I stare at the piece of paper, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing. Lee Jacks? The name sounds so familiar, but I can’t place where I know it from. Suddenly it hits me, and I feel completely foolish. This is obviously a mistake. They must have applied this payment to my account in error. If I hadn’t caught this, Lee Jacks would certainly be angry when he found out his daughter or son’s tuition was unpaid.
I’m just opening my door to go back to Ms. Gaston’s office when I see her shutting the door to her tan sedan a few spaces down. Before I can get out of my car to stop her, she’s pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road. “Shit,” I mutter under my breath. Today is the last day the financial aid office was open until next week. I have no doubt this mistake cost someone a lot of money, and they need to know so they can have it corrected. Then it should clear the way for me to access my scholarships.
I take my phone from my purse and Google Falco Corp, looking for their phone number. I’m thrilled to see that their headquarters is just across town, not far from Quinn Software. I’ll just go explain the mix-up in person and have it taken care of today. I plug their address into the Rover’s GPS system because it’s easy to miss a turn in the downtown area and it’s far too hectic to backtrack.
As I’m driving toward Falco, I feel rather like a bitch for assuming the worst about Lucian. Thank God, I had the fortitude to ask for the receipt before I went to his office to tear into him. I was so pissed off; I doubt I would have believed any denial on his part. It’s always been hard for me to trust people, for obvious reasons, but I need to try harder to listen first and react later. I can’t hold him accountable for my screwed-up childhood.
When I reach the offices of Falco, I inwardly groan. The building is a huge, glass and metal tower. I have to drive past it and park in a public lot three blocks away. Maybe I should have just called after all. I’m breathing hard when I finally make it into the lobby. I really need to start exercising more.
Wow, I thought the security in Lucian’s building was excessive. I’m waved toward a metal detector by one of four security guards as I move a few steps away from the door. They take my purse and run it through another scanner while I go through the full-body scan. I feel a tad violated when I’m finally handed my purse and pointed toward a reception desk. “Paranoid much?” I murmur under my breath as I approach the chic woman looking disdainfully at me. I straighten my shoulders, refusing to be intimidated. “I need to see Lee Jacks, please,” I say with all the confidence I can muster.
“And you are?” she asks in a condescending voice which matches her expression perfectly.
“Lia Adams.” She begins typing on the keyboard, probably to see if I have an appointment, which of course I don’t. I pull the tuition receipt from my purse, ready to plead my case when she looks up at me with something akin to shock on her face.
“Oh, yes, Miss Adams. You’re clear to go on up. Let me have Craig escort you.” I’m still frozen in place when she motions to the closest security guard and tells him, “Please accompany Miss Adams to Mr. Jacks’ floor. I will let reception know she’s on the way.” Turning back to me with an expression completely devoid of its earlier sneer, she smiles sweetly. “It’s been a pleasure. Have a wonderful day.” I feel like muttering one of Lucian’s favorite sayings, ‘what the fuck?’ Instead, I give her what I hope passes for a smile and follow the guard toward an elevator in the corner. He says nothing as he waits for me to step inside before following me. He inserts a plastic keycard in a slot and the doors close. I’m dying to make some kind of joke to break the silence, but he doesn’t seem like the type to laugh at all.
Another well-dressed woman who appears to be in her thirties is waiting when I step off the elevator. Unlike the frosty one earlier, this one is wearing a smile that actually looks genuine. Craig stays inside, I assume to return to the lobby. “Miss Adams, welcome to Falco. Can I get you anything at all? We have coffee, a variety of teas, sodas, and of course, bottled water.” She seems so eager, I almost hate to say no, but this isn’t a social call. I can’t help but be impressed by how friendly everyone suddenly seems to be to a stranger. Well, except Craig.
“Oh, no, thank you. I…er just wanted to see Mr. Jacks for a moment. Would that be possible? I promise it won’t take long at all.”
“Well, of course, Ms. Adams. Mr. Jacks is just finishing a call, and then he’ll be right with you.” She is leading me toward a plush waiting area when a tall, blond-haired man, who looks somehow familiar steps out of the double doors behind what I assume is the receptionist desk. “Oh, Peter,” the woman says fondly, “I was just showing Miss Adams to a chair until Lee is free.”
The man stares at me with a stunned expression for several long moments before the woman between us clears her throat. “Yes, thank you, Liza,” he says to the receptionist before extending a hand to me. “I’m Peter Jacks, Lee’s brother.”
I take his hand hesitantly, keeping the contact as brief as I can. The way he is looking at me makes me uncomfortable, although not in a threatening manner. It’s more the strange feeling that we know each other, and he seems to feel the same way. “I’m Lia Adams; I just needed to discuss something with Lee. I could come back later if he’s busy.” I’m on the verge of making some excuse to leave when the double doors open once again and a man looking very similar to the one standing next to me appears in the doorway.
“Oh, Lee is free,” Liza ushers me forward and past the man staring at me just as his brother had been. Lee Jacks and his brother Peter enter behind me and shut the door.
Lee Jacks walks behind his desk and almost appears to slump into his chair. What is going on here? I’m terribly uncomfortable by this point, and ready to run for the door. I must have interrupted something. God, why hadn’t I called instead? Maybe something happened and I stepped right into the middle of it. Why in the world did the receptionist say it was okay for me to come up when clearly it isn’t? “Um…Mr. Jacks, I’m sorry to just drop in…I could come back later…”
Like his brother, Lee Jacks is blond, tall, and muscular. He is a striking man, but somehow intimidating. He rubs his temple, as if trying to soothe a headache, and says, “So, Quinn has finally told you. I was beginning to think I would have to take that decision from his hands.”