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Colton’s eyes narrowed and bounced between the two of us. “Are you purposely stalling this audit?”
“Of course not,” he said, without missing a beat. “I’m just not cut out for office work, Colton. I’m sorry.”
Colton closed his eyes and sighed again. “Fine.” When he opened them, he focused his attention on me. “What is it you need, Ms. Sweeney?”
“I need the treasurer’s reports from last year.”
“I asked Daniel for them this morning, but he said they’re not in the shared drive,” said Luke behind me.
“I’m surprised you even asked,” I mumbled.
“Oh, that’s right,” said Colton, snapping his finger. “I forgot that I saved those reports on my laptop. I hadn’t transferred them to the drive. Let me just—”
As he turned toward his laptop, he swore softly, then ran his fingers through his hair.
“What’s the matter?” asked Luke.
Colton closed his eyes and said, “I bought a new laptop a couple of months ago. The old one is at Newcastle.”
“Newcastle?” I asked. “What’s that?”
Colton pursed his lips and rubbed his forehead. “My cabin upstate.”
I groaned.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Sweeney,” said Colton. “I’ll drive up this evening after my wife—”
“I’ll go,” said Luke.
I swiveled my head to stare at him. “You?”
He put his hands on his hips. “I’m in charge of the audit, so it’s my responsibility. I’ll go. Stay home with your wife, Colton.”
I shook my head and put my hands on my hips. “I don’t trust you. What if this is another one of your schemes to waste my time?” Luke had let me down before. He would do it again. I was sure of it.
“Everything is always about you. Isn’t it, Sweeney?” he sneered.
“In this case, yes, I think it is.”
“I don’t care what you think.” Then, turning to Colton, he said. “Give me your keys to the cabin and text me where to find the laptop. I’ll leave in an hour.”
Without thinking them over, the words tumbled from my lips, “I’m coming with you.”
“You’re what?” asked Luke, whipping his head to look back at me. He’d already reached the office door.
“Like I said. I don’t trust you. So, I’m coming with you to ensure this rescue mission isn’t just a decoy to take more time off of work. Or whatever you do here.”
Colton smiled and steepled his fingers underneath his chin again. “I think that’s a great idea, Ms. Sweeney.”
“Thank you, Mr. Crawford.” Then to Luke, “We leave in an hour,” I said and pushed past him at the door.
“I just said that. Don’t act like you’re the one calling the shots,” he shouted as I walked down the hallway.
Without turning back, I hollered, “I’m driving.”
Luke
I watched her storm off, her arms swinging, her back straight, and her righteousness resting on her shoulders. Man, she drove me nuts. She was always making assumptions and jumping to the wrong conclusions. What if I was going to take the long way to the cabin? I would still send her precious files by morning. Was she planning to work on them tonight? Probably yes, knowing Grace Sweeney.
