California Dreaming: Four Contemporary Romances (41 page)

She pushed aside all thoughts of Marcos.

Winter’s slowdown would give her the time to start her line. But first she needed to get a loan from the bank. Time to start pulling her data together. She punched a few keys and ran year-to-date reports in her bookkeeping program. When the data came up on the screen, she stared at the numbers. They didn’t make sense. She knew they’d been busy most of the year, but the figures seemed off. She drilled down into the numbers and saw the problem. The amount they were spending on products had skyrocketed, almost triple what they’d spent the year before.

She went back to the income line. Her sales were about the same as they had been the year before. Nothing to justify the increase in spending. Her stomach rolled over.

Something was definitely wrong.

After writing in her journal the next morning, Elizabeth dressed for her run. She needed to think and running was the best way she knew to jog the brain cells.

She’d tossed and turned all night. When she was awake she’d spun over the puzzle of the shop numbers. When she was asleep, Marcos invaded her dreams, leaving her in a hot sweat when she awoke.

She pounded down the wet sand, snowy plovers playing tag with the water, fluttering away when she got too close, only to restart the game when she’d passed.

Such a simple life. Eat, fly, play and have sex. No worrying about early pregnancies, bank loans or sexy birds from Italy. Simple.

Sweat dampened her lower back and added a sheen to her skin.

There had to be an explanation for the numbers. Was there an incorrect invoice somewhere that she’d missed? Normally she watched her invoices like a hawk, but her mother’s illness and the trip to Italy had made her more careless than usual. The only other explanation was that someone was stealing from her.

But who? Lara? She was the only one who had access to the inventory and register other than Elizabeth. Had someone stolen a key? Or could someone have hacked her system?

Her breath became ragged and her head began to ache. She’d have to go over all the paperwork in detail and do an inventory. God, she hated inventory.

She checked her watch and turned around to jog back to her car.

And why was she dreaming about Marcos? She thought she’d put him in a nice little long-distance-relationship box, but he didn’t appear to be staying there. Not when her subconscious took over at any rate! She shivered. The dream had been too real — his hands on her body, filling them with her breasts. Her nipples hardened with this last thought.

She picked up the pace. She would not think about him. She had a business to run and a mystery to solve.

Her resolve lasted until she got back in the car.

• • •

The following Sunday was a perfect Indian summer day. Elizabeth hated to waste it indoors, but she needed to figure out why the product orders were so high and Sunday was the only day Beauty by the Bay was closed. Time to count boxes.

She parked up the hill from the beach town and walked to the store. Multicolored leaves dangled from the few deciduous trees. She drew in a deep breath, delighting in the scents of sweet fall bushes and pungent coffee aromas from a half dozen coffee shops.

The bell tingled as she opened the door to her shop. She locked the door behind her and looked around the sunlit space. Hers. All hers. She’d built it from nothing. All of a sudden she realized she was proud of the accomplishment. Maybe she could build a product line.

But no one was going to steal from her.

With the printed inventory in her hand, she made her way to the storeroom. A skylight let in the bright fall day, but she turned on the lights anyway so she could see into the corners.

Beginning with the top rack, she began to count the hundreds of boxes of lotions, lipsticks and bath salts. Two hours later, she slumped down to the floor and leaned her back against the wall. There were far fewer boxes than there should be. But why? The pulse in her temple began to throb.

The front door clicked.

Elizabeth quietly stood up. Who was there? Should she call out?

She looked around and spotted an old towel bar she’d meant to reattach in the bathroom. She picked it up, prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary, feeling ridiculous as she did so. No serial killer would be stalking a small shop owner in a town filled with weekend tourists.

The floorboards creaked and she saw a familiar shadow approach the storeroom entry. “Who’s there?” Lara called.

Elizabeth released the towel rack.

A second later Lara stood in the doorway, a large shopping bag in her hand. From the way she carried it, the bag appeared to be empty. “Oh. I didn’t know you were here,” she said with a frown.

“I parked up the street … nice day,” Elizabeth said, eyeing the elegant paper bag from one of the nicer shops in the area. “I wanted a walk in fresh air before I tackled the inventory.”

