“No offense, Matt, but don’t you just need an office manager?”
“No. I need a CFO—someone to fill Dad’s shoes. I know you haven’t been around to see it, but we’ve had incredible growth over the last ten years. Dad built this company into a multi-million-dollar corporation. And while he may not have taught me how to run it, the truth was I wasn’t much interested in the money part. I’m more of a hands-on guy.”
“And you’re running your multi-million-dollar corporation out of a trailer?”
Matt shrugged. “We have an actual office, but right now it’s easier for me to run everything on the job site.”
“I have to warn you, I may have double-majored in accounting and finance, but I didn’t use it all that much in the Afghan mountains. I’m not sure I’m the salvation you’re hoping for.”
Matt clamped his hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “I know you, Kev. You don’t do anything half-assed. You’re exactly who I need.”
He shook his head, taking in the fire hazard Matt called his on-site office. “I’ll give it a try.”
“There you go! That’s the spirit.” Matt squeezed his shoulder, then dropped his hand. “I need to get out there. I’ll check on you later. Do you have plans after work?”
“No,” Kevin said hesitantly. “Why?”
Matt laughed. “I don’t plan on taking you to the circus. Don’t look so scared.”
Matt knew how much Kevin hated the circus—especially clowns—but the circus comment was a little too close to home after what had happened with his last girlfriend. He couldn’t stop his cringe.
Pointing his finger in Kevin’s face, Matt laughed. “There’s a story behind that look that I’m dying to hear. But it can keep until tonight with burgers and beers. Tyler’s coming. You in?”
“Tyler?” He hadn’t seen their other best friend in several years. “Yeah. Hanging out with you guys is half the reason I moved back.”
Matt opened the door and had started down the steps before he turned back. “You have no idea how happy I am that you’re back. And not just for this.”
Kevin felt the same way, even with the daunting task. He knew it was going to take days or weeks to make sense of the books, and he knew it should have scared him, but he felt energized. He loved staring into the face of a daunting task and conquering it. Which he was ready to do with Matt’s business.
He was still warming up to his house.
He’d barely gotten started when his cell phone rang. While he was expecting an apology call from his sister, he was surprised to receive it minutes before nine a.m. He’d have bet money she would wait until after lunch. Then he looked at the caller ID and groaned.
“Hello.” There was no avoiding this call.
“Is this how you greet the woman who gave you life?”
“Hello, Mom.”
“You were supposed to call me last night, Kevin. I want to see this secret house of yours.”
He sat back, the old metal office chair creaking. “Well…things came up.” He’d expected this call, too, but there was no amount of preparation that could get him ready to deal with his mother.
“I haven’t seen you since Christmas, Kevin. What could be more important than seeing your mother?”
“It was a long drive from San Diego, Mom. I wanted to be fresh when I saw you.”
“Fresh? I saw you covered in slime when you came from my body. How could anything be less fresh than that?”
“Mom. That definitely falls under TMI.” He was going to be traumatized by that mental image for weeks to come.
“Surely you’re fresh now, so why haven’t you called me yet?”
Fresh while living in his house? Not likely. At least he had hot running water. “I’m at work. I started my job today.”
“Oh…” Her voice faltered. “I thought you started next week.”
“Matt said everything was a mess, and I was eager to start getting things under control.”
He knew she would suggest coming over tonight. He had to nip that in the bud before it came up or he’d be even deeper in the bad son hole. “How about we meet for coffee this afternoon?”
She hesitated. “Why can’t I come over to your house?”
He considered telling her that he had plans with his friends, but that would never fly. “My air-conditioning is out. I don’t want you over in my stuffy house.” Partially true. The air-conditioning would work when he had it installed.
“We’re supposed to have a heat wave next week. Maybe you should stay with us until it’s fixed.”
“How about we discuss it at coffee? We can meet at Starbucks. What time works for you?”
“Um…” He could tell she was trying to decide whether to concede the battle for the sake of winning the war. No one ever accused his mother of being faint of heart. “I can get away at four,” she said. “But it’s your first day. Will you be able to leave?”
“I’m not even supposed to be here today. I’m sure Matt won’t mind.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you at four.”
Which meant he had seven hours to prepare himself.
He spent the rest of the morning digging through Osborn Construction’s QuickBooks and bank accounts. He’d only glanced through the past two months, but, thankfully, the electronic files seemed to be in better shape than the physical paperwork. The stacks seemed to be more of a filing issue. Still, he was concerned about what he’d found so far.
At noon a food truck pulled up to the lot and everyone took a break, Kevin and Carly included. After her flirtatious beginning, she had settled into business mode, showing him the way they handled things and how to get into files and accounts. He’d thought the trailer was stifling with its meager window air conditioner cranking out semi-cool air, but he realized how good he had it when he stepped out into the ninety-degree heat.
“How’s it going?” Matt asked, walking over to the line already forming at the authentic Mexican food truck. “You still have all your hair, so I take it as a good sign you haven’t pulled it out.”
