Chapter Thirty-Two
Lucas and I walked the streets near the restaurant before returning to our car.
I needed a little extra time to process and unwind.
I’d lost my father without ever knowing him, but I was deeply thankful for the woman I’d found in his stead.
And for all the stories of his life she’d so willingly shared.
I tipped my head for a better look at the moon and stars, glittering across an inky night sky. Soft music drifted from cafés, and a contented sigh left my body as I floated through the most surreal moment of my life.
“What?” Lucas asked, nudging my arm as we strolled in the direction of our rental car. “We don’t have to go yet,” he offered. “We can walk all night if you like. It’s the perfect weather for it.”
At the car I stood outside the passenger door and peered at him across the roof of the little vehicle.
Everything about the moment felt profound.
My time with Mary underscored the lessons I’d learned during these last few months.
People died every day, and too few lived while they had the chance.
I didn’t want to spend any more of my limited days with people I didn’t like or doing things I didn’t love.
“I don’t want to plate food.” The declaration came out before I’d had time to decide how to say it.
The immediate relief pulled a smile across my lips.
His brows bunched. “What do you mean? You didn’t have fun today?”
“I had fun with you today,” I clarified. I didn’t want to hurt or disappoint Lucas, but I knew this was the right choice for me. I needed to be brave and honor that. “I think I’d be good at plating, if I finished the course, but—”
Lucas pursed his lips and rested his forearms on the roof. “You want to bake,” he said. “Of course you do. You’re a baker. You should bake.”
I laughed, in love with his words. I was a baker. And a pretty good one. “I’m truly sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to put you out. I really wanted this to work.” I couldn’t imagine what my change of mind cost him. I covered my mouth as the expenses piled in my head. Time and money.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll call John. I already know where I can get him a last-minute uniform.
” Lucas laughed. “I don’t know why I thought you’d want to completely change jobs.
I wasn’t sure what might happen with the blogger, if your side business would be ruined, if you’d need the added income.
I knew you’d do a great job at whatever you tried, so—”
“You were trying to help me.” If the car wasn’t standing between us, I’d have tackle hugged him.
“I might’ve had selfish reasons too,” he said. “Don’t think I’m a saint. I knew I’d have more fun in France with a beautiful, fun-loving friend than I would with John.”
I tried hard not to focus on the fact he’d called me beautiful. “You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad?” He unlocked the car, then folded himself behind the wheel.
I followed suit and buckled up beside him. “You flew me to France for three weeks of specialized culinary classes. Then I only took one before quitting,” I said. “That’s a big waste of money on your part, and an incredibly inconsiderate move on mine.”
Lucas started the car and pulled smoothly onto the road.
“This isn’t a problem. This is life. Things change, and it’s more important to follow your heart and seek your passion than to lie to yourself about what you want.
I asked you to try this, and you did. I appreciate that.
I also appreciate anyone who knows their own mind. ”
I watched him closely as he drove, but I detected no signs of a ruse, no indication of an emotional game afoot. Lucas truly wanted me to be happy. He wanted everyone to be happy. I believed now that good, kind men existed. And having one right beside me did complicated things to my heart.
Lucas and I parted ways again when my phone rang in the hotel lobby. I didn’t recognize the number, but lifted a finger to Lucas, indicating I wanted to answer.
Lucas waved and moved onto the elevator, on his way to give John a call.
I pressed the Accept button on my screen and raised the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Mrs. Bianco?” a woman’s voice asked.
I cringed at the sound of my last name. I would change that as soon as possible. “Yes. May I help you?”
“This is Karli from the Norfolk Yacht Club,” she said.
“I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to get back with you.
We’re planning a regatta next month and—” She cleared her throat.
“Never mind. The important thing is that I finally had the time to look up that account for you, and I have the contact information your husband used when claiming the slip for your boat.” She paused.
“Did I get that right?” she asked. “You need contact information for your husband?”
I supposed that did seem odd. “That’s correct,” I said, improvising.
“I’m doing our books and want to make sure things are aligned.
