Winner Takes All

by Judy Kentrus

  WINNER TAKES ALL

  Published by Lady K Publishing

  Copyright 2015, Lady K, Inc.

  This e-book of fiction was written for your own personal enjoyment. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without the permission in writing from the publisher.

  Judykentrus.com

  Chapter 1

  “I’m in trouble, so much trouble.” Cindi Pearl Sullivan cradled her hot cheeks in her hands. “Do a good deed, for a friend in need,” had always been her personal motto, but this time, it was biting her in the ass. “You had to volunteer to take over the financial books for the soap box derby organization. Now a bunch of kids will be heartbroken, especially the Super Kids.”

  She’d purposely stayed after normal working hours to review the spreadsheets. Lincoln Adams, her boss and owner of Adams Security and Investigations, had left hours ago, wanting to get home to his wife and daughter. Cindi’s stomach growled, a reminder that she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. The cafeteria in their new building offered great food and was open twenty-four seven for the convenience of the employees, but the thought of eating made her nauseated.

  She moved away from her neatly cluttered desk and took a hesitant step into the deserted corridor of the third floor administrative level. The other two floors were occupied twenty-four hours a day by service representatives and staff who oversaw the monitoring of residential and commercial security systems. The overwhelming silence was interrupted by the sound of a vacuum cleaner. Before she could step back inside her office, Harriett, the woman from Mary Maids Cleaning Services, exited the office next door. Alexis Long, Lincoln’s best friend’s wife and owner of Mary Maids, had decided to expand her area of commercial cleaning.

  The dark-haired woman, dressed in neat denim coveralls and a light blue shirt, wrapped the cord around her upright machine. “You’re working late. So is Mr. Reynolds.”

  The woman had just confirmed what Cindi suspected. Their top-notch forensic accountant never left on time, as was his habit.

  Cindi returned the woman’s friendly smile. “I’m trying to catch up on some derby business.”

  At the mention of the derby, excitement filled her pretty blue eyes. “Alan, my eight-year-old, is so happy about the new derby track. My husband ordered the kit, and they are both working on the car. Mary Maids will be his sponsor.”

  “Sounds like something Alexis would do.”

  “Everyone is saying this track was your idea.”

  Cindi shook her head. “I can’t take all the credit. The vacant property belongs to Mr. Adams. I just put the bug in his ear.”

  Harriet took a step closer to Cindi and placed the tips of her fingers on her arm. “I would personally like to thank you. We’ve been concerned because Alan was spending too much time in his room. My parents gave him a computer for Christmas and all Alan wants to do is play games. This project was a God send, and has brought my husband and son closer together.”

  “I’m so glad things are working out for your family.”

  “Is it okay if I start on Mr. Adams’s office? I’ll keep the door closed so you won’t be disturbed.”

  “Go right ahead. I don’t plan to work too much longer.”

  As soon as Harriett entered Lincoln’s office, Cindi sat in one of the shiny visitor’s chairs in front of her desk. Whereas all the other offices had been painted beige, Lincoln indulged his assistant and had the walls painted a light orchid, her favorite color. She reached for the purple-and-pink Slinky on the corner of her desk and flipped it from hand to hand. Her guilty conscience stepped in. “You have no one to blame but yourself. If you hadn’t developed Montezuma’s revenge of the mouth, you wouldn’t be suffering pangs of guilt.” She slid the Slinky on her arm like a bangle bracelet, as last Friday night’s debacle filled her mind.

  Lincoln had reserved the banquet room in the back of Delancy’s, the local bar and roadhouse. The party was to celebrate his wife’s promotion to lieutenant on the Laurel Heights police force. It appeared half the town was in attendance, all wanting to congratulate Jessie. The food and drink were plentiful and the DJ’s upbeat selection of songs had everyone stomping on the hardwood floor. The joint was literally jumping.

  Cindi sat between Sallie Mae and Lisa Kay at one of the round tables and tapped her foot. She loved to dance and partners were plentiful, but there was someone she really wanted to dance with. From the moment he’d walked in, her eyes and those of half the women at the party, married or single, settled on his very handsome face. The sharp crease in the front of his black dress trousers called attention to the shine on his custom-made black shoes. The other men were in casual shirts and jeans, but he still wore a white dress shirt, open at the neck. At least he’d removed his silk tie. His dark brown hair was military short on the sides, but the top was longer, and few strands grazed his forehead, drawing attention to his clean-shaven face. She’d never envisioned a guy in nerdy, dark-framed glasses as inviting, but he dripped with sex appeal.

  She’d been drawn to Preston Reynolds from the moment he’d shown up for his first interview at their Manhattan office three years ago. Over time, those feelings had grown and turned into something so much stronger. To her delight, she never had to be jealous of other women, because he didn’t date. He’d come to the party as an obligation to his boss and very close friend. Preston also stirred up her “Do a good deed, for a friend in need” motto. Psychology had never been her strong point, but in her heart, she understood why he avoided social interaction, especially with the opposite sex. He wore a prosthetic leg from the knee down on his right leg. She wanted to make him understand shying away from relationships and retreating from life was wrong. The Super Kids she worked with in the soap box derby overcame their physical disabilities and participated in the race—and more importantly, life.

