complicated.’
The frown returned as he took his place opposite her. ‘You look too young.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ She put down the pen and prepared to do battle. This had happened before as well and she understood the exact implications of his statement without needing to ask for an explanation.
‘No offence meant, Ms Ingram, but I requested an experienced accountant to handle my uncle's business affairs, not someone just out of university.’
She sat perfectly still for a moment. One did not throw folders of papers at the heads of one's clients, however much they deserved such treatment. ‘I think you'll find that I know my job, Mr Elless.’ She felt quite proud of the calm way she had spoken. ‘Would you like me to summarise the situation with regard to your uncle's estate?’
‘How old are you? You don't look nearly old enough to be a qualified accountant.’
She stopped trying to hide her annoyance. ‘I'm thirty years old, if that’s any of your business, and I think you'll find that I'm both well qualified and experienced. Mr Repping, the Senior Partner, has complete confidence in my ability to handle your account, or he wouldn't have put me in charge of it.’ She shoved a summary sheet across the table at him with such force he only just managed to catch it before it slid off the edge. ‘Now, let me show you . . . ’
‘You look about seventeen.’
‘I don't happen to have my birth certificate handy, but if it means so much to you, I'm sure Mr Repping will be happy to confirm my age in writing.’
He opened his mouth, looked at her face and shut his mouth again. Picking up the summary sheet, he began to study the figures on it.
His expression became serious as she took him through the muddles of his late uncle's business affairs. Total chaos was a more accurate description. She had to explain some things more than once and could tell he wasn’t comfortable with complex figures, so went through them very slowly, stopping to check that he’d understood.
‘So,’ she wound up, glancing surreptitiously at her watch, ‘I think it'll take several weeks to work everything out, and even then, we'll still have your late uncle's tax situation to deal with. As far as I can make out, he's not lodged a tax return for several years. I can't imagine how he got away with that.’
‘So you don't know yet, then, whether I've been left anything worthwhile or simply a collection of liabilities?’
‘I think you'll find it quite a substantial inheritance, though not in cash terms. He was land rich and cash poor, from what I can make out. Of course we only have a rough idea of how much the properties he’s left you are worth at this stage and the council rates haven't been paid on them for a while. Still, you should realise a decent sum of money if you sell them, a few million dollars if you do it carefully.’
‘That's Uncle Johnny for you! He had a ridiculous faith in putting money into land.’ Ben Elless sighed as he leaned back. ‘Quite frankly, this couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time administratively. I have heavy commitments in Queensland just now.’
He yawned then stretched like a sleepy lion. ‘I'm sorry. I had to fly over on last night’s red-eye special and it was full of happy teenagers. I've had meetings from eight o'clock this morning straight through and the lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with me.’
She glanced at her watch again, her lips tightening in dismay when she realised they'd been here for well over the allotted half hour already. Today of all days she couldn’t afford to be late.
His voice brought her back to attention. ‘Can you carry on with this – sort out the taxes, then leave things until I have more time?’
‘Yes, of course.’ She tried to hurry things along. ‘Well, if everything is to your satisfaction, Mr Elless . . . ’
He didn't take the hint but leaned back in his chair and smiled at her again, a warm uncomplicated smile this
The frown returned as he took his place opposite her. ‘You look too young.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ She put down the pen and prepared to do battle. This had happened before as well and she understood the exact implications of his statement without needing to ask for an explanation.
‘No offence meant, Ms Ingram, but I requested an experienced accountant to handle my uncle's business affairs, not someone just out of university.’
She sat perfectly still for a moment. One did not throw folders of papers at the heads of one's clients, however much they deserved such treatment. ‘I think you'll find that I know my job, Mr Elless.’ She felt quite proud of the calm way she had spoken. ‘Would you like me to summarise the situation with regard to your uncle's estate?’
‘How old are you? You don't look nearly old enough to be a qualified accountant.’
She stopped trying to hide her annoyance. ‘I'm thirty years old, if that’s any of your business, and I think you'll find that I'm both well qualified and experienced. Mr Repping, the Senior Partner, has complete confidence in my ability to handle your account, or he wouldn't have put me in charge of it.’ She shoved a summary sheet across the table at him with such force he only just managed to catch it before it slid off the edge. ‘Now, let me show you . . . ’
‘You look about seventeen.’
‘I don't happen to have my birth certificate handy, but if it means so much to you, I'm sure Mr Repping will be happy to confirm my age in writing.’
He opened his mouth, looked at her face and shut his mouth again. Picking up the summary sheet, he began to study the figures on it.
His expression became serious as she took him through the muddles of his late uncle's business affairs. Total chaos was a more accurate description. She had to explain some things more than once and could tell he wasn’t comfortable with complex figures, so went through them very slowly, stopping to check that he’d understood.
‘So,’ she wound up, glancing surreptitiously at her watch, ‘I think it'll take several weeks to work everything out, and even then, we'll still have your late uncle's tax situation to deal with. As far as I can make out, he's not lodged a tax return for several years. I can't imagine how he got away with that.’
‘So you don't know yet, then, whether I've been left anything worthwhile or simply a collection of liabilities?’
‘I think you'll find it quite a substantial inheritance, though not in cash terms. He was land rich and cash poor, from what I can make out. Of course we only have a rough idea of how much the properties he’s left you are worth at this stage and the council rates haven't been paid on them for a while. Still, you should realise a decent sum of money if you sell them, a few million dollars if you do it carefully.’
‘That's Uncle Johnny for you! He had a ridiculous faith in putting money into land.’ Ben Elless sighed as he leaned back. ‘Quite frankly, this couldn't have come at a more inconvenient time administratively. I have heavy commitments in Queensland just now.’
He yawned then stretched like a sleepy lion. ‘I'm sorry. I had to fly over on last night’s red-eye special and it was full of happy teenagers. I've had meetings from eight o'clock this morning straight through and the lack of sleep is beginning to catch up with me.’
She glanced at her watch again, her lips tightening in dismay when she realised they'd been here for well over the allotted half hour already. Today of all days she couldn’t afford to be late.
His voice brought her back to attention. ‘Can you carry on with this – sort out the taxes, then leave things until I have more time?’
‘Yes, of course.’ She tried to hurry things along. ‘Well, if everything is to your satisfaction, Mr Elless . . . ’
He didn't take the hint but leaned back in his chair and smiled at her again, a warm uncomplicated smile this
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