Page 71 of Leo and His Love Bunny
No. It can’t be right. I scroll up, and check out the deposit. It’s from LLB Enterprises. That’s who paid me for the speaking engagement that I did at the end of July.
I scroll up and look at the speaking engagement that I provided cupcakes for the third week in July. LLB Enterprises.
The second week in July is the same thing. LLB Enterprises.
Why is the same person paying me for every speaking engagement?
It’s been a busy summer. I checked my account a few times, just to make sure that the money was coming in, and that I had enough to pay my bills. Thanks to the breast cupcakes, and even more to the speaking engagements that Leo got me into, I’m making more money than I ever have. I actually have money sitting in my account that doesn’t have to go out immediately to pay bills. It feels so good to be ahead for once. But, I don’t understand. I shouldn’t be seeing the same company paying each time. He’s spoken at a bunch of different places, never for the same people. There had been Rotary clubs, business meetings, several large conferences, and even some large churches. Each time it was different.
I scroll and keep looking, and every single payment that has hit my account has been from this LLB Enterprises.
“Why the long face?” Matt says as he comes out from the kitchen and looks at me sitting on a barstool. We’re closed for the night, and I’m getting ready to go to the last speaking engagement of the year. The van is packed, and Matt has on his uniform, which is what he wears when he sets everything up. Hegets it all ready, I travel with Leo, and he leaves while I man the table.
I haven’t heard a single full speech of Leo’s this entire year, and I honestly am bummed about that. Part of what I was looking forward to, other than hoping that this would help my business to take off, was to hear Leo speak. I’ve heard people talking about his message afterwards, as always the comments are good. In fact, I would say most people are blown away by how good he is.
“What’s up?” Matt says again, and I have just confirmed that every single deposit has been made by LLB Enterprises. “Is someone not paying you?”
“No. That’s the problem. Someone is. Just one someone. Every event we go to should be paid by someone different. I talk to someone different each time to set the details out. But... The money is coming from one place.”
“What place?” Matt says, coming a little closer with his brows drawn.
“LLB Enterprises. Every single one. I don’t get it.”
I hold up my phone and show him the LLB Enterprises. I’m not worried about Matt seeing my bank account. He’s got enough skin in this game that he certainly deserves it. I know he’s rooting for me anyway. I think it makes me feel like he’d like nothing better than to see me succeed.
And, business at the shop has been booming. I’ve had custom orders coming in like crazy and these speaking engagements have not only made me money, but have garnered me all kinds of orders from my website. I’ve actually been thinking about hiring an extra person, because Leo has been helping me pack cupcakes all summer, and with him starting training camp, it’s not going to be possible for him to continue.
I definitely have the money for it.
“That’s weird.” Matt’s quiet for a bit, and then he says, “Are you sure that you’re being paid by the different places you go?”
“Fairly certain. That’s what Leo said —” I break off. That’s what Leo said was going to happen, or that he planned to have happen, or... I try to figure out exactly what he did say.
“Do you think Leo?” It’s an open question, and Matt leaves it hanging.
“I don’t think he would do that without saying something to me. It feels like... I know it’s not lying, but it feels like he’s hiding something pretty important if he does that.”
I feel myself getting angry. Would he really deceive me like this?
“I can see the steam starting to build up in your head, and I would caution, calm yourself down before you get yourself all worked up.” Matt says. “Over nothing.”
“Nothing? He’s deceiving me. If this is truly Leo paying me for everything, I... I feel so betrayed. This isn’t the way it was supposed to work! This isn’t what he said was going to happen.”
Matt puts a hand up, and just the lazy way he does that, coupled with the easy expression on his face, makes me take a deep breath, and work my outrage down. It’s Leo. I know him, I respect him, and I really like him.
“Maybe he did it the same way you were thinking about helping Sophia. You’re going to give her more than what she deserves, because you wanted to help someone else. She didn’t take it, and she wasn’t very nice about it, and how did that make you feel?”
Oh. Goodness. Matt hit the nail on the head. The situations were exactly the same. I wanted to do something nice for someone. I wanted to... Pass on, encourage someone. Maybe even be friends with someone.
“Leo likes you. A lot. In fact, I would say more than he wants to like you. But, that’s between you and him,” Matt says, liftinghis hand again and then sitting it back down resting it on the counter. “If it is him, maybe once he got started he was afraid to say something because he thought you would be upset and... I would say that how you feel means a lot to him.”
“I don’t want him to be afraid to tell me the truth! I don’t want him to not tell me what’s really going on because he’s tiptoeing around scared to death I’m going to blowup on him!” I feel my temper rising again.
“And are you blowing up?” Matt asked and I hate the reasonable tone of his voice.
“No!” I say, and then we both laugh, because yeah. I am blowing up.
“So maybe his fears were justified,” Matt says, shrugging his shoulders and then he puts a hand on my shoulder. “I need to go. But, stop thinking about this emotionally, and try to be rational.”