“Inventory? It’s too early for that, isn’t it? I thought you only did inventory in January for taxes.” Lara shifted her weight from one foot to the other, the bag slapping her calf with every movement.

“I decided to do a spot check. Some of the numbers aren’t adding up.”

“Can I help?” Lara smiled and put the bag outside the door.

“No, I’m finished, thanks. What made you come in today? You aren’t scheduled until Tuesday.”

“Oh, you know me. Always trying to lend a hand! I thought I’d make sure we had all our products displayed out front.”

“What’s the shopping bag for?”

“What?”

Elizabeth gestured to the door. “The shopping bag.”

“Um … I needed to … um … go to the grocer’s later. I like to take my own bag. Environmentally friendly, you know.” Lara fiddled with her right earring. “Is the inventory right?”

“It’s short. Lara, what are you really doing here?”

“I told you. I just came in to straighten up some things. I’d think you’d be grateful. Not all employees are as dedicated as I am.” Lara’s voice took on a more aggressive tone. “You know how everything is always a mess after Saturday’s rush. I wanted to get everything ready for you for Monday.” She took a step forward. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you?”

Elizabeth squared her shoulders “Quite sure.”

Silence rocked the room as the two women stared at each other. Elizabeth’s breath shortened. Somehow she didn’t think this was the right time to look up “stealing” in her employee manual. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, “I’d like your key.”

“My key? Why? Are you firing me? What for? I haven’t done anything. All I’ve tried to do is make things better for you.” Lara’s voice ramped up.

Was Lara the thief? What was she doing with all those products? Maybe she was innocent and it was someone else. But who? “No, I’m not firing you,” Elizabeth finally said. “But I would like the key.”

“I won’t be able to open and close for you if I don’t have the key.” Even as she said it, Lara worked the key off her ring.

“I know that
.” If you’re the thief, you won’t be able to rob me blind, either.
“I’ll manage somehow.”

Lara handed her the key. “I suppose you don’t want me to help you set up for Monday, either. Since you’re all alone on Mondays, I thought you’d enjoy having everything ready to go.”

Elizabeth put the key in the pocket of her jeans. “Thanks for … for … coming in to help, Lara. I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

“Okay.” Lara’s eyes scanned the rows of boxes on the shelves. She moistened her lips as if she was going to say something, but turned around instead. Moments later Elizabeth heard the front door slam.

Lara had left the bag behind.

Elizabeth leaned against the wall. Thousands of dollars of inventory were missing. Whoever was stealing from her must have been taking inventory for quite a while now. Who else could it be but Lara? She’d given Bobby a key when they were still seeing each other, but he had enough money of his own — he didn’t need hers.

Should she let Lara go? Would the woman sue her if she did?

Firing Lara would put a crimp in her plans to launch a line of lotions. She’d have to attend the store every day and do research and planning at night.

Elizabeth gathered up her lists, turned off the light and walked back into the shop. When she walked out the door, her steps were less lively than when she’d entered.

• • •

Elizabeth arrived at the store early Monday morning after a night of restless sleep. She still wasn’t sure what to do about Lara. Why would the woman steal from her? Times were tough, but Elizabeth had given Lara a job, a decent retail wage and a commission on every new client she booked.

Maybe she should give Lara a chance to explain why she’d taken the products when she came in on Tuesday. What was she doing with them anyway? Reselling them? Was there a black market for anti-acne cream?

Lara had had an attitude since Elizabeth got back from Italy. Whether or not she was stealing, it was probably time to let her go.

But it had to be done correctly. When she’d fired her first employee a year after she’d started the shop, she’d wound up paying all kinds of fees and severance pay. She picked up the phone and dialed Anita, her human resource consultant.

Anita confirmed her fears. “There’s no way you’re going to be able to let Lara go without paying unemployment. Are you willing to let her stay on with an action plan? I’d advise against it, but it’s an option.”

Elizabeth hesitated. Having Lara around would solve some of her problems, and giving her a second chance would be the kind thing to do.