  He’d taken a seat next to Lincoln and three of their co-workers at Adams Security and politely refused the invitations of women who approached him to dance. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t capable of physical activity. Lincoln and Preston played racquetball in the corporate gym. He also ran every morning, alone.

  When the DJ slowed the beat and started playing James Taylor’s “Handy Man,” she decided it was time to end his wallflower stigma. She skirted a few couples already on the dance floor and approached Preston with an inviting smile.

  “How about a dance?”

  Preston sat alone at the table and offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Cindi, but I don’t dance.”

  It was the answer she’d expected, but she pressed further. “You mean you don’t know how.”

  “I know how, but I prefer not to dance.”

  “Why?” Cindi refused to back down.

  He noticed a few of the guests at nearby tables were eavesdropping on their conversation, and he tried to remain patient. “You know why.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Annoyance laced his light green eyes, and he leaned closer. “I didn’t think I would have to spell it out, especially for you.”

  “Maybe you’d better.” She was being a pushy bitch, but didn’t care.

  He twisted in his seat and lowered his voice. “My leg.”

  “Is there a problem with your prosthesis?”

  “No.”

  “Then we are back to my original question. Why don’t you want to dance?”

  He didn’t bother to disguise the anger in his voice. “What part of the word no don’t you understand?”

  Cindi’s eye
s drifted to his large, white-knuckled hands gripped together. That should have been enough of a hint that he was annoyed with her, but she brushed off the warning. “I understand the word perfectly, but you still owe me an explanation.”

  Until now, he’d avoided looking directly at her. “Let’s just say I prefer not making an ass of myself.”

  “Well, you’re too late.” Cindi didn’t realize the song had ended. Dancers were returning to their seats and inquisitive ears were hanging on her every word. “I don’t want to ruin my new purple sandals, so I won’t give you a well-deserved kick in said ass. Get over yourself. I’ve seen kids in wheelchairs that have more courage than you!” When his features paled from her caustic statement, Cindi realized she’d gone too far. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. Fortunately, the DJ dedicated the next song, drawing attention to their guest of honor. Rick Springfield belted out “Jessie’s Girl.”

  “Sorry, Preston,” Cindi muttered.

  He stood up on two steady feet. “I thought you, of all people, would understand. Bitchiness doesn’t become you. I’ll say good-night.”

  The eyes of the other guests registered sympathetic understanding when he left and then turned on Cindi Pearl with cold menace. In the short time Preston had made his home in Laurel Heights, the citizens recognized him as an Army Ranger hero who had been hurt saving Lincoln Adams, one of their own. She’d left shortly after, avoiding her friends. The old song “You Always Hurt the One You Love” was right.

  Now she was facing an enormous problem, finding out where one hundred fifty thousand dollars had gone. The foundation fund raiser had netted ten thousand dollars, but Lincoln’s generous contribution for the completion of their new soap box track had disappeared. He’d donated the acreage down the road from his new building. The surrounding landscape and lane construction was almost complete.

  “Cindi, you called him a coward in front of the whole town, and that’s just what you are. You know what has to be done.” She’d just put the slinky back on her desk when Harriett exited Lincoln’s office.

  “Everything is sparkling clean,” she said, pulling her dolly cart of cleaning supplies. “Have a good evening.”

  “I wish,” Cindi said for her ears alone. “Move your ass, girl and get it over with.” She retrieved her brush from the bottom drawer of her desk and ran it quickly through the tangles in her hair and swiped her lips with pale pink gloss. She was about to leave, but remembered the chocolate chip cookies her roommate had made. “The way to a man’s heart is something sweet or a naughty nightie. Prancing into his office in a Victoria’s Secret original would surely shake him up, but cookies will have to do.”

  Preston Reynolds appreciated the surrounding quiet and studied the figures on the wall screen. “Gotcha!” He’d been working on this account for the past week and confirmed insurance fraud to the tune of five million dollars. As a certified forensic accountant, his findings would hold up in any court. He reached for the mug on the corner of his desk and grimaced at his first sip of cold black coffee. Lately, he’d been drinking too much caffeine. The time on the bottom of his computer read nine-fifteen. He’d totally missed dinner. Working after normal business hours was never a problem. In the past seven years, he’d learned to live with the quiet and solitude. It wasn’t unusual for him to get lost in the world of figures, something he loved. He was like a dog with a bone, gnawing away at a problem until it was solved. Besides, there wasn’t anyone at home waiting for him and never would be. It was hard to ignore the depressing thought.

  “Excuse me, Preston.”

  The soft sound of her voice shattered the silence, and cut right through him. The phrase “get over yourself” flashed through his mind, but the storm of anger he’d suffered over her insensitivity had passed. They’d worked together in Manhattan, their main location, for three years, but he’d been wrestling more and more with the warmhearted feelings he had for sweet, lovely, Cindi Pearl, since he’d moved to the smaller Laurel Heights office. A cramp in his right knee was a tickler he’d been sitting too long and a reminder he wasn’t whole. Keep your distance, he told himself and swung his chair around.

