Fare Game

by Cade Haddock Strong

  “Like move to Asheville with me? You’d do that?”

  “In a heartbeat,” Riley said. She looked Kay straight in the eye. “I don’t imagine a future that you’re not part of.”

  “I don’t imagine a future without you either. I wouldn’t even consider a move to Asheville unless you were totally onboard.”

  “I’m totally onboard, but, and I don’t mean to throw a wet towel on things, how will we swing it? Like financially?”

  Kay smiled. “My sweet Riley, always so pragmatic.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s not terribly romantic, but I can’t help it.”

  “It’s okay. I think it’s cute, and smart. We can’t just traipse off to Asheville without some sort of plan.” Kay swept her hand across the room. “I’d definitely sell this place if we moved up there. I bought it eight years ago and it’s appreciated a lot in that time. I’ve also got a fair amount of savings, and well, I don’t want to jinx it, but there’s a chance we’ll get at least some kind of financial reward when this whole debacle with the SEC finally ends.”

  “True, but that could be a long way off and there are no guarantees the SEC investigation will go anywhere.”

  “I know, but if it does and if the SEC and Logan settle or the SEC prevails in filing suit against Logan, we stand to get somewhere between ten and thirty percent of whatever fine Logan has to pay. That could add up to some serious cash.”

  “It could, and don’t get me wrong, a whistleblower reward would be a sweet bonus, but we need to make sure we can pull off the move to Asheville financially no matter what, especially if Logan isn’t willing to settle with the SEC. The airline could get tangled in a long, drawn-out suit with the government.”

  Kay kissed the tip of Riley’s nose. “I know, we can’t count our chickens before they hatch.”

  Riley wrapped her arms around Kay and held her tight. “How’d I get so lucky as to have you in my life?”

  “I think I’m the lucky one.”

  Riley pulled back slightly and got a serious look on her face. “I give thanks every damn day. I truly had no idea it was possible to love someone as much as I love you. Sometimes, I’m so overwhelmed by the strength of my feelings for you. I know this sounds cliché, but it actually takes my breath away.”

  Kay’s eyes got teary at Riley’s words. “Oh, baby,” she said softly.

  “It’s crazy,” Riley whispered. “We haven’t been together that long, what, a little over a year, but I feel closer to you than I ever felt to another human being.”

  Kay rested her head on Riley’s shoulder. “Yeah, it’s crazy. Being with you just feels so right, so easy.”

  Riley nodded. “And we’ve had to deal with some pretty big bumps in the road. I mean, with all the shit that’s been going on with Logan. I think we’ve weathered the storm pretty well together. That’s a testament to the strength of our relationship.”

  Chapter Fifty

  After spending the early part of the week in Asheville to meet with the architect and builder, Kay jumped in her Jeep and put the petal to the medal. Her goal was to get to Atlanta by late afternoon, giving her enough time to swing by the grocery store and whip together one of Riley’s all-time favorite meals—fried chicken, sticky rice, and lima beans—before she got home from work. Kay had never made fried chicken before, but how hard could it be?

  When she got home, she pulled out her grandmother’s old recipe book and got to work. Pretty soon, flour was flying everywhere. It was all over her clothes and there was even some in her hair. She was so focused on dipping the chicken in the egg and coating it with flour, she didn’t even hear Riley come in the front door.

  “Oh, my, God, Julia Child is back from the dead,” Riley panned when she walked into the kitchen.

  Kay dropped the piece of chicken she was holding, causing the egg mixture to splatter everywhere. She laughed. “Surprise.”

  Riley gave her a peck on the cheek. “I’m no expert, but I think the flour it supposed to go on the chicken,” she said as she brushed some of the white powder off Kay’s cheek. “But I shouldn’t laugh. My dear, sweet, beautiful girlfriend is making me one of my super most favorite dinners ever. Want some help?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Riley opened the pantry door and pulled out an apron. She nodded toward Kay. “Apron, this is Kay, Kay, apron.”

  “Bite me. I didn’t know this would be so hard. The chicken is so slippery. It’s been playing hard to get.”

  Riley slipped the apron over her work clothes and salvaged the meal.

  “Yum, this is delicious,” Kay said when they finally sat down to dinner. “Thanks to you.”

  “You deserve some credit too.” Riley gave her a sideways glance. “I mean, you did do the grocery shopping.”

  Kay snapped her napkin at Riley. “Thanks, Bauer. All kidding aside though, now I get why you love this meal. It’s comfort food at its best.” She took a few more bites and set down her fork. “I know the last few months have been hectic—”

  “To put it mildly.”

  “But, I don’t know, I feel like I’ve turned a corner. All the shit with Logan, it doesn’t haunt me as much anymore. That, and I’m excited and optimistic about the future, our future. In fact, I’d say I’m feeling downright buoyant.”

  “Buoyant, huh?” Riley reached across the table and gave Kay’s hand a gentle squeeze. “That’s good to hear. I have to say, I’m feeling pretty rosy about the future myself.”

  Kay picked up her wineglass and said, “To us.”

  Riley followed suit and then asked, “Speaking of the future, how’d the meeting with the architect and the builder go this morning? Did they say when we’d be able to break ground?”

