16
By Monday afternoon, Emma didn’t have time to dwell on her slow dance with Wade. The phone rang non-stop. The weekly schedule was full, and the next week was filling fast. Many customers mentioned the picture in the newspaper. The word was spreading about the hazards of cheap electrical strips. Wade hummed a joyful tune. She assumed it was the increased business, but Derek had returned, and Tennessee had won the AFC Championship yesterday, so Wade had a few reasons to celebrate. Super Bowl fever was blazing throughout Nashville. February would be an exciting month.
She stretched her legs by pulling papers off the printer for her boss. One sheet was from a doctor’s office. Had Wade received his driving release? Surely, he would have mentioned being sprung from driving prison. She set the papers on his desk.
Wade glanced from his laptop. Little blue sparks brightened his eyes. Handsome boss on aisle three. She forced any romantic thoughts from her head and reminded herself that this was a professional relationship.
“Thanks.” His not-a-care-in-the-world-smile whip-started her heart. “The claims department needed a copy of Derek’s work release. Figured I should have a copy on file, too.”
“Pretty soon that will be yours.” Then she’d hardly see him in the office. Their friendship would stall. Lunch settled heavy in her stomach.
“I certainly hope so. It’s been a long time coming.” He placed the paperwork in a file holder atop the small corner desk.
She returned to her computer, dreading the silence that would befall the office when everyone was out on service calls. She’d also miss Wade’s presence. They made a good team inside the office and outside of it. Dwelling on that fact would only frazzle her focus.
“Hey, Emma.” Wade called her name as if they were the best of friends.
Had their dance buffed some of his hard edges? She swiveled in her chair and flashed her best customer service smile.
“Talking about these medical reports had me thinking about your human resource software.”
“People Peeps?” She said the name with glee even though it had been ridiculed.
“Yeah that.” He rubbed his jaw. “It won’t hurt anything if I open it on my laptop. Would you mind if I took a look?”
Was he serious? Adrenaline surged through her body as she grabbed her backpack. Her skills with callers must have made an impression. She fumbled the zipper on the small compartment on her backpack where she kept her flash drive. Her heart rallied a joyous beat as she prepared to explain the software to her boss.
“I’d be happy to answer any questions. I tried to make the interface as user friendly as possible.” She handed him the drive. “Click on customers and you can see the data fields.” She refrained from line dancing down the hallway. Had she found her first customer? Did Wade recognize her love for helping people.
Wade inserted the drive into his laptop.
Too hyped to sit, she leaned against the counter. She resisted the urge to hover over Wade and treat him like a student. Her self-confidence rebounded a notch after all the bruises it had taken from being scammed by Ron. When she had shown her former boss the software, his interest seemed miles away, and they had been interrupted before she had finished showing all the capabilities.
Nothing familiar appeared on the screen. Where were the happy geriatric faces? Had Wade decided to check accounts receivable?
“What on earth?” Her boss didn’t sound dazzled by her creation. Wade squinted at the screen and then jolted like he’d been electrified. “Emma, this isn’t your software.”
“Yes, it is.” She had created it on her own. “Did you hit the customer tab?”
Wade stared at her as if she had burned through a red traffic light. “There are no customer tabs. This is an electronic wallet.” His deep voice spiked to a soprano.
“A what?” Her heart thudded in her ears creating a booming warning.
“Cash. Funds. Crypto currency.”
Any money she owned was in her backpack or in the bank, not on a flash drive. She gripped the counter so she wouldn’t collapse onto the floor. This had to be a mistake. “I don’t own any crypto currency.”
“You do now.” Wade leapt to his feet and pulled the drive from his laptop. “I think we just peeped into where Ron stashed his money.”
~*~
“I’m locking the front door for safety.” Wade was in the hallway before he realized that he had left his cane in the office. “I don’t want any visitors while we try to figure this out.” He shivered and felt his skin chill with bumps. His leg felt solid, but not his wits. How could such a small device hold so much money? The plastic and metal felt odd in his palm.
Emma followed his movements with huge eyes like she was concentrating on a hypnotist’s charm. Hand at her throat she fingered a silver chain and stood like a pillar against the counter.
They possessed evidence and a substantial sum of stolen funds that Emma had been carrying in her backpack since she arrived. Was she truly clueless about the drive? She had to be innocent, or why would she hand it to him? The poor thing looked like she was going to faint. Emma was an emotional, energetic woman, but he didn’t see her being this good of an actress.
