Mind Play (Bennett Sisters Book 3) (3 page)

“Emma is
doing
great, and Lily is beautiful. We were there all night, but it was worth it to hold
Lily
in my arms. She couldn’t be anymore perfect.
” Claire let out a sigh of satisfaction. “
How did things go last night after I left?”

Claire picked up the pen in front of her and shuffled some of the paperwork around.

“Well, you missed meeting Mr. Andrew Pearson, the new banker in charge of your accounts.
”

“Oh
,
that’s a shame. I’ll have to make an effort to go by the bank and introduce myself.
” Claire tapped the pen on her desk. “
It’s always a good idea to meet the man that’s handling your money.
”

“I’ll be sure to
add it to
your calendar.” Jenny placed
her cup down and returned her attention to the papers. “There’s something wrong with the
contributions
from last night
,
and I
can’t figure it out.” Jenny glanced over her shoulder at Claire with the same intense look she’d seen on her face when she’d walked into her office
. “The ledger doesn’t match the money I deposited this morning.”

“I’m sure it’s just a clerical error
.
” Claire held out her hand
.
“Here,
let me take a look.”

Jenny scooped
up all of the papers and ledger books and placed them in front of Claire. “I can’t find it. I counted it last night
,
and it was all there. I took it to the bank, and the
receipt doesn’t match the
deposit sli
p
I filled out before leaving last night.
. I swear it was all there
when
I put it up in your office.”

“
You didn’t check it this morning before you went to the bank?

“No, I didn’t think anyone had access to your office.”

“
How much are we out?”
Claire asked as she pulled out her reading glasses
from her desk drawer
and slid them up her nose.

“
Five hundred thousand
dollars.”

Butch
whistled after Jenny mentioned the amount. Claire and Jenny looked up from the books to find him standing in the threshold of her office,
leaning on the doorframe
.
Claire
snatched her glasses off and
stood
,
putting
her hands on her hips.

“Haven’t you left yet? I’m sure you have something more important to do
than
hang around here
all day
.”
Claire gritted her teeth when she heard the
irritated
tone of her
own
voice. She hadn’t meant to
snap at him
. She’d
just
wanted
to
sit down and get back to work
.

“
Just on my way out to
get
a shower
,
but I’ll be back. Sounds like you might need my help.”
The sincerity in voice made her feel awful, but if she gave an inch, she knew that he’d never leave. And right now she needed to keep her distance from the man she was ready to jump. The sexual tension between the two of them already had her on edge.

Claire crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll find it before you even get back.” She shooed him with her hand. “Go ahead, go take your shower
. T
here’s no need for you to come back.
We’ve got it under control
, but thanks for the offer.” Claire
sat back down,
pu
shing
her reading glasses
back up her nose.

“Suit yourself
,
angel.” Butch pushed off the doorframe and turned
,
leaving her in peace.

All thoughts of Butch vanished as she immersed herself
in
studying the
numbers all afte
rnoon long. What should have been a simple problem eluded her. She couldn’t find the error
. She picked up the phone
and dialed the bank
.
She waited on hold
before
they rang her through to the new bank manager.

A deep gravelly, sensual voice answered.
“This is Mr. Pearson
. C
an I help you?”
S
he hadn’t been expecting
that
over the line.

Claire’s brows rose.
His voice threw a mental wrench in the picture she had in her mind of what the banker looked like.
“
M
r. Pearson, this is Claire Bennett. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you last night, but thank you for coming to the fundraiser.”

“Ah, yes, Ms. Bennett,
i
t’s so nice to he
ar
from
you
. What can I do for you today?”

Claire cleared her throat
, picked up the pen on the table
,
and started tapping again
.
It had always been a nervous habit of hers.
“Please, Mr. Pearson, call me Claire.
I’m calling to see if I can
get a
deposit list
from the funds
my assistant brought to the bank this morning.
My numbers aren’t matching
the ledger we kept
,
and I’m looking for the error.”

“Sure
,
Claire
, I’ll fax that right over for
you. Is there anything the bank or I can do to help you research
the problem
?
”

“Uh, no thanks. I’ll figure it out.” Claire gave him her fax number and
politely told him bye before hanging up
.
Just like his word, the fax came through with
in minutes
.
Hours
had
passed
and the numbers
started
running together
before Claire
glanced
at her watch, the same watch that Jake had given to all of them
. A
tracker w
as woven
into the band
. He’d deemed them necessary
after Emma’s kidnapping
nine months before. Emma had come out of the incident unscathed and found her true love in the process.
Claire smiled, remembering
Emma and Lily.
I need a break.
She
pushed herself out of her seat
and left
the mess of papers on her desk as she headed
to the hospital
.

****

Claire paused at the nursery
with her nose pressed against the glass looking at all of the newborns
. She gave a long exhale wondering if
her
dreams would every come true
.
One day
. She wanted
children;
she
wanted a house
ful
l of them
but
just hadn’t found the right man yet. To be honest, she hadn’t really bee
n looking for him. Claire had a mental checklist of
her ideal husband and father
for her children
. Clean cut, successful,
smart
,
and good looks wouldn’t hurt. She’d kept those thoughts to herself before Mrs. A had the opportunity to turn the table
and
set
her up on her own blind dates. Claire rubbed her arms to chase away the shiver that r
a
n up her spine at the thought.

Noticing her new niece wasn’t among the babies,
Claire
strolled
down the hall to
ward
the
nurses’
station
. Butch was bent
forward
,
leaning
over the desk, smiling
down
at the petite brunette dressed in scrubs holding a clipboard.
The nurse
let out a giggle and blushed as Butch
gave her his
award-winning
smile
and quietly spoke to her.
Claire rolled her eyes
. S
he’d seen enough
and
walked up to them
.
Standing next to Butch, facing him
with her arms crossed over her chest, she asked,
“Which room is she in?”

Butch pulled his
big
body
back over the counter and
straightened
. His grin grew bigger as his gaze raked up and down
Claire’s
body. “Room 219
,
angel
. He held out his arm. “I’ll show you the way.”

Claire ignored the outstretched arm and walked past him. “I’ll find it myself
. B
esides
,
it
looks like you’re busy.”

Claire
stomped
down the hall
,
checking the room numbers
as she went
.
What an ass
. F
irst,
he wanted to sleep with me this morning, and now he’s trying to hook up with the nurse. I sho
uld have known better
.”
Claire shook her head
and clenched her fist
s
, digging her nails into her palms
, angry with herself for thinking
even for a brief mom
ent she could have seen them as anything other than what they were.
He’ll always be just a player.
She stopped at the door
,
unclenched her fists, plastered a smile on her face
,
and tapped lightly on the door before pushing it open.