Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94512 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Sounds great!” Jeff said, obviously looking forward to the day.
Liza nodded. “Good. Now, about the Mystic project…”
They spent the next hour discussing the viability of taking on the restoration and the historical significance of the building involved along with the costs. By the time Jeff returned to his office, Liza was closer to accepting the project and giving Jeff the lead on the design.
She was about to head out for lunch when her phone buzzed, a signal it was an interoffice call. “Hello?”
“Liza, it’s Peter from accounting.”
“Yes, Peter, what can I do for you?” she asked, resigned to waiting a little longer to eat.
“I’m looking at submitted receipts, and there are expenses here I’m not comfortable authorizing,” the other man said.
So what else was new? The man called too often with too many questions about routine expenses, things he should be able to sort through on his own. Peter was about ten years older than Liza and had been with the firm for the last five years, but he always checked and double-checked before making a decision.
“What kinds of expenses?” she asked patiently.
“Lunches at Joe’s Bar. Your brother has submitted a number of them for reimbursement, but the totals are too high for business lunches.”
In other words, there were probably alcoholic drinks on the bill, raising the total.
“I take it Brian’s not there for you to be talking so freely?” Liza asked.
“That’s correct.”
Liza sighed. “Don’t sign off on them. I’ll talk to him. And thanks for being diligent.” It would be all too easy for him to approve, and then Liza would find out too late that her brother was wasting company money. Though after his business lunch excuse for his last bender, she was alert to the problem.
“No problem,” Peter said. “I’m glad you’re happy with my work performance.”
Another thing with Peter Dalton. He had a need for her to excessively praise him, which wasn’t her work style.
Liza said good-bye and hung up, uncomfortable as always after dealing with the man. But she couldn’t deny he was good at his job and he kept Brian from taking advantage of his position there.
She wished she had the fortitude to do the same thing.
* * *
Wednesday night at Joe’s had become a ritual for Dare and his friends. With Thursdays off and one day a weekend, it was the one weeknight they could kick back and enjoy. Once his brothers had put aside old grudges, even they occasionally began to show up. And Dare had to admit that life was good for the first time in a long time.
He ordered a round and joined everyone at their usual table, passing longneck bottles to his friends. Cara and Sam were there, along with Alexa Collins, who’d grown up in Serendipity and returned after medical school to work with her father in his medical practice.
“Did you all get your assignments for the fair?” Alexa asked.
“Cop car,” Cara said, meaning she’d be giving kids the chance to sit in the back, the front, and run the siren while she talked about being a cop.
“Not too bad,” Dare said. “I’ve got the DARE assignment.”
They all rolled their eyes at the irony of the name, but it was his favorite way of interacting with the kids. Teaching them about the Drug Abuse Resistance Education was Dare’s main way of dealing with his past mistakes. He’d been the one to push to get DARE into the middle and high school. It was the old way of thinking to believe that telling fifth-grade kids about the hazards of drug use would keep them from caving to peer pressure when they were in ninth grade.
“And you?” Cara asked Sam, pulling on a long sip of beer.
“Dunking booth,” he said with a frown.
Dare let out a loud laugh, and Alexa joined him.
“Can’t wait to test my pitching arm,” Cara said, swinging her arm around for good emphasis.
“If you dunk me, you’ll pay,” Sam warned, his eyes glittering dangerously.
Instead of backing down, Cara merely rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I can’t wait to see you try to make me.”
Alexa rolled her eyes.
Dare agreed with the assessment. “Sometimes you two act more like brother and sister than friends.” He took a sip of his cold beer, enjoying the brew and the relaxed atmosphere. “What about you?” he asked Alexa.
“Dad’s taking the day off, so I’m on call. Which means I’ll be around to take a throw or two of my own,” she reminded Sam with an evil grin.
“Not worried. You throw like a girl.”
“Hey!” she said, clearly offended.
“Isn’t that your sister-in-law?” Cara asked, interrupting and pointing at the front of the bar.
Dare turned. Sure enough, Faith stood in front of Joe’s with Kelly by her side. “It’s both of my sisters-in-law, actually.” He craned his head but didn’t see either of his brothers come in behind them. Dare hadn’t spoken to them this afternoon, so he had no idea what their plans were for the night.