“Exactly. Looks and money? What do you have to lose?”
The bathroom opened, and the two girls went in to freshen up. I waited in the hallway for them to finish. Adam and Zach, fighting over a woman. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being involved in that mess.
3.
“I hear you’re something of a wizard when it comes to numbers,” Tom said. “At least your mother says so.”
“Why do you ask?” I wondered.
“I have a position open that I thought you might be perfect for,” he said. “While I love our current accounting firm, I want to keep someone on permanent retainer. I thought you might just fit the bill.
“I’m not dumb; I’ve looked into your work history. I was surprised by your ability to keep your last place of work afloat almost single-handedly even though they were nearly bankrupt.”
I blushed; he really had done his homework.
“I am good with numbers,” I replied.
“The pay would be quite good. You can start on Monday. It’ll pay much better than your current place of employment, which is, if I recall, as a public tax accountant. You’d be a better asset and the pay would get you out of the north side.”
I hope that he didn’t notice me drooling at the corners of my mouth. I wiped myself with my napkin and took another sip of the delicious champagne that never seemed to end.
“I would like to take a look at the contract before I sign anything,” I said.
“Playing hard to get, I see,” he said with a smile.
“How else am I supposed to negotiate my contract?” I replied.
We both laughed. A glass shattered in the kitchen. Tom looked over, realizing it was his new wife.
“I must return to your mother; I think she might be enjoying the champagne a bit too much. Enjoy the party,” he said before taking his leave.
I didn’t spend much time alone on the couch, as one of the brothers plopped down immediately after Tom left. I was pretty sure it was Adam.
“So, let me guess: He offered you a job?” Adam asked.
I coughed, sputtering a bit of champagne into my napkin.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“I had a feeling he would offer you something. He likes to keep family business with the family.”
I was starting to doubt my abilities and think he only offered me the job because we were now related.
“Don’t be too disheartened about it. I’d say the fact that he wants you anywhere near the company books means you’re both good at numbers and trustworthy. Having someone you can trust in a business as big as this is a breath of fresh air.”
Adam sipped at his drink, and I mine. We sat in silence for more than a minute before he chimed in again.
“So, sis, what do you do for fun?” he asked.
“Are you really asking me that?” I replied.
He laughed.
“Well, considering I have to get to know you somehow, I figured knowing what you do for fun would let me know what kind of person you are. If you said a sport, then you are an athletic type that probably would enjoy going to a local team game. If you said something hobby related, I could ask if you were interested in trying out a cooking class together.”
“And what would you have said if I wondered why you were asking?” I wondered.
“I’d impress you with my ability to understand people,” he said proudly.
“Well then, if you are able to understand people, why don’t you try it on me?” I said with a smirk.
“All right. What would you like to know about yourself?” he asked.
I pondered for a moment.
“Okay. What do I do for fun?” I asked.
He smiled and leaned into the corner of the couch, looking me up and down and all over. I found it odd when he had me take off my shoe so he could examine my foot. I giggled when he tickled my heel slightly while replacing my shoe.
“You’re an athlete,” he said.
“Okay. And how did you figure it out?” I said with a curious smile.
“I can read you like a book. Volleyball and tennis when you were in high school; you like to swim now, preferring laps to sprints. I can tell that you still like to go play squash on the weekends with your friends and that you have participated in a couple of marathons.”
He was terribly right. I gawked at his ability to read and understand me so implicitly. There couldn’t have been any way he could figure that out from just sitting next to me.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“It’s easy. The muscles in your calves are slightly overdeveloped but still much skinnier than most. You like to run but don’t do it all the time, and you play sports that require a bit of muscle. Your knees show common injuries related to going to the ground in volleyball, and your slim figure just screams swimmer. Also, your mother told us all.”
I slapped him playfully on the shoulder and broke out laughing. He joined in. After a minute I regained my composure, taking a sip from my nearby drink.