The flight from Asturias to Geneva was less than two hours, but exhaustion clung to Avery like his wrinkled shirt. He blinked his dry eyes several times as he walked alongside Macy to the waiting car. There was a price to pay for drinking and laughing until after midnight.
Spending an enjoyable evening with the right woman has a way of making a man’s steps more purposeful. And as he walked out of the airport with Macy, he was that man. Last night hadn’t been just any night.
They had connected on a different level, moving beyond co-workers and beyond acquaintances.
Something about the way she laughed at his comments and the way she held his glance gave him hope that a spark of attraction for him brewed just below her surface. They were moving toward interest or at least curiosity.
For a man with enough relationships to fill a small theatre, he should have been used to the heady unbalance of attraction, but this was new to him. This time there were stakes. If he misread her, he’d fall hard. This was more than binge dating without commitment. With Macy he wanted to go all the way in, not wade along the shore.
“I did all the talking last night,” he said when they got into the car. “Tell me something about yourself that nobody knows.”
She glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. “Okay, let me see.” She tapped her finger on her jaw line. “I collect Hard Rock Café pins and I hate brussel sprouts.”
“That’s a good start, but I was hoping for something a little more in-depth.”
“I guess my life story is not that deep. I grew up in Queen Anne’s County. I went to a small historically black university. I live in Philly now with a roommate in a place we can barely afford. But we’re close, so we make it work.”
He nodded. It didn’t take a law degree to know she was holding back something.
“Would you like to get together for dinner this evening?”
“I think I’ll eat in my room. I don’t want to arrive at the customer’s tomorrow morning suffering from jet lag. The time difference from Philly is catching up to me.”
“Then how about lunch. We have the whole day ahead of us. Would you like to walk around a little?”
She didn’t respond right away. He could almost see her brain searching for an answer.
“Would you like to go over anything before we meet with the customer?” He didn’t want to hear no. He had too much energy to retire to his room this early.
“I feel confident that I can handle the negotiations, but I’m not cocky. The deal isn’t sealed until the customer signs the contract.” She stared straight ahead. “I have some things I need to check in preparation for the audit. When we get back, I might not have enough time.”
“Can I help you?”
She faced him. Her smile was weak, but at least it was a smile. “I can’t ask you to do that. Besides, it’s a one-man-task.”
Macy closed the hotel door, dropped her bags and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Hanging out with Avery would have been a whole lot more enjoyable than being shut up in the small hotel room, looking at numbers that refused to cooperate. But until she solved the mystery, she needed to stay focused. Missing money, Michelle quitting, the audit, no accounting access and the Dragon negotiations all at the same time…the world had turned on her.
This morning she hadn’t even taken the time to look at her horoscope. Unless the stars proved a lead on where to find one hundred-thousand dollars, it was useless.
Today the stars are drawing you toward someone surrounded with an air of mystery. You are a person who likes to unravel intricate puzzles, since the predictable bores you; the urge to run full on is natural. But first, find out what you’re up against. This pursuit will challenge you in ways you can’t imagine.
Macy reread the words. There had to be a fly on the walls of her life. All she had to do was substitute Avery’s name or English International into the horoscope, and it was like having her fortune told. She didn’t need another challenge right now. What she needed was to find the missing money, get a promotion and help her brother get into college. Was she asking for too much?
Dinner with Avery in the bar last night was memorable. What was supposed to be a drink, turned into a night of laughter. It wasn’t a date, but if it was, it was the best one she’d ever had.
From the soft mattress in her room, she flipped through the channels on the television trying to find a station to block out the noise in her head. She settled on a BBC broadcast before arranging the pillows on the bed and getting comfortable. She dialed the cell phone number she had for Michelle. Maybe Michelle would tell her why she quit. Even though they weren’t friends, they had a causal enough relationship to share information. The phone rang four times before going to voicemail. She left a message. She dialed Celeste again. Still no answer.
She reached for her computer and turned it on. Curling up in the full-size bed for a nap would have felt better, but until she solved the puzzle of the missing money, sleep was something she would do at night.
She tried the accounting system again. No luck. The small printed line on the pages she’d printed were hard to make out, but nothing caught her attention.
The selling expense account had the largest balances. With the Dragon negotiations heating up, she expected to see the huge expenditures in the account. Sending contracts back and forth via courier, sometimes for several reiterations, wasn’t cheap. Couple that with customer visits all around the world to ensure they had extra face-time; it all added up. She flopped back against the pillows and stared at the ornate ceiling.
Her cell phone rang, pulling her out of the cocoon of papers surrounding her.
“Yes,” she answered
“Macy, this is Roxy. We’ve got a change in plans. Can you take some notes?”
Macy scrambled to find a pen. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?
“We’re hearing rumors that Watney is thinking about switching companies. They’re looking for extended payment terms. I don’t want to lose that account.”
“We could adjust the bulk price. If they increase their minimum order quantity, we could offer them forty-five day terms. I think there is room for healthy margins.” Macy pulled the file from her bag and examined the numbers. “Yes, there is. Let me take a look at the contract, and I’ll call you back later today.”
“I knew I could count on you. Get Avery involved. This is the kind of thing he needs to understand, so he’ll understand our challenges. He’s there to help.”
Macy hesitated. “I can handle this without him. I can go over this with him later.”
“I want him involved. That’s what I’m paying him to do. I don’t want any legal snafus.”
“Sure thing.” The words rushed off her tongue. “Give us a couple of hours. I’ll let you know what we come up with.” She hung up the receiver. After a pause, she climbed off the bed.
She took several short breaths while shaking her hands. “I can do this,” she said. “Working with him this late in the evening is not going to be an issue as long as I don’t make it one. No drinking tonight and no staring into his eyes until after midnight.”
She called the hotel operator and waited while she was connected to Avery’s room. He picked up on the first ring.
“Avery, I just heard from Roxy. We need to make some changes to the Watney contract before our meeting in the morning. Can we get together this afternoon and talk?”
“I was on my way out the door to an early dinner. Let’s make it a working dinner. I’ll grab my stuff and meet you in the lobby in five minutes. Does that work for you?”
“Well…well, I was going to suggest we grab something quick and get to work.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m hungry, and I want to eat.”
She scratched her head. Was he just being stubborn to get his way? She sighed. “I’ll come right down.”