  “The meeting went well. If everything goes according to plan, the goal is to break ground before the end of January.”

  “Does it matter that it’ll be in the middle of winter?” Riley asked. “Asheville’s a little bit colder than Atlanta in the winter, right?”

  “I actually asked them that same question, but the builder doesn’t foresee any issues getting the foundation in during the wintertime. In fact, starting the house that time of year may actually speed up the timeline because it’s the low season for most of the subcontractors.”

  Riley picked up her wineglass to give another toast. “Wow, this is so freakin’ exciting. I can’t believe building the house is coming to fruition.”

  Kay smiled. “I know.”

  “When are you planning to head back to Asheville?”

  “I’d hoped to wait and drive up with you on Friday afternoon, but I’m scheduled to meet with the realtor in Asheville Friday morning. I’ve given her a general sense of the kind of space we want to rent for the store, and she’s got a place near downtown she wants to show me.”

  Riley nibbled on her lip before responding. “Oh, wow, that’s great.”

  Kay could tell by her body language that Riley wasn’t completely thrilled with the news. “You don’t seem as excited as I thought you’d be.”

  Riley fiddled with the small airplane shaped salt and pepper shakers on the table. “I am excited. I think it’s good to start looking at spaces to see what’s out there and get a sense for how high the rents are. It’s just…our plate is pretty full right now with the new house.”

  Kay was slightly taken back. “But I thought the plan was for me to get the store off the ground. The sooner I do that, the sooner you can leave Logan and live in Asheville full time.”

  “I know, but I’m just anxious about signing a lease. That’s a big financial commitment.” She waved her hand across the dining area. “And we haven’t made a decision about what to do with the bungalow here.”

  Kay tried to appreciate where Riley was coming from. They did have a lot of balls in the air and they were confronting some pretty big decisions. She took a sip of her wine while she considered how to respond. She was eager to plow forward, but she had to accept she wasn’t making decisions just for herself anymore.
“I guess we need to sit down and figure out how we’re going to manage everything.”

  “We do.”

  “The first order of business should probably be getting this place on the market.”

  “If you’re sure you’re ready to sell it,” Riley said.

  “I won’t lie. It’ll be a little bittersweet. I put a lot of time and money into this house and I love it dearly, but at the same time, selling it will mark a significant milestone in the path toward our new life together in Asheville.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure then yeah, let’s list it. Although, one catch. I need to keep working at Logan until we feel like we’re on stable, or at least somewhat stable, ground financially with the store. So, if this house sells quickly, and I’m sure it will, I need to find a temporary apartment here in Atlanta. Someplace for me to live during the week.”

  “You sure you’re ready to jump into this adventure with me?”

  Riley reached up and brushed her fingers over Kay’s cheek. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my entire life.”

  Kay turned her head and kissed Riley’s hand. “Here’s to the next chapter of our lives.”

  “You make me the happiest woman in the world, Kay.”

  “I feel the same way,” she replied, biting her bottom lip to hold back the tears that were creeping around the edge of her eyes.

  “Oh, now you’re going to make me cry,” Riley said.

  Kay sniffled. “It’s ironic isn’t it, I got fired from my job, yet, the future seems brighter than I could ever have imagined.”

  “Life sure has a funny way of working out doesn’t it?”

  “It sure does.” Kay didn’t say it out loud, but, to her, it felt like their relationship had moved to a whole other level. It was not quite marriage, but it felt like a giant step in that direction. That thought sent a shock wave of warmth through her body.

  Riley stood up and pulled Kay to her feet. “I love you, Kay Corbett.”

  Kay snaked her arms around Riley’s waist and kissed her softly on the lips. “And I love you, Riley Bauer.”

  Riley reached for Kay’s hand. “Come here,” she said and tugged her back toward the family room. They stood in the moonlight and shared lingering kisses while they slowly undressed one another.

  A shudder ran through Kay as Riley ran her hands over her breasts, circling each one with a delicate finger. Riley grabbed hold of one breast and sucked it gently while her other hand tickled down Kay’s body toward the mound between her legs.

  “You’re like silk,” Riley whispered as her fingers danced across Kay’s wetness.

  Kay guided Riley inside her and they fell down onto the couch, never breaking contact. Kay straddled Riley, her back arched into the air while she thrust herself hard against Riley’s hand, crying out loudly when she came.

  Without pausing to catch her breath, Kay slid her thigh between Riley’s legs. “Hmm, someone’s pretty wet,” she said. She increased the rhythm of her leg while she teased Riley’s nipples with her tongue.

  “Kay, I need your mouth on me,” Riley cried. “Please. Now.”

  Kay slithered down the couch and pulled one of Riley’s legs over her shoulder, giving her perfect access to her target.

  Riley let out a low hiss when Kay’s tongue found her clit. Her head fell back on the couch until the orgasm jerked through her.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Not long after Riley got settled in the temporary apartment, Atlanta received a rare snow storm. Admittedly, “storm” was a big word to describe the two inches that fell on the region, but in a city unaccustomed to any snow at all, it wreaked havoc on the roads. The combination of people having no clue how to drive on slick roads and the city’s measly snowplow fleet meant traffic was an utter horror. On top of that, she had her annual exam at the gynecologist first thing that morning. Obviously, when she’d scheduled the appointment twelve months earlier, she had no idea what the day would hold.

