‘Well, it’s a good thing your mum brought me in now before the business goes bankrupt.’
‘If you had to guess, how much money are we talking about?’
‘I don’t know for certain.’
‘I’m not going to hold you to it. It’s just I know Mum wouldn’t be upset or even concerned about a few hundred here and there.’
‘Well, I can tell you now it’s not hundreds. If I had to guess right now,’ he looked over a few sheets of paper and frowned again, ‘I’d say it’s close to half a million.’
‘A half million? Pounds!? Are you serious?’ Abbi stood up and stared down at him.
Taylor held up his hands. ‘Now, hey, I told you. It’s just a guess. I’m not nearly done going through everything. Chances are I’ll find it somewhere else. Honestly, that’s how these things usually turn out.’
Abbi sat back down. She knew she was pale because she had actually felt the colour drain from her face. If Uncle Bill had embezzled that kind of money from them, it would absolutely kill her parents. They weren’t the angry, vengeful type. They were the trusting and compassionate type. Hell, if Uncle Bill had said he needed a half million from the business, they would have probably agreed with no questions asked. He was a 50% partner after all, and Abbi’s parents had the other 50%. None of this made any sense. Oh god, I hope Mum doesn’t ask me anything about this when she calls.
Abbi was a terrible liar. Terrible. She could never make eye contact, started stuttering, and went way overboard. Once she had tried to fake a fever at school to avoid a maths test that she had forgotten about. So she had stuck the thermometer in her father’s coffee mug when he wasn’t looking. Her parents sent her to school with a 165 degree Fahrenheit fever, she failed the maths test, and got grounded for not telling her parents the truth.
‘Okay, I really hope so. Damn. My mother said a couple of discrepancies. I just didn’t think that it might be something so big. I’m just kind of shocked. I know they must be really worried. How long do you think before you can sort through it all?’
‘I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to say at least a week. You and your family seem like just really nice people. I hate to see you all being taken advantage of. I will get to the bottom of this if it’s the last thing I do.’
‘That’s really nice of you.’ Abbi relaxed a little bit, but she had definitely lost her appetite. On one hand she wanted this cleared up as quickly as possible, on the other hand, she was afraid of what the answer might be. I’m not going to play the ‘what if’ game. I could do that day and night and give myself a heart attack. This is why mum has given this problem to a professional. It’s his job to worry about it. I’m going to let him. Abbi steeled her will to this resolve. She felt better right now but she had no idea how long it would last.
‘No worries.’ Taylor smiled and suddenly reached across the table for her hand. His touch sent a sudden jolt through her and she jumped a little. She was sure he must have felt that, but he squeezed her hand warmly, and held on. His hand covered both of hers. It felt good. It felt comforting. She opened her mouth to say something when the front door chimed. Buddy took off ready to defend his castle.
‘Excuse me, a minute,’ Abbi said and Taylor let go of her hands.
Walking through to the front of the shop, Abbi was unnerved for the second time that day. There in the doorway, petting Buddy, was Ben holding a bouquet of red roses.
Chapter Ten
‘Ben?’ Abbi’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘What? I can’t come by and see you in the middle of the day?’
‘Well, of course silly. I didn’t say you couldn’t be here.’ She walked up to him and kissed him. ‘I’m just surprised that’s all. Why aren’t you at the hospital?’
‘Dr. Hertz had a meeting, and he said I could leave if I wanted instead of waiting around for him. I thought it would give me a chance to catch up on some studying, and maybe surprise you and take you out to lunch.’
‘Oh, Ben, thank you.’ She took the roses from him. ‘They’re beautiful.’
‘You’re beautiful.’ He pulled her to him and reached behind and grabbed her arse.
‘Ben, not now,’ she said quickly.
‘What’s wrong? I thought your parents were away?’
‘They are but Taylor is here. In the back.’
Ben drew back and raised his eyebrows. ‘Taylor? Who’s Taylor?’
‘Taylor is the accountant that my mum hired. Remember, I told you about it last night? That Mum thinks someone’s fiddling the books?’
