“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 tofollow 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.”
