by Croix, J. H.
“Chad, it’s not going to happen. No dinner. Please don’t call me again,” she said firmly and hung up the phone without waiting for his response.
Tess was irritated with Chad’s call and aggravated that his intrusion flustered her. It didn’t surprise her that he was oblivious enough to think that she might consider dinner with him, but it elicited lingering feelings of shame because she still couldn’t believe how long it had taken her to see him for who he was. It puzzled her that he was trying to reconnect after all this time, but she shook off the sense of unease his call brought with it.
Time passed slowly and quickly in the weeks after her return from Alaska. She missed Nathan, and his calls were the highlight of every day. And yet, she was mired in indecision. She couldn’t quite bring herself to seriously consider moving, while she couldn’t imagine Nathan being anywhere other than Diamond Creek. The distance played games with her confidence. She started to doubt that he could actually love her and wonder if he’d gradually stop calling when time and distance dulled the memory of her.
At dinner with her friend, Deanna, Tess tried to explain why she wasn’t sure what to do.
Deanna stared at her incredulously. “You mean to tell me you had a hot fling with a sexy guy from Alaska, he told you he loved you and wants you to move there and you’re not sure what to do?”
Deanna took a swig of beer and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Deanna had been a friend since childhood. They’d grown up in New Bern together. While Tess had attended college in Maryland, Deanna had gone to college in Florida for, as she put it, sunshine, surfers and scuba diving. She’d gone on to get a doctorate in biology and ended up in Greenville after she got a faculty position at East Carolina University. On top of being one of the most intelligent people Tess knew, Deanna was a rock solid friend and beautiful. She had straight glossy hair of a rich brown color with bright gray eyes. She wore little makeup, save for red lipstick that stood out in contrast to her dark hair. She was average height with an athletic build. She was outspoken and blunt with her friends and somewhat reserved with strangers. She claimed she was too busy for relationships, but she was usually dating someone, albeit casually.
Deanna became impatient at Tess’s lack of response. “What? Nothing to say? I’ll miss you, you’re one of my best friends, but don’t be stupid. Greenville’s a nice place to be, but let’s face it: it’s not like you have some amazing reason to stay. You’re a rock star fundraiser, but not because of where you live. You’ve worked your butt off and have contacts from here to D.C. You can take your work with you. Your parents are close by and that’s great, but they’ll come visit you. Have some adventure girl, go,” she said firmly.
“Deanna! It’s not that easy to just get up and go. Plus, I only knew Nathan for a few weeks. What if I move all the way out there and it blows up in my face?”
Deanna gave her a long look. “Then you’ll have a great story. Tess, listen. I watched you disappear into that shitty relationship with Chad. I tried to be a good friend and just be there for you. Now that it’s over, let me just say it. Thank fucking god. Take a chance. I’ll help you pack,” she said matter-of-factly. She took another swig of beer and a few bites of the steak she’d ordered.
“You’re as bad as my mom. Not to mention that you haven’t even met Nathan,” Tess said.
Deanna shrugged. “No, I haven’t met him, but I have a good feeling.”
When Tess rolled her eyes, Deanna chuckled. “Look, if you’re mom likes him, he’s got to be a good guy. She’s pretty protective and damn opinionated. I don’t always agree with your mom, but if she’s telling you to get your butt to Alaska, then we’re on the same page on this one. I also think you need to shake your life up a bit.”
Tess bit back a laugh. Deanna was nothing if not direct. She took a sip of wine before replying. “You know Mom, she’s all about happily ever after. She thinks Nathan is perfect for me. Plus, she’s been worried ever since the whole thing blew up with Chad.”
“Sometimes a blow up is a good thing and that was,” Deanna said emphatically. “Let me say it another way. Hot guy. Nice. Loves you. Alaska. Go for it!”
Tess gave up and laughed. Deanna wasn’t the friend to let her dawdle. She challenged her. Tess just had to figure out if she was up for the challenge.
