Acts of Desperation(15)

“Hmm, check with Consumer Credit Counseling Services first to see if they can avoid Chapter thirteen. What’s their debt look like?” he asked.

So I hadn’t wowed him yet. “It looks like around thirty thousand, so…checking with the CCCS was my first option, of course, but if the creditors aren’t willing to work with them then we may have to do Thirteen. It’ll be the best option for them. It would give them five years to pay off the debt and do the least amount of damage to their credit. I’m just not sure they have the amount of business yet to even be in the position to negotiate terms with the creditors,” I said. There that should do it, I thought. Given the smirk he was wearing, I was pretty confident.

“Do they have any assets they can liquidate? From what it sounded like after talking with Bernie, Chapter Seven might work best for them. Have you looked at that for their taxes yet?” he asked with the hint of a smile.

Nope, definitely wasn’t wowing him. And I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but I was actually getting slightly annoyed. “I haven’t had a lot of time to look at a whole lot of anything yet because someone’s been standing in my door peppering me with questions.” I smiled. “If given the opportunity, I’m sure I’d look at all the options thoroughly before settling on an appropriate course of action.”

“I bet you would.” He laughed. “Really, I just wanted to watch your reaction and to give you this.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a thin rectangular box then slid it onto my desk.

I stared at it. “What’s this?” I asked.

“Just a little something I picked up,” he said. “If you do need any help though, I’m just a couple of doors down.” Then, he left before I had a chance to say anything else.

I grabbed the box and shook the lid loose. I let out a small laugh as I looked at the contents. Inside was a fresh spool of thread, a needle, and the button that I’d lost from my shirt on Monday. The thought to look for it had never even crossed my mind. I stared at it for a few more moments with a wide grin then closed the box and slipped it into my purse.

I looked down at the Bellamy’s information scattered all around my desk and was reminded that I needed to focus. I felt a little amped up, so I organized everything into two large folders and headed to see Dee to have copies made. Maybe a walk down the hall would help me clear my head and get my mind back on track.

“Hey honey,” Dee said, as I approached. “What cha got for me today?” she asked.

“I need some copies of this.” I handed over the Bellamy’s file. “Could you run doubles so I have a set for home, too?” I asked.

“Sure thing, hon. Hand ‘em over.” She reached for the folders with a smile and I caught a whiff of her perfume—Chloe. It was the same perfume my grandmother had worn, and it was probably one of the many reasons why I liked her so much.

“Thanks, Dee,” I said.

“Sember, is that you out there?” Bernie’s voice bellowed from his office. “Could you come in here for a second?”

“Sure, be right in.” I went over a couple more small details with Dee then walked to his door. I knocked and peered around his door. “Yes?” I said.

“Come on in and have a seat,” he said without looking away from his computer screen. I sat down in the expensive, green leather chair, mindlessly fingering the metal buttons on the arm rest. I looked at his plump ring finger getting squeezed by his sturdy gold wedding band and up to his thick gray hair as he finished typing something into his screen. I patiently waited for him to speak.

“Now, how’d the meeting go with the Bellamy’s today?” he asked, turning and looking at me over his reading glasses.

“It went well,” I said, clearing my throat. “But they look like they’re in a pretty tough situation.”

“Yes, well…let’s see what we can do for them. I’ve been going to their restaurant for years. They’re old friends, and they make the most outstanding food.”

“I’ve never been to their restaurant. I should check it out if it’s that good,” I said.

“You wouldn’t be disappointed, and don’t even get me started on their desserts—their tiramisu is sinful.” He closed his eyes and grunted as if he’d just taken a bite. “I’d hate to see them have to close their doors.”

“I’ll certainly look at everything. If there’s a way I can help, I will. They seemed really sweet,” I said.

“They are. Just good, honest people.” He smiled. “But, the real reason I called you in here though is because I have some business to attend to in New York, and I’ll be away for a couple of weeks. If you need any guidance, I’d like you to ask Jax—he had a good teacher.” He winked.

“Sure,” I said with a laugh, assuming of course that he was talking about himself.

He nodded his head. “Well, that’s all. I’ll let you get back to work,” he said and turned abruptly right back to his screen.

I got up and went to my office, and an hour later Dee dropped by with the copies I asked for. I worked solidly through the rest of my afternoon. When I was ready to leave, I looked down and saw the box Jax had given me sticking out from my purse, and I felt a twinge of excitement.

When I got home, I flipped on the lights in the kitchen and dumped my stuff on the island. I went up to my room and tossed the box on the bed then grabbed my blouse out of my closet. The box had popped open and something inside caught my eye. I pulled out a small folded piece of paper that had been wedged under the spool of thread.