He threw the bolt on the front door and rushed back to his desk, closing the blinds to nefarious eyes. The shaded room mirrored his mood. Emma might be in danger. He might be too since he knew how to access the money. Every healthy nerve in his body screamed to protect her, but only she could solve this problem. She knew details about Ron’s business. He didn’t have a clue. Gently, yet firmly, he placed the drive in her hand.
She clutched the culprit. “What do I do with this? Call the police?” She picked up the office phone. The receiver trembled in her hand. “I have a detective’s card from Wisconsin.”
“Wait.” His heart drummed a driving rhythm. The police might think Emma had knowledge of the heist. At the moment, a large sum of money inhabited her fist. He pointed at her hand. “Put that in your backpack. It’s business as usual until I call…” Who? He didn’t want to involve his family. Not now anyway. Emma needed a lawyer. Would the company’s attorney be able to help? Perhaps he knew someone who specialized in white-collar crime. It was worth a try.
“Let me call our attorney and get some advice. I don’t want you to get into any more trouble.” Trouble where they would place her in jail.
“More trouble?” Her breath hitched. “Like this isn’t… bad enough?”
“New trouble.” He tried to sound in control, but his mind whirled with worst-case scenarios. “Why don’t you sit down?” He grasped her shoulders and settled her into her office chair. He rubbed her shoulders until they didn’t feel like wood. Totally unprofessional, but he didn’t remember reading anything about this situation in the executive training manual.
“I’m scared. Will you pray for me? For us?” Tears glistened in Emma’s eyes. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt on my account. I don’t know how—” Her chest heaved. “How I have this money?”
His throat ached seeing her so undone. Where was his cute, confident, office manager? He resisted the urge to wrap her in his arms and rock her slowly. “I believe you, Emma.” His whole being was at peace with that statement. He had worked and lived beside Emma and never seen anything to suggest she had millions hidden in her backpack.
A breath shuddered from her lips. Another, calmer, breath followed. When she raised her glistening gaze upon him, he nearly swept her off her feet and booked a flight to the Caribbean.
“Thank you, Wade. It means a lot that you support me.”
He took her tiny, fragile fingers in his, and cleared his throat. “I’ll pray.” And he would send a silent prayer to the Lord to restrain Wade from bending and kissing his office manager. How could life be cruel to someone with a big heart like Emma? Someone who had helped his family and someone who had encouraged him to get better. To be his healthy best.
“Lord, we need You more than ever.” He squeezed Emma’s hand. “Please watch over Emma and protect her from any more harm. Protect those we love. Give us wisdom on how to proceed. We need a lot of guidance here, Lord. Light the path ahead for both of us.” Especially Emma . “May You right all the wrongs that Ron has caused. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” He let go of her hand. Instantly, he missed her touch.
“Thank you.” She sniffled. “That was beautiful.” Turning toward her desk, she reached for a tissue.
He hooked a thumb toward the hallway. He wished he could do or say more, but he was Emma’s boss, a friend, nothing more. “I’ll call the attorney from my back office.”
On cue, the phone rang.
“Duty calls.” She forced a quivering smile and answered. Only the slightest strain sounded in her voice.
Why Lord? Why does Emma have to go through this trial? Somehow that word held a whole new meaning. Would the police get involved? Would he be an accomplice since he knew about the funds? He hadn’t gotten his life one hundred percent in order and this scandal dropped. He should never have asked to see her software. But if everything is done in God’s timing, he would have seen it sooner or later. Wouldn’t he? The beginning of a headache pulsed in his temples.
He collapsed in his black leather office chair and called Brent’s direct line.
“Wade. I haven’t heard from you in a while. How’s the recovery going?” Brent was always cordial, but he kept a professional distance in his voice.
“I’m doing well. I should have my full doctor’s release this week.” Euphoria eluded him. “I have an unusual question to run by you.”
“Anytime. I’m here to help.”
Wade visualized the client meter ticking off dollars per minute.
“We have a new hire. Temporary help to replace Fran since she’s out for surgery. A friend of Cole’s.” Way to distance yourself Donoven . “Anyway, she worked for a guy in Wisconsin that scammed people out of money. A phony real estate investment scheme.”
“Would this be the guy on the news a few days back. He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“One and the same.” Wade swiveled in his chair.