***
Tess smoothed the front her lightweight black slacks and adjusted the collar on the silky cream blouse she wore. She was at a dinner fundraiser for the local hospital. She’s been the lead organizer for the dinner, so she was in full ‘on’ mode tonight and dressed the part, sleek and professional. She touched up her light pink lipstick, and left the restroom, the kitten heels of her black pumps tapping the floor. She entered a crush of people in the ballroom at the convention hotel. Tess had worked on this fundraiser for a solid six months and her work had paid off. The dinner was five hundred dollars per attendee with a collection of donated artwork up for auction at the end of the dinner. The dinner had sold out before Tess had left for the family trip to Alaska. Since her return, she’d managed to procure additional artwork to auction.
As she threaded her way through the crowd, she felt a tug on her elbow. Turning, she found herself looking into Chad’s brown eyes. Startled, she carefully slipped her elbow out of his grasp, aware that they were surrounded by people and conscious of the need to avoid making social waves. She had no idea why Chad was here, but she wasn’t about to let that be known. Plastering a polite smile on her face, she greeted him. “Hi Chad.” She stepped back as much as she could in the tight crowd. Chad stepped closer just as she backed away, erasing what little distance she’d created.
“Hey Tess, so good to see you,” Chad replied, slipping his hand through the crook of her arm. He smoothly began moving, pulling her along with him.
“Chad, what are you doing here?” Tess asked, her voice low.
“I wanted to see you, and I knew you’d be here,” he said simply.
She glanced up at his profile. His expression was flat. His blonde hair was carefully gelled in place. He wore a black suit. She knew he’d spent much more time than most men would checking himself in the mirror time and again. Events like this were candy for Chad. He viewed them as a chance to see and be seen. Tess resisted the urge to wrest her arm free of his clasp. He held her arm firmly, walking her over to the edge of the ballroom by an alcove that led to the kitchen.
Tess quickly turned, giving her arm enough of a yank that she freed it and could step away from him. “Look, I told you I didn’t want to see you and I meant it,” she said, her voice rising with annoyance. She carefully took a deep breath, reminding herself she needed to stay calm.
Chad didn’t respond—it was as if she hadn’t spoken. He was looking over the ballroom. She considered walking away, but guessed that he’d follow. The prickle of unease she’d felt after he’d called her returned with force. He finally turned to her.
“Here’s the thing Tess. Some issues came up at work. I need you to help me out.”
Tess looked at him, incredulous. “You need me to help you out? Why would you think I’d do that and why me?”
“I need your connections.” Chad held her gaze and shrugged. “I tried to do this the nice way, but you’re playing hardball, so I will too. I figure you’ll help me because the last you want is me talking about how you had a meltdown after your miscarriage and our break up. Won’t take much, just a little gossip. All I need is for you to attend a few dinners with me and make nice with the higher ups at the hospital.”
Tess’s mind whirred in confusion and anger. She knew if she kept pushing, Chad would be less likely to tell her what was going on. She was furious, so angry she could barely look at him. She stared blindly out over the ballroom. Much as she wished she could convince herself he was bluffing about what he would do if she didn’t help him, she knew he would. If she’d learned one thing about Chad, it was that his primary focus was himself. He did what he needed to do to keep his image intact. Wha
tever had happened, he needed to create the impression that they were on good terms and as he’d so bluntly put it, to use her connections. It made her sick to do that. Her professional connections were nurtured and legitimate. She hated that he’d try to capitalize on that.
Much as she wanted to just walk away, Tess knew that might lead to a scene, and Chad had a strained quality to him. Keeping her eyes focused on the crowd, she spoke through tight lips. “You’re an asshole. Did I forget to tell you that when we broke up?” she asked, a bite to her tone. “I don’t want to help you. Isn’t there someone else you can ask? You’re the one who’s so damn proud of your social connections.”
“Don’t have time to find another option. Play nice with me tonight and the next dinner is after the hospital’s annual golf tournament. It’s not like you don’t know that, you organize it every year.”
