systems for new or expanding companies. Or whatever they need."
"And you're enjoying that," she said.
"Yeah, it's a nice addition to the audit work," I agreed. "It's interesting. I get to tackle new problems every day while still allowing enough time for fieldwork."
She hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "Don't forget the part where you're signing for deliveries at the door and managing the accounts of a meat market. Are you also washing the floors and emptying the wastebaskets in the evening? Do you perform maintenance on the copier? I'm torn between wanting to see that more than I can explain and fearing the blunt-object damage you'd do."
I finished off my sandwich and balled the paper in my hand. "I pay for those services."
"Thank god," she murmured.
"Does that answer your questions?" I asked.
Her bottom lip snared in her teeth, Zelda bobbed her head as she scribbled on the sticky note. "Mmm. Yeah. We need to find a way for you to do the things that fill your bucket, delegate the things that don't, and keep the wheels turning without you having to change any tires."
"I imagine you already have a plan on how you'll accomplish these goals. Perhaps one with fewer mixed metaphors."
She continued bobbing her head as she wrote. "Oh yeah. Give me a few days, Ashville. I'll get you under control."
I pushed to my feet and gestured toward the receptionist's desk outside my office, saying, "I'll leave you to it."
Zelda stared at me as my quietly spoken challenge hung in the air between us. When she stood, she said, "You're not the first man to doubt me and you're not likely to be the last."
"I don't doubt you at all, Miss Besh," I replied. "But I do need you to stay out of arm's reach or I fear I'll break our agreement before lunch."
"Mr. Santillian, please," she said with a huff. "That agreement was broken before I finished my sandwich. Speaking of which, I need another."
I made it forty-five minutes before calling Zelda back into my office. That was forty-five minutes of watching her through the damned glass walls and listening to her hum and talk to herself. Forty-five minutes of forcing myself to stare at my computer screen and ignore the heaviness growing between my legs. Forty-five minutes of huffing and scowling every time she dragged the toe of her shoe up the back of her leg or squatted down to collect a file from the bottom drawers. Forty-five minutes of debating whether I could close up shop for the day, the week, the rest of the fucking year if it meant sitting with her, listening to her, keeping her.
"What do I have going on today?" I asked, mostly to myself as I rustled through the papers on my desk. "There's the audit work to wrap up from last week and—"
"You have calls at one, two thirty, and four, an amended proposal to send back to the Shadyside team before close of business, and a dinner meeting at seven thirty at Abe & Louie's with the leadership from Ferryman Brothers."
Fuck, I'd forgotten about that dinner. It was too late to cancel. Considering those guys holed up in Nantucket most of the summer, I'd have to wait until September to get on their calendar again and that was too long.
Zelda noticed me thinking this over. "Don't worry about me. I can entertain myself for a few hours."
"You could come with me," I said but I knew it wasn't a solid idea. The Ferryman guys liked to talk a big game while having their hands held through their annual audits. And they spooked easily too. I couldn't bring my new associate along without plenty of advance assurances I wasn't about to dump their account onto someone else.
"Instead of doing that, let's see what's behind door number two," she replied. "Ah, yes. It's me being fine on my own."
"But, Zelda—"
She held up a hand. "Listen, Ash. There is plenty for me to do here"—she gestured to the mess of folders, mail, and stray paperwork she'd gathered—"and your meeting doesn't require me or my presence. It wouldn't make sense for me to sit through that so let's wrap up that argument. I can't say the subway system makes any sense to me yet but—"
"You'll use my car service account," I interrupted, not that she noticed.
"— I'm a big girl and I'll find my way. I'll feed myself too so don't you worry about anything."