Embezzled Love (4 page)

"I'll gladly pay it. I'm sorry if I kept you up too late, but it's been good talkin' to you."

"I've enjoyed it, too. Maybe we can do it again soon, but I have to get some sleep or I'll look horrible in the morning."

"I don't think you could look horrible if you tried," Evan murmured.

"Yeah, well you haven't seen me without my makeup."

"I hope I get that chance."

Cassie shuddered at the thought. "I don't think so."

"Well, I'd better let you get your beauty sleep, so I'll say goodnight purdy lady."

The combination of his voice and the endearment warmed her. Good night, Evan. Thanks for calling."

She reluctantly hung up the phone, fluffed her pillow, and nestled beneath the covers. "Purdy lady." She chuckled then closed her eyes.

Chapter Three

Cassie sat at her office desk and stifled a yawn. She wasn't used to being up so late. Her thoughts turned to Evan, and she checked her watch, wishing time would pass quickly so she could go home and spend time on the phone with him again. Just remembering his deep, southern-drawl caused her heart to skip a beat.

The fact she'd thus far suppressed surfaced, and she nipped at her bottom lip. She didn't even know the man. Of course, talking with him was wonderful. He sounded genuine and sincere…and what kind of man would put his own life aside and take care of someone not even related to him? He must be a rare bird. Gregory had barely wanted to see his own mother, let alone live with her, and Cassie's brother, Frank, rarely visited their mom. She pulled a mental picture of Evan into her mind and wondered what it would be like to meet in person.

The buzz of the intercom interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes." She clenched her teeth at the disturbance.

"Mr. Takeda would like to see you in his office," the voice on the other end responded.

"Thank you." Cassie's hands shook as she pushed back from her desk and prepared to face her boss. What could he possibly want? Or worse, what had she done to piss him off now?

She squared her shoulders, left her office and walked down the long, carpeted hallway. Outside his intimidating mahogany door, Cassie stopped, took a deep breath, and rapped her knuckles against the shining wood.

"Come in," Takeda's authoritative voice boomed.

Cassie's insides trembled like Jell-O, but she put on her most professional and fearless face. "You wanted to see me?"

* * *

Cassie marched back to her office, her knuckles white from clenched fists. How dare Mr. Takeda accuse her of assuming too much responsibility, and all because she authorized a junior executive to email a report to another company? Hell, she had done it a million times before Takeda had taken over, and now, all of a sudden, it was a crime. The man wouldn't listen to reason. His tirade overwhelmed her, leaving her words dangling on her tongue. She had opted to stand, hoping to shorten his scolding, but he'd rambled on and then dismissed her like a lowly peon.

She swallowed hard and vowed to steer clear of him. The thought of all the years she had left before retirement made her grimace. There would be no more authorizing anything. If Takeda wanted to be boss, he could do all the grunt work. She sure as hell wasn't going to put herself on the line for him. If she were a man there wouldn't be an issue authorizing anything…but she was all woman and maybe that was her boss's problem.

Sitting at her desk, she tried to concentrate on the paperwork before her, but the words blurred. Between thinking of Evan and stewing over Takeda, she was losing what little sanity she had left. She closed the reinsurance proposal and leaned back in her chair. She couldn't recall a single word of what she'd just read.

What had she gotten herself into? Fantasizing over a man she'd never met and hating one so desperately she wished him dead. Maybe she was losing her mind. Her time would probably be better spent looking for another job, but perhaps Evan was her ticket out. Dare she dream?

She pulled her chair closer and rested her elbows on her desk. With her chin cradled in her palms, she tried to sort through her thoughts. Another position wasn't an option. Her present one offered a salary she couldn't top elsewhere, and she'd worked hard to get where she was. Leaving allowed Takeda to win, and she wasn't a quitter. The man was a dolt with no management skills, and she'd be damned if she'd let him win.

What happened with Evan remained to be seen, and in the meantime, she had work to do. She straightened and re-opened the packet on her desk and stifled a giggle as she began reading the words with his southern drawl in mind.

* * *

 "Ring, damn it!" Cassie sat, curled on the sofa, and stared at the phone. For the last hour she'd struggled with herself over being the one to initiate the call, but her mother's words echoed in her mind. "Nice girls don't call boys. They wait."

What would she think if she knew about this whole Internet dating thing? Mom maintained old-fashioned standards were best, still believing real men opened doors, and acted chivalrously by throwing their cloaks over puddles. Cassie chuckled at the idea. If she waited for a man to open a door, she'd never go anywhere, and puddles? She stepped over them. The one thing she couldn't do was fill the lonely void lurking inside.

The phone's loud ring sliced the silence and ended her dilemma. She jumped and took a deep breath.

"Hello."

"Hi, purdy lady."

His pronounced drawl warmed Cassie's heart. She snuggled into the couch and cradled the phone between her head and shoulder. "Hi yourself, cowboy, I was hoping you'd call." Her bold admission shocked her.

"Reckon I'd have to be a darn fool not to. I've been thinkin' about you all day."

Cassie chuckled. The palpitations of her heart reminded her of being in high school.

"What? Why are you laughin' at me? It's not my fault I couldn't think of anything but you and wantin' to call you tonight."

"I wasn't laughing at you. I just love your voice. You sound so cute."

"Humph, I reckon I'm a far cry from cute, but I like that you think that. So…you thought of me today?"

"I told you I was hoping you'd call tonight. If my mom hadn't taught me better, I would have called you." Cassie swore under her breath. A warm flush crept up her neck. She barely knew the man and already had confessed an interest in him. What if he was a serial killer or rapist? Fear confused her.