“I’d like to think about giving her another opportunity … ” she began.

“Ugh,” her consultant said. “Please don’t fall victim to ‘nice disease.’ If the woman stole from you, she’s going to do it again. How’s her attitude been?”

“Not good,” Elizabeth admitted.

“Then bite the bullet and let her go. Get it over quickly — like ripping off a bandage. You did take her key, right?”

“Yes, but … ”

“Good. Let’s get it done. I’ll draft the letter and email it to you.” The phone clicked off.

Tuesday passed in uncomfortable efficiency. Lara came in promptly at one, her regularly scheduled time. Fortunately, the shop was already busy and Elizabeth didn’t have to spend a lot of time conversing with her assistant. Lara maintained her professionalism, but barely said a word to Elizabeth.

By noon Wednesday, Elizabeth had everything in place. After the last customer left, she stopped Lara as she was gathering her things to leave.

“I need to talk with you,” Elizabeth said.

“You’re firing me. I knew it. It’s not fair. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Lara put her hands on her hips and stared at Elizabeth defiantly.

“I have to let you, go, yes. Someone’s been stealing inventory and with the drop in income, I can’t afford to keep you on.”

“What about that old boyfriend of yours? Did you get his key back? He could be stealing from you and you’d never know it. All men are alike.”

The woman was reaching for any idea she could to keep her job. For a moment, Elizabeth hesitated. Maybe she wasn’t being fair.

Then she looked around at the business she built. “No, Lara,” she finally said. “That’s ludicrous and you know it. We both know what’s been happening. What I don’t understand is why you did it?”

“Are you accusing me? I can have you before the review board for that,” Lara said.

Elizabeth shrugged, suggesting “so be it,” and waited a few minutes to see what else Lara would say. The woman remained steadfastly silent.

Sighing, Elizabeth handed Lara an envelope, a slip of paper and a pen. “Here’s your final check and a letter stating that the layoff is due to my financial constraints. My statements won’t affect your ability to get another job. Would you sign here acknowledging you received the letter and check?”

Lara scribbled her signature, the nib of the pen digging through the paper.

“I’ll sue you,” she said, before she turned and walked out of the store, slamming the door behind her.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and locked the door behind her former assistant. Tears began to trickle down her face. Why did life have to be so hard?

“Suck it up, girl,” she said to herself. “What’s done is done. You’ve figured out bigger problems before. There must be someone in this town that wants a job.”

She walked over to the computer and pulled up Craig’s List.

• • •

“I don’t understand why she did that,” Elizabeth said to Annie that night at Costanoa Grill.

With weather warm enough to eat on the patio, Elizabeth watched the tranquil scene of shorebirds edging the Costanoa River as it flowed past a colorful bungalow hotel.

“It doesn’t seem to make sense, does it?” Annie twirled her pasta onto her fork, but didn’t raise the utensil. “Then again, I know in corporations there can be a lot of pilfering of office supplies, especially around back to school time.” She shrugged. “It’s just not something I would even consider.”

“Me either,” Elizabeth said. “I guess I’m disappointed. I gave her a chance. She didn’t know anything about beauty products, or even retail sales when I hired her. And this went way beyond pilfering!” She stabbed a shrimp on her plate and stuffed it into her mouth.

Annie raised her eyebrows. “Wow … you are upset.”

Elizabeth glared at her, chewing rapidly. No matter how angry she was, talking with her mouth full was not going to happen.

“Now that you’ve let her go, what are you going to do?” Annie asked. “I mean, how are you going to take time off when Marcos shows up — I can’t wait to meet him!” Annie ate the spaghetti she’d been toying with.

“I’ve got bigger problems than Marcos. And besides, who says I’m going to let him meet you?” She smiled at Annie to take the sting out of her words.

Annie frowned. “Of course you’re going to introduce us. I’m your best friend and he could turn out to be the love of your life.”

Elizabeth laughed. “He lives in Italy.”

“You keep trying to use that as an excuse, but I’m not buying it,” Annie said.

The comment stopped Elizabeth short. Was she using distance as an excuse? Well, no matter, she had another one.