  By the time she finally got to work it was almost ten and she was surprised to find almost everyone in her department congregated around one of many TVs mounted around the room. Riley stopped at the TV closest to her office. Normally it was on mute, but not today. The volume was on full blast and the news anchors’ voices bounced off the office walls. Riley stood on her tippy toes and craned her neck to get a glimpse of the screen. The small banner under the announcer read BREAKING NEWS: Logan Airlines settles with the SEC.

  Logan related images—pictures of its headquarters, some of its planes and one if its gates at the Atlanta airport—circulated on the screen behind the gangly male news anchor. He stared straight at the camera and his lips barely moved when he spoke. “It was announced today that Logan Airlines has agreed to pay a $50 million penalty to settle SEC charges of securities fraud. According to the SEC, the charges are in connection with improper earnings management beginning as early as 2010.”

  Wayne let out a whistle. “Fifty million smackers. Geez Louise that’s a lot of money. And what the fuck is earnings management.”

  “Shhh, I want to hear this,” someone snapped.

  Wayne glared at no one in particular but shut his trap.

  The announcer looked down and read a statement from the SEC on the matter. “For years, Logan deceived the market into believing it was exceeding its financial projections and market expectations, when, in fact, the company was propping up its finances primarily through the use of price fixing and manipulative accounting devices.”

  Riley slipped away from the crowd, stepped into her office and shot Kay a quick text. Turn on to MSNBC.

  She sat down at her desk, logged onto her computer and navigated to the Wall Street Journal website. Not surprisingly, an article about Logan was front and center on their homepage. Before she had a chance to read it, a reply came back from Kay. Holy shit. Calling Fred Archie now.

  Riley whipped off a quick response and turned her attention back to the WSJ article on her computer.

  NEW YORK—The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Logan Airlines has agreed to pay $50 million to settle charges that it deceived investors about its true performance, profitability, and growth trends in regard to ticket revenue and ancillary fees. The SEC considers these acts “earnings management” when companies employ them in an effort to fraudulently prop up their stock price. Furthermore, Logan’s senior management exerted consistent pressure to have the company report smooth and dependable earnings growth in order to present investors with the image of a company that would continue to generate predictable and diversified earnings.

  The WSJ has learned that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also investigating Logan for matters that are related to the SEC probe. A source, who was not at liberty to discuss the case, indicated the FTC is looking into allegations of price fixing. These allegations, according to the source, suggest Logan colluded with other airlines to artificially inflate fares. No word on whether other airlines are also under investigation….

  Logan Airlines agreed to pay the $50 million penalty without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings. The charges announced today conclude the SEC’s investigation with respect to the company…Logan did not have an immediate comment on the settlement.

  Riley clicked through a few more of her favorite business news sites and they were all reporting about the same thing.

  REUTERS—It keeps getting worse for Logan Airlines…

  BLOOMBERG—Logan’s stock soared after the company reported third quarter results in mid-October, then the airline’s bombshell about a government accounting probe triggered a sharp pullback. Today the SEC announced they had reached a settlement with Logan, sending the stock slipping further….

  “Knock, knock.”

  Riley looked up from her computer. Her colleague Jill was standing at her door. “Do you have a second?”

  “Sure, Jill, come on in.”

  “Crazy news about the SEC, huh?” Jill asked as she took a seat across from Riley.

/>   “You can say that again,” Riley replied. “I mean, it was no secret that Logan was under investigation, but the settlement implies the airline knew they were up shit’s creek without a paddle.”

  “Yeah, $50 million is a pretty steep fine. No way the airline would pay that much if they were innocent.”

  “And that may not even be the end of it,” Riley said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I read in the Wall Street Journal that the FTC might be investigating the airline too.” Riley clicked the back button on her internet browser a few times to return to the article. “Look.” She turned her computer monitor so Jill could see it.

  Jill scanned the article. “Yikes.” She turned and waved out toward the group of their coworkers still gathered around the TV. “People are already going ape shit. I hope it doesn’t get worse.”

  Riley turned her monitor back around. “Yeah, me too.”

  “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

  “No, what’s on your mind?”

  Jill hesitated before answering. “Was Kay caught up in this? Is that why she got fired?”

  Jill was not the first person to pose this question to Riley. When news of the SEC investigation first broke back in late October, a lot of people had wanted to know if Kay was somehow involved. It irked Riley to no end, but at the same time, she couldn’t really blame them, given the timing and circumstances that surrounded Kay’s firing. It was not at all unreasonable that people would assume the firing was connected to the SEC investigation. Riley paused before she responded, wanting to choose her words carefully. “No, Kay was not fired for wrongdoing related to the SEC investigation.”

  “Why was she fired then?” Jill asked. “She was… I’m sorry, that’s really none of my business.”

  “It’s okay. Kay didn’t deserve to be fired. Howard Rome tried to use her as a scapegoat which by the way, was ludicrous because she didn’t have a hand in whatever got Logan in this mess.”