Kevin grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow. “It’s slow going, but so far, it’s nothing I can’t handle.” He nodded to construction workers lined up in front of him. “How many guys do you have on the job site?”
“Right now, we’re running about twenty. We’re waiting on the city inspector to look over some electrical work before we move on to the rest of the wiring and let the masons finish some of their brick- and stonework. The other guys are spread out over three other smaller jobs.” He looked out onto the shopping mall and pride filled his eyes. “The shopping center doesn’t look like much now, but I promise it will when we’re done.”
“I trust your vision.” Matt had sent him photos and links to some of the work he and his dad had done, and every bit of it looked high-end. Kevin had no doubt he could pull off the execution. It was the finances he was worried about. “You think you and I could sit down next week and go over everything I find?”
Matt gave him a blank look. “That bad, huh?”
Kevin shook his head, kicking himself for even mentioning it. “No. It just seems smart for me to go through it all with you and tell you what I find. After that, we can decide where to go from here.”
Matt pushed out a sigh of relief. “Whew. For a moment I thought you were going to tell me we were in trouble.”
Kevin forced himself to remain expressionless. From what he’d seen, he was worried it might actually be true. “Do you mind if I look at the historical financial records? Older, completed projects? The ones your dad ran so I can get a feel for how he handled everything.” When Matt looked worried, Kevin gave him a smile. “No sense reinventing the wheel, right? It sounds like it worked for your dad for years. I’ll just figure out what he did and duplicate it.”
“Yeah…sure. They should all be in the main office. I’ll warn you, though, it’s all on paper. Dad didn’t believe in computers. Having everything digital is fairly recent, and only because Dad’s accou
ntant put his foot down and insisted.”
“Maybe I can look at it tomorrow.” They moved closer to the window and Kevin studied the handwritten menu board while he asked, “Do you mind if I take off a little early today? My mom’s having a coronary that I haven’t seen her yet, so I suggested we meet this afternoon for coffee.”
Matt burst out laughing. “I wouldn’t want to be you right now, Kev. Knowing your mother, you’re going to pay for that for quite some time.”
He groaned. “Yeah, I know. …” Now he just had to figure out a way to get her to agree to wait to see his house.
Matt shook his head. “God speed, my friend. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Chapter Five
Nicole Vandemeer expected punctuality, something that consistently challenged Holly. She had no trouble showing up on time for client appointments, but the mornings she came in knowing she had a desk full of paperwork to tackle, she often arrived five to ten minutes late. While there was no doubt that the paperwork and the estimates were important, Holly loved the planning—coming up with the colors, and the flowers, and the themes. She poured a great deal of her heart into her work, and she was proud of what she did. The paperwork and accounting were just a necessary evil. So Holly was proud of herself for showing up on time—on a Thursday, no less—only to discover that her boss hadn’t even come in yet.
For the millionth time, she considered quitting, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not only was she gaining invaluable experience, but her salary had also increased. Which meant Holly was good and stuck, especially since she was now making enough money to pay for her grandmother’s private room at Happy Dale Retirement Community. If she quit, her grandmother would have to go back to sharing a room—something that would be difficult for her since her dementia had worsened.
She’d just have to try harder to be on time and make her boss happy. At least until she’d built up her reputation enough to support herself and her grandmother. But the thought was more depressing than she cared to admit.
She got busy working up a cost proposal for a potential wedding client, but by nine forty-five Nicole still hadn’t come into the office. Holly was worried, especially since Nicole had a ten o’clock appointment. Nicole liked to give herself plenty of time to prepare before a meeting, and she’d hinted that this one was more important than usual. Nicole was meeting with a mother and daughter who were unhappy with their current wedding planner. The problem was that the wedding was less than a month away. Nicole had casually mentioned that they wanted to change everything, which sounded like a nightmare. But Nicole insisted it would be a coup d’état in the Kansas City event-planning world.
Holly might understand the appeal of this wedding if Nicole had shared the clients’ names. But she’d kept them under lock and key, as though Holly would steal them from her, which was utterly ridiculous.
Nicole’s paranoia was just one more reason for Holly to get her experience and run.
All Holly knew was that Nicole had insisted that this meeting had to go perfectly, and now she hadn’t even shown up yet.
To expel some nervous energy, Holly straightened up the small office, made a pot of coffee, and finally called Nicole at nine fifty-two.
“Nicole, is everything okay? Did the meeting get canceled?”
“No!” Her boss sounded panicked. “I was on my way to pick up some pastries, and on my way back, I was in a minor accident.”
“Oh, my God. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and my Navigator only has a small dent in the fender, but this police officer insists that I have to stay and fill out a report.”
“Do you want to cancel the meeting?”
“No!” Nicole shouted. “It’s too late to cancel. Just stall them until I get there.”
Then she said, her voice fainter, “Yes, Officer. I am taking this very seriously.” But Holly suspected she meant the meeting and not the accident report.
Holly cast her glance toward the front door, her breath catching when she saw a middle-aged woman at the office door. “Nicole, they’re already here.”