‘Oh shit, honey, I’m sorry. I do remember. So what’s he saying?’
‘Can I talk to you about it later at home?’
‘Sure, babe. But what about lunch? Are you guys almost done?’
‘Well, actually Taylor brought lunch, so we just finished eating.’
‘Oh really. Well that was nice of him. I didn’t know lunch delivery was a service that accountants provided,’ he joked.
‘It’s a working lunch, Ben. Come meet him.’
They walked to the back, and Abbi made a mental note to go back with a mop after the introductions. Damn, Buddy. She was just going to buy some decorative mini mop and leave it by the front door.
They walked through the door, and Taylor was sitting at the table munching on a spring roll and looking at some more papers. He stood up when he saw them. Abbi noticed a puzzled look on Taylor’s face as she began the introductions. ‘Taylor, this is Ben, my fiancé. Ben this is Taylor Worthington, our accountant.’
‘Hey Taylor,’ Ben said, ‘Nice to meet you. Sorry to interrupt your lunch.’
‘Good to meet you too.’ The men exchanged firm handshakes. ‘You’re not interrupting at all. In fact, there’s plenty. Join us.’
Abbi saw the small cringe when Ben heard Taylor say ‘us’. She knew that he was not happy. She had been with him for so long she could read his body language and feel his vibes like he had cartoon captions written above his head. ‘This gym rat has a hard on for my wife. He needs to get lost and drink some more protein powder.’ If the tension hadn’t been so obvious, Abbi would have laughed at this. So she bit her tongue instead.
‘No, I’m good. Thanks anyway, though.’ Ben turned to Abbi. ‘Do you want me to take these flowers home with me or leave them here?’
Hidden caption: Are you embarrassed in front of this guy that your fiancé brought you flowers?
‘What? No, honey. Leave them here. There’s a vase here somewhere that I can put them in. But if you want to take Buddy with you, I can pick us up a bottle of wine on the way home if you like.’
‘Okay, babe. Sounds like a plan.’ He patted her on the arse, and called out for Buddy. Snapping his lead onto his collar, Ben nodded goodbye to Taylor and walked towards the door.
Abbi walked over to him and kissed his cheek. ‘Thanks for the flowers. I’ll see you in a few hours?’
‘I’ll be there.’ There was a coolness in Ben voice.
It was obvious he didn’t like Abbi being left alone with Taylor one bit. He gave her a tight smile and left with Buddy.
Abbi slowly turned back around to Taylor. She didn’t blame Ben for being upset. Taylor was a threat to their peaceful existence. She knew it and obviously so did Ben.
‘How long have you two been engaged?’
‘Two years, but we dated off and on since we were both sixteen.’ What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so uncomfortable when Ben came in and she introduced himself to Taylor? Because Ben is not blind, dumbass, she told herself. Most people think of an accountant as being a middle age man of average height with thinning hair, glasses and a slight paunch. They don’t imagine an accountant as the centerfold of GQ magazine.
Even so, Abbi had never given Ben any reason to not trust her. Even when they had their little break ups here and there before they were engaged, she had never got serious with anyone else. Not even close. It had just always seemed like her and Ben were going to be
together. That was certainly what her parents had wanted. Somehow, it had just become expected that she and Ben would eventually get married by everyone, herself included.
‘How about you?’ she asked. She was dying to know the background story on Taylor. No not wanted, needed! She prayed he was going to say he had a girlfriend who he was planning on marrying, better yet, that he was gay!
‘Me? Nothing to tell. I was engaged a few years back for about six months. She got cold feet, and called it off. I guess I just haven’t wanted to put myself back out there after that.’
She called it off? Was she insane! ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘Well, it’s all water under the bridge now, but thanks all the same. Honestly, I appreciate her telling me she was a lesbian before we got married.’
‘A lesbian!’
‘Yeah I was shocked myself. You’d never have known. That’s the problem, you never know what anyone’s really thinking, do you.’ He took a step towards her, closing the gap between them until he was inches away from her.
