Page 71 of Love Is an Art
“You don’t need me around for the dancing,” I say.Lame. I know.
There’s only one woman I want to dance with, and she’s not going to be there.
Ben looks over from his desk next to mine and shakes his head. Easy enough for him to say I should ignore Paisley. There is no privacy here. Invigorating as the buzz of trading activity around me is, I do miss the ability to have private conversations.
I slide closer toward my monitors and speak in a low voice so the guys around me can’t hear. “I think Paisley is going to try to get me back, and that is not happening. And you don’t need that drama at your wedding. I’ll come to the rehearsal dinner and attend the wedding, but I’ll bow out early at the reception.”
“Look, you guys set us up. Paisley is Lindsay’s friend. We couldn’tnotinvite her. You’re seated at separate tables at opposite ends of the room. She’s coming with some guy. She’s also really sorry. Haven’t you seen her since?”
“Yes. With Tessa. Whom she thinks I’m dating.” But doesn’t see as competition? More fool her. I’d much rather go with Tessa. That devil voice inside me says, “And you could, dude. You’re the idiot who shut that down.” It’s been two and a half weeks since I broke it off and a week since I last saw her. Not that I’m counting.
And she did apologize. Unlike Paisley blaming me.
“Look, it’s no shame to you if you’re not dating Tessa. And you have your friends. We have your back. Sebastian is coming alone.”
Sebastian likes being single. Paisley said that she’d made a play for him first before falling for me. Clearly, he has a better rubbish radar than me.
My phone rings. It’s Brooke on the other line.
“I have to get that,” I say.
“We’re not done. You’re staying until the end.” Dylan hangs up.
I pick up Brooke’s line. “Did you call the wrong number? You’re off by one number.”
“No. I called you. I received an anonymous email that there’s fraudulent activity at Comidas en Canasta. I think you should come to my office so we can discuss.”
“What? I’ll be right there.”
Ben looks over from his desk next to mine. I shake my head but don’t explain. This can’t get out. I rush to Brooke’s office.
“But how?” I ask as I enter her office, closing the door behind me. Today, paper stacks are piled high on her desk, and a large cup of coffee is next to her keyboard. A box tray from the cafeteria peeks out of her garbage can. Ben said she’s been really busy.
“Probably when I handed out my business card. I translated it roughly from Spanish. Here’s the email and the translation.” She moves a stack of paper to the credenza behind her and places two pieces of paper in front of me on her desk.
Dear Lawyer B. Smith:
I am writing to inform you of money being stolen. Fraud will hurt the company. Invoices have been paid for services that were never rendered. But we cannot speak up. We need our jobs. I want to confirm that this email address is valid before I send proof. Also kickbacks. We ask you to investigate as someone outside the company.
I just persuaded Capital Management to include Comidas en Canasta in the portfolio and invest millions in a scam. I’m screwed. That’s it. That’s my whole career. I might as well hand in my resignation right now. I lean over Brooke’s desk, reading the email. “Is there any way to find out who sent it?”
“I can ask IT, but it looks like a generic email address.”
I sink into the chair in front of her desk. “The financials looked legit. There were no red flags. And we had them audited by a reputable firm.”
I don’t believe this.
Don’t panic.
It’s not like it hasn’t happened to Charles before. There was that time a year ago when Charles advocated for an investment in a company in Costa Rica. We discovered the fraud and remediated. It wasn’t the end of Charles’s career, and he was matter-of-fact about it. But he’s also the boss with a lot of years under his belt. Still, I might be able to save this.
Brooke says. “It’s hard to catch kickbacks and fraudulent services. Maybe there’s a second set of books. It sounds like it’s someone senior, if they feel the need to go outside the company and not use the ethics hotline. I put in a call to Tessa Jackowski. She’s the one who settled your last case. She’s done a fair amount of internal investigations, so we should hire her again.”
“No.”
“What?”
“No.” The last thing I need is a liar as counsel to uncover the truth about another bunch of liars. Although they do say it takes one to know one.
