The Unknown

Meredith forced herself to stand up and look Andrew in the eye. He had just turned back around with a look of shock in his face, and she was deathly afraid that he was going to fire her on the spot even as some insane part of her prayed that she'd still get to go to the gala with him. Not that the evening together meant anything. She knew better than to attach the dream of a future to anyone in life. That way lay only heartbreak.

And if she delivered the news about the fund and he did fire her, well—it still wouldn't make for the worst Christmas she'd ever had.

"What kind of trouble, exactly?" Andrew looked distinctly upset.Jeez, dummy, of course, he would be upset. Sure, she had only been here for two months and was taking over an absolute financial mess from the former CFO, but everyone knew how important the Christmas Bonus Fund was to Harbor. It was practically synonymous with Andrew's good name. She shouldn't have overlooked it.

Her nervousness had only grown since he'd appeared at her side in the hallway and so gallantly helped her. But it wouldn't do to continue worrying in silence. He had to know. She gulped down the lump in her throat and forced the words out. "The Christmas Bonus Fund is short this year by over two hundred thousand dollars and there is less than one week left before we release the money to Harbor's twelve hundred employees."

There. That felt a bit better, to recite a few numbers. Her world stabilized slightly.

Andrew leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling, his bag sliding off his shoulder and onto the floor. Not good. She braced herself for the words, "Get out and don't come back."

But they didn't come. Instead, after a moment, he leaned down to pick up his bag and straightened on a frustrated sigh. "A week isn't much time. Many of the charities that our employees donate to have already been promised the money. It does state in every employee's contract that we take no responsibility for pledges they might have made, but it doesn't change the fact that people are in need and this money will help them." His voice was strained and he was frowning. "Where is it? Did we invest it in tulips?"

That he was referring to what was a fool's investment in the seventeenth century wasn't exactly heartening. She winced at that, feeling like an idiot.

"I looked through the summary statements and, from what I can see, the money went missing four months ago—two months before I started working at Harbor. But from a cursory look through our portfolio, there's no trace of it in our other accounts." Andrew's face had softened a bit, but Meredith still felt like she deserved every censure. "I'm sorry. I feel terrible that I allowed something like this to happen. I should have realized—"

Andrew held up a hand, stopping her mid-sentence. "Please, you don't have to apologize. I realize that the money went missing before you came on board and you're just the unfortunate messenger." He took a deep breath, and he managed to give her a small, reassuring smile. "I have some cash available that would at least help to make up some of the difference. I can get the rest by liquidating some investments, but it will take a couple of days longer than we actually have, which will delay the dispensation."

"Delay the dispensation? But—"

He waved his hand in the air. "There's no other choice. I'll take care of it. I'll make some calls tomorrow and we'll make an announcement that the fund will be late by a couple of days."

Was he seriously offering to use his personal money to fill in the gap in the Christmas Bonus Fund? The two-hundred-thousand-dollar gap? Meredith's heart skipped a beat. Not only that, but he also hadn't gotten angry or told her to leave Harbor. And a frivolous, completely insane part of her almost cheered that he hadn't uninvited her to the gala.