Midnight in the master bedroom of our Cherry Hills Village estate always felt insulated from the rest of Denver.
The room was vast, dominated by a king-size bed with cream-colored silk linens that had cost twelve hundred dollars at a boutique in Cherry Creek.
The master suite was a reflection of Kenneth’s taste, dominated by dark walnut furniture and clean, geometric lines.
He had selected the Belgian linen drapes himself, insisting that they matched the grey stone of the fireplace mantle.
Kenneth was packing his black leather briefcase on the edge of the mattress, his movements neat and efficient, the way he did everything.
The ceiling fan hummed on its lowest setting, pushing down the warm air from the vents to combat the late November chill.
I sat in the high-backed armchair by the window, holding a heavy black leather folder against my ribs.
It had been my father’s folder, given to me on the day I passed my CPA exam twelve years ago, the gold embossed logo of our firm catching the light.
Inside were six months of internal audits from Rollins Global Enterprises, the family firm where I had served as Chief Financial Officer until three months ago when my uncle Randall Rollins suggested I take a temporary leave of absence.
I slowly rotated the plain gold band on my right ring finger, counting the numbers again in my head.
The real estate division showed a forty-thousand-dollar deficit in the municipal development ledger for the third quarter, and Kenneth was the manager of that division.
Rollins Global had seventy-eight separate commercial holdings in Colorado alone, and the southern division represented nearly forty percent of our projected revenue for the coming fiscal year.
“The roads near Monument will be icy by morning,” I said, watching him fold a grey merino wool sweater with practiced care.
Kenneth did not look up from his packing.
“I have to meet the zoning board at nine,” he said, his voice carrying that smooth, rehearsed cadence he used for selling high-end retail space to skeptical investors.
He reached down and adjusted his left shirt cuff, smoothing the fabric over his silver watch.
