“Dad wants us to keep his sugar mama happy. Short of letting her lop off our limbs, he’s not going to interfere. So unless you’re in love with your lady friend, I suggest you toe the line.”
“And if I am?”
“If you’re what?”
“Falling in love.”
Brooke blinked several times before throwing her napkin down.
Jess sighed as she watched Brooke thread her way through the tables and out the front door. Brooke’s way of processing sensitive information while in a public place was to walk. In private, Brooke had no qualms about raising her voice. When others were around, however, she channeled her discomfort into her stride. Minutes later, Jess received a text from Brooke demanding Jess meet her outside. Jess refolded her napkin and motioned the waitress over. She slipped the woman a fifty-dollar bill. “If we’re not back in fifteen minutes, please seat the next patrons.”
From the entrance, Jess glanced right and left. The area was full of boutiques and restaurants that catered to the well-to-do. Strands of tiny white lights reminiscent of Christmas-tree decorations adorned the trees along the walkway.
Suddenly Brooke was at her elbow, propelling her down the sidewalk. “Tell me you’re not doing this to win Muriel’s business.”
“I’m not.”
“Does Chad know?”
“Since you do, he might. But unless he sees the possibility of a threesome, he won’t care. Still, I’ll talk to him.”
“Is it the intern?”
“It is.”
“God damn it, Jess.”
Jess pulled them to a stop. “If you’re going to berate me, please just get it over with. I don’t need you to draw it out.”
“I don’t understand this. You never do anything to rock the boat. That’s my job.”
“Consider it my gift to you.”
“Lilith’s going to flip.”
“I imagine,” Jess said.
Brooke stared at her. “She’s called a family dinner for Friday. I assume you heard?”
“Yes.” When something threatened the family, as determined solely by Lilith, she called them together to address the matter. This resulted in everyone capitulating to Lilith, with the possible exception of Brooke, the lone loose cannon.
“She’ll insist you stop seeing her.”
“That’s my guess.”
Brooke shook her head in disbelief. “And will you?”
“Not if I can help it. And I’d appreciate it if you’d stop staring at me. I’m the same person I’ve always been.”
Brooke shook her head again, and this time a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She turned them around and headed back toward the restaurant. “No, you’re not. And if you’re going to be the target of Lilith’s ire, I’m getting a front-row seat.”
Jess stopped again. “Wait a second. You’re not going to tell me I’m crazy?”
“You’re crazy all right. Taking on Lilith is a death wish. But if she kicks you out of the will, Gary and I split your share. I say bring it on.”
“I appreciate the support,” Jess said wryly. Jess could rarely tell how seriously to take Brooke, who often said things merely to get a rise out of someone. There was no doubt Brooke would be happy to have Jess’s share of the Spaulding fortune, but Jess hoped it wouldn’t be at the expense of her place in the family.
Once again seated at their table, Brooke said, “Tell me what it’s like to kiss that hot woman of yours. Spare no detail.”
At least Jess would enjoy the subject.
*
TJ stared at the screen. She was fairly adept with databases and spreadsheets, but the numbers either didn’t make sense or were dead ends.
The client database was mostly as expected, accessed via one of the two main paths provided by the software: Clients and Investments. From within the Clients section, a user could search by first or last name or company name. Once the client account was onscreen, there were various tabs she could click into for additional information: Portfolio, Profile, and Statements. The Portfolio tab showed the positions held by the client. The Profile tab showed detailed client information such as address and social-security or employer-identification number, and the referring client, if any. TJ wondered whether Jess had this referral data in a separate place since referrals was a marketing field, and Jess had mentioned she didn’t access the client database.
In fact, Gary didn’t seem to access it either, which was odd. After attempting to log in with the information Jess had provided and getting up to Shadow3, she was successful. The guilt she felt for using someone else’s credentials turned to concern when she saw that the last time the records were accessed was over six months ago. What did Gary do all day? And wouldn’t he notice the next time he did sign in that someone had done so as him more recently?
