Greg laughed and took a seat across from where Chef Trudy Baker has been sitting. “And yet it’s true. That’s all Jellica wants from me. I’ve decided to give it to her.”
“Why?” Trudy asked. “What’s in it for you?”
Greg chuckled at her terseness. “Does fantasizing about seeing her naked count against me? I’m sure other men have done so, but don’t worry, I’m not planning to act on that urge without her permission.”
Trudy uncrossed her arms and dropped back to the couch. “Jellica listens to a different set of drums than the rest of us. Her drums don’t care if she walks to the beat of them or not. Jellica juggles seventeen jobs while her drums beat without her. She’s the bravest woman about adversity I’ve ever known, but when it comes to men, she’s like a naïve heroine from a Victorian romance.”
“I know,” Greg said softly. “Her vulnerability plucks at every heart string I have.”
“Then why are you going along with her crazy idea of being friends instead of letting her down easy?”
“Because she needs my help… and I can help her… plus I would like to see her naked once she falls madly in love with me because of my math skills. I’m also sturdy and reliable, haven’t you heard? It was the first compliment she gave me.”
“No, I didn’t that one,” Trudy said. “It’s probably your sweater vests. They send that kind of message.”
“So I’ve been told,” Greg said dryly, leaning back in his seat. He was definitely using the distance thing to escape the wrath of Cincinnati’s favorite chef. “Last week, I thought my vests were just a nice way to not have to wear a suit every day to work. Now I can’t bear the sight of them. That’s why I’m in a suit today.”
Trudy’s chuckled despite her desire not to show him any kindness. “Are you a jerk in nice guy clothing?”
“No,” Greg said. “Ask Fran out there. She’s been my assistant for a very long time. I pay her, but that never stops her from telling me the truth. She ordered me to smile at you.”
“Why?” Trudy asked, laughing as his genuinely smiling face turned fully in her direction. “Oh. I got it. You’re a smiling wolf in accountant clothing.”
“Wolf?” Greg laughed at the description. “Not in a very long time. But I did threaten to rip a sheet off Jellica’s naked body the other night.”
“Things have gotten that far already?” Trudy asked with a frown.
“No,” Greg denied, barking out a laugh. “She was posing for some guy painting her picture. All she was wearing was a damn sheet.”
“Philippe?” Trudy asked.
Greg smiled again and pointed his finger at her. “Yep, that’s the guy who’s seeing her naked, not me.”
Trudy laughed. “If I’m being an idiot about this, I’m sorry. It’s just that I care about what happens to Jellica.”
“Me too. If there’s a club, I just officially became the newest member. Do you believe in love at first sight? I didn’t before I came across Angelica Quartz. Now I’m going to dig through her horrible past and find out how badly she got screwed out of her family’s inheritance.” Greg shook his head. “It might take me the next four years to sort through it all, but that just gives me more time to woo the woo-woo woman of my dreams. She also refuses to call what we’re doing dating.”
Trudy laughed for real. So the accountant really was a decent guy. “Need some help sorting out the mess?”
“Sure. Know anything about gross revenues and business profit margins?” Greg asked.
“No, I pay people for that sort of thing,” Trudy said, waving the query away. “But I know someone who is extremely good at sorting out financial puzzles. He might have a few hours to spare.”
Greg grinning. “Is he a college intern? I love those. They work for course credit.”
“No. He’s an expensive prodigy. Ever hear of Brandon Wu?”
Greg whistled and smiled again. “Yes. I offered him an internship. He turned me down. How do you know him?”
“Jack Dozen is his father.”
Greg grinned as he leaned forward. “And he’s soon to be your stepson… I saw your engagement announcement in the paper. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Trudy said vaguely, not wanting to get into the details. “Can I send Brandon by to see you? He’s interested in gaining forensic experience. Just know he won’t stay here forever. He aspires to do finance at a global level.”
“You already sound like his Mom,” Greg observed.