‘No. No I suppose you don’t,’ she stammered.
‘I mean if I was to ask you what you were thinking about right now what would you say?’
The sweet scent of his aftershave filled her senses, making her feel delirious. That I want you more than I’ve wanted any man before. That I’m desperate to feel you inside me! Abbi could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. They felt as if they were on fire. She took a step back and lowered her gaze. She didn’t dare make eye contact with him. As soon as he saw the look in her eyes the game would be over. Taylor would know everything. That was something she wasn’t about to let happen. When she spoke her voice quivered. ‘That, I um…have a lot of work to be getting on with.’
He reached out and gently stroked her cheek. ‘Are you sure that’s all?’
‘Taylor…’
The front door chimed and Abbi’s head snapped up as she pushed Taylor’s hand away. She sighed a breath of relief it wasn’t Ben but a regular customer.
‘I’ll be with you in a minute,’ she said to the elderly gentleman who nodded his head in acknowledgment.
‘I really do have to get on Taylor.’ Abbi dug in deep to find the professional in her. ‘Thank you for lunch and updating me with your findings.’ She stepped around him without making eye contact. She still didn’t have the strength to do that yet.
Suddenly Taylor caught her by the arm and turned her around to face him. No longer able to hide from his gaze she raised her head to look at him.
‘This is just the beginning, Abbi. I was being serious when I texted you yesterday. It was fate that brought us together.’ He released her arm and strode towards the door with long strides. ‘I’ll be in touch soon,’ he said with a backward glance then exited the shop.
Abbi could still feel the heat from his hand on her arm. I’m in trouble. Big trouble.
Chapter Eleven
By closing time Abbi was still shaken by her encounter with Taylor earlier that day. The way he had said they were meant to be together had given her the jitters. Did he think just because he was handsome and sexy that she was going to fall at his knees like some kind of groupie and walk away from the life she had made with Ben? If he did he was crazy. There was more to her than being a fantasist. Yes, she had enjoyed thinking about Taylor making love to her, ravishing me more like it! But that’s all it was a fantasy. A make believe scenario that existed in her head. Abbi’s mind being over active was a curse she was born with. If she knew what was good for her she would nip this in the bud before it got a chance to flower. The way Taylor was talking was as if she’d have broken up with Ben by the end of the week and would be shacked up with him somewhere.
Although she had felt uncomfortable by the way Ben had acted when he was introduced him to Taylor, she could understand his reaction. Ben had never been the jealous and possessive type, but she had never given him a reason to be either. If she decided to be fair, and switched the scenario she would have reacted exactly the same way. What if she had gone to the hospital and found Ben having a private lunch with someone just seemingly off the modeling runway, blonde nurse with double d’s, and an 18 inch waist. Yeah, she could see where there would be some awkwardness.
On top of this she was sorry that she had disappointed Ben. She should have gone out to lunch with him anyway, despite Taylor being there. Even if it was to watch Ben eat whilst she sat there with him. They hardly spent any quality time together lately. She was lucky to have his undivided attention on the odd Sunday but even that was rare. He had probably been excited to think he could surprise Abbi, and take her out to lunch. Due to her shock at seeing him that plan had failed miserably. Of all the days why did he have to choose today? Abbi didn’t have to have fingers to count the number of times Ben had popped in to take her to lunch. It just never happened.
She pulled out her mobile phone and called Ben’s number. After a few rings it went to voicemail. Hi Ben. I’m on way – Do you want me to cook a curry or do you want to go out somewhere? Call me back as soon as you can. I…’
The words stuck in her throat. Dammit, say it, tell him you love him! She opened her mouth again and tried to say the words but nothing came out. She quickly disconnected the call and stared down at her phone, shaken to the core. What the hell is wrong with me? Is that how weak our marriage is? After all this time has it just been built on sand? Is one man’s flirtations strong enough to demolish it?