The Statements tab showed the statements, but unlike her online-banking and credit-card sites, they were haphazard, not covering a consistent time period such as a month. Nor did they provide a running balance or provide the investment-return percentage. And some clients didn’t have any statements.
The Portfolio tab was straightforward: a row for cash and one for Magnate Fund. When she clicked into cash, she saw deposits and redemptions, all of which were transferred into and out of the Magnate Fund. When she clicked into the Magnate Fund, she saw the same cash transactions.
Where was the data on the Magnate Fund? And why didn’t any of Magnate’s clients have outside investments?
TJ had taken enough finance courses to understand the basics of investing. One such tenet was diversification. It seemed all the firm’s clients were invested in the Magnate Fund, which wasn’t publicly traded. Perhaps they were diversified elsewhere and had chosen the firm to specifically be invested in the fund? That made sense. Multiple financial advisors across the globe probably serviced Magnate’s clientele. People like Muriel Manchester would surely not entrust all their cash reserves to one institution.
The Investments section was a compendium of resources that accessed all manner of stock-market data such as trading, research, and news, but TJ saw no clear path as to how it intersected with the Magnate Fund. Since she didn’t have anyone at the firm to ask for help besides Jess, she needed to figure things out for herself. How well would it go over with Derrick Spaulding that his intern had decided to adhere to the original assignment rather than be taken off course to write about marketing? Then again, he likely had no idea anyone was even interning at his firm. Besides, if she could figure out in layman’s terms how the firm did what it did, the case study might help yield additional clients who would hear about it through academic circles.
The thought of a new sales vertical to target brought Jess to mind, causing TJ to smile. Another avenue for Jess to market to and use that kick-ass brain of hers on. Her smile turned to a frown as she contemplated Derrick’s accedence to his wife’s wishes. She couldn’t imagine telling Kara to tone down her intelligence for any reason, but especially for finding a spouse. Spouses were supposed to lift each other up and inspire each other to be better people. And parents? What kind of father found it acceptable to allow his daughter to be shaped into a role beneath her capabilities?
She might have promised not to divulge Jess’s secret, but no way was she was going to remain silent when she was in Jess’s presence.
Chapter Seventeen
Jess slid into the booth across from TJ and eyed her surroundings skeptically. For this date, TJ had navigated them to a place called Joe’s Tavern, a converted barn that included straw on the floor as part of the decor, and Jess wasn’t thrilled with the idea of eating in a place that had once housed animals. And their loo.
A waitress promptly appeared and asked for their drink orders. When Jess ordered a glass of Chardonnay, the waitress laughed. “Darlin’, we’ve got beer, beer, or beer.” She flipped Jess’s menu over. “One hundred kinds of bottles from all over the world. And this here’s what we got on tap.” She glanced at TJ. “Help her out,
sugar. Back in a few.”
“They serve beer but not wine?” Jess asked.
“Unless you like your wine from a box, be grateful they don’t offer it,” TJ said. “Besides, we’re not here for the beverages.”
“They’re known for their food?” Jess couldn’t fathom eating off this water-stained table.
At that moment, the array of TV screens hanging from the tavern ceiling flickered on. “Time for Trivia Tuesday!” popped onscreen.
TJ grabbed the electronic tablet attached to the table.
“What? We’re playing?” Jess asked.
“You bet. We need a name for our team.”
Jess rolled her eyes.
“Okay, the Eye-Rollers it is.” TJ typed into the keypad.
“Wait. That’s not a name.”
“In and confirmed. Now, pick a beer and get ready to win.”
“I’m terrible at trivia.”
“Then just sit there and look sexy while I answer all the questions.” TJ winked as she delivered Jess’s words back to her from their night at GU.
They ordered their drinks and listened as an announcer explained how Trivia Tuesdays worked, which was a version of the TV show Jeopardy. The top three teams received food and beverage coupons, and top prize was a fifty-dollar gift certificate.
