Summer in Good Hope (A Good Hope Novel Book 2) by Cindy Kirk Read Free Book Online

fought to recall the subject needing to be discussed. Ah, yes, the Cherries. “I’m serious. You’re a perfect fit to be the Cherries treasurer.”
    Prim’s eyes turned soft. “You always did have confidence in me, Brody.”
    Hearing his last name on her lips, spoken in a teasing tone that was once so familiar, took him back to high school days. Back to a time when he and this widowed mother of two had been a team.
    “Often, more than I had in myself,” Prim murmured.
    Max realized with a jolt that while he’d been tripping down memory lane, she’d continued to speak.
    “The Cherries desperately needed someone with your accounting expertise.” Max resisted the overpowering urge to cover her hand with his. Which made no sense. Just like the kiss. That had made no sense, either.
    Temporary insanity.
    Hadn’t he learned his lesson when his last girlfriend had gone back to her ex? There were major risks when you got involved with a woman whose heart still belonged to another.
    “I never wanted to be a Cherrie,” she admitted in a soft voice, as if imparting a confidence. “But they do such good work for the community. While I don’t have money to donate like MarJean Thorpe, I do have the time.”
    “Giving of your time, lending expertise, can be just as valuable as a monetary donation,” Max assured her.
    “Is the rumor true?” Prim lifted a brow. “Did Mrs. Thorpe really leave the Cherries a hundred thousand dollars in her will?”
    “One hundred and three thousand, to be exact.”
    “Same as her age.” Prim leaned back against the seat cushions and shook her head. “She always did have a great sense of humor.”
    Max clicked open his briefcase. “While the unstipulated gift was very generous, it’s also at the root of the group’s current difficulties.”
    “I’m aware there are . . . issues.”
    “That’s why I strongly advised Eliza that Gladys’s successor have a strong accounting background.”
    He didn’t quite know what to think when Prim’s lips curved.
    “Successor?” Those beautiful hazel eyes took on a faraway expression. “It’ll take someone more special than me to fill Miss Hannigan’s shoes.”
    “Miss Hannigan?” Max frowned. “I thought we were talking about Gladys.”
    Prim’s hazel eyes sparkled. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my big acting break?”
    Baffled, he could only shake his head.
    “Back when I was in grade school, Gladys starred in Annie . I played one of the orphans.” Prim sighed. “I was terrified, but Gladys went out of her way to be nice to me. She taught me the value of sticking with a commitment. I love the woman.”
    “By the way she greeted you at the reception, the feeling is mutual.” Max shifted uncomfortably. “You know that Gladys made critical mistakes.”
    Prim’s smile vanished.
    So she knows some , Max thought, but not all .
    “What did she do?” Prim’s voice matched her serious expression.
    “Let me show you.” Max opened his briefcase, and she moved to sit beside him as he placed the last year’s and the current year’s profit and loss statements and balance sheets on the coffee table.
    After several minutes of studying the figures, she lifted her head.
    Satisfaction rippled through him at the understanding he saw in her eyes. “You see it.”
    Prim lifted her hands. “The current year total expenses are higher than their income. The balance sheet shows the savings account is dwindling. Money is being transferred from the savings to the checking account to pay the current-year bills.”
    “No one on the board caught it.” Max shook his head. “Not even Floyd Lawson.”
    “But Floyd is an accountant. He had his own CPA firm until he retired.” Her brows pulled together in puzzlement. “He should have spotted the problem the first month they had to pull money out of savings to pay the bills.”
    “Even when I pointed it out, he acted as if he didn’t think it was important.” Max kept his voice even,