by Ellie Wade
“He was the best,” Nate says.
“He was,” I agree. “You know we have a little girl?” I stand and walk over to my desk to retrieve a framed picture of Love. I hand it to Nate. “He never met her, but she looks just like him, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does,” Nate says in awe. “She’s beautiful, Alma.”
“Thank you.” I smile toward the photo in my hand, utter infatuation radiating from me. I’m so in love with this little girl. I put the picture back on my desk. “So tell me about you. What are you up to? What brings you back to Michigan?”
Nate and I chat for over an hour about his life in Florida and reminisce about Leo. It’s therapy for my soul. The stress over my growing to-do list has vanished.
“Before you leave, let me take you by June’s office. She can set you up with a scholarship to help with college,” I tell him.
“It’s not necessary, Alma. I qualified for loans. I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will, but please let us help. The funds are there, and you are more than deserving. I insist. I’m so proud of you, Nate. You don’t even know how much your visit has meant to me today. Thank you.”
We step out of my office and walk toward June’s door.
“You all saved me, Alma—you, Leo, this place.”
I take Nate’s hand in mine and squeeze. “You saved yourself, Nate. We just gave you the tools.”
“June.” I tap my knuckles against her door before pushing it open. “This is my dear friend, Nate. He is one of our first success stories. I’d like to get him set up with some scholarships, please, as much as we can.”
“Sure thing! Come on in, Nate.” June stands from her desk to greet him.
“Make sure to stop by next time you’re in town, and the best of luck in college. You will do amazing things, Nate Jackson. I believe in you,” I say to Nate before hugging him tight.
“Thank you, Alma, for everything.”
I leave Nate in June’s capable hands and make my way back to my office to tackle my day, feeling like I can conquer the world.
After just one email into my world conquering, and my door swings open. A winded Eduardo swiftly shuts it behind him, a large folder in his grasp. “We need to talk,” he whispers, his dark eyes darting from side to side as if he’s reassuring himself we’re alone. Eduardo has always had a flair for the dramatic. It’s one of my favorite things about him.
“Oooh, this sounds serious,” I tease.
“It is,” he says flatly with no trace of a smile. This gets my attention, and I click out of my email.
Standing, I walk around my desk and motion for him to sit beside me on the couch. “What’s going on?”
“Well, it started when I went looking for the invoice for that one bouncy house place that we used last year for the spring carnival. They were really great. Remember? I couldn’t find their name or contact info, so I went looking for the original bill. When I was looking through the files, a few things didn’t add up. I didn’t want to alarm you or bring attention to the situation before I knew for sure, so I’ve been doing some digging. I had to be very careful so that I wouldn’t arouse suspicion and cause a certain someone to cover her tracks. That’s why I’ve been working late this past week, so I could have the building to myself.”
I halt his thought process. “Eduardo, spit it out. I’m going crazy here,” I say.
He inhales and releases an audible exhale. “Alivia is stealing from us.”
“What do you mean?” My brows furrow.
“I mean, she’s stolen at minimum two hundred thousand dollars from this place.”
“How do you know? That can’t be. She’s been with us from the very beginning,” I protest.
Alivia has been head of finance since we opened. She is a trusted friend and colleague. I’m having a difficult time wrapping my mind around Eduardo’s accusations.
“I know, and I’m sorry, but I’m a hundred percent certain. I made sure I had all of the documentation ready before I brought this to you. I have copies of everything. I’ve only gone back a year and a half, so more than likely, it’s probably even more. I don’t know when she started.”
“Okay, let me see.” I nod toward the thick file in his hands.
He takes me through the documentation, and it’s blaringly obvious that Alivia has been skimming from the funds with fake invoices for a long time. “I can’t believe she did this.” I shake my head. “This is a charity, for goodness' sake. She’s stealing from kids! Does she have no heart? How did I miss this?”
“This isn’t your fault, Alma. You’re doing the job of ten people. You can’t be everywhere all the time. You trusted Alivia to handle the money and thought she was. You had no reason to investigate. Plus, the way she did it was very crafty. She knew what she was doing.”
“Ugh.” I slump against the back of the couch. “This makes me sick.”
“What should we do?” he asks, looking at me for answers.
“Don’t do anything yet. Just act normal. I’m going to consult with legal and see what the next steps should be. I’m thinking I’ll get legal and a tech team in here after close tonight to see if they find anything else on her computer or in the rest of the files. I don’t want her to think anything is amiss and get rid of any evidence, so be nice today.” I hold Eduardo’s stare. “Can you do that?”
He waves his hand through the air, rolling his eyes. “I’ve been nothing but cheerful with that thief for a week. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” I nod. “I guess I have some calls to make. Thank you for bringing this to me. I appreciate you, E.”
“You know I’d do anything for you and this place.” He pats my hand, giving me a sympathetic smile.
I nod. “I do.”
Taking the file of evidence to my desk, I pick up the phone to make some calls.
4
Alma
Love breathes softly, her arms wrap around her plush princess doll collection, holding firm, even in slumber. She looks like an angel. I smooth down her silky brunette hair and kiss her head.
