“Call me Nick. And you are?” he asked.
Heat burned across my cheeks as I realized I hadn’t even bothered to introduce myself to him when I came barging in. “Bryn. Bryn Stephens.”
“Good to meet you, Bryn. So, why is it you came to me exactly?” he asked.
“Because you’re basically my last hope,” I said, choosing honesty over smoothness. “A friend of a friend told me you are pretty ruthless when it comes to business. That’s exactly what I need. I am at the end of my rope here. That money was everything I had to build my future. It was my connection to my mother. And he stole it from me. Every cent of it. I can’t just let it go.”
Nick folded his hands on the desk in front of him and nodded, the look in his eyes thoughtful. I stayed quiet, wanting to see if what I’d heard from Trish was correct. She’d reassured me Nick Freeman was the guy I needed. He was fierce and smart and didn’t take crap from anyone. Considering that I had gotten into this mess because I had apparently taken too much crap from Justin, that characteristic was appreciated.
Letting Justin get away with what he did wasn’t an option for me. I didn’t know what I was going to do about it. The other investors I spoke with didn’t give me any hope at all. Even when they admitted what he did was shady beyond belief and also illegal, there was hesitation. It was like they could absolutely admit Justin did something very wrong and left me in a bind, but they didn’t see much hope in there being a resolution.
That was what brought me to Freeman Investments. I wanted an expert who would be able to look at exactly what happened and give me an honest, no-bull assessment of exactly what Justin did and what could be done about it. So, I sat and waited while Nick seemed to process through everything he told me. Finally, he gave a nod.
“Give me everything you have. All the information you found and anything else that might be applicable to the situation. Make sure you include the name of the investor he went to,” he said.
I reached down into the bag I put at my feet when I sat down and pulled out a manila folder. Setting it down on the desk in front of me, I slid it across to him. Leaning down like that brought my face close to the mug of coffee, and I inhaled a deep breath of the sweet fragrance. It smelled amazing, and I took a sip.
“Mmmmm, this is delicious,” I said.
I looked up and saw Nick with his hand on the folder, one eyebrow quirked up at me questioningly. I shrugged. “I hoped you would be able to help me, so I wanted to be ready. I brought the papers I found in his desk and everything else I was able to get from my bank. The information for the investor is in there.”
“Well, that definitely saves some time,” he said. “I’ll look over all of this and let you know what I find out.”
I stood and set the coffee mug down on the desk, extending my hand to him. “Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this. I put one of my cards in the folder so you can call me.”
“I don’t want to bother you at work. What are your hours?”
“I work from home,” I told him. “Web coding. You can get me anytime. I’m always available.”
Nick pulled the folder toward himself and opened it.
I stood there for a few seconds, waiting for him to make a comment about the papers, or just tell me when he might be getting in touch with me. He stayed buried in the folder, and after a few moments, I slipped out of the office.
My shoulders felt like a huge weight had been lifted off them when I headed back out to my car. I was still stressed and angry, but things were looking up. Nick was clearly the right guy. He had taken me seriously and was already digging through the information I gave him. It felt like if there was anybody who was going to be able to help me, it would be him.
I couldn’t wait to thank Trish.
Getting into my car, I took a few seconds to just breathe and try to calm down. All the emotions of what was going on and the meeting I just had suddenly crashed in on me.
Tears stung in my eyes, and my chest felt heavy. It was overwhelming and scary, but I also couldn’t stop going over the last conversation with Justin in my mind. He was so cold, so unfeeling. As soon as I called him out on his nonsense and pointed out I knew what he was doing, all the charm was gone. He stopped pretending to have any feelings for me or to want the future we’d been talking about.
He’d said I was stupid, and in so many ways, that’s how I felt. Not because I didn’t handle the money the way he thought I should have. As soon as I inherited it, I went over my options and thought about what I wanted to do. At the time, leaving it right where Mom put it, secure in the bank, was the best plan. There was no risk if it just sat there, and I was the only one with access to the account, so it was protected. At least, that was what I thought.
And that was the problem. I felt stupid because of how much trust and care I poured into Justin. The entire time we were together, I fawned on him. I worked hard and provided for myself, and when he realized that, he jumped right on the bandwagon. He fed me a line about wanting to follow his dreams and be an entrepreneur. He lured me into believing in the vision he built of our future. He’d get successful, and we’d have a beautiful, carefree life together.
I clung to that. Even as he moved into my house and didn’t contribute to the mortgage. Even as I covered the vast majority of the expenses while he limped along with filler jobs he promised were propping up his business. Even when he said he needed to take some time away from work so he could put laser focus on making his business happen. Through all of it, I believed in him. I supported and trusted him.
And he hung me out to dry.
That thought took away the sadness and replaced it with another surge of searing anger. I much preferred that. Anger was far better than sadness, and I could use that anger to push me through whatever needed to be done.