You mentioned getting in touch with his company on the day I was there, and I need to be sure the right charges go to our corresponding businesses.
So, just to clarify, the club membership isn’t a personal one? ”
“No, ma’am.”
“Is it paid for by the law firm?”
They gave him a new Mercedes every year. Why not a yacht club membership?
“I’m not sure,” she said. “The company name I have here is GraberCoCare.”
“I see,” I said. That didn’t ring a bell. “Is there anything else?”
She read the address and phone number to me. The number belonged to his cell phone. I wrote the address down.
We disconnected and I took a seat in one of the plush lobby chairs.
I was sure I’d never heard the company name before, yet it seemed strangely familiar.
I plugged the address into my phone and an internet search linked it to a local UPS Store with rentable mailboxes. What kind of company didn’t have a physical address? Something online? Something that didn’t exist?
I’d barely finished the thought when I recalled the reason the company name seemed so familiar. I hadn’t heard it before. I’d seen it on the paperwork in Robert’s hidey-hole.
I looked it up on the state business website and learned the LLC was owned by a trust. I suspected it was also buried in a maze of legal loopholes the way only a trained attorney like Robert could manage.
Unfortunately for him, I’d hired a team of forensic accountants before all the money disappeared. I called them next.
“We’ve got him, Ms. Bianco,” the team leader told me before I had the chance to share my news.
“It took a little longer than we liked, but Robert was extremely thorough in his efforts, and there was a lot to unravel. We’re still tying up some loose ends, but we’ll have a full report ready for you next week. ”
“Does that mean you know about the LLC, the yacht club, and the UPS mailbox?” I asked, stunned by the man’s victorious tone. Until now, I’d never made it past his voicemail or receptionist. If my attorney hadn’t sworn by the company, I might’ve thought they’d taken my retainer and run.
“Yes, ma’am. I think you’ll be surprised by all that we found, but I have to jump off right now, I’m late for an appointment, but I’ll get back to you early next week. That’s a promise.”
Emotion overcame me as I considered the possibility. “You can prove he hid our money?”
The man paused before stating simply, “We can.”
I tipped my head back and smiled at the ceiling. Now we could strike an agreement and settle out of court. I’d be free, and my marriage would finally be over.
I was in the gorgeous South of France, but suddenly I couldn’t wait to go home.
I disconnected with the accountant and immediately called my attorney.
I left France when John arrived, and I headed home to get my ducks in a row. Saying goodbye to Lucas was harder than I expected, though I’d see him again in a few weeks when the course ended. He drove me to the airport in the rental car and walked me to security.
When he lingered, I rose onto my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. That was allowed in Europe, wasn’t it?
He blushed, and I smiled. Then I carried that sweet moment with me all the way home.
Several important things happened within days of my return.
First, and most shockingly, Robert was arrested.
The forensic accountant gave me a heads-up the night before.
As it turned out, the team I’d hired discovered evidence of Robert’s financial crimes long before the night I’d called them from France.
In fact, they’d run into an ongoing police investigation of money mismanagement at Robert’s law firm the moment they started working for me.
From there, they struggled to separate marital funds from gains acquired through illegal operations, which was the reason the team had been so hard to reach.
Their hands and tongues were tied by the ongoing investigation, making it seem to me that they hadn’t had any luck, when in fact, they’d hit a proverbial mother lode of criminal activity.
Thanks to the advance notice, Alicia called out sick and drove with me to Robert’s office for the big arrest. We parked across the street to watch the authorities bodily remove him from the building in handcuffs. It was petty, but we brought a sign and popcorn to ensure he saw us.
I later learned that, as part of his greedy, miscreant behavior, Robert had purchased multiple large-ticket items in my name, and Camilla’s, over the years.
He used them to temporarily hide his pilfered money.
He then sold the assets when he was ready and invested the money. A routine he followed compulsively.
The only downside was that because of the ongoing investigation, it would take months or more before I received funds from our marital estate. The divorce settled without a trial, however, and that was the real win.
Five months later, I still rarely stopped smiling.