“What? They’re early! Tell them I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Holly hung up and placed the phone on her desk, then smoothed the wrinkles from the lap of her pale-pink skirt. The woman walked through the door, a younger version of herself following behind her.
“Good morning,” Holly said, using her most cheerful voice. “Welcome to Distinctive Events. Nicole has been delayed, but I’m Holly, and I’m more than happy to get you some coffee or tea while you wait.”
The younger woman’s full lips pursed into a pretty pout. “Does she know how rude it is to keep her clients waiting?”
Holly clasped her hands together so the younger woman wouldn’t see them shaking. Nicole had been so irritated with her lately that Holly wouldn’t put it past Nicole to fire her if she screwed this up. “Yes, of course. Your meeting is very important to Nicole, but the truth of the matter is that Nicole was just involved in an auto accident.”
The older woman’s eyes flew open. “Oh, dear. Is she all right?”
“Yes, she insisted it was minor and that she’s fine, but she’s been detained giving the police report. She’s quite upset about the delay and hopes to be here very soon.”
The older woman waved her hand. “Of course. The important thing is that she wasn’t hurt.”
The glint in the younger woman’s eyes suggested she didn’t necessarily share the same opinion.
But the mother didn’t seem to notice. She offered her hand to Holly. “I’m Miranda Johansen and this is my daughter Coraline.”
Holly took her hand, appreciating the woman’s firm shake while trying not to fawn over the woman. She recognized her name. Miranda Johansen was one of the hottest up-and-coming wedding-dress designers. Her collection in New York the previous spring had been the talk of the wedding design world. And since Holly had spent two-thirds of her life poring over bridal magazines, she knew the names of all the top designers. “Ms. Johansen, I’m honored to meet you. Your spring collection was amazing.”
The woman’s eyes lifted. “You attended the show?”
“No, but I saw the photos of the impressive gowns. I love the way you’ve updated classic styles with a contemporary edge. Pure genius.” Holly turned to Coraline. “You’re so lucky your mother is designing your gown.” Then she paused and glanced back at the bride’s mother. “I’m presuming you’re designing your daughter’s dress.”
“Yes.” Miranda sighed. “Although it’s taken multiple designs to make Coraline happy.”
“I can’t help it if you don’t get me, Mother,” the daughter said through gritted teeth. While she looked like a younger version of her mother—dark hair, pale skin, bright green eyes—it was clear the two had completely different personalities.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Holly asked, hoping to defuse the situation. Nicole wouldn’t be pleased if her clients were bickering when she arrived. “Coffee, tea, water?”
“I’ll take a nonfat latte,” Coraline said, her gaze on the photos on the walls. “With extra foam.”
“I’m so sorry. While we have an espresso machine, we don’t have a milk frother.” Holly braced herself for Coraline’s reaction.
The woman shot her a look of disbelief.
“Regular coffee will be fine for both of us,” Miranda said, giving her daughter a warning look. “With cream and sugar.”
Holly nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
She grabbed her phone off her desk and hurried to the small back kitchen, sending her boss a text.
They’re here and I’m serving them coffee.
Good. I hope to be there in ten minutes.
Oh, please God, let that be true. She poured both cups, placing them on saucers on a silver tray, along with a bowl of sugar cubes and a small pitcher of cream. Presentation was everything with their more p
restigious clients. With that in mind, Holly placed several chocolate biscotti on a small plate, then carried the tray out to the small client table in the corner where Miranda was sitting, her legs crossed and tucked to the side of the chair. She reeked of sophistication and class, and Holly felt way out of her league. She couldn’t even fathom having as much money as half her clients had, but she was really good at faking it.
Coraline was prowling the perimeter of the small office, although there wasn’t much for her to look at. She stopped, her attention drawn to a photo of the first wedding Holly had planned.
“This is quite lovely,” the bride-to-be murmured, leaning closer. “Was this one of Nicole’s weddings?”
Coraline was staring intently at the gorgeous photo, the sunlight catching on the fresh-fallen snow making it look like the field outside the botanical gardens’ chapel was strewn with tiny crystals. The red roses in the bouquets of the bride and her two bridesmaids were deep and rich. But it was the look on the bride and groom’s faces that always made Holly pause—so full of love and devotion. For a brief moment, Holly considered saying yes, but her pride wouldn’t let her. “No, that was a wedding I planned. It was a lovely day, which was a relief since I had less than two weeks to pull it together.”
Miranda turned to look at her with new interest. “Oh, really?”
Oh, crap. There was no way she wanted Coraline as a client. Not to mention Nicole would make her life a living hell. “Nicole and I planned it together, of course,” she amended.
Miranda stood and moved closer to the photo. “I saw this in the KC Weddings magazine. I don’t remember Nicole being listed as the planner.” She turned her attention to Holly. “What part of this wedding did you work on?”
It was difficult to deny something she was so proud of. “Almost all of it.”
“And you put this together in less than two weeks?” Miranda asked.
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