Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,19

hyperventilating she’s laughing so hard. “He had dark-rimmed glasses and a beanie and dressed like he grabbed his clothes off his bedroom floor.”

The door opens, and Hannah stops in her tracks, staring over at me bent over and clutching my stomach.

“You started the Monday morning divorcee dating recap without me?” she whines, tossing her bag on the chair in front of my desk, her hands cupping her coffee as she hurries over to Chelsea’s office.

I grin inside. She’s so different than Jagger. He’d be barking orders at me before he even finished passing by my desk.

She squeezes by me, plopping down, well, Hannah doesn’t plop anywhere. She slides into the chair with elegance and grace. Her tight dress and contrasting high heels will probably be the biggest trend next month. She’s one of those women who oozes class and is always a step ahead on fashion.

“Give it to me. I need a laugh,” she says and takes a sip.

“Chels went on a date this weekend,” I say, and Hannah’s smile tips up from ear to ear.

I told you, Chelsea’s dates are like finding little chunks of gold in a sea of crap.

“YAY!” she raises one arm in a little cheer. “How bad was it?”

“Not too bad,” I remark and the phone rings, so I run over to my desk, letting Chelsea fill Hannah in on the details.

“Good morning, thank you for calling the RISE Foundation, Victoria speaking, how can I help you?”

“Is Hannah in?” the man on the line asks.

“Can I ask who’s speaking?”

“Mr. Bennett. She’s expecting my call.”

“Sure thing. Hold please.” I place him on hold and head to Chelsea’s office where Hannah is laughing, slapping the edge of Chelsea’s desk.

“I’ll pay you to go on another date with him. Maybe he’ll write a poem about you.”

Chelsea flips Hannah off.

“Hey, I’m your boss.” Hannah can barely spit out the words without laughing.

“Then go and keep this place afloat. I’m obviously never going to meet a man who can handle me and take care of me.” Chelsea types something on her keyboard.

“Hannah, there’s a Mr. Bennett on hold for you,” I say.

Her eyes light up and her head tips back. “Yes, I need to talk to him. Forward him to my desk.” She stands and rounds the doorway of Chelsea’s office.

“Hey, Vic,” Chelsea stops me before I follow Hannah. She looks like she’s seen a ghost. Her face suddenly pale and her features drawn. “Who’s Mr. Bennett?”

I shrug.

“Tax attorney,” Hannah hollers from down the hall.

“Oh, okay.” Relief streaks across her face. “Never in a million years,” she mumbles more to herself than me I think.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Peachy,” she says, but I’m not sure I totally believe her.

“Maybe you need a guy like a tax attorney,” I joke hoping to lighten her mood again.

“No, you need a man like that. Boring and responsible. I need a bad boy with a heart of gold.”

“Pretty sure those two things are mutually exclusive, Chels.”

“They’re like unicorns. Rare.”

“But magical.” I smile brightly.

She crumples up a piece of paper and throws it at me. “Go.”

I run the small distance to my desk and pick up my phone.

“I’m transferring you now, Mr. Bennett.”

“Thank you.”

I press the button and after I hear Hannah pick up, I stand and go over to shut her door.

“He had a sexy voice,” I singsong, passing by Chelsea’s office on the way to take another stab at making the coffee.

“A sexy tax attorney would be like discovering a real-life unicorn.” She follows me into the kitchen.

Monday mornings are laxer around here than I’m used to, but we all work hard and get done what needs doing.

I move about preparing the coffee pot and turning it on. “What happened to you experiencing all the flavors?”

She shrugs. “Let’s talk about you. Maybe someone like this Mr. Bennett is the one for you. You said he had a nice voice.” She crosses her arms, bringing her Starbucks cup to her lips.

“I’m anti-men, and honestly, who’s going to sign up for this train ride?”

“I would,” she says, her perfectly straight white teeth sparkling. “Seriously, though, you’re hot and gorgeous. A total MILF. Jade is easy-peasy. Your ex is thousands of miles away.”

“Sometimes there’s more baggage hidden than exposed.” I lean against the counter.

“I get wanting to take time to get settled, but don’t underestimate yourself. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

Chelsea is rarely serious, so I smile and accept her compliment.

“I saw the best man from my wedding this morning.”

Her eyes widen. “Details.”