flight back from Dallas had been delayed, and he’d arrived in the office only fifteen minutes before the start of the board meeting.
Caty returned to her reports. A half hour later, after checking and rechecking the latest sales ledgers, she’d found yet another discrepancy—a nearly twelve thousand dollar difference in the daily spreadsheets from the report for the previous week. Her heart dropped. Oh, no. What now?
Grabbing her corporate directory, she used her cell phone to dial the number for the Reidco station in Lubbock, one of three, and a different one than had reported the previous loss.
“Hi, yes. This is Catherine Lewis, Belac’s chief accountant for the Reidco division. Who am I speaking with, please? Larry, great. Is Frank still the station manager?” She recorded a couple of notes. “Great. Would he happen to be around this morning? There’s an important business matter I need to discuss with him.”
After being told Frank didn’t have a cell phone, she asked Larry to have Frank return the call as soon as he returned from his business in town. Drumming her fingers on her desk, she hoped Larry’s estimate of thirty minutes or less for a return call would prove accurate. She’d met Frank a few times when she’d worked in the Lubbock office. She’d made the rounds of all the Reidco stations and convenience stores in Texas since the beginning of her employment. They’d numbered around fifty when she’d started five years ago, and now had expanded to more than seventy. New stations with stores were opening soon or scheduled to be built in the states surrounding Texas—namely in southern Oklahoma, eastern New Mexico, western Louisiana, and southwest Arkansas.
Caleb should be in the meeting now. Caty felt sure he’d have his phone off, but she felt the pressing need to send him a text. He did say he wanted to be advised of any further discrepancies immediately.
Caleb, discrepancy found in Lubbock Reidco report. Oil station. Almost $12K. Called frank the station manager. Waiting on reply.
In less than a minute, Caty’s phone buzzed.
Once you find out details, I’ll ask you to come and join the meeting. We’re in Conference Room A. Are you prepared to explain the discrepancies to the board?
I think it’s time.
Caty inhaled air and coughed. Explain this to the board? Steve Robison would be in attendance, boring holes in her. On the other hand, Caleb was her boss, and he’d be fully supportive. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” she said under her breath. She might need to repeat that a few times, as needed, in the next couple of hours.
Yes, I can do that, she texted back.
Good. Let me know and I’ll have you join the meeting. Thanks.
Sitting back in her chair, Caty breathed slowly, in and out, in and out. She reasoned through why Caleb would want to make the discrepancies known. To make the guilty parties aware they were being watched? That the discrepancies had been noticed and were being investigated? That made sense.
Caty’s phone buzzed, startling her. The number was unfamiliar but the area code was right for Lubbock. “This is Catherine Lewis.” The man confirmed he was Frank, the manager of the Reidco gas station. She quickly asked her questions, couching them in vague terms, to try and find out if there was a damaged item, theft, a loss of some sort, damage due to rain or other natural disaster, or anything otherwise out of the ordinary.
As she expected, Frank reported nothing amiss. From his tone, Caty felt reasonably sure the man was stating the truth.
After thanking him, she disconnected the call and texted Caleb.
Frank reports no damages, no losses, nothing out of the ordinary.
Within five minutes, she had a response. Come to the conference room now. Bring your reports.
Rising to her feet, Caty drew in a deep breath to try and calm her nerves.
Here we go. Lord, be with me.
~~♥~~
Caleb motioned for Cordelia to open the conference room door. When Caty entered, he gave her a nod he hoped would encourage her. He hadn’t meant to put her on the spot but no time like the present. Someone was stealing from the corporation, and most likely, it was an insider job.
“Ladies and gentleman,” he said to the assembled group of eighteen individuals seated around the large, oval table. “May I introduce Catherine Lewis. She’s worked for Belac in the Reidco division for the past five years as our chief accountant. I’ve invited her to join us today.” He invited Caty to take a seat at the table. Unfortunately, that put her beside Steve. A quick glance at Steve revealed the older man’s distaste at this latest development.
“We’ve had a number of accounting discrepancies on the books for Reidco in the past few months, and each amount is an increasingly larger amount,” Caleb explained. “When Caty informed me this morning of the latest one, totaling nearly twelve thousand dollars, I decided it’s time to make the board aware. Since you’re all here, it makes more sense to tell you verbally than to send out an email concerning such a sensitive and confidential matter. I believe this is an inside job, and we have an embezzler in our midst. I intend to get to the bottom of this situation using every available means.”
Cordelia visibly stiffened even as she continued to make notes. He’d probably hear about it later if she didn’t approve, but her tense manner was probably more indicative of her unease on his behalf. Steve’s face was impassive. The man was very good at masking his emotions and always had been. Several of the other men and women in attendance sat up straighter in their chairs with concerned expressions on their faces, as well they should. Not worried, exactly, but understandably surprised.
“Miss Lewis, if you would please share with the group the nature of the discrepancies, including the latest one you discovered just today.” Caleb returned to his seat and sipped his water. He was proud of Caty as she relayed the facts and numbers, explaining in clear, concise terms. Then she told them of the latest loss and how she’d contacted the station manager in Lubbock, and he reported nothing amiss.
“I’ll be watching carefully to see how this difference is recorded and find out the source.”
