Nancy, usually quick to give her opinion, leaned forward to place her forearms on Lynn’s desk. Reaching across, she grabbed her hands. “I think, for the first time in our friendship, I’m not sure what to say. The one thing I would ask you to remember is that he was already talking about getting out before all of this happened. It might be moving his timeline up some, but Lynn, he’s been happier here in the past week that I’ve seen him in a long time.”
She nodded, her lips curving slightly at the memories of the past week. Nolan had not held back in making sure she knew he wanted to be with her. He had taken her to dinner, everything from an expensive restaurant where they dined overlooking the river to fast food that they grabbed on the way to the park for a picnic.
It had been hard not to give in to the urge to throw him on her bed and pounce, but she needed to make sure it was not just about sex. Nancy’s laughter brought her attention back and Lynn blushed.
“I can tell where your mind went!” Nancy said.
Giving her head a quick shake, she rolled her eyes. “Well, I know you didn’t come over here to talk about me and Nolan. What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know what was going on with Sally Hightower.”
Interest snagged, she leaned forward. “Oh, yes! What’s happening?”
“I got a call from Sally yesterday and she informed me that she filed for divorce. She also informed Errol that she knew of the chapel’s true income and had proof that he had been moving money around, possibly through illegal channels at the casino.”
Eyes wide, she could not imagine Errol’s face when presented with that tidbit of information. “And?”
“Sally said that he was furious at first, denying everything she said. But she had printed up a lot of the records that you had given her and showed them to him. She told him she had a lot more evidence, and that she had no problem taking it to the police if he fought her on the divorce. She also mentioned that she knew he hadn’t been faithful—”
“Oh, shit! I was kinda hoping she wouldn’t say anything about that!”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Lynn. It sounds like he has enough problems with everything else.” She stood and reached inside her purse, pulled out a check, and laid it on top of the desk. “Sally was extremely pleased with the evidence you handed her and paid us very well. This is for you.”
Picking up the check, she grinned widely. “Oh, my goodness! This is twice what I was expecting! If I keep making paychecks like this, I’ll be able to move into a larger space.” Her office was small, consisting of the bare necessities. Her part-time receptionist had a desk in the outer room, and the only other spaces were her office, a restroom, a supply closet, and a minuscule workroom.
“I think we can expect business to pick up, not only for me but for you also. Sally mentioned that she’s already told several friends about my investigation business, and she’s specifically mentioned you as a forensic accountant.”
“Nancy, that’s great, but I’ll tell you right now, my days of sneaking into places are over! From now on, clients have to bring their records to me!”
The two women embraced, and when Nancy pulled back, she kept her hands on Lynn’s shoulders. “I know we’ll always be sisters of the heart and you still have things to think about. But I can’t help but be excited to think that you’re my sister-in-law for real.”
With that, Nancy walked out and Lynn heard the front door open and close as she left. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out slowly and whispered, “Me too.”
Looking back down at the check on the desk, she grinned then carefully tucked it into her purse. Her part-time receptionist had already left for the day, so she would ask Nolan to run her by the bank when he picked her up. Now, opening her laptop, she made sure to log in the payment in her business accounts.
Nolan. Just the thought of him made her smile. Clicking out of her business account and into the Internet, she began searching accounting businesses in California near Coronado and the surrounding cities. She had said nothing to him because she’d only begun to consider the possibilities of moving. She just wanted to be able to offer an alternative to him leaving the SEALs. I don’t want him to lose part of himself because of me…
She heard her front door open and called out, “I’ll be right there!” She didn’t hear a reply and hurried around her desk to see if a client had come in. Before she had a chance to step into the short hall, a body rushed forward, pushing her back into her office. She squeaked as her arms windmilled to keep her upright, her gaze landing on Errol Hightower.
No longer the smiling, dapper businessman, he was dressed in a wrinkled shirt and slacks, his hair unkempt, and it appeared he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. “You! What are you doing here?” she cried, taking a step back.
He stomped forward, his face red with rage, and lifted his hand, a wad of crumpled papers clutched tightly. “You bitch! You’ve ruined me!”
Taking another step back, she raised her hands in defense and shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me. I know about the private investigator my wife hired. And I know you were the only one who had access to getting this information.” His face contorted as his chest heaved. “I’ll lose everything.”
Her chest quaked as her heart pounded. Forcing her voice to steady, she said, “Mr. Hightower, you need to leave. I have nothing to do with what’s going on between you and your wife.”
“You gave her the accounts. And there you were
