Chapter Seven
CASEY
“Jason, thank you again for the flowers. They’re gorgeous. You realize you don’t have to keep bringing me things, right?” Casey sipped her cabernet and gazed at him in the candlelight.
“Yes, but I like giving you gifts, Casey. I like watching your eyes light up when you enjoy them.” Jason reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. “I like everything about you.”
Casey took a breath and looked at her plate before answering. “I like you, too. But I just got out of a serious relationship and…”
Jason interrupted her. “With your neighbor, correct?”
Casey tilted her head and frowned. “How do you know that?”
He looked off to the side. “Just a guess from how he acts whenever I show up.”
Casey narrowed her eyes. “Why is my BS meter going off right now?”
“Are you enjoying your ribeye? Mine’s excellent.” Jason looked at her all wide-eyed innocence.
Casey set her fork down and crossed her arms. “Jason?”
“Definitely. This steak is grilled to perfection.”
Casey arched one brow and continued to stare at him.
Jason exhaled. “Fine. But I promise I was going to tell you soon. I just wanted a little more time before we had to discuss this.”
Casey took a sip of wine, reclined back, and gestured with her goblet for him to proceed.
He ran his hand through his hair and looked at her hopefully. “Tell me you’ll hear me out.”
Casey gave him a stiff smile. “Nope.”
Jason looked at the ceiling, then back at her, giving her a slight nod. “Okay. Just remember, this all made perfect sense at the time, and I do like you.”
“And…”
“And, you know, I’m a model, but I’m also working on being an actor. And, well, someone who cares very much about you hired me to take you out on a few dates.”
Casey felt her eyes widen and her mouth fall open. She stared at him, her mind whirling a million miles a minute, feeling like she couldn’t catch her breath.
Jason reached to place his hand on her arm, but she jerked back before he could touch her.
“Come again?” she whispered.
“Mrs. O’Brien, well, Bebe, she hired me. You know how she wants everyone to call her by her first name.” He smiled encouragingly. “She said she was worried about you and that her nephew was going to be your new neighbor and that he was as dumb as a turnip when it came to love, and she thought you just needed a little help to get back out there in the dating pool.” Jason shrugged. “I wanted to work on my acting skills and figured, why not? Then I met you and...”
“How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much did she pay you?” she insisted.
“That’s not important. It’s not like I needed the money. I’ve already made plenty from modeling.”
“How. Much. Did. She. Pay. You?” Casey was surprised she could keep her voice down when she only wanted to grab him by the collar and yell in his face until he answered her.
Jason groaned. “Five hundred a date, with a two-hundred-dollar bonus if her nephew saw me.”
Her eyebrows shot high. “Excuse me?”
“Maybe you should take a breath? Your face is turning red.”
Casey bent toward him, her wine glass leading the way.
“Of course, you don’t have to breathe. I understand. Breathing is overrated. But could you take a drink of your cabernet instead of aiming it at me?” Jason rushed out as he shifted back in his seat, eyes wide.
Casey swallowed the last of her wine in one gulp and set her glass down. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
“Are you coming back?”
“Don’t know yet.”
“Fair enough.”
Casey stalked off. Just walk away and breathe. I can do this. Really, in the scheme of things, what’s one more person who thinks I can’t handle my own life? But hiring an actor, even for my life, has got to be a new low.
Casey shut herself in the upscale women’s room, rested her hands on the marble vanity, and peered at herself in the gilt-edged mirror. Okay. Okay. I can do this. It’s just one more way I must prove that I can take care of whatever comes my way. And if I don’t, heaven only knows what Jason might say to Aunt Bebe, and then the whole family will find out.
Casey washed her hands, lightly splashed cold water on her face, and freshened her lipstick before smiling at her reflection. A little less death glare and a little more peaceful gaze would be better. But he’ll have to deal with what I’ve got.
Casey slowly walked to the table and smiled when Jason rushed to pull out her chair.
“Casey, I’m not sure what to say, except the more time I spent with you, the more I liked everything about you. I had already asked Bebe to meet me for lunch tomorrow so I could give her back the money. I don’t want it. I want you.”
Casey pushed her unfinished dinner to the side of the table and picked up her water, taking a large drink. “I appreciate you telling me the truth. I hope you understand if this makes me question the relationship I thought we were developing.”
