Page 8 of Sweet Surrender
She sighs again. “Cancel it. This is big. Maybe not big but… whatever.”
“Then give it to-”
“I’m bringing it to you.”
I lean forward, intrigued that she would skip our boss and bring me a portfolio. Granted, it would trickle down to me anyway but I would have dealt with it tomorrow morning rather than tonight. I flip open the leather case and frown at the company letterhead that was sent to us a few weeks ago.
Hollandeck Automotive
“Why is this on my desk? Kylie, Eugene updated these numbers last week.” I flip through a few pages, my frown turning into pure disappointment as I realize nothing is adding up correctly. “How did Eugene miss this?”
Kylie stands up and flips to a certain page before pointing to the timestamp at the bottom. “He didn’t. The problem is that Hollandeck sent in two sets of paperwork hoping we wouldn’t notice. If we report this file as is, it’ll look like the company is pulling in more profit than they are. They’re inflating their value.”
I still don’t understand why this is my problem. “Kylie, take this to Eugene and he’ll fix it.”
She flips a few more pages and then points to the finance team. My heart drops into my stomach when I see a name that shouldn’t be there. Reginald Katz. “He’s had to sign in when he’s visited you a few times but I thought it was weird when he decided to work with Eugene and not you. You told me he was your best friend. You’re dating his brother! Oh, don’t look at me like that. I remember everything you tell me. Not in a creepy way.” Kylie takes a deep breath and falls back into the chair. “I don’t think this was a simple mistake and I know we’re not supposed to do things like this but I would hate for your friend to get caught up in whatever this is.”
I want to believe that Reggie just found a bad batch of friends but it’s very clear on the paper that he’s been lying to all of us. He’s been in sales for as long as I can remember but part of a finance team? He doesn’t know the first thing about money, let alone a company’s. Reggie has called one too many times for a few extra dollars to pay utilities that I know no company in their right mind would take my best friend on.
“What do you want me to do with this, Kylie? I’m not taking Eugene’s client from him.” It feels harsh to categorize Reggie like that but in a professional setting, that’s all he is.
“Just take a little look. Eugene is off today and this has to be submitted so I would have asked someone on the floor to submit it anyway. If the numbers aren’t right, we’ll have to speak with the company but I’d rather you be there to soften the blow.”
She has the spirit but the wrong mindset. Outside of this building, Reggie is my best friend, bordering on acquaintance if he doesn’t stop fucking blowing through people’s boundaries. Inside this building, he’s just a client. The pill I’m about to fucking deliver to his company is going to be harder to swallow coming from me than Eugene. Still, I can at least investigate it so that we know whether or not we can meet the deadline.
“I’ll look into it. When are you leaving?”
“Probably around 6:30. Everyone’s reports need to be submitted by 6 so I thought that would give me enough wiggle room.”
I thank her as she skips out of my room with one last ‘congratulations’ and I dive right into a portfolio from my nightmares. The company sent in their documents on time but it looks like a few more important documents have since arrived, one as early as this morning. None of them have been filed by Eugene and since his work is spectacular, no one thought to double-check this particular portfolio.
However, it’s all wrong.
The new documents completely twist the narrative. The previous paperwork showed off a small mom-and-pop car shop, making a few tens of thousands in profit. This new paperwork details an entirely different narrative. They're bordering on mid-size with profits that would be outrageous for such a small shop. Something happened in the first quarter that makes the second quarter look like it’s a completely different company. I flip through the pages again, growing more irritated when I start seeing a pattern.
The finance group that has met with Eugene consists of Reggie and two other familiar names. It takes me an ungodly amount of time to figure out that we all came from the same fraternity and I probably saw them yesterday. This whole thing stinks.
The worst part is that I won’t make dinner, not with the way this portfolio is laid out.
Hopefully, Wyatt doesn’t hate me when I have to cancel.
Chapter 9
WYATT
“Don’t hate me for this but I need to postpone dinner. Unless you want to have something later tonight. I’m going to be here a while.”
I want to be angry that our dinner plans have been spoiled but to be honest, I was going to call Jameson and ask if we could eat at the house anyway. There’ll be a day I feel comfortable spending it in public but I still feel drained from last night.
“It happens. Don’t worry about me. I’ll have something waiting for you at home.” I make sure that he knows I love him before hanging up as I quickly close up the bakery. Two slices of that green tea cake are packed away in a container and sitting in my front seat before I realize that I don’t really want to spend the evening at home. It’s barely 5 pm and I could make it to Jameson’s office before it's dark outside if I hurry.
I scroll through a few websites and punch in a couple of entrees before speeding down the road to my destination. Jameson will have no problems driving me home and it’ll be an excuse to have him in my bed again.
My console lights up as Reggie’s number scrolls across the screen.
“Reggie,” I answer, without a hint of expression in my voice. I’m a little terrified he’ll berate me for shoving my relationship in his face this morning.
“Talk to James for me, yeah? Our portfolio should have been approved already and we still haven’t received a confirmation.”