Tess nodded tightly. “I’ll play nice for tonight because you know damn well I can’t make a scene here. I’ll think about the golf tournament. You can’t threaten me like this Chad,” she said angrily, her heart beating rapidly, a crushing sense of shame washing over her that he’d put her in this position and that she’d stayed with him long enough to give him this kind of ammunition. She fought to keep her composure. She figured she could stall on the golf tournament dinner and maybe find out what was behind this and then put a stop to it.
Chad nodded abruptly and started to walk away, not before he leaned over a placed a kiss on her cheek. His lips felt dry and cold. Nausea rose inside her at his touch. “I’ll be making the rounds. I’ll come find you here and there,” he said, before finally walking away.
Tess stepped quickly to the door to the kitchen and slipped through it. The kitchen was in full swing, chefs, line cooks, waiters and waitresses all in motion. No one noticed her. She briskly walked to the back where there was a private bathroom. Closing the door, she breathed a sigh of relief in the quiet room. Dampening a tissue, she carefully wiped her hot and flushed face. Leaning her hips against the sink, she waited in the quiet until her heartbeat slowed, the muted sounds of the crowd filtering through the door.
***
A few days later, Tess carefully scanned her computer screen, reviewing some numbers her brother had sent her. After her run in with Chad the other night, she’d called Simon and asked for his help. Among his other talents, Simon was a forensic accountant with the ability to ferret out irregularities and dive down rabbit holes to the end of a trail of numbers. He was very, very good at discovering when money was being shifted where it shouldn’t be. Given that the accounting firm Chad worked for managed the hospital’s accounts, Tess had a suspicion something had gone awry and Chad was responsible.
When she’d first started dating Chad, Simon had known of him through shared professional connections in the accounting world. He’d later told her that he’d been worried from the start since Chad had a reputation for playing the field and seeking out women solely based on their social connections. While Tess didn’t view herself that way, she was well-connected in the professional world of eastern North Carolina and up to Washington, D.C. due to her reputation for being an excellent fundraiser. She bridged many fields in her work. Simon had worried that Chad was only after her for her connections but had hoped for the best on her behalf. When she called about what happened at the fundraiser, after Simon finished swearing, he promised her he’d find out what was behind Chad’s threat.
Tess had made it through the rest of the fundraiser the other night on sheer will, fixing a polite smile on her face and gritting her way through her encounters with Chad. He’d clearly wanted to make it seem as if they were back together by seeking her out repeatedly, making small talk with anyone near her, often resting his hand on her back and forcing her to tolerate a few more kisses on her cheek.
Tess figured she had a solid two weeks before the golf tournament dinner to find out what lay behind Chad’s maneuvers. If she could get to the bottom of it, she could get out from under his threat. She’d avoided Nathan’s call last night just because hearing his voice hurt right now. Chad’s reappearance in her life tore the scabs off the wounds she’d thought had finally healed. Chad elicited those old familiar feelings of doubts about her judgment in men, her attractiveness, and that lingering sense of shame about not seeing Chad for who he was and being stupid enough to stay with him even when it became more and more obvious that he was a complete jerk. She hated that Chad would publicize her miscarriage and make it seem as if he’d been the one to end their relationship, rather than the other way around. Not that she thought she needed to hide what happened, but she didn’t want to have to deal with the type of insidious gossip that Chad would spread.
Nathan had left her another message after she’d ignored his first call. For a moment, she let herself picture him: those blue eyes in his masculine, sculpted face, those dark curls, always half mussed and those dimples every time he smiled. She could use one of his smiles today. For a moment, she pictured Chad and couldn’t believe she’d ever thought him attractive. While he was attractive in an objective sense, his looks were superficial. Blonde hair, brown eyes, cultivated tan and athletic build – athletic only because he spent long hours at the gym, not because he came by the build naturally. Tess laughed to herself, considering whether Nathan had ever been to a gym. She seriously doubted it. Nathan’s lanky, muscled build came from an active life.
