Page 12 of Six of Hearts
Money had always run in my family, and though I didn't take up the tradition of bank management like my brother did, we'd eventually reconvened after college to resuscitate the company together. He managed the banks while I managed the accounting firm.
I'd never expected Hazel to go into banking if it wasn't what her heart desired. But my ex had tried to force her into our financial footsteps, tried to map out her entire future before she was even ten years old. It was part of the reason we'd ended up splitting up.
"Is everything okay?”
I looked up to find Aria watching me with concern on her face. I'd gotten lost in my thoughts, my hands still on the keyboard.
"Sorry, yes, just a little lost in thought." I handed her IDs back to her and passed over a folder of papers.
"Let me explain how everything works.”
Aria put her IDs away and turned her full attention to me.
"Okay."
That focus was distracting. I cleared my throat and continued.
"Myself, along with the other dads, each put our twelve-fifty into an escrow account once a month, and then the full seventy-five hundred is released to you monthly on a day of your choosing. Or we can do bi-monthly, on the fifteenth and the last day of the month. Which would you prefer?"
"The bi-monthly would be wonderful," Aria responded.
"Perfect. And do you have a bank account you'd like it deposited into, or would you prefer paper checks?"
Aria chuckled. "I actually prefer checks. Does that make me weird? I'm a physical papers kind of girl."
"Not weird at all." I found myself smiling.
"Give me one second while I process that request."
While I entered Aria's payment preferences, I noticed her gaze wandering around my office. Her eyes landed on a couple of my hunting photos—one of me holding a rifle, another with a trophy buck.
"It's my hobby," I said.
"I've never known anyone who hunts," Aria responded, her tone curious rather than judgemental. "I've always been curious though."
I finished processing her setup and folded my hands on the desk. "What do you want to know?”
"What do you like about it?"
"My whole life has been paperwork and banking and numbers," I said. "When I was in college, my friend took me hunting with him and I fell in love with it immediately. It gets me out of the office, lets me disconnect from everything else. There's something about being out in nature, having to be patient and observant—it's meditative, in a way."
Aria's eyes lit up with genuine interest.
"I can see that. It's so different from what you do every day.”
"Exactly." I found myself leaning forward slightly.
"Most people don't understand that part of it. They just see the trophy photos."
"Well, I think it's fascinating," she said, and I could tell she meant it.
We held eye contact for a moment longer than necessary, and I felt something shift in the air between us. Then I remembered where we were, what we'd agreed to, and I sat back.
"Maybe I'll get a chance to hear more about it sometime," Aria said, and there was something in her voice—interest, maybe even a hint of flirtation—that made my pulse quicken.
"I'll tell you about it whenever you'd like," I replied, keeping my tone professional even as I thought about how much I'd enjoy that conversation.
"Good to know," Aria responded. "Did you need anything else from me?”