Jason nodded. “I do. That’s completely understandable. I would feel the same way if I were you.”
Casey gave him a tight smile. “I have enjoyed spending time with you.” She lifted a shoulder, unsure what to say or do next.
“What if we start over? Like from the very beginning?”
Casey tilted her head and smiled. “Does that mean I have to give back the flowers?’
Jason’s smile widened. “No. It just means I need to buy you more.”
“Okay, I like this so far,” Casey said.
Jason extended his hand across the table. “Hi, my name is Jason. It’s nice to meet you.”
Casey shook his hand and grinned. “I’m Casey. It’s good to meet you, too.”
“Casey, would you like to have coffee and dessert with me?”
“When were you thinking?”
“How about right now?”
“I don’t know; that’s awfully sudden.” Casey turned her head away and glanced back at him shyly.
“I ordered crème br?lée for two.” Jason wiggled his brows.
Laughing, Casey nodded, “Feeling pretty confident, huh?”
“Feeling hopeful. Plus, I love crème brulée, so it’s a win-win.”
“I have to say that sounds amazing, Jason. I have one condition before this goes any further.” Casey lifted one brow and pierced him with a stare.
“What’s that?”
“You can’t tell Aunt Bebe that I know about your arrangement. I want to watch her squirm her way out of this one.”
Jason extended his hand again. “Deal.”
Casey shook it, but Jason bent forward and kissed her hand before she could pull it back.
“Thank you for giving me a second chance, Casey,” he said, giving her the heart-melting smile that had made him a very wealthy man.
Casey tugged her hand back and stuck it in her lap, where it continued to tingle as the server placed the warm, sweet-smelling custard topped with fresh raspberries in front of her while another brought their coffees.
Jason raised his cup towards Casey. “To new starts.”
Casey tapped her coffee to his and smiled.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Em, I’m home,” Casey yelled as she set her purse and keys on the little foyer table.
“I’m in the kitchen.”
Casey kicked off her heels, enjoying the feel of the hardwood beneath her feet. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. I made too much popcorn again. Do you want some?” Emily motioned toward the blue air popper, quickly spitting out hot popcorn kernels that threatened to overflow the bowl under it.
“Definitely.” Casey grabbed another bowl and handed it to her sister, who deftly switched them out.
“The butter is in the microwave.”
Casey brought the small glass container to the counter.
“Thanks, Case. I didn’t expect to see you home this early.” Emily poured butter over the two bowls and reached for the salt.
“Dinner was cut short, but we had a delicious crème br?lée for dessert,” Casey said.
Emily tilted her head and observed Casey before handing her the popcorn. “What happened? You don’t have that post-date glow or even a post-creamy custard glow.” Emily picked up her bowl and glass. “Why don’t you pour yourself a lemonade? I’ll turn on the fireplace in the living room. It’s not quite cool enough for a fire, but I love the feel of it.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
When Casey walked into the living room, Emily was sitting on the rug in front of the gas fireplace, her back against the couch and her legs stretched out with the popcorn between them. “I’m glad we’ll have this place as the weather turns colder. I’m going to enjoy having a fire whenever we want.”
Casey sat across from her sister, leaning on a chair, and took a bite of the warm, buttery goodness, happy to be home.
“I’m going to thank Aunt Bebe again for giving us this townhouse rent-free. With the fireplace and us each having a bathroom, I could stay here forever.”
“What?” Casey choked, then coughed, and choked some more. “No, definitely not. Aunt Bebe is a crazy, meddling menace.” Casey took a long drink of lemonade and tried to clear the rest of the popcorn bits from her throat.
“Casey, are you okay?”
Casey nodded and took another sip of her drink.
“I’ll grant you that Aunt Bebe can be a little different and is a first-class meddler, but I wouldn’t call her a menace.” Emily frowned.
Casey smirked at her sister. “Just wait until I tell you her latest scheme, then decide.”
“Okay. Start at the beginning, I think…?” Emily bit her bottom lip and waited.
“Jason and I were having a wonderful dinner. He took me to the Rick’s Steakhouse, and the food was delicious.”
Emily nodded. “That place is amazing.”
Casey pointed a fluffy white kernel at her. “Exactly. Anyway, he started telling me how much he enjoyed us going out, and I told him that I had recently been in a serious relationship. I’m just about to tell him I’m not sure I’m ready for another one when he interrupts me and says he knows it was with my neighbor.”
