Unwanted Heat

“Sir, she has less than a couple hundred dollars in her bank account, so I doubt she can afford something in a better area of the city at least without a roommate.”

“She works two jobs and can’t afford something better than that?

Are the rent prices that high in this city?”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Yes sir, they are. She pays over a thousand dollars a month in rent for her studio apartment, now adding in her utilities and transportation costs, she likely doesn’t have much left at the end of the month. She likely takes at least the subway and/or buses to work as there is no indication she owns a vehicle… that cost alone adds up.”

“Okay, what else? High credit card bills? Debts?”

“No credit cards, she has a small student loan balance but she has been paying it fairly regularly. It looks like she stopped on paying for a few months a couple of years ago and was granted a financial hardship reprieve; however since that expired, she has been making regular payments.”

“I didn’t think she went to college.”

“She only had one semester left before appearing to have dropped out.”

“I see. What else can you tell me?”

“She appears to have moved around a lot as a child, there are many different addresses and schools on record for her. Her mother is deceased, no father is listed on the birth certificate-”

“Is there anything alarming in her file that I need to be concerned about the press finding out?” I quickly interrupt Carter. Hearing all these details about Kenzie’s personal life makes me again feel like I’m invading her privacy. I guarantee Bridget’s background check isn’t this thorough, but I think this is one of those situations that the less I know the better. This is important information for Carter and Asher to have but none of it will impact the events that Kenzie attends with me.

“Nothing that I can find sir. I’m curious as to the reason she left Denver and how she ended up in New York as it appears she has no family anywhere in the state or even on this coast. However there is nothing here that suggests the reason she left is something for us to be concerned about.

She has no criminal record, not even a parking ticket, and appears to pay her bills on time every month.”

“Thank you Carter; that will be all.”

To: Bridget Wilder

From: Nicholas Parker

Subject: Meeting

Bridget,

I am confident that after tonight’s meeting both parties are in agreement with the contract moving forward. I would like to review the background report before signing the contract. If both parties are still in agreement, I would like to request our next meeting occur at the New Beginnings Gala this Saturday night. I will contact you later this week to confirm the arrangements.

Nicholas Parker, CEO Parker Financial Services, Inc.

I reworded the email several times to Bridget, trying to sound vague without disclosing the information about the contract or what services I’m discussing. Going forward I will have to find a better way to communicate with her regarding this arrangement. I think it will end up best if we have these discussions over the phone rather than leaving something in writing. I contemplate requesting Asher provide me with another email address that I would only use for communicating with Bridget, however I still worry about it being tied to PFS. Above all, I will protect PFS and would rather the press destroying my personal life than risk doing something that would ruin everything I have done to build PFS from the ground up.

A few minutes later my email dings indicating I have a new email. I’m tempted to ignore it and instead focus on the financial spreadsheet that was sent to me just before I left to meet Kenzie but instead, I open my email and see that I have an email from Bridget.

To: Nicholas Parker

From: Bridget Wilder

Subject: Re: meeting

Nicholas,

I am pleased to hear that your meeting tonight was successful. I will have the file couriered to your office first thing tomorrow morning. If the other party is in agreement, I will include a draft contract for your review. The effective date of the contract will be Saturday.

Bridget Wilder

CEO, Wilder Consulting

I hadn’t expected such a quick response from Bridget but I’m pleased to see that I’m not the only one who works late hours. Sleep doesn’t come easy, which is nothing new and the next morning finds me running past the bakery once again with Carter. I know I can easily walk in and say something to Kenzie especially after our dinner last night, but of course we jog past the window as we do every morning.

When I arrive at PFS, I find the courier has already delivered Kenzie’s background check and a draft contract as promised by Bridget. I pleased that both were in there, as it means that Kenzie has decided to move forward with our arrangement as well. Although I thought last night was a success, I couldn’t help but worry that if she would change her mind after she read the shit the tabloids wrote about me. As soon as I suggested she google me, I immediately regretted the words, but since she knew nothing about me personally or professionally, google seemed like the best way for her to access the information quickly.

Later that night, when I finally have a few minutes of down time I open the file containing the background check that Bridget sent me:

Full Name: Mackenzie Rose

Age: 25

Occupation: Personal shopper/Bakery assistant

Bank Account Balance: Checking account: $127. 93

Savings Account: $53. 54

Education: High school graduate, college credits

Residence: New York City

Political affiliations: none

Religious affiliations: Catholic, not a member of a church currently

Driver’s license: None; previous license from Colorado state expired

Assets: None

Marital Status: Single, never married

Mother: Avery Jones (Smith) deceased

Father: Unknown