Matt asked, “What do you mean?”
“Well, my dad does this more often than you’d think. Or maybe you would if you knew him like I do.”
“Jourdanne.” Leandro waved his hands to usher me along.
“Right. Whenever my dad pays out the utilities in the same month that he has a promotion, he often ends up filing them both together in his software. Of course, he’s older and not too familiar with digital record keeping, but there’s a good chance this is what happened to you.”
Leandro stood from the counter and set down the water bottle. “How would that work?”
“I’m guessing that the funds that were paid out to the correct recipients were from a very similarly named account to the one used to pay for the help. Someone on your team may have accidentally paid the help from the funds from the wrong account. Then the winnings were paid from the same account, and it probably looks like the help took home more than they should have.”
Matt shook his head. “But the account would go negative. There’d only be enough for the winnings.”
“Not if Leandro’s team held the winnings in the same account as the investments for the fundraiser.”
Matt’s brow furrowed. “Then where’s the money that the help should have earned?”
Leandro’s face brightened with a realization. “In the second account that was supposed to be for the catering and staff.”
“Right,” I said.
Leandro hurried to his shoulder bag to tug out a folder full of papers. He flipped through a few of them, then grabbed his phone and dialed a few numbers.
“Hello? Yes, Jessica. I need the finance reports for the New York Valentine’s Fundraiser from this year. Yes, everything you have. All accounts, all disbursements. And I need them in the next hour.”
Leandro hung up and faced me and Matt with a big smile on his face. “I guess we’re ordering in tonight.”
“Okay!”
I was so relieved that we might find a solution to Leandro’s problem. And more so since it made Leandro completely happy. Matt was looking hopeful too, rolling up his sleeves to get ready for whatever the night entailed.
“Jourdanne,” Leandro said as he came to me. “If we find the money and can prove your theory, then I want you to come with me tomorrow to an emergency meeting with Franklin and Fritz.”
“You do?” I was astonished that he’d ask me to help with the business.
“Absolutely. You might have just saved the new deal and made all these trips worthwhile.”
Matt came over and put his arm around me. “In more ways than one.”
I felt overjoyed at the way they both were accepting me and welcoming me into their lives. “I’d love to.”
“Perfect!” Leandro nodded as he went for the door. “I’ll run down and check the business room for the fax.”
“Leandro, you only just asked her for it,” I laughed. He was nothing if not determined.
Leandro let go of the handle. “Right, of course.”
“Let’s get dinner first,” Matt offered. “We can order in and then comb through everything before tomorrow.”
Leandro nodded with a smile. He came over to us as Matt started searching for dinner places on his phone. “How’s Italian sound?” Matt asked.
“That sounds perfect,” I said.
The three of us got dinner and went through over two hundred pages of information. It took until two in the morning, but Leandro found the money in a separate account that was named Fundraiserpay, whereas the winnings were from the account Fundraiserplay. It was an incredible moment that made everything even more perfect than before. The struggle Leandro was hiding from Matt and me was over, and we could all truly enjoy our trip together.
MATT
Jourdanne was hurrying around the hotel room trying to gather her things for the meeting. I helped her find her little makeup bag and her phone, which somehow ended up under the dresser last night while we went through the papers. It was an exciting morning for her, and the start of a new life as a businessperson. Her attempt to attend Yale in the fall would add pressure and demand to her life, but because she wanted to go into business for herself it was necessary. Just like the meeting, and how it was necessary to help us all continue living the life we love as Leandro helped people in need. Not to mention that the meeting was a great starting ground for Jourdanne to practice her communication skills with top businesspeople in the field.
“We’re going to be late!” Jourdanne rushed around from the bathroom to the bed as she put together her belongings. She had just applied mascara and lip gloss in the bathroom, and she was worried about getting packed in time to make the plane.
I went over to her and put my hands on her upper arms to get her attention. “Jourdanne, don’t worry about all this stuff. I’ll be here to pack everything and get us ready for the plane. Besides, it isn’t until tomorrow.”