“How did he know that?” Emily put her popcorn down.
“You’ll never believe it in a million years,” Casey ground out.
“Try me.”
“He tells me that Aunt Bebe hired him to date me. Hired him .” Casey could feel the heat rising in her face as she recalled the conversation.
“No way.” Emily’s eyes were huge as she moved forward and rubbed Casey’s leg to comfort. “She didn’t.”
“Oh, but she did.” Casey nodded and stuffed another kernel in her mouth. “According to Jason, she was worried that I still wasn’t dating after breaking up with Dylan, and this was her version of a blind date.”
Emily suddenly giggled. “Oh my gosh. That’s hysterical.” At Casey’s cold stare, Emily raised her hands, palms up. “Well, at least she didn’t set you up for a robbery charge. This is a tad more normal. Maybe…?” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Five hundred dollars a date, Em, plus a two-hundred-dollar bonus if Dylan saw him,” Casey snarled.
“Really? Huh, that’s interesting.” Emily tilted her head and gazed at her sister.
“Not only does she believe I can’t get my own dates, but she also thinks I’m so unlikeable that she’s willingly spending a few thousand dollars to pay him to do it.” Casey frowned and felt the tears stinging.
“Case,” Emily rubbed her sister’s leg again, “no one believes that. I promise you.”
“But what if that’s why Dylan broke up with me? What if they’re right? That I’m not good enough?” She looked up at Emily, her eyes damp.
“Dylan broke up with you because he’s stupid. We’ve already established that.” Emily stretched over to the end table, plucked tissues from the box, and handed them to Casey. “This has everything to do with Aunt Bebe caring about you and wanting you to be happy. It has nothing to do with you not being good enough.”
Casey stared at her sister. “Why do you say that?”
“Because of the bonus money. Aunt Bebe may be crazy, but she’s not stupid. It’s the perfect set-up. Think about it, Case. Jason didn’t begin dating you until Dylan got home. Giving Jason a bonus every time Dylan sees him here…? What better way to drive a guy up the wall than seeing his ex-girlfriend wined and dined by another man? And not just any man, a wealthy, gorgeous model. Think about it.” Emily smiled widely.
Casey sat up straighter. “If you’re right, that’s brilliant.”
“Exactly. And in the grand scheme of things, it’s much better than setting you up to look like a thief like she did with Rachel. What woman doesn’t love having two handsome men interested in her? In this case, I’d look at it like having your own fairy godmother or fairy aunt.” Emily slumped back against the couch and threw a handful of popcorn in her mouth, watching the smile bloom on her twin’s face.
“You know, I could have some fun with this.” Casey beamed a mischievous grin.
“You certainly could.” Emily’s grin matched her sister’s. “Just tell me if I can help.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Morning, Boss.” Casey looked up as Greg entered her office and closed the door.
“Good morning. Do you have a minute?”
“For you, of course.” Casey smiled and gestured toward the chair.
“I think it’s time for you to have an accomplice,” Greg said, his light brown eyes twinkling at her.
“ Okaayy … You make it sound like I’m planning a heist.” Casey gave him the side-eye and waited for him to continue.
Greg chuckled. “Well, not a heist, but you are working on a top-secret project.”
“True.”
“I didn’t say anything before now because I didn’t want to taint your investigation in case I was wrong. But now that you’ve cleared her department, I want her to help you move forward.”
“And she is?”
“Allison, the head of Ordering. I never suspected her, but as I said, I hired you for fresh eyes, and if I had told you at the beginning that Allison was not involved, it could’ve affected your inquiries.”
“You’re right. Knowing you had total faith in her, I would’ve looked at her differently,”
“I’d like you two to have lunch together today, someplace off-site and in a different area so you can talk freely. You can trust her completely, so tell her whatever you want. She is an excellent judge of character. If she’s suspicious of anyone, there’s a good reason.”
“Got it.”
Greg nodded. “I don’t want the three of us to be seen together, so I’ll go to her office and explain the situation. Then, a little later, she’ll stop by here and suggest lunch so you can get to know each other better. And you two can take it from there.” Greg stood, and Casey followed suit.