Her cell phone vibrated on her desk. A quick glance and she saw it was Simon. “Hey Simon. Just got your email.”
“Thought I’d just call and explain.”
“Go for it.”
“Long story short, looks like someone at the accounting firm where Chad works has been siphoning off money into an account that definitely doesn’t belong to the hospital,” Simon said.
“Seriously?!”
Tess heard Simon sigh. “Seriously, Tess. My guess is Chad. The account name is encrypted, so I can’t see that data. I’m thinking we ask dad to check with his buddy, Norm Waters, at First Citizens Bank because that’s where the account is held. Once we can identify that the account belongs to Chad, I say we turn him in.”
Norm Waters was a longtime friend of their father’s. They’d met in college and had been friends since then. Norm had lived in various towns around North Carolina as he moved his way up the chain in the bank, eventually landing in New Bern as the president of the local branch. Tess knew he’d be happy to help, but that meant asking her father, which meant her mother would find out, which meant lots of questions. She sighed.
“There’s no other way to get the name on the account?” Tess asked Simon.
“I know the last thing you want is to involve dad because that means involving mom. Without some help from the bank, I’m not sure how we can get that name. I may be good at chasing down hidden accounts, but I’m not a computer encryption expert.”
“I know…you’ve done more than enough already. I just hate getting mom and dad involved. Maybe I should just let it go. I’m sure I just have to get through a few more public functions and that should be enough.”
“Tess, get a clue here. If Chad has been funneling money to a side account from the hospital and someone there is on his trail, he’s got to cover his tracks and make himself look real good to keep people distracted. This won’t go away.”
Tess heard the thread of irritation in Simon’s voice. He’d been overprotective ever since she’d broken up with Chad. It wouldn’t sit well with him if she just let this go. She knew he was right, she was just so infuriated with Chad. To think she’d once thought she might marry a man who’d been illegally stealing funds from a non-profit hospital.
“I know you’re right, Simon. I don’t have to like it though. Should I call dad about Norm or should you?”
Simon chuckled. “That’s not the question. It’s who’s gonna tell mom first. If it’s me, she’s just gonna be annoyed you didn’t call her the minute the hospital fundraiser was over.”
“Have I mentioned that I hate
it when you’re right?” Tess asked.
“Many times. Hope it helps that I don’t want to be right about this. Chad is an ass and I’m pissed as hell that he’s dragged you into this. Much as I’d like to beat the crap out of him, let’s play these cards right and make sure he’s held accountable.”
For the first time in days, Tess felt a release of the pressure she’d been under. She knew Simon would make sure Chad was held accountable. What she didn’t know was what Chad would do.
“Alright, I’ll call mom. I’m due for a dinner with her anyway. It’ll be better if I tell her in person. Once I’ve talked to her, I’ll talk to dad and ask him to call Norm.” Tess paused and took a breath. “Thanks Simon. I knew you’d help, but I didn’t know what we were looking for. I still can’t believe I didn’t see Chad for who he was.”
“Happy to help. And more than happy to make sure Chad gets to squirm on this one. Stop beating yourself up over him anyway. It’s not like I have the best judgment in women,” Simon said wryly.
Tess thought of Simon’s ex-wife for a moment. Meredith had been Simon’s college sweetheart. She was blonde and beautiful, always perfectly put together. She was also from a wealthy business family in South Carolina and the southern version of a high-society socialite. To this day, Tess wasn’t sure what Simon had seen in her, but he’d fallen for her superficial act. Once they’d married, Tess had watched Simon bend over backwards trying to keep Meredith happy, when keeping her happy was clearly impossible. Tess figured they would have divorced soon if Meredith hadn’t gotten pregnant. Not long after Jordan had been born, Meredith’s casual drinking became much more than that. When Jordan was two years old, Simon had filed for divorce. Meredith hadn’t even attempted to get custody and only rarely visited Jordan after moving back to her hometown in South Carolina. Simon had barely dated since the divorce, focusing his energy on being a damn good single father.