Trudy sighed. “And not just his Mom,” she admitted. “I’m here about my other child.”
Greg got it then. He leaned as far forward as he could and took Chef Baker’s hand in his. “Is this a good time to tell you that I’m ninety-nine percent sure I fell in love with Jellica the first moment she said hello to me? She’s not ready to hear my confession, but I know what this is. I’ve felt it before. That love died long ago, but Jellica is another chance. That’s all I want. Just a chance.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Trudy protested, even though she was glad to hear every word.
Greg chuckled. “I think I did have to explain. I keep thinking if I say it out loud often enough I’ll make some sense of how it happened to me when I wasn’t looking.”
Trudy slipped her hand away and stood. “Good luck with that one. I’m still reeling. Jack’s turned my simple single life upside down.”
“I’m starting to understand how that could happen. Is love as great as you two make it look?” Greg asked.
Trudy giggled and nodded. “Better,” she answered. “Much better. But I need to go. I have to call off Jellica’s guard dogs.”
“It’s okay—I’ve met them. Her boys are fine with me. We’ve reached one of those silent male only understandings about their mother.”
Trudy’s laughter rang out in the entire office. “You have so much to learn about women. I was referring to Georgia and Ann. They’re both at home plotting your demise. I have to go tell them you’re a good guy after all.”
“Oh. Well, thanks then. I have a lot to live for now,” Greg replied, but he was talking to air.
In the end, Greg chose to deliver the request for records himself. Call it curiosity or stupidity—both probably applied in this instance. He felt a need to see the man who’d walked away from Jellica so he waited patiently until the Honorable Martin Quartz could spare a moment to meet with him.
He was eventually ushered into a posh office four times the size of his own. Instead of envy, all Greg felt was disgust that the man working here didn’t financially take care of his elder two sons who from the pictures in this room were mirror images of him. Shelves of a nearby cabinet were overrun with baby pictures, little league, and photos of Quartz with a smiling blonde. She wasn’t the knockout Jellica was so it just didn’t make sense to him that someone as shallow as Quartz would trade up women for a less beautiful version.
The man finally hustled into his office looking a bit frazzled around the edges. “Court ran over,” he explained as he headed around his desk. “Have a seat, Mr. Skyler. What can I do for you today?”
Greg took his time getting comfortable while he was checking out the impatient man across the desk. “I’m doing some financial work for your ex-wife,” Greg said bluntly, watching shock bloom on the man’s face. He slowly lifted the manila envelope he’d brought and slipped the papers from it. “This is a request for all records regarding any court documents filed on her behalf by this law office. We’d like them in ten days.”
“Ten days. Why the big rush?” Quartz asked, tossing the papers on the desk.
“Statutes keep running, Counselor. I’m estimating that it’s going to take me a couple years to sort through it all. I need all the time I get,” Greg said casually. “I’m starting with her parents’ death. Jellica said you helped her navigate the first year.”
“I did. Their death was a double suicide,” Quartz said flatly, settling deeper into his desk chair.
Greg glared at the ma
n’s too quick, thoughtless answer. “Was suicide proven conclusively?”
“I recall a ruling about the investigation,” Quartz declared.
Greg nodded. “But was suicide actually proven conclusively?”
“What exactly are you looking for, Mr. Skyler?”
“Nothing particular,” Greg admitted, offering a shrug. “Ms. Quartz—my client—is just interested in understanding exactly what happened. She recalls it as a dark period of her life and details seem to elude her recollection. My advice to her was to do a forensic study to clear things up.”
“Bet that’s not cheap to have done,” Quartz said with a grin.
“It’s not,” Greg agreed, grinning back.
“Why are you here, Mr. Skyler? All you’re going to do with your digging is upset a woman you hope to sleep with. I know that’s your intention because my ex-wife is still a great beauty. I understand how her appeal can drive a rational man like you to do things he normally wouldn’t do in saner moments. Her physical appeal was what lured me into her web all those years ago.”