A long whistle came through the receiver.
“Today, the girl discovered a flash drive with some information on where the money might be located. I advised her to get an attorney before calling the police.” He hated being so general. Emma was more to him than a generic temp worker who came and went without much interaction. “Would you know anyone who handles that type of law?” Please, God . His good leg jiggled underneath his desk. His healed one could have jiggled alongside thanks to Emma.
“Smart move to call, Wade. I do know someone. My college roommate is an attorney here in Nashville. He handles high-profile cases. Some for our government and some for foreign countries. If he can’t help you, he’ll know someone who can.”
“Great. I’m at a loss here. And since she’s a friend of a friend, I’d like to help her out.” Emma was becoming more than a friend, but Brent didn’t need to know that information.
“I’ll text you his name and contact information. But let me call and give him a heads up. See what he advises.” Brent’s breathing whooshed through the phone. “Here comes the straight talk as your company lawyer. How well do you know this girl? Could she be an accomplice?”
“Accomplice. Emma. No, no way.” Emma had a big heart. She wouldn’t be capable of hurting people.
“Did anything show up in the background check?” Brent was asking about basic precautions that should be done when running a business, but somehow the questions danced on Wade’s last nerve.
“I didn’t run one because …” Everything happened so fast. Emma was Sam’s friend. The company needed help. Wade picked at the stitching on the leather armrest. None of those answers made good business sense or negated the seriousness of possessing stolen funds. “No, I didn’t check her past history.”
“I’m sorry, Wade, but in my judgment, this girl shouldn’t work for Donoven and Sons anymore. You and your company could possibly get embroiled in some bad press. Now that she has evidence of a crime in her possession, you have to cut her loose. We don’t know where that evidence will lead.”
Wade sat stunned. Brent suspected Emma wasn’t above board. His mouth parched as he tried to form a response to Brent’s advice. Emma shined as his office manager. Shined in his heart. Losing this job would crush her. The thought of her reaction bruised his being.
“You mean I have to fire her today? Could it wait until the end of the week?” He couldn’t get Emma’s captivating eyes and their well of tears out of his mind.
“Since we’ve talked. You have to fire her within the hour. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we don’t have anything to show a work history or her innocence. Hopefully, my buddy can help you out and clear her name.”
Slumping in his chair, Wade switched his phone to his other ear and into his right hand. He couldn’t trust the damp fingers on his former claw to grip the phone.
“I appreciate your help and guidance.” Like a mixed martial artist’s punch to the gut. “I’ll wait for your text. Thanks for the straight talk.” A total lie. He’d prefer some lawyer fluff or legalese.
Wade ended the call and stared at the beige wall of his office. He scrubbed a hand over his face. A sour aroma filled his nostrils. How was he going to break the news to Emma? He reclined his head against the cushioned leather of the chair.
“Why Lord? Why did You bring Emma into my life? Didn’t I have enough stress going on? I like her. I really like her. She gets me and this whole business responsibility stuff. Now I’m supposed to take her job away and erase her financial support. I don’t get this at all.”
His eyes burned, but he willed the emotion away. Bosses didn’t cry. He’d fired people before, but not his employee of the month, and a woman who he’d like to court as a girlfriend. He could kiss any relationship with Emma good-bye after he fired her.
A brief remembrance of holding her in his arms and her sexy smile shining up at his face threatened his composure.
He pounded the desk with his healthy fist. Reinjuring his thawed claw wasn’t an option. Emma wouldn’t be around for pressure point massages. Curse words filtered through his brain. Forgive me, Lord.
Buzzing broke into his thoughts. How long had he been lost in his regret?
Attorney Zach West’s name and address flashed onto his phone screen. Zach would meet Emma at five thirty this evening. He doubted that he would receive an invitation to join her after her termination, but at almost 3:00 p.m., he could pay Emma for the full day of work. He texted his thanks to Brent. A thank you for blowing up Wade’s life.
The odd burn behind his eyes turned into a strange tingle. Dismissing Emma hurt worse than all his physical injuries. She had erased the cramping in his hand. Her encouragement to walk had him confident in his leg holding his weight. She made him believe a driving release was eminent. His physical setbacks were on the road to recovery. The hurt he was about to cause Emma made him relive the stitches and blood and casting he had endured in a hospital bed.
For the first time in his career, he more than hated, no he loathed, being the boss.