But now all there was to do was wait.
4
Nick
I read through the papers in the folder, trying to get an idea of what exactly had happened. The story Bryn gave seemed fairly straightforward, but I wanted the details. It wasn’t as simple as just clearing out an account and handing over all the money to someone, then it disappeared. That seemed to be the perception a lot of people had of investments. I blamed old TV shows and movies that depicted cluttered, paper-strewn trading floors, screaming investors, and those bleak calls when people found out every cent they had was gone.
That wasn’t how it actually played out. Her ex had certainly stolen the money from her but losing it in bad investments was trickier. This could go in several different directions, and if I was really going to help her, I needed to figure out what happened.
After going over the papers, I looked up to ask Bryn a question. She wasn’t standing there, and I realized she’d left. That was fine. I had her number and could get in touch with her if I really needed to. It would be better if I went over everything and got more information before I spoke to her again, anyway.
Putting the folder aside, I took out my phone to text Gabe. My business partner in the investment firm, Gabe was not just somebody I worked with, but also one of my closest friends. He had been out of the office for the last two weeks after his wife, Cynthia, got seriously injured in an accident. He needed to stay at home with her to help her recover and take care of their son.
Just checking in, I texted him. How is everybody?
It took far longer for him to respond than it did Lindsey earlier in the day. I was wading through my inbox and sifting things around to try to get my schedule for the next few days in order when he finally messaged me back.
He assured me that things were going well and that his wife was healing. I had been tempted to tell him about Bryn. It was an interesting situation I knew he would have liked to sink his teeth into if he was still at the office. But because of everything that was going on with him, I didn’t want him to worry about it. A side job wasn’t something he needed to have on his mind. I would leave him out of it unless it became a big thing I couldn’t unrave
l on my own.
As it was, he was still trying to keep up with some of his main clients from home. He had shifted the majority of his accounts over to me, so he didn’t have to think about them while he was on leave. A lot of the less intense work was being handled by junior members of the staff while I managed the more involved elements. But his longest-running clients wanted to deal with him and only him. Which left him scrambling trying to handle it all.
I felt for him. I wanted to do something for him even though I had no idea what would be helpful. Because that was the ongoing feeling and nothing else came to mind, I ordered him a massive amount of Chinese food to be delivered later that evening, then pre-ordered a pizza for a couple of days later. A basket of cookies, brownies, muffins, and fruit rounded out the care package.
That done, my eyes wandered back over to the folder. My curiosity almost got the best of me, but I set it aside. I had my own clients to deal with, and time was getting slim before the first meeting of the afternoon. I had to put the file away for after hours.
Just like I told Lindsey I would be, I ended up staying at the office a couple of hours late. She was already texting and calling to bug me when I was trying to wrap up the last work I was going to do for the day. Finally, I gave in and headed for Vince’s house.
Remy was sitting on the porch swing next to Vince when I pulled up. The sound of my tires on the driveway made him lift his head and turn toward the driveway. I got out and called to him.
“Hey, Remy.”
His face lit up when he heard my voice. “Nick!”
The little boy wriggled like he wanted to get down off the porch swing, but Vince held him back.
“No, buddy. You can’t get down. Remember your leg. You need to rest it,” my brother said.
Remy was recovering after a topple off the back porch of his father’s house resulted in a broken leg and sprained arm. It was a lot for a three-year-old to deal with. Even more frustrating for a blind three-year-old eager to explore the world around him.
“I want Nick,” Remy said.
I had to admit, that warmed my heart. Lindsey told me she often talked about me when she spent time with her son before she had more custody of him, so he had been hearing about me since he was born. I had only been a tangible part of his life for a short time, but we’d already formed a bond. It was amazing to see him connect so strongly with my brother and to also feel connected to him in a special way.
Vince smiled and scooped the little boy up. Arranging him so the leg protected by a cast wasn’t disturbed, he carried him down the steps to me. I took him into my arms for a hug.
“So, what’s for dinner tonight?” I asked.
“Mama made ‘a-sa-na’,” he told me, trying hard to say “lasagna.” “And garlic bread.”
His face screwed up, and he stuck his little tongue out in expression of his disgust toward garlic. I laughed.
“I love garlic bread,” I told him. “Maybe I’ll just eat all the extra.”
“Ewww, no kisses!” he said.
Vince cackled as we walked into the house. Lindsey poked her head out of the kitchen and gave us a questioning look. “What is that all about?”
“Nothing,” I grumbled.
Vince shook his head. “Your son is just too smart for his own good.”
I gave him a look but he just grinned.
“I’m glad you could join us tonight,” Lindsey said. “Though I don’t know why wouldn’t have been able to. Not like you’ve got a whole lot else going on.”
“And there it is,” I said, rolling my eyes and dropping down onto one of the stools at the kitchen island.