“I agree about her being a great beauty, but your description doesn’t sound like the woman I know. Jellica never wears makeup and doesn’t bother with her nails. I’ve seen her dressed up once and that was under duress. She might charm a man, but lure? No, I don’t think so.”
Quartz smirked and shook his head. “Is there anything else you wanted, Mr. Skyler? I’m having a very busy day.”
Greg raised his chin. “No, I think we’re done. Got any message you want me to give to Eric and Noah? Your sons look just like you.”
“Those are Jellica’s children, Mr. Skyler. I have my own now. It takes more than biology to make a man someone’s father.”
“On that, we agree. Thank you for your time, Mr. Quartz. My client and I appreciate your prompt response,” Greg said, shaking his head as he walked out the door.
The man might have three different types of law degrees on his wall, but he was still an ass. Jellica and the boys were well shed of someone so selfish.
Three days later, thirty neat and tidy boxes were delivered to his office. Fran put them into a conference room Greg seldom used. Included in the delivery was a formal letter informing Jellica that she was no longer being represented by her ex’s law firm. He tucked the letter back in the envelope to give it to Jellica when he saw her. He was glad he’d helped sever the last connection between her and her ex. Guilt wasn’t even present.
He was browsing a bit through the boxes when a soft whistle from the doorway grabbed his attention. A tall young man with dark brown eyes studied them.
“Mr. Skyler?”
“Greg will do. Mr. Skyler was my father. I don’t like to think of myself like that yet.”
“Of course not. I’m Brandon Wu.”
“Welcome, Brandon Wu. Do you think this is a lot? Jellica has twice this many boxes at her house. This is just year one. The other year and a half are there.”
“Trudy certainly wasn’t exaggerating this time,” Brandon said, then realized his error. “Not that my future stepmother exaggerates habitually. I didn’t mean that. She just gets excited about sharing and details tend to…” He drifted off and moved in closer.
“Get expanded with each retelling?” Greg asked, not hiding his grin.
Brandon nodded. “It’s a human thing—perfectly normal for most people.”
“Very,” Greg said, supplying his two cents of the agreement. “But numbers tell a truth, don’t they? Even when they’ve been massaged or tweaked or…” He stopped to look for another way to say it that didn’t reveal his ongoing anger with the Not-So-Honorable Quartz.
“I believe you are trying to say the truth is still there even if the numbers initially get misinterpreted from carelessness… or perhaps shuffled aside out of something as simple as just plain spite?” Brandon suggested.
Greg smiled and stuck out a hand. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I offered you an internship, Brandon Wu.”
Brandon shook the extended hand and shook it. “I do remember. I was grateful, but I had other plans at the time.”
“So Trudy tells me. She warned me not to get used to you.”
Brandon laughed because he knew it must be true. “I love that woman as much as Dad does.”
“I think the feeling is mutual,” Greg assured him. “So… are you really willing to help me wade through this mess?”
“Yes… and to help Jellica,” Brandon added with a nod. “I know how hard it is to raise children alone. My father had the other adults at St. Christopher’s to lean on. Jellica’s had no one.”
Greg frowned at the boxes. “I met her ex a few days ago. From what I saw, she’s far better off without him. He called Eric and Noah her children and not his. He said he had his own now. How can a man create any children in this world and not want every one of them?”
Brandon walked further into the room. “I don’t know the reasons, but I saw a lot of what you just described. My father tries to make all the boys at St. Christopher’s feel wanted there. When I was living in the home, it was like having a huge family, but that may have been because I always knew my father sincerely loved me. I was far luckier than most of the boys.”
Greg frowned and glared at the boxes. “Excuse my bluntness, but Jellica’s ex is an idiot. Noah and Eric are great kids. I hope I can help all of them. The boys have pictures of cars taped to the refrigerator. That’s their big dream at the moment. Their father’s desk cost more than both used vehicles would cost. That’s not financially fair to Jellica or the boys.”