Four-Letter Words, Sports, Food, Physics, Geography, and Authors made up the initial categories.
“Try to keep up,” TJ said as the game got under way.
Jess quietly observed as TJ held her own through the first set of clues. As the game progressed, cheers, jeers, and laughter filled the tavern. Jess had to admit it was becoming harder to be the odd man out, especially when TJ would shake her head at a clue and say, “Hit me,” trying to solicit input from Jess. It was so utterly ridiculous that Jess found herself starting to enjoy the evening despite her misgivings.
TJ correctly answered all five Geography questions, but was fairly uninspired when it came to Food. Jess found it ironic that TJ could know the highest point in Europe but not the answer to: Carbonnade is a Belgian beef stew made with this alcoholic brew. After all, the place only served beer.
Finally Jess could contain herself no longer when TJ balked at the clue: These edible fungi thrive in chalky soil, and the best are the perigord variety. “What are truffles?” Jess said, and TJ quickly wrote the answer into the tablet. It was correct, and when TJ beamed at her, all remaining excuses vanished.
“Now we’re talking,” TJ said.
Together they’d moved up to third place by the end of the game. Jess’s competitive juices were in full swing, lubricated by beer. She was on her second by the time of the first break between games.
“How are you so good at this?” Jess asked, amazed by how much trivia TJ knew.
“Mom and I watched a lot of game shows and played Trivial Pursuit until the cards were dog-eared and faded. When it comes to knowing useless information, I excel.”
“Did you bring me here to impress me with your skill set? Because it’s working.”
“I did. I thought if you were on the fence about me, all it would take to push you over the edge is to show you I know that the Pacific halibut can grow to more than eight feet long and the tallest mountain range in the Western hemisphere is Argentina’s Cerro Aconcagua.”
“Wow. I feel like I’ve won the lottery,” Jess said.
“So, an ordinary day for you then?” TJ asked, offering a teasing smile.
Jess reached across the table and took TJ’s hand in hers. “I’m beginning to think no day with you is ordinary.”
“Jessica Spaulding, you say the sweetest things.”
“You make me feel them.” Jess realized the truth of that simple statement. Her feelings for TJ were turning her as maudlin as the Hallmark Channel’s programming. My God, what was next? Nicholas Sparks novels? The idea caused her to burst with laughter.
“Care to share?” TJ asked.
Jess shook her head and squeezed TJ’s hand. “Too embarrassing.” But really, what was embarrassing about feeling happy and special? She shrugged shyly and tucked her hands into her lap. “I kind of like you a little is all.”
TJ grinned. “Back atcha.”
The announcer signaled the start of the next game. The categories were well within TJ’s purview, and she again excelled. However, it was Jess who cruised them through Mathematics. She hit a Daily Double by answering “helix” to a clue, which prompted TJ to commandeer it as the name of her first cat. Then, feeling giddy from the alcohol, Jess told TJ to go all in once they learned the Final Jeopardy category was Scientists. With her response, “Who is Kepler?” to a clue about laws of planetary motion, the Eye-Rollers were in second place.
By the time they awaited the start of the final game, TJ and Jess were side by side in the booth, having shared their precious real estate with another couple, Jim and Karen, who took the bench opposite. Patrons stuffed the bar to the gills. Those that couldn’t play due to a finite number of electronic tablets cheered for the nearest team and shouted unsolicited answers in a display of camaraderie.
Jess’s third beer arrived before she’d placed the order. When the waitress nodded to the gentleman who’d paid for it, Jess held up the bottle, gave him a nod of thanks, and slung her arm across TJ’s shoulders.
“Would you mind driving home tonight?” Jess asked.
“Not at all.” TJ was still nursing her first beer, and now that it was probably warm, Jess didn’t expect her to finish it.
“I’m having fun,” Jess said before kissing TJ on the cheek.