He opened the door so their exchange could be heard. “I appreciate you updating those forms. Send me the first drafts when you can.”
“Will do. It might take me a bit to get them. I’m still working on our policies and procedures manual.”
“That’s fine. I just wanted to put it on your radar. Do you want your door open or closed?” Greg asked.
“Closed, please. It’s easier for me to concentrate that way. Thanks.”
Greg grinned, nodded, and shut her door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Casey was returning to her office with one arm full of fresh copies when she saw a stylishly dressed blonde standing in the doorway.
“Can I help you?” Casey asked.
The blonde stuck out her hand. “I’m Allison, in charge of Ordering. I’ve talked to you on the phone, but we haven’t officially met yet.”
Casey shuffled the papers into her other arm and shook Allison’s hand. “I’m Casey. I understand. There’s always something to do.” She nodded towards the documents in her arms.
“I talked to Greg earlier, and he said you’ve been existing on baloney sandwiches. He suggested we have lunch together so you can eat something different and maybe make a work friend. I think he’s afraid you’ll leave if you don’t feel like part of the crew.”
Casey dumped the papers on her desk and turned back to Allison. “That sounds good to me. I haven’t gone out to eat since I started working here. And I do want to get to know people better. It feels like all I do is dash in and out of offices, asking questions.”
Allison laughed. “Grab your purse. I’ll drive. I think I know a place you’ll like.”
Casey followed Allison to the parking lot. Once safely in the car, Casey angled to her new confidant and beamed. “This is awesome. Now, I really do feel like I’m operating undercover.”
“When Greg told me—whispered, in fact—what was going on, I couldn’t believe it. I’m so glad you’ve already cleared my department. Those guys are like family, and I can’t imagine finding out one of them was involved.”
“Greg is so kind. I think he feels that way about the whole company.”
“He’s the best boss I’ve ever had. The man could teach those leadership classes in business school.” Allison pulled her sporty four-door in front of a food truck. “Greatest barbeque in town. Trust me. Plus, we’ll eat in the car with no chance of being overheard.”
“Brilliant, and I love barbeque.” Casey looked up at the trailer and noticed the logo. “Oh my gosh. I know this place. Big Boi BBQ is my ex-boyfriend’s favorite.”
Allison grinned as she pulled up the app to place an order. “Well, he has good taste in women and food. Too bad he was dumb enough to become your ex.”
Casey laughed. “Greg told me I’d like you, and he was right. You already feel like a friend.”
“Same here. Add your order to mine. Greg said he’d pay for lunch since it was his idea.” Casey added her items, and Allison finished the payment process and then relaxed back into her seat. “Now, fill me in, and don’t leave out any details.”
Casey explained how she was going through department by department looking for any red flags, anything that didn’t add up. She had asked for a second background check on all the new hires, starting one year before Greg had realized he was losing money. Allison listened closely, only stopping Casey when she had a question, and then once she was satisfied with the answer, motioning for Casey to continue. When Allison’s text rang with the notice that their lunch was ready, they both went to the pick-up window and quickly returned to the car.
“It smells so delicious.” Casey dropped her nose to the bag and sniffed. “I haven’t had this since Dylan and I broke up. I’d forgotten how amazing it is.” She took a bite of her sandwich and moaned as the smokey meat melted in her mouth.
Allison didn’t speak. She closed her eyes and nodded. Finally, she took a drink of her soda, then angled herself more towards Casey. “Okay. So, let me see if I’ve got this right. You have narrowed it down to three possibilities: accounting, the warehouse, and inventory, correct?”
“Yep,” Casey mumbled through her bite.
“Well, there are a few people in the warehouse I wouldn’t trust. The kind who gives you the creeps when they smile at you.” Allison bit into a French fry. “As you get closer to figuring this out, you need to be more careful. Whoever it is won’t appreciate their money-making plan being discovered, especially if it means jail time.”
Casey rested her head on the seat and sighed. “I know, but I’m not worried. I promised Greg I’d tell him as soon as I narrowed it down a little more, and he said he’d take it to the authorities. I don’t want our bad guys to have time to shut down their operation and hide all the evidence.”
“Excellent. I’m all in then.” Allison lifted her soda. “To the new crime-fighting duo of Casey and Allison.”
Casey tapped her can to Allison’s. “Thanks for being my new partner.”