Brandon crossed his arms and studied Greg Skyler. “You will help them,” he said firmly, wanting to soothe. “I’ve never come across a man with intentions as pure as yours.”
Greg snickered. “Pure? Are you a practitioner of woo-woo too?”
“No. Hindu philosophy… compliments of my fiancée. But your energy is incredibly easy to read. You like Jellica and her sons very much so, of course, you want to help. That makes you one of the good guys, Mr. Skyler. I like working with men like you.”
Greg patted the boxes. “Good. So you really want to do this?”
Brandon nodded. “Actually, I can’t wait to get started. My current employer has given me permission to devote twenty-five percent of my time to your office for this pro bono work over the next three months. He says seventy-five percent of me is worth a hundred percent of any other two of his employees. I think this is a gross exaggeration, but I find it flattering.”
“Twenty-five percent, eh? I’ll take it,” Greg said. “The room is yours. Tell Fran if you need anything for the work. She’ll buy you filing cabinets or whatever.”
“Thank you. Do you have a place you’d like to start the investigation?”
Greg nodded. “I do. I want to see the police report of the car accident and any court rulings about whether or not her parents committed suicide.”
“I’ll let you know when I locate those papers,” Brandon promised.
“Thanks. If you come across any denied insurance claims, I’d like those as well.”
Brandon smiled. “Ah… I see your plan.”
Greg chuckled. “I’m sure you do. I’m not trying to hide it.”
Brandon rubbed his hands together. “I feel a great anticipation of our success. If this were a real business, we would make a commission on what we find, correct?”
Greg nodded. “Unfortunately there’s no commission to be made in this, but if you find something, I’ll note the commission you would have made and write you a recommendation letter to end all recommendations.”
Brandon chuckled. “The stakes have now risen. I have client gain and personal achievement as motivation. I must succeed.”
Greg chuckled too and pointed at Brandon’s chest. “Since we’ve just become colleagues and friends, I’ve got a personal question for you. Any woman ever tell you that she found you boring because you wore a sweater vest?”
Brandon peered down at his navy vest. “J
ivika likes the way I dress. Besides, this is very high quality. It’s cashmere,” he said, dumbfounded over the thought of Jivika not liking him because of his clothes. “Are these now out of fashion? Please tell me no. I hate wearing suit coats. They’re so confining.”
Grinning, Greg shook his head. “Relax. Cashmere never goes out of style. My mother said it so it has to be true. She’s the most brutally honest woman I know.”
Brandon sighed and looked relieved. He patted his vest. “Good. I was worried there for a moment.”
Chapter Ten
When Jellica finished loading the dishwasher, she checked to make sure the miniature casserole she’d slid into the oven was still bubbling and not burning. She looked at the clock and sighed. She was running late and Greg would already be at the house. He’d been coming by every day for the last two weeks. He’d cleared off her dining room table and the nearby buffet to create space for his organizing efforts. The chaos looked like a bunch of creative piling to her, but she hadn’t said a word. Maybe she secretly wished she’d never brought the stuff down from the attic, but it was far too late for that regret.
She fed Greg dinner each evening out of guilt and he always stayed until the dishwasher was loaded. It hadn’t missed her notice that Eric had started hanging out in the dining room and helping. Even Noah had taken to doing his homework in there when he could find a space.
Greg didn’t seem to mind the company. The man’s focus was like a laser when he was on task. At the rate he was going through the boxes, surely it wasn’t going to take him four years to go through it all? “Work’s done for this week, Mrs. Kendrick. I’ll be leaving shortly.”
“Bless you, Jellica. You do too much for me. That service I hired did less than a third of what you do. And the food…”
“The food is because I like you and want you to have something homemade and hot once in a while. You pay me too much for the rest,” Jellica answered.
“It’s less than I paid that service. I pay you enough to help feed two growing boys.”
“You help me feed them very well. I don’t think I mentioned it, but I’ve been feeding an extra mouth lately,” Jellica said, stunned when that little piece of personal info popped out of her mouth.
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