"I sure would like to meet you in person," Evan drawled.

"Don't you think you're being a little premature?"

"Pre what?"

"Don't you think you're rushing things? We've only talked on the phone a few times. I think we need to get to know each other a little better before we even think about meeting."

Cassie's own ruling caused a pang of disappointment. Maybe she was afraid of meeting him, but curiosity was killing her.

"What'd you do today?" She picked a safe question, one that might reveal a little more about him.

"I started out drawing some landscaping plans but found myself distracted."

"By what?"

"Thoughts of you. What else?"

"I'm sorry I interfered with your work, though I am flattered."

"You have no idea how much you disrupted my day. I tried to work, but kept checking my watch to see how much longer I had to wait to call."

At the mention of time, she glanced at the clock. If only the hours at work went by as fast as the ones spent on the phone with Evan…and there was no way she was admitting he wasn't the only one who'd spent a restless day. Reluctant to end their flitter banter, she called upon her logical side.

 "Gosh, I just noticed the time and I have some work to do before I go to bed. I've really enjoyed our chat. Call me tomorrow?"

"Sure 'nuff, baby girl. Hope you dream of me."

"I'll try. Goodnight." Cassie's voice contained a giggle. The pleasure she felt right now should be bottled and sold.

After hanging up, she pushed the warm feelings aside and wrinkled her nose at the thought of work. From her briefcase, she pulled the same packet that'd challenged her all day. Despite wanting to curl up with a good romance book and read until she got drowsy, she forced herself to review the reinsurance contract.

When she finished reading the dry material, her tired eyes needed a break. Her thoughts turned to her younger sister, and she picked up the phone and dialed Alaine's number.

"Hello," Alaine answered.

 "Hey, Lainie! Haven't talked to you in a couple of days. How are you?"

"Sick again!" Obvious strain sounded in Alaine's voice. She had Fibromyalgia Syndrome also known as FMS. Some days were better than others, but besides being in constant pain, the disease compromised her immune system. She caught every virus that came along, or so it seemed.

"I am so sorry, sis! I wish I could do something to help you."

Alaine sighed. "I'm beyond help. I just take it a day at a time. It seems like more and more people are being diagnosed with this awful thing—mostly women. Haven't we suffered enough?"

Cassie snickered, hoping to lighten the mood. "You'd think having a period every month, cramps and childbirth would be the limit."

"I guess God is finding more ways for us to prove we're just as tough as men."

Cassie realized the opportunity to change the subject. "Hey, speaking of men. I've met a new one."

"Yeah, what's he like?" Alaine's voice lifted detectably.

"Promise you won't think I'm crazy? I met him online. Well, we haven't actually met yet, but we've exchanged emails and talked on the phone."

"Are you nuts?" Her sister's tone changed. "You gave your phone number to a complete stranger? Haven't you read all the magazine articles about computer dating disasters?"

"Please don't lecture me, Lainie. I'm already questioning my own motives here. It just happened… accidentally."

"How do you accidentally email someone?"

"Well… I joined a dating site."

"Okay, now I know you've lost it."

Cassie took a deep breath. "Don't be so judgmental. Internet dating isn't that different from picking up a stranger in a bar. At least this way, we've exchanged emails and told each other a little about ourselves. I told him all about my marriage, divorce and living with Mom. He sounds like a really nice guy."

"I'm sure he does. And I am also sure you believe everything he told you. Did it ever occur to you he could be lying about everything?"

"It crossed my mind, but then he's taking the same risk. How does he know I'm being truthful?"

"I guess you have a point." Even though Alaine was the younger sister, her voice held a parental warning. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will. Besides, I'm not sure we'll ever really meet one another."

Cassie caught a glimpse of her watch and shook her head. She'd only meant to check in on Alaine, not discuss her personal life. There'd be time for that later. "I've got to get to bed, Lainie, and I know you do, too. I'll call you tomorrow if I get a chance."

"Wait! Don't hang up yet. You'd better be prepared for what Frank is going to say. You know how he is."

Cass groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I know."

She hung up, filled with apprehension. Frank was always a hard sell on anything that wasn't his idea.

Chapter Four

Breathless, Cassie raced in the door and answered the phone. She dropped her commuter bag and plopped down on the sofa.

"Howdy, girl," Evan drawled. "You sound a mite out of breath. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Oh, Evan… no." She blew out a whoosh of air to slow her pounding heart. "I just got home from work. I heard the phone ringing while I was unlocking the door. I almost missed you."

"Dang time difference! I keep forgetting. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you breathe so heavy… at least not this way."

Even though he was miles away, his sexual innuendos made her uncomfortable. Had her online flirting given him the wrong idea?

"I'm glad you called." She switched the subject. "How are you?"

"Missing you. Ain't that strange. Never met you but I can't quit thinkin' about you."

Her heart fluttered. "That's sweet. I think about you, too."

"I had an idea. I'm thinkin' it's about time we did meet up. I have a credit on an airline ticket that I'm just itchin' to use. What do you think about next weekend?"

"Next weekend?" Cassie gulped in a breath then exhaled. "Evan, this is so sudden. I…"

"Don't you want to meet me?" Disappointment softened his voice.

"Oh, of course, I do. It's just that…well, next weekend is Mother's Day and I'm taking Mom to my sister, Gloria's house. Remember, I told you she lives up north. I've had the plane tickets for over a month now and I can't cancel them. Mom would be so disappointed…after all, it is her day."