A few minutes went by and still nothing from Ben. Maybe it was for the best. She didn’t think now was the right time to talk to him. Not whilst she was feeling so raw. She got to her stop, and decided to stop at the Pizza Hut. Ben had still not replied, so she was making an executive decision. She didn’t know whether he’d even be home and she wasn’t in the mood to cook for one. Twenty minutes later, she had several hot boxes that smelt of garlic bread and pizza. Her stomach started to growl as the aromas hit her nostrils.
She had just reached her building when her phone pinged. Oh god, please tell me Ben doesn’t want to go out. Abbi knew that if he did, she had better act happy about it. She had already inadvertently spoilt his lunch she wasn’t going to disappoint him twice in a row.
Hey there. I enjoyed lunch! I hope I didn’t over step the mark. Maybe we can do it again. Talking shop over good food always helps.
Abbi was at the foot of the first flight of her stairs. She set the bag down, and perched on the first step.
Helps what? Was it possible for one’s body to take action on its own? Because for some reason before she had time to process what to do her finger was tapping a message back to Taylor and it was sent.
Hey there, back! Thank you for lunch. I enjoyed it too.
Her resistance to the threat Taylor posed had dissolved without her even realising it. She typed some more.
Did you find anything else? I hope I’m not bothering you.
Her phone pinged within seconds.
No news. I’m maybe a third of the way through everything your mum gave me. I have a couple of questions though. Is tomorrow good if I pop in? And you could never bother me btw.
Abbi held her breath. She knew the next move she took could be life changing not just for her but Ben, her parents – everyone who believed in Abbi and Ben as the perfect couple.
That’s nice to know. Tomorrow’s fine.
He replied just as quickly.
Would you like me to come by your office? Or would you rather go somewhere more private?
Abbi was ashamed to admit it but she immediately began to feel horny just at the thought of what Taylor was hinting at. Private meant a room – either in a hotel or his place. As much as she would have liked to, she text him back with a heavy heart.
The shop will be fine. I’ll see you in the morning.
Thinking that was the end of the messages she was midway through putting the phone away when it pinged again.
Chicken.
Abbi smiled. She wasn’t being a coward, she was being faithf
ul to Ben – the man she had promised to marry. She had always said she would never cheat on him and at the time she had meant it. But was flirting actually cheating? She deleted the messages between Taylor and herself and put her phone in her pocket before trudging up the steps. She wasn’t necessarily trying to keep the texts from Ben, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t like them if he read them. Can you blame him?
Abbi walked into the dark apartment. Buddy came tearing down the hall and slid on the hardwood floor, straight into her shins. ‘Hey, Buddy!’ She bent over and petted him. ‘I’m on to you, you little squirt. I’m not picking you up right now.’ She looked around her feet and miraculously the floor was dry.
‘Hi, Ben! I’m home,’ she called. She noticed an open beer can on the worktop and a couple more in a plastic bag on the floor. That was strange. Ben hardly ever drank during the week. He never knew when he was going to get called in. She set the food on the counter and saw his phone on the kitchen table flashing with messages. She picked it up and saw the messages were from her, so he had evidently not got them.
‘Where’s Daddy?’ she asked Buddy who was still bouncing around her feet. She turned on the hallway light and went down to the bedroom. Opening the door, she heard the fan on they always used for white noise and heard snoring coming from the darkened room. Looking at the clock on the bed cabinet, she saw that it was 6:30pm. Ben was out cold. At least that meant she wouldn’t have to answer any questions about Taylor.
She felt a little put out that since Ben had got home early, he had chosen to get drunk instead of spending valuable time with her. Is this what he was going to expect of her for the rest of her life? Whenever he got some time off work unexpectedly, she was supposed to always be readily available for him? If she wasn’t he would come home sulk, drown his sorrows in beer, and go to bed.
Granted, he had wanted to spend some of the afternoon with her but she wasn’t a clairvoyant – how was she supposed to know he’d be free? If he had told her, there would have been no question of her choosing to have lunch with Taylor over Ben. So she wasn’t going to feel guilty about it. Not even a little bit. In fact, she thought he was being childish.
Tainted Love Page 6