“I love you, my little Love,” I whisper against her head which smells of pineapple and citrus, her new fruity shampoo.
Rolling out of her bed, I quietly exit her bedroom and close the door.
What a horrible day.
I feel so very alone, though I know I am far from it. I have an entire team of people who have become my family. Individuals that would do anything for Love and me. I have more support than many, and I know this. But I don’t have my partner, and days like today make that fact all the more blaring. I miss having that person who’s mine—my other half, my ride or die.
My soul mate.
I miss facing the challenges of this world with him because everything with him seemed a little less difficult. Now, I must carry the weight of today alone, and it’s heavy.
I pick up the trail of toys strewn about the house and toss them into the toy chest. I pour myself a glass of wine and sip it while I load the dishwasher. The kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it, leaving crumbs, flour, and random containers and dishes on every surface. Another thing that hasn’t changed in Lee-Anne’s rebirth is her housekeeping skills. She’s not one to clean up after herself. Horrid visions of her living conditions come to mind as I think back to my impromptu visits to the house where I grew up. The stuff of nightmares.
I can’t complain, though. She’s amazing with Love, and that’s all I can ask for. I’m so grateful that I don’t have to worry about my daughter when I’m at work. I know she’s having a wonderful time with her Gigi. Lee-Anne makes every day an adventure, and Love adores her.
A soft knock sounds at the door before Amos enters, carrying several plastic bags.
“Oh my gosh. What are you doing here?” I ask, overjoyed to see my best friend.
“Your text said you had the worst day ever, and I figured that called for reinforcements.” He holds up the bags in his grasp.
I quickly close the distanc
e between us and throw my arms around him. He drops the bags and hugs me back. His embrace and the comfort it brings open the flood gates, and before I realize it’s happening, I’m sobbing into his chest.
Amos simply holds me while I cry.
When the tears slow and my breathing steadies, he says, “First things first. What have you eaten today?”
“I had a piece of toast with my coffee this morning,” I admit.
He sighs, rubbing my back. “I figured.” Stepping back, he retrieves the items he brought and heads into the living room, and I follow. He unloads his items onto the coffee table in front of the couch. “I have grape Faygo pop for you.” He hands me a plastic bottle.
“My favorite.” I take the beverage from his hand and screw off the cap before taking a long chug. “Ahh.” I release an exaggerated sigh. “I already feel more human. Sugar makes everything better.”
I sit cross-legged on the rug with the sofa to my back.
“Indeed. But you should eat some actual food today.” He’s unloading containers of Chinese onto the table. “For dessert, I have both gummy worms and gummy sharks”—he wiggles the plastic bags of candy before me—“and I promise you can have all of the white and red gummy worms.” He sits on the floor beside me with the buffet of goodness on the table before us.
“You’re the best. Thank you. You don’t know how much I needed this.” I dig into the veggie lo mein and wrap the noodles around the plastic spork before taking a big bite.
“Do you want me to grab us some real silverware?” he asks.
“No, that’s okay. Eating with the plastic spork is half of the fun.” I grin. “OMG. This is so good.” I shove another huge spork full into my mouth. “I just realized how hungry I am.”
“Well, eat up. I got plenty.”
The room is quiet save for the slurping of my noodles as I suck them into my mouth at record speed. I finish off the lo mein and lean back against the sofa, my hand splayed across my belly. “Ah-maze-ing.” I sigh contently.
“Feel better?” Amos asks.
“So much better. Thank you.” I slide my pinky finger through Amos’s. Our hands, connected by our smallest fingers, rest between us on the rug. This connection between my oldest friend and me makes the gravity of the day less grave.
“Now that you’ve eaten, do you want to talk about it?” Amos inquires softly. “Everything okay with Love?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s fine, perfect. I barely got to see her today. I only got home in time to tuck her into bed, but she was happy and had a good day with Lee-Anne.”
“Your mom fed her appropriately?” Skepticism lines Amos’s voice.
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “I check in at meal times to make sure she’s eating well. Lee-Anne made her some concoction that Love describes as tasting like frogs, so I just had Mom make her a PB&J with apple and carrot slices.”
“I wonder what frogs taste like,” Amos says in amusement.
“I’m not sure, but Lee-Anne said something about collard greens, kale, and spinach…so the green factor might have made Love think of frogs.”
“Gotcha. That makes sense. So I’m guessing it’s something with work?”
I nod. “Yeah. You remember Alivia, our head of finance?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, apparently, she’s been stealing from Lion’s Lair for a while, and a lot, like hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’m just sick over it. Most of that money was donated by people wanting to help us make a difference in young people’s lives, and she stole it. The crazy thing is that I didn’t catch it. Eduardo did.” I blow out a breath. “I feel like I’m failing, Amos. I hate feeling this way. I work so hard every day, and I never catch up. There’s always more to do. I’m the only parent Love has, and I want to be there for her, more than I am now. Yet these kids at the Lair need me, too. They don’t have a Gigi at home snuggling and playing with them, and making a meal full of antioxidants to keep them healthy, even if it tastes like frog. Most of these kids have no one but us. I can’t let them down…and I am. I…feel alone, and overwhelmed…and sad.” Tears stream down my cheeks once more with the reality of my words.
