Chapter Two

I think we’re officially in the black.”

McKenzie took a break from staring at her computer screen and looked up at the smiling face of her business partner, Zach Sinclair. It really was too bad that she wasn’t attracted to the man. He was intelligent — one of the most intelligent men she knew, actually — and he could make her laugh. On top of that, he was single.

Didn’t matter. She felt nothing but friendship for the fellow. Maybe she was broken. She was twenty-nine years old, hadn’t been in a serious relationship for ten years, and hadn’t been interested in being in one, either.

There were plenty of men who had asked her out, but she turned them away. Her ex, whose very name still turned her stomach, had left quite a mark on her. She didn’t need a psychoanalyst to tell her that, and knowing when and how she’d been messed up couldn’t change how she felt.

Oh, yes. They were in the black. “Did you ever doubt we would be?” she asked.

“No. But most businesses don’t make a profit in the first two months. It usually takes years,” he replied as he propped himself on the edge of her desk. Their doors had been open officially for two months this coming Friday, and business was good — or better than she had pictured at this point.

“That’s why we save for the rainy days, Zach. But we still bust our asses so we don’t have to rely on those savings.”

“Well, don’t get too excited, sweetheart. We’re only in the black by a very small margin. We need to land more clients pronto.”

“We’re new. It will take time for big clients to trust us, and to feel that we are not only competent, but better than all the other accounting firms. Until then, we have a lot to smile about, though, because we already have ten full-time employees and six part-timers. We’re doing better than most.”

“Yes, that’s true. And I have meetings with potential clients every day this week.”

“I was afraid to take on a partner, Zach — you know that. But you’ve given me reason to hope that some of you men are actually worth trusting.”

“Ah, coming from you, that’s a real compliment,” he replied. “And we meshed well when I was your teacher in college. I knew three years ago that you were going places. I’m glad you took me up on the offer to open this place. We’re going to be the finest accounting firm in all of Seattle.”

He’d impressed her with his teaching skills, and he still taught a night class two days a week, but to have his own business had been Zach’s dream. If she hadn’t been in several of his classes over a three-year stretch, she never would have had the confidence in him to go into business together. But she’d watched him do his job well, and then she’d shared a few coffees with him during his office hours when she came by to ask questions. It really was too bad she didn’t feel an attraction for him. But it was great that he’d never shown one for her.

He was thirty-five, though he acted younger than she did on most days, and he had slightly wavy blond hair and green eyes. Most women would find him charming. She found him brilliant.

The phone rang, and it rang again.

“Beth is out to lunch. You’re going to have to take that,” he told her, and she picked up the phone.

“Seattle Accounting, McKenzie Beaumont speaking. How may I help you?”

“Hello, Ms. Beaumont. Dixie Pedmore here. I’m calling on behalf of someone who would like to meet with you today, if possible.”

McKenzie looked down at her calendar, and today wasn’t the best day, but she didn’t want to turn down a potential client. Still, it was good to show people that she wasn’t available at the drop of a hat, that she and her time were in demand.

“I’m all booked up today, Ms. Pedmore. Could we do Friday instead?” she asked. Friday was only three days away.

The woman paused for a pregnant moment; she clearly wasn’t used to people who didn’t accommodate her requests. McKenzie had a way of reading people, even over the phone. When she hadn’t immediately agreed, Dixie had sucked in her breath, not loudly, but just enough for McKenzie to hear it through the phone line. This piqued McKenzie’s curiosity. Who did Ms. Pedmore work for? The woman hadn’t said.

“Hold for one moment, and I’ll see if that will be workable,” Dixie told her, quickly recovering, and before McKenzie could agree or disagree, the woman placed her on hold.

“Who is it?” Zach whispered.

McKenzie held her hand over the mouthpiece in case Dixie jumped back on the line. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Someone’s secretary, I’m assuming.”

A couple of minutes passed and then McKenzie heard the phone click as the woman came back on the line.

“Thank you for holding, Ms. Beaumont. My boss said Friday would be fine. Meet him at noon on Friday at Cutters on the Pier.”

“Can I get your boss’s name?” McKenzie asked, but the question got her nowhere. The woman had said what she needed to say and had hung up without even asking whether noon would be an acceptable time.

“So what’s it all about?” Zach asked. “Who’s the potential client?”

“I don’t know. The woman hung up. No contact number, no information. Nothing.” McKenzie shook her head in frustration.

“Don’t go if you’re worried about it,” Zach said, a frown marring his normally cheerful face.

“You know that’s not going to happen. I want this business to be a success, which means that I’ll meet with anyone and everyone,” she replied, and she took a few seconds to mark the appointment down.

“Want me to go instead?” he asked her.

“I thought you had meetings all week.”

“I do,” he said, the frown still in place. “But I can try to adjust my schedule.”

“It’s at Cutters, and I love the food there. And I promise you that I’ll be fine, Zach. I’ve dealt with a lot of less than pleasant clients before. I’m not worried about a business lunch at a public place,” she told him.

“But don’t they have private meeting rooms there?”

“Yes, they do, but they’re usually for larger parties. Even if I end up alone with the mystery person in one of those rooms, it wouldn’t matter because of the waitstaff.”

“I don’t like it, but I’ll trust you to do what you feel is right,” Zach said before looking at his watch and grimacing. “I have to run, doll. We’ll have more time to talk about this later — before you go or don’t go.”

She barely had time to tell him goodbye before he was rushing out the door. That was their lives right now. Fourteen-hour workdays followed by more work at home, and no days off. In the end it would be all worth it, though, because she would retire early, and most of the time it didn’t really feel like work anyway. She truly loved her business.

Well, she loved it at least eighty percent of the time. Still, it was different from working at Relinquish Control. She couldn’t say she had been unhappy owning her escort service — she had enjoyed her time there, for the most part. But there had been too many girls who had been just like her, lost, afraid, alone. It had begun to really get to her.

In this new business, she rarely even caught a glimpse of the people she managed. A client came in to request an accountant for their business, and she dispatched one. Some of the jobs turned into permanent positions, and some were temporary. Some were complicated and some easy. She was good at finding new clients, and excellent at matching up employees to businesses. Time would only make her and Zach’s business that much more reputable. This was going to be her year to shine.

Pushing the unusual phone call from her mind, McKenzie looked back down at her computer, and she was immediately immersed in her work. Friday would come soon enough. She had enough to worry about without obsessing over an enigmatic phone call.