“Who prepares the reports and sends them to you?” one of the ladies inquired.
“The station managers,” Caty told her. “There are several other accountants in the Belac division who see these reports, and…” She took a deep breath and darted a glance his way.
“It’s our contention that one of the other Belac employees with access to the accounting reports is the person responsible,” Caleb answered for her. He hoped he hadn’t stepped over his bounds, but Caty’s expression was one of relief. Better that statement came from him. “We have a list of those employees, and we will be monitoring their actions carefully over the next few weeks. We can easily trace those who’ve worked on the previous reports, but the problem is, they’ve gone through a number of hands at all levels of the accounting department. They’ve all signed confidentiality statements, of course, subject to immediate termination if it’s discovered they’ve shared financial information with anyone outside of Belac.”
“Perhaps you should make the reports restricted,” one of the men suggested. “Limit the employees who have access.”
Caleb nodded. “I’m aware of the need to do that very thing, Barry. Perhaps I’ve been too trusting up until this point, but we’ll be more watchful in the future. We’ll also be installing security and safeguards on the computers and require stringent passwords for the database. Do any of you have any questions for Miss Lewis?”
No one did. Caleb thanked Caty, and she gathered her folder and departed the room. He wished he could go with her. He eyed them all. “I’m sure I don’t need to remind anyone here in this room that any and all discussions within the confines of this conference room are to stay among us only.”
Steve shot him a glare which he ignored. If Steve dared to bring up his suspicions of Caty before the board, he might very well fire him on the spot. He was nearing sixty-two, and the idea of offering him an attractive early retirement package sounded more appealing every day.
As some of the others began another discussion, Caleb braced himself for his big announcement about discontinuing the tobacco sales. He’d save that for last. That way they could clear other important matters first before any fireworks began. Hopefully, there would be none.
Moving his phone to his lap, he texted Caty.
You did great. Wait for me in your office. I’ll take you to lunch. Pray for me as I finish this meeting.
Caleb didn’t expect a reply from her, but within a minute, he had one.
Praying. Go get ’em, Scrappy!
Chapter 39
An hour later, Caleb strolled into Caty’s office and closed the door behind him. She couldn’t tell from his expression how the remainder of the meeting had gone.
“Should I ask?”
Shaking his head, he laughed. “You know, the funniest thing was when one of them asked, ‘What’s next? Hot dogs?’” He slumped into one of the chairs across from her desk.
“I’m trying to get the connection here, but you’d better explain.” Caty closed out the file on her screen and then logged off her computer.
“They’re wondering if I’m going to ban hot dogs from the convenience stores. Because of nitrates and other questionable ingredients. And soda because it causes cancer in white Canadian mice or something.” Resting his elbow on the arm of the chair, Caleb ran his hand over his hair and released a deep sigh. “All I can say is, I’m thankful the meeting’s over.”
“For your sake, I am, too. Other than the hot dog and soda remarks, how did they take the news about eliminating the tobacco sales?”
“Some think I’ve lost my marbles, and others are supportive. I’d say it’s pretty much split fifty-fifty among the board members. I’ve told them that I’ve instructed the ad agency to put out a press release early next week announcing the plan.” Leaning forward, elbows on his knees, Caleb groaned. “I know I’m doing the right thing, but sometimes it’s difficult when you feel like David facing Goliath.”
“Caleb, you’ve accomplished so much by being gutsy and a trailblazer in the oil industry. You know what?” Rising from her chair, Caty walked around the des
k to where he sat.
He looked up at her and grinned. “Should I ask?”
“Stand up, please. I think you’re going to like what I have to say.”
“Sounds promising.” He quickly rose to his feet. Facing her, he moved his arms around her waist.
“I find your self-confidence and intelligence extremely attractive.”
“You do?” He tilted his head to one side. “A trailblazer, eh?”
“Very much so.” She gave him a quick kiss. Then she grabbed her purse and locked her desk. “Where are you taking me to lunch?”
“Anywhere but Japanese,” he said over his shoulder as he opened her office door and followed her into the hallway.
She laughed. “Or anywhere you need to teach me how to use the utensils.”
Anneta’s Bakery & Deli was packed with the noontime lunch crowd when they stepped inside. With one hand on her lower back, Caleb navigated them among the busy tables to a small table near the back of the busy eatery.
“You sure you wouldn’t rather go somewhere more private?” He glanced around the place. “Nice décor, though.” She knew he’d appreciate all the sports memorabilia from Texas sports teams.
“They have the best soup and sandwiches around if you can stand the noise,” she said. “Here’s a thought. You order for us today. Order what you think I’ll like, and I’ll do the same for you next time around.”
He grinned. “That sounds promising. Or dangerous, depending on how you look at it.”
After waiting in line for a few minutes, Caleb returned to their table with a pager. “They said it shouldn’t be too long.”
“Caleb, about the Belac project with TeamWork, I spoke with Miles yesterday. There’s an annual Picnic in the Park event coming up the weekend after the dance at Lauren’s school. I think that might be a perfect event to start.”
“You had to remind me about the dance, didn’t you? And no, as far as I know, Lauren hasn’t asked the boy to the dance…yet. We’re negotiating.” He grinned to let her know he was teasing. “Okay, so tell me why you think this particular outing might be good for the corporation.”