Crawford & Associates for almost eight years. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to provide a reference for me. My being let go was purely a financial decision.”
“That’s right, you’re an accountant.” Cody had been avoiding the conversation so far, but he was more than interested now. “So you can do payroll and all that financial stuff?”
“Sure, payroll, accounts payable, bank recs.” Lily’s voice sped up with her enthusiasm. “I can even handle phones, reservations, whatever you need.”
“Whatever I need?” Cody moved in. He dropped his gaze, assessing her in a way that should have made her feel exposed. But she was still riding high from the rafting trip. Let him look.
“I can start work right away. I was planning on taking some time off, sort of a vacation, but I’d hate to see you guys fall behind.” Lily was excited at the prospect of working for them. She knew she didn’t want to go back to a corporate job. Once she became a single parent, the logistics of long hours and a lengthy commute would be difficult to manage. She could open her own bookkeeping business, but she was new to the area and worried about being seen as an outsider. Working for an established, local business was just the opportunity she’d hoped for to give her experience with the needs of a small, family-run company.
“Maybe we should discuss it over dinner?” Cody suggested. He leaned in, giving her a smile that hinted at very little actual conversation.
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Carson cut him off. “Lily starts tomorrow.”
“I’ll e-mail my résumé as soon as I get home.”
“Just bring it with you.” Carson sounded a little weary. Not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. She wondered if he’d made the offer more to shut Cody up than anything else. “We’ll hammer out the details in the morning. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”
“Great, I’ll see you in the morning.” Lily wondered if she’d overstepped her bounds. Maybe he didn’t want to hire someone to replace the last girl. Maybe he needed to downsize and this would have been a good opportunity to do so. But Lily had just jumped right in, offering her services. It was so unlike her. She was normally the type to research and contemplate. She was a planner. Before she even applied for the job at Crawford, she’d looked into their company profile in the online business journal, could project their next four quarter profits, and had the company’s mission statement memorized.
She said she would help, so she would. If anything, she could at least get the next payroll out on time and make sure the bills weren’t late. Then if they decided it wouldn’t work out, there would be no hard feelings on her part. She would just be testing the waters, so to speak. It’s not like they were going to set up a partnership.
* * * *
Carson finished putting away the rest of the gear, jotting notes on the equipment where needed. It took him awhile to fully absorb the news that his bookkeeper had skipped town. Having Lily jump in could be a good thing. Tomorrow, he would check her references and contact her former employer. But he trusted her. The way she had trusted him when they were in the river together.
Hopefully, she’d catch on quickly and they’d be able to make a smooth transition. Then he could go through with his plans to take off for Utah. He’d promised his buddy, Eric Sims, he’d fill in for him on the Yampa River. The secluded canyon would be the perfect place for him to carve out a new identity. He wanted a chance to be someone else. He needed a chance to just be . To go along for the ride instead of always having to be in the driver’s seat.
The river was only runnable for six weeks in the summer. Just enough time to give him a taste of something different. But not so long that he couldn’t return if he had to. It would be a trial separation. If it turned out that Cody couldn’t handle things on his own,
“That’s right, you’re an accountant.” Cody had been avoiding the conversation so far, but he was more than interested now. “So you can do payroll and all that financial stuff?”
“Sure, payroll, accounts payable, bank recs.” Lily’s voice sped up with her enthusiasm. “I can even handle phones, reservations, whatever you need.”
“Whatever I need?” Cody moved in. He dropped his gaze, assessing her in a way that should have made her feel exposed. But she was still riding high from the rafting trip. Let him look.
“I can start work right away. I was planning on taking some time off, sort of a vacation, but I’d hate to see you guys fall behind.” Lily was excited at the prospect of working for them. She knew she didn’t want to go back to a corporate job. Once she became a single parent, the logistics of long hours and a lengthy commute would be difficult to manage. She could open her own bookkeeping business, but she was new to the area and worried about being seen as an outsider. Working for an established, local business was just the opportunity she’d hoped for to give her experience with the needs of a small, family-run company.
“Maybe we should discuss it over dinner?” Cody suggested. He leaned in, giving her a smile that hinted at very little actual conversation.
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Carson cut him off. “Lily starts tomorrow.”
“I’ll e-mail my résumé as soon as I get home.”
“Just bring it with you.” Carson sounded a little weary. Not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. She wondered if he’d made the offer more to shut Cody up than anything else. “We’ll hammer out the details in the morning. I’m sure everything will work out just fine.”
“Great, I’ll see you in the morning.” Lily wondered if she’d overstepped her bounds. Maybe he didn’t want to hire someone to replace the last girl. Maybe he needed to downsize and this would have been a good opportunity to do so. But Lily had just jumped right in, offering her services. It was so unlike her. She was normally the type to research and contemplate. She was a planner. Before she even applied for the job at Crawford, she’d looked into their company profile in the online business journal, could project their next four quarter profits, and had the company’s mission statement memorized.
She said she would help, so she would. If anything, she could at least get the next payroll out on time and make sure the bills weren’t late. Then if they decided it wouldn’t work out, there would be no hard feelings on her part. She would just be testing the waters, so to speak. It’s not like they were going to set up a partnership.
* * * *
Carson finished putting away the rest of the gear, jotting notes on the equipment where needed. It took him awhile to fully absorb the news that his bookkeeper had skipped town. Having Lily jump in could be a good thing. Tomorrow, he would check her references and contact her former employer. But he trusted her. The way she had trusted him when they were in the river together.
Hopefully, she’d catch on quickly and they’d be able to make a smooth transition. Then he could go through with his plans to take off for Utah. He’d promised his buddy, Eric Sims, he’d fill in for him on the Yampa River. The secluded canyon would be the perfect place for him to carve out a new identity. He wanted a chance to be someone else. He needed a chance to just be . To go along for the ride instead of always having to be in the driver’s seat.
The river was only runnable for six weeks in the summer. Just enough time to give him a taste of something different. But not so long that he couldn’t return if he had to. It would be a trial separation. If it turned out that Cody couldn’t handle things on his own,
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