“Shh.” Amos releases his little finger from mine and wraps his arm around my back, pulling me against his side. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he rubs my arm. “Listen to me, Alma. First of all, you are not alone. You have so many people who love you and would do anything for you. You know that.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“You have to remember that you are only one person. You’ve always been a perfectionist and given a hundred and ten percent at every task or project put before you. And while I believe you are a superwoman, you still need help. When Love was a baby, you had more support at the Lair, but then Bill moved and Crystal left for that other job, and you didn’t replace them, right?”
“No,” I admit.
“So your two managers left, and you took on both of their responsibilities, plus Leo’s. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“And if that wasn’t enough, the Lair has grown. You serve more children than you did four years ago. So there’s more work and fewer people. First and foremost, you need to hire more staff and delegate the responsibilities.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right.” Amos sounds amused. “If you don’t, you’re going to burn out, and then you won’t be helping anyone. Plus, if you have the staff you need, you’ll be able to go back to the tutoring and working with the kids, which is your passion.”
“That’s true.”
“I know you think that no one will do it as well as you can, but I promise you there are really good-hearted and qualified people out there, and we’ll find them,” he says.
“We’ll?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’m going to come work with you.”
“What? No. You have a great job, Amos. I can’t ask you to give that up for me.”
“Let’s clarify that with I have a well-paying job, but it’s not a great job. In fact, it’s boring and tedious. I’ve been thinking about this for a while actually. I do have degrees in business and finance, after all. I can help you invest and streamline your funds so you can continue all of the wonderful work you do there. Plus, you’re a teacher, Alma, and you’re running a corporation, basically by yourself. You’re doing an incredible job at it but let me help. This is what I’ve been trained for. I can tighten up your business model, and you can get back to teaching, and we’ll both be doing what we love. Quitting my current job and working with you isn’t a sacrifice. It’s a blessing.”
I think about Amos’s words. “I would love to be able to work with the kids again in the study room.”
“Exactly, and all the other stuff sounds pretty good, too. Right?” There’s a playfulness in Amos’s voice, and it makes me smile.
“Yeah,” I agree.
“So?”
Raising my head from his shoulders, I turn to face him. “Amos Joseph Davis, my one and only Cookie for the past twenty years, will you be my business partner?”
He extends his hand and shakes mine, wearing a wide smile on his face. “Mutt, I’d love to.”
I let out a squeal and throw my arms around his neck. He hugs me, laughing against my neck. “You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be good.”
“It’s going to be great!” I say. “This calls for the special candy.” I grab the bag of blue gummy sharks from the table.
When Amos and I were kids, we were rarely able to find stores that carried these sharks, so it was always a cause for huge celebration when we did. Amos came across a store in downtown Ann Arbor that had them our first month of college, and since then, we have them quite often. Yet they still have a nostalgic quality to them that reminds me of being a kid and sneaking away with my best friend to consume the blue sugary goodness.
I pull two sharks from the bag and hand one to Amos. “To our new partnership,” I say, smushing the shark in my grasp against the one in his in an odd gummy to
ast.
“Cheers,” he says, and we both plop the candies into our mouths.
When he swallowed the shark, Amos says, “So this Alivia whore…do you need help with that situation?”
I shake my head. “No, the legal team is taking care of it. She won’t be back tomorrow or ever.”
“Oh, good. I’ll give my notice tomorrow at work, and we’ll go from there,” he says.
“Yay! Okay. Do you want to stick around for a bit? We could watch Friends.”
Amos stands. “Sure. Set it up. Let me just clean up some of this first.” He starts tossing the empty containers into one of the plastic bags and takes everything into the kitchen. “There’s a whole untouched meal in here. I’m putting it in the refrigerator. Make sure to take it to work tomorrow for lunch,” he calls from the kitchen.
“Okay,” I agree, remote in hand as I pull up a Friends episode.
When Amos returns to the living room, I feel like a completely different person from the one I was when he arrived here tonight. As always, Amos knew just what I needed.
He plops down on the couch beside me. “Thank you for saving me, over and over, for two decades now. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I tell him in all seriousness.
“Same,” he says before kissing the top of my head. “Same.”
5
Amos
“You took a lunch today, right?” I ask Jen, Lion’s Lair’s greeter. She’s a spunky nineteen-year-old with a megawatt smile, whom I’ve caught working through her lunch several times this week.
In fact, I’ve noticed most of Alma’s staff going above and beyond their work responsibilities and hours since I started on Monday. Alma has a great group of people here. Save for the one bad apple they had, everyone is wonderful. It definitely feels like a family.
“Yes, Boss.” Jen puckers her lips. “I actually took a long one. My boyfriend is home on leave. He took me to Olive Garden for lunch. It was delicious.” She rubs her belly for effect.