TJ raised her chin toward Jess’s bottle. “I noticed.”
Suddenly Jess’s chest constricted. “Is it okay? I don’t want you to think, with your mom, that I…” She pushed the bottle away. “I don’t need to—”
“Stop,” TJ said with a squeeze to Jess’s thigh. “It’s fine.” She slid the bottle back in front of Jess. “I’m glad you’re letting loose and enjoying yourself.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. Just make sure it’s me who takes you home and not your new friend.” TJ tilted her head toward Jess’s suitor.
“You’re the only one I want to go home with,” Jess said as she slid her hand over TJ’s.
They stared at each other, grinning like fools, when someone snapped in their faces.
“Hey hey hey,” Jim said. “You in? Or you gettin’ a room?”
“We’re in,” TJ said before turning to Jess. “Unlike real Jeopardy, whoever’s in first place after this round gets to select the final category.”
“Then we’d better win,” Jess said.
And win they did. Luckily Jim was a nurse, so he got them through Medicine. Karen knew her kings and queens as well as some famous quotes. TJ remained the anchor, dominating American Literature and Presidents, and together they limped through World Religion. The Eye-Rollers took first place.
The tablet at their table lit up, indicating they needed to select the category for the final three teams. TJ scrolled through the drop-down menu until she reached Mathematics. Before she hit the button to confirm her selection, Jess stopped her.
“What are you doing?” Jess asked.
“Choosing the category to win us tonight’s tournament.”
“But you said it’s one of your weakest categories.”
“It’s your best.”
“No, no, no. Don’t put this on me. I’ll lose everything.”
TJ chuckled. “We’re talking about a gift certificate. That’s hardly losing everything.”
“You know what I mean. You guys are killing it. Pick—I don’t know—Literature or Authors, or…” Jess pointed to Jim and Karen. “Medicine. Royalty.”
TJ appealed to them. “You guys okay with math?”
Jim held up the coupons the waitress dropped off at the table. “Yep. Your call. We’re already way ahead of how we were doing on our own.” Karen nodded her agreement.
“Math it is.” TJ clicked the confirm button.
As soon as the category came onscreen, the crowd oohed. Math was apparently considered more challenging than most. TJ hid what she wagered on behalf of the team and squeezed Jess’s thigh. “Jim, Karen, and I are here too. It’s not all on you.”
Clue: He never revealed the proof of his last theorem but only hinted at it in a margin note.
“No idea,” TJ said.
Jim agreed. “I got nuthin’. Babe?”
Karen looked dumbstruck.
TJ turned to Jess. “They’re not always this hard. Don’t let it get to you.”
Pulling the tablet closer, Jess keyed in her reply and quickly hit the confirmation button to thwart prying eyes.
TJ stared at the completely black screen for several seconds before meeting Jess’s eyes. “You know this?”
Jess shrugged. She’d studied the mathematician in eighth grade when her fellow students were learning basic algebra and geometry. She focused her attention on the closest TV.
Erring with Pascal and Descartes, the third- and second-place teams managed to remain in positive dollar territory, meaning the entire game came down to Jess’s answer.
TJ squeezed her hand in a show of solidarity.
The Eye-Rollers’ bet flashed above—the entire $18,500 balance.
The announcer said, “Ladies and gentlemen. The Eye-Rollers’ answer is…” Who is Pierre de Fermat? flashed onscreen. Seconds ticked by, ratcheting up the anticipation of the crowd and causing Jess to squirm in her seat. “Correct!”
A large green check mark lit up the screens throughout the bar. “With the fourth-largest grand total in the history of Joe’s Tavern Trivia, with a score of $37,000, give it up for the Eye-Rollers!” Vegas-sounding electronic bells rang out and the crowd cheered.
Before Jess could process the announcement, TJ threw her arms around her. “I knew you could do it.”
Jim and Karen joined in an awkward group hug, and soon after they headed for Jess’s car.
For Money or Love Page 19