  His heartbeat kicked up at the sight of her standing in his doorway. She’d added lighter highlights to her flaxen-blond hair that barely brushed her shoulders. The flared hem of her zebra-striped dress ended just above her cute knees, revealing slender legs. Deep-orchid-painted toes peeked out from white sandals. He envied the large black-and-white hoop earrings that kissed her peach-hued cheek. “You’re working late,” he said. He caught the fragrant smell of coffee.

  Cindi took hesitant steps into the modern office that was as neat as a pin. Two wall screens and computer stations lined one wall, while his laptop occupied the center of his desk. He’d dimmed the overhead lights and closed the grayish-blue vertical blinds on the tall windows to seal out the night. There was nothing personal in sight.

  “You are too,” she said and set the cup and clear plastic container of cookies on his desk. “I thought you might like coffee and some of Samantha’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.”

  “You are giving me your favorite cookies?” Preston picked up the white mug and raised it in a sign of thanks, before sipping the hot brew. She knew exactly how he liked his coffee, black and strong.

  He had a beautiful mouth, she decided before asking, “How did you know they are my favorite cookie?”

  “A little birdie told me that you also love eggplant parmesan and cheesecake. You like to listen to the oldies and volunteer your time at the senior citizens’ center.”

  Cindi ignored the two visitor’s chairs and leaned a hip against the corner of his desk. The expected hostility wasn’t there, and some of her tension eased. “I’m impressed.” Did this mean he was interested in her? Unbeknownst to him, she’d run her own background check on him. At the time, she didn’t consider it snooping, just wanting to know a little more about a coworker with a high security clearance. He was thirty-five and his parents lived in Oregon with his sister. Graduating with a degree in accounting, he went into the military and volunteered for the Army Rangers. The information was sparse on how he’d gotten hurt. She watched him take a bite of cookie and sip more coffee. The orchid-and-black pearls around her neck suffered a tug from her nervous fingers. “I owe you a very big apology. The other night, I was heartless and insensitive. I never meant to hurt you. Not wanting to dance was your choice.”

  Preston set the half eaten cookie on an unused white paper napkin left over from his lunch. “You’re absolutely correct.” A wisp of blond hair fell in front of her eye, and his fingers itched to brush it aside and run a finger down her smooth cheek. Down, boy.

  Cindi inched closer and touched the back of his hand. His skin was smooth and nails neatly trimmed. “I have a tendency to trip on my tongue as well as my feet. I look on you with the highest regard. My cousin is a West Point graduate, and my father was in the Army Reserves. I have a relative who was killed at sea in a training mission for Normandy. You are a hero.” Cindi was babbling like a devoted fan, wishing she could confess her true feelings.

  He linked their fingers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I am not a hero, and if I had wanted to dance, it would have been with you.”

  The sincerity in his voice caressed her like a velvet glove. “So, no hard feelings?”

  “None.” He reluctantly released her slender hand and held out the container. “Have a cookie.”

  Relief swamped her body, but she wasn’t done. “I had another reason for coming in, not that apologizing wasn’t important.” Cindi reached into the side pocket of her dress and withdrew a small flash drive. “I’m on the board for our local soap box derby. Thanks to Lincoln and his generous donation of acreage down the road from our building, Laurel Heights will be getting their own track. We had a fund raiser, and Lincoln also donated over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The current treasurer had to resign due to health reasons, so I volunteered to take over her finan
cial duties.” She passed him the small drive. “I’m not a financial genius, but I’m pretty sure one hundred fifty thousand dollars is missing.”

  Chapter 2

  Cindi perched on the corner of Preston’s desk when he slipped the drive into an external USB port. “I took over the treasurer’s position as a favor to the woman who has handled the finances for many years.”

  A series of spreadsheets filled one of the wall screens. Preston gave them a cursory inspection and pursed his lips. “These records go back thirty years.”

  “This particular chapter was started by a group of Vietnam veterans wanting to do something for kids. When the original founders passed away, many of the volunteers faded into the woods, and there weren’t enough volunteers to keep the chapter going. Ten years ago, the affiliation was given new life when they received a huge donation. We’ve been able to have one race a year, closing down a street with the cooperation of the township.”

  “So you grew up around here?” Along with her likes and social activities, he knew quite a bit about her background, but preferred to keep that to himself.

  “My parents still have a house in Stevensville, and my brother is on the local and national derby boards. Even when I lived in Manhattan, I volunteered to do computer work and help out the day of the race. Because of Lincoln’s donation, Laurel Heights will be able to sponsor events on their own track.”

  Preston used a laser pointer to denote a specific amount. “Here is the initial deposit from Adams Security and Investigations. Are you sure it hasn’t been disbursed?”

  “I double-checked all the way back to the donation. The money is distributed in increments as the construction progresses. Lincoln personally covered the cost of clearing the land and lane paving. The custom arched marquee has been ordered, and the company has requested partial payment. The four sets of bleachers are sixty-four thousand dollars.” Cindi sighed deeply. “The ledger columns appear to balance, but someone’s been playing tic-tac-toe with the funds.”