Chapter 21
Hailey paced past the alcove where her boss sat as they awaited the arrival of Eukaria’s CFO.
There was more than enough room for both of them on the cushioned bench, but she couldn’t bear to sit still.
She checked her watch. Their meeting was supposed to begin five minutes ago, but Alessandro Luque had yet to show up.
Gleason popped a breath mint. “Relax, Hailey.”
She tried to tamp down her nerves. She wasn’t an anxious sort of person, but there was a lot riding on this meeting.
She needed to make a good first impression.
As Gleason said yesterday, if they were unable to mollify Eukaria’s CFO, the company could “fire” her, demanding a more experienced CPA.
If things went really bad, they could pull their accounts altogether.
Or worse, they could attempt to sue Pendleton Accounting for negligence.
Such a suit might not go anywhere, but the bad publicity could ruin the business.
She thought through what she knew of Alessandro Luque.
She’d never met Eukaria’s chief financial officer before, but she’d caught a glimpse of him once when he stopped by to meet with Frank Pierce.
The man appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties.
He looked like a model and carried himself as if he knew it.
Or perhaps his blatant confidence had more to do with his position in such a prestigious company. And the fact he was related to the CEO.
The decorative mirror opposite the alcove beckoned her to stop and check her makeup yet again.
She resisted the urge. It had been fine when she’d looked three minutes ago, and three minutes before that.
At least, it had been as good as it could be in her current stage of healing.
While the swelling around her eye had finally started to go down, the bruising had only deepened since yesterday.
She’d done her best, but no amount of concealer or foundation could completely disguise the aftereffects of Monday’s struggle.
“Sit before you make me nervous,” Gleason growled.
Hailey dropped onto the other end of the bench. She didn’t like that she couldn’t see the elevator doors from here. “He’s late. Think everything’s okay?” She tried to keep her tone light but wasn’t able to completely disguise her unease.
Gleason gave her a tight smile and offered her a mint. “Hundred to one it’s a power play. He’ll show up soon.”
The reassurance didn’t make her feel better. The man had already demanded they meet two hours before official office hours. If he was already making another show of dominance, he wasn’t likely to play nice during the meeting.
“Why does Eukaria use our services, anyway?” Though she was thankful for the financial benefits and job security associated with having such a major client, she still couldn’t figure out why they didn’t use a larger accounting firm with a branch near their headquarters in Maryland—or just hire their own in-house CPAs. She was certain they could afford them.
“Simple answer, I don’t know. I did ask when the firm first approached us. They said we’d been highly recommended and they preferred working with small, ethical companies whenever possible. The CEO seemed eccentric, and I assumed it was one of his quirks.”
“The CEO chose us? Not the CFO?” she clarified.
“Yep. That was before Alessandro Luque was promoted to chief financial officer. Eukaria was well respected even then, but its profits have skyrocketed in the last several years.”
She’d chew on that information later, though she supposed it didn’t really matter. The important thing was that they’d been a client of Pendleton Accounting for over five years now, and she didn’t want to be the reason they left.
After another couple of very tense minutes, the hum of the rising elevator finally signaled the arrival of their guest. Hailey and Gleason both sprang to their feet and approached the elevator entrance. She tugged at the hem of her blazer. Felt to make sure her chignon was in place.
And then the elevator dinged. She was out of time.
She pasted on a professional smile just as the doors began to retract. Seconds later, not one man but three stepped into the hallway.
Even if she hadn’t seen Alessandro Luque before, she’d have known which of the three he was. The man wore an expensive navy suit and walked slightly ahead of the others. But his demeanor was the real giveaway.
Gleason spoke first. “Mr. Luque, good to see you again.” He shook hands with Eukaria’s chief financial officer, then indicated Hailey. “This is Mrs. Nieland. She’s an excellent CPA—one of our best. She’s been handling your accounts since we lost Frank.”
She stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Mr. Luque accepted her offered hand, but he didn’t release it immediately. Hailey fought to keep her smile in place as he studied her with unapologetic scrutiny. His eyes paused on her right cheek, lingering a moment too long.
Her insides began to quake, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t—cower. She tried to think of something to say, to break this uncomfortable silence. The words wouldn’t come.
Gleason cleared his throat.
Mr. Luque continued his perusal for another second or two, as if wanting to make it clear that he took direction from no one. Cold blue eyes locked on hers. There was something there she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but he seemed almost pleased. Finally, he let go.
In spite of herself, Hailey took a step backward. The glint in the man’s eyes became more pronounced. But this time, he allowed Gleason to divert his attention.
Her boss waved toward Pendleton Accounting. “Shall we go inside? I know you’re a busy man.”
“Yes.” Mr. Luque punctuated his acquiescence with a single dip of his chin. He allowed Gleason to lead the way.
Hailey found herself in the middle of their entourage. With every step, she tried to shake off her discomfiture. His brazen assessment of her had been unsettling, and now she felt off-balance. She needed to pull herself together enough to function during this meeting.
Please, God. Calm my mind. Grant me clarity.
It was only as they were about to enter the larger of the conference rooms that she realized the men accompanying Mr. Luque had neither spoken nor been introduced.
She stole a glance over her shoulder. They’d both stopped just outside the business and now stood flanking the main doors like some sort of security detail. Maybe that’s exactly what they were.
She didn’t have time to think about them now.
Affecting a confidence she in no way felt, she strode to the seat at Gleason’s left hand, placing her directly across the table from Mr. Luque. As her boss opened the meeting, she shot up another prayer for wisdom.
THIS MORNING’S MEETING hadn’t gone as badly as she’d feared it would, despite its disconcerting beginning.
Eukaria’s CFO had listened calmly as Gleason recounted last week’s breach.
Afterward, he’d asked several questions about what had been done to correct the situation and what the investigation had uncovered so far.
Then he’d shifted the conversation to Hailey’s background and credentials.
It had clearly been an interview, but she thought she’d passed.
At least, the man had seemed satisfied when he left. Still, she was glad he was gone.
“You did great,” Gleason said as they returned to Pendleton Accounting after seeing their guest to the elevator.
She released a breath. “Thanks. I was certain for a moment there that he was going to insist you reassign their accounts to someone else.”
“It would have been his loss. I have every confidence that you can handle Eukaria and that you’ll do just fine while I’m gone.”
The main doors swished shut behind them, and Hailey paused. “I forgot about your vacation. Weren’t you supposed to leave today? Not that I don’t appreciate your being here for the meeting, but I thought you had a big trip scheduled.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “I was able to switch our flights to late morning. The cruise doesn’t board until tomorrow, so flying in a couple hours later than planned doesn’t hurt anything.
And as long as I’m here, I’m going to take care of a few things.
Let me know if you need me.” With that, he continued on to his personal office.
Which left Hailey alone in the main area. It was still thirty minutes before her coworkers would start trickling in. Might as well get something done while everything was quiet.
After making herself a cup of coffee, Hailey settled in at her desk.
Should she start with Eukaria? By the time she’d finished contacting clients, downloading what she could from recent emails and the cloud, and familiarizing herself with the new laptop, she hadn’t had time to do much actual work Monday—much less go through the box of files Frank’s ex had delivered.
Then the accident had totally derailed her.
Maybe with the new information and now that she’d had some space from the project, she’d be able to see whatever it was she was missing.
Solving the puzzle of Eukaria’s accounts might not fix her more pressing problems, but she’d take it as a win to mark something off her list.
Armed with caffeine and a determination to get to the bottom of things, she set to work. Time passed quickly, but she barely noticed the office volume’s gradual increase as others began to arrive. Finally, she leaned back and pulled in a deep breath.