“What?” Lindsey asked as she took out the ingredients for a salad and slid them toward me with a cutting board and knife.
“You sound just like my mother,” I said.
“Well, Minnie is delightful, so I’m going to take that as a compliment,” she said with a grin.
“Yeah, she’s delightful until she starts poking and prodding about me not being in a relationship,” I said.
“She just wants you to be happy,” Lindsey said.
“Has anyone considered I’m happy just the way I am?”
“Your eyebrows doing their best to introduce your forehead to your nose isn’t making real convincing arguments for you,” Vince said, coming into the kitchen. “You look like something’s bothering you.”
“It was just a long day at work. Everything’s fine,” I said.
But the truth was, there was something on my mind. Throughout the rest of the night, it bothered me, constantly pricking in the back of my thoughts. I recognized the name of the investor when I skimmed through the file earlier, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was still on my mind when I got home after dinner with Vince, Lindsey, and Remy. Taking off my tie and grabbing a beer, I went to the living room to look over the file again.
I skimmed through the pages until I found the investor’s name and contact information again. Now that I was reading it over, the name clicked. It was the same guy who had applied to the firm where I got my start five years ago before branching off to start my own. He didn’t get the position then, and I never found out what went into that decision.
Maybe what got him looked over for the position could have something to do with what happened to Bryn’s money. It wasn’t a sure thing, but it might give me more insight. I could give my old boss a call to see if I could find out why he didn’t hire the guy. Checking the time, I realized it was too late to be making that phone call. I’d just give him a call the next day.
Feeling good about my next steps, I got in the shower to wash off the day and try to work some of the tension out of my muscles. Flopping onto my bed, I closed my eyes to try to steal as much sleep as I could from a night that already seemed too short before heading to work early in the morning. As tired as I was, I should have dropped right off to sleep. Instead, all I could think about was pretty brown eyes gazing at me filled with both sadness and fire.
5
Bryn
I was never one of those people who had a clear, firm idea about what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I was a little girl, everybody always asked me. Just like every other little child, when I was at school or when I encountered new adults who wanted to get to know me, that was a question I got asked over and over again.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Even when I was really young, it struck me as strange that everybody who heard that question immediately jumped to what type of career they wanted.
So far, the most significant step I had taken to accomplish my goals of financial independence was finding a job where I could work from home. It meant flexibility and freedom. It meant I could be at home and didn’t have to report at any specific time. As long as I got my work done and in by deadlines, that was all that mattered to my clients. That also turned out to be what sometimes made me question my choice. I had to do what needed to be done by the time it was expected, even if it was the very last thing I wanted to be doing.
That’s what I was dealing with that afternoon as I stared at my laptop screen. Freelancing from home was usually a good thing, but at that moment, I was still stewing so much in my anger, I couldn’t make myself focus. Sitting at home was the last thing I wanted to be doing. It made me think too much about Justin and everything he’d put me through. I wanted to be doing something, anything, that could distract me.
When I submitted the last project, I grabbed my keys and headed out.
I had been waiting to hear back from Nick Freeman for days now, and I had never been particularly good at waiting.
I shook my head as I drove away from the house. Maybe this was a bad idea. I didn’t even know if anything good was going to come out of it. It was entirely possible after all this Nick was just going to tell me the same thing as all the others. There was nothing he could do, and I just needed to call the police if I wanted to get something done. Maybe I should just let it go.
Drivin
g around aimlessly for a while brought me to a cute local park where I liked to walk. Strolling along the picturesque paths was a relaxing way to spend a few hours while waiting. At least I wasn’t looking at the same walls or giving in to my compulsion to pace.
It was getting late in the afternoon when my stomach started to rumble. Stopping at one of the little outside markets that dotted the park, I ordered a sandwich and fruit salad and brought it over to a tree to eat. When my lunch was done, I tossed my trash and headed home feeling that at least some of the edge was gone. As I walked into the house and contemplated throwing in a load of laundry, my phone rang. I fumbled around trying to pull it out of my pocket. When I finally did, I saw Nick’s name pop up on the screen.
Excitement fluttered in my stomach at the sight of the name. Possibly a bit more excitement than was really warranted.
“Hello?” I said.
“Bryn? This is Nick Freeman,” he said.
“Hi, Nick,” I said. “How are you?”
It was a perfectly acceptable question, yet it made me cringe.
“Doing fine. I wanted to talk to you about a couple things,” he said.
“Alright,” I said, gathering up clothes from the hamper so I had something to do with my hands. “Go ahead.”
“Actually, I’d rather not talk over the phone. Do you think you could meet me tonight?” he asked.
I paused, my hands still in the hamper and my head pressing my phone to my shoulder. He couldn’t see me, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull my bra out while talking to him. Particularly after he just asked me to meet up with him. It was business. It was definitely just business
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