Milk Money Read Online Free Page A

He removed his reading glasses before he took the spatula and served thin slices of gooey, cheesy pizza onto the paper plates. Emily bowed her head, saying grace over her meal. She noticed that Frank respectfully waited until she finished before he bit his pizza.
    She tasted her food, savoring the spices and the tangy pepperoni. “This is so good.”
    “It’s doesn’t beat Chicago-style pizza. That’s where I’m from.”
    “You’re from Chicago?”
    He nodded, sipping his soda. “Yes, born and raised there. That’s where my family lives.” His cell phone rang. He excused himself as he took the call. “Hey, sport! Did you guys win the game?” A smile brightened his face as he listened to the other person on the line. “Yes, I remember. What happened after you pitched?” The conversation continued for a few minutes before Frank said he was with a client and had to go. He promised to call back the following day.
    He flipped his phone shut and placed it in his briefcase.
    “Was that your son?”
    Frank shook his head. “That was my nephew, Mark.” He frowned and stared at the pizza for a few seconds. “My sister has two kids, and she’s been having a rough time with them since her husband left her for another woman a year ago.”
    “That’s awful.”
    “It’s been pretty bad, so I made a point to spend a lot of time with the kids after their dad left.” He shrugged as he took another slice of pizza. “I feel that every kid needs to have a dad, and I want to be there for them since their father doesn’t appear to have time for them anymore.”
    They ate in silence for a few minutes before Emily asked another question. “How long have you lived in Maryland?”
    “I’ve only been here a few days.”
    “Really?”
    He nodded. “I relocated here from Chicago.”
    “Why?”
    “It was hard for me to leave my niece and nephew, but a lot has happened, and I just felt like I needed a change. Do you ever feel that way?”
    “Not really.”
    “Well, I did.” He finished his slice of pizza and removed another piece from the box. “The accounting firm in the Inner Harbor was expanding, and they opened the branch in Monkton to serve the farming community. Since they recently expanded into farm and ranch accounting, they needed somebody to temporarily head up that new division. One of the perks they offer to customers that many of the other farm and ranch accounting places don’t offer is door-to-door service. That’s why I came directly to your farm. Some accounting places require farmers to bring their files into their office.”
    “So you’re only here temporarily?”
    He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I didn’t want to commit to stay long-term until I decided if I liked it here or not. So they said we could play it by ear and see what happens. I work at the office in Monkton, but I also have to go to the main office in the Inner Harbor sometimes, too. I rented an apartment not far from the Inner Harbor.”
    “So, when they needed somebody, you volunteered?”
    He shook his head. “Not initially. They came to me and asked me to do it, and I had to think about it for a bit before deciding to come. I had to get licensed to practice in the state of Maryland before I was able to make the move out here.”
    She frowned, wondering if he was the right person to be showing them their bookkeeping. “What do you know about farm and ranch accounting since your company just recently started offering it to clients?”
    “We have a farm and ranch division in Illinois. I advised a lot of farmers located in rural areas on the outskirts of Chicago. I’ll admit you’re the first client I’ve served via the door-to-door service. That’s not something we offered in Illinois, but they’re going to start offering that soon in that state also.” He changed the subject. “You’ve always lived on your family’s dairy farm?”
    She nodded, helping herself to more pizza. “I have one sister and two stepsisters. My