Free Giving It All by Arianna Hart Page B

that.”
    As they pulled into the driveway, he wondered why that had never bothered him before.

Chapter Seven
    Ellie sat on her tiny balcony and sipped a much-deserved glass of wine. She had Enya playing on the iPod speaker in her bedroom and the window open so she could hear it. Maybe if she sat like this and let the soothing music wash over her, she wouldn’t feel the need to write a scathing email that would lose her one of her biggest clients. Why was it that people assumed just because she was their accountant, she could change the tax laws? She gave what advice she could, but if they didn’t listen to her, there was nothing she could do come tax time.
    The wind chime on the overhang of the porch clanged merrily, almost mocking her aggravation. Stupid thing, why did she have it anyway?
    “You look fit to kill someone.”
    Her glass of wine nearly went flying as Grant’s voice came from out of nowhere. “Good Lord! Are you trying to frighten me to death? Where did you come from?” she asked as he sat in the cheap plastic chair next to her.
    “I walked up the steps like a normal person. When I heard the music, I came around the side. I didn’t even know this was here until I helped you up the stairs last night.”
    Her face flamed in embarrassment as she remembered her actions. Great. “Your dad had it built after I moved in. He said the place was so tiny this would give me a little more room to breathe. I didn’t need it, but I have to admit, I enjoy sitting out here when it’s not too hot outside. I find it relaxing to watch the sun set behind the trees.”
    “It can’t be that relaxing. You looked fit to be tied when I came up. Does it have anything to do with that phone call you got when we got back from Canton?”
    Ellie grimaced. “Yes. With April fifteenth looming, I’m on call for my clients twenty-four-seven until Uncle Sam gets his last dime. Unfortunately, some people think I have a magic wand that I can wave to make their tax problems go away.”
    “I see, what’s the phrase? Lack of planning on your part doesn’t create an emergency on my part? Or something like that?”
    “Pretty much, but I can’t say that unless I want to lose clients. So instead, I sit out here and hope the view, the music and, last but not least, the wine will keep me from saying what I really want to say.”
    “Funny you should mention losing clients. That’s just what I wanted to talk to you about. How much of Anderson’s Automotive’s financial information do you still have?”
    “Everything up to when your dad had his stroke. After that, Greg stopped using the system. The last entry I have is January fifth. That was part of the reason I went into the shop to check on things. Greg has been working in the store for years. He knows how the system works. He should have been able to keep up with the paperwork if he just inputted the ordering and sales into the system like always. Instead, I found paper receipts from some company in Mexico and orders for parts scribbled on pieces of paper all over the desk. It looked to me like he’d ordered way more inventory than the sales projections your dad and I had figured out at year end.”
    “You said he lost two major accounts?”
    “Yes.”
    “How did you find that out?”
    “One of them is Professional Auto Care in Canton. I do their books, so I saw where they cancelled their order and went to another company in Strasburg.”
    “Did you ask them why they made the change?”
    “That really isn’t ethical.”
    “But did you ask?”
    “I may have mentioned I saw the entry change in their books. Dave, the manager, said something about reliability and assholes. I’ll let you fill in the blanks.”
    He grunted in response. “What about the other account?”
    “Anita told me about that one. She filled most of the online orders and mailed them out. There’s a lot of downtime at the store, so your dad put her in charge of the online catalogue to give her something