Money Man (King Maker 1)

“Oh, hey there,” Anna said when she came into the bathroom. “Scott is looking for you.”

“Really?” I questioned, confused as to why he would be. I cleaned up my supplies and put them back into my purse.

“Yeah, we’re all headed out to grab a bite to eat at Sully’s,” she said.

I wasn’t in the mood. I wanted an early night and lots of sleep. “I really should get home.”

In addition, the last thing I wanted to do was spend any more time with Scott than I had to. My co-workers had no idea of my history with the man, or so I thought, leaving me unwilling to bring up that excuse.

She shrugged and said, “We don’t bite. But it’s cool,” before heading into a stall.

Finished washing my hands, I headed out. Did the team think that I was avoiding them or too good to hang out? Not good. I was new and hadn’t yet made any friends. Not that I needed to. But I at least wanted to get along with them. It wouldn’t be good for me to alienate them. I closed my eyes a second, thinking it wouldn’t hurt for me to go for a few minutes.

“There you are,” Scott said just as I was about to bump into him. I opened my eyes to find him studying my face with concern. “Tired?”

It wasn’t a question. Three years of togetherness and he knew me pretty well, and I hated that he sounded like the guy I’d fallen in love with.

“Yes,” I said, nodding. I moved to sidestep him, but he blocked me.

“The ring,” he said, all business.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes at my idiocy. Of course, he hadn’t cared about me. He’d used that as a prelude to what he really wanted.

“I’ll look for it,” I said, annoyed.

It wasn’t like I wanted it. But I also didn’t want the woman he cheated on me with to have it either.

“What the hell does that mean?” he asked.

Beyond the barrier of the glass-enclosed conference room, the two remaining team members glanced up and Scott checked himself. He straightened, adding some distance between us, and lowered his voice.

“Why don’t you know where it is?” he asked.

I glared at him like I could kill him with my stare. “I don’t know, Scott,” I said in a stage whisper, knowing we had eyes on us. “Somehow, finding out my fiancé cheated on me didn’t inspire me to care about the stupid thing. I think I tossed it when I packed my things. Maybe it’s in Boston.”

I left him standing there, jowls flapping in the wind.

Upon entering, Jim smiled. “We’re all headed to Sully’s if you want to join us.” His eyes strayed behind me where I had been a second before. I’d hoped Scott had left. But when the door opened again, he came in followed by Anna.

The awkwardness that filled the room could be cut with a knife.

“Sure. I can’t stay long,” I added.

That seemed to smooth out the air as everyone smiled except for Scott. A win for me.

“I’m going to head home,” he said.

I resisted blowing out a sigh of relief. Still, exhausted from a long day and little sleep the night before, I vowed I’d have the one drink.

The problem was, I’d found an anomaly in one of the bank accounts. If Scott hadn’t been such a jerk, I would have brought it to his attention. Tomorrow. He was my boss on this project whether I liked it or not. One hour tops at Sully’s and then home. I’d find that stupid ring and decide just what to do. I wondered if I shoved it up his rear if his girlfriend would still want it.

Nine

Sully’s was fairly crowded with happy hour in full swing. Everyone in attendance was clad in suits and other business attire, outside of the bartenders and wait staff.

With dark wood and old-fashioned touches, the place felt homey in the dim light as we walked into a large bar area. It spanned the entire width of the back wall. Booths lined the other two walls, and a few sat before the front windows. High bar tables filled in the middle.

We claimed a booth on the far left side, and I found myself taking a step up to take a seat planted on a platform. I hoped to sit next to Anna, but she was herded by Jim to sit next to him and opposite me. That left Kevin to scoot in beside me.

We spent a little time looking at the menu when Anna cleared her throat.

“So, I’m just going to ask,” she began. “What’s going on with you and Scott?”

There it was. Scott hadn’t exactly been subtle when he pulled me to the side to interrogate me. Also, it wasn’t a secret. We had plans to marry. Invitations had been sent out, including to some of our co-workers. Yes, most were in Boston, but news traveled fast.