by Ann Roth
“Since Tina and G. G. don’t have a car with them, Sidney will ferry his car over and pick them up.” Rose lowered her voice. “His feelings were hurt when Tina called you instead of him last night. That’s why she asked him to drive.”
Ryan almost wished she had called the older man. Then he wouldn’t be sitting here now, lusting after her and wanting more. Which was a damned lie. He’d lusted after her ever since he’d first met her at the potluck.
“Sidney’s a nice guy,” he said.
“So are you.”
Rose was waiting for him to speak, so he nodded. Enough already. “I know you didn’t stop in just to tell me about G. G.”
“You’re right. I have exciting news for you.” Looking delighted, she dug into her enormous purse and pulled out a check. “I saw in the paper that Halo Island Bank is offering a twenty-dollar bonus to open a checking-and-savings account. That, and the lovely fact that you now run this bank, have convinced me. I’m moving my accounts here.”
“You don’t want to do that.”
“What?”
Her jaw dropped, but she was no more surprised than Ryan. What the hell was the matter with him?
“From a financial perspective it’s not a good idea, that’s all,” he said. “What if you decide you don’t like banking here?”
“As long as you’re in charge, I’ll like it fine.” She looked confused. “I’ve never heard of a bank manager discouraging a willing customer from transferring her account to his bank.”
“You have now. If I were you, I’d keep two accounts, one here and one at your bank in Anacortes. If, after a few months, you’re happy here, then close out the other one.”
“But I already closed everything there.” Rose looked upset. “They gave me a cashier’s check. I can’t very well undo what’s done. I just wish I’d talked to you first. Or listened to Sidney. He said I was being impulsive.” She gave Ryan a frightened look. “Do you think so?”
“Not to worry,” he soothed. “This is a reputable bank and everything will be fine. Let me grab a signature card and we’ll get you started. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks.”
Moments later, Ryan returned with the card. While Rose filled in the necessary information, he opened the new-account program on his computer. He was tired, and when he yawned Rose looked up from the paperwork.
“Norma’s tired, too,” she said. “I heard about Maggie’s nightmares. I’m sorry they’re so bad.”
So Norma had told her. Well, his daughter’s sleep problems were not exactly a secret. Ryan rubbed the knots in the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, too.”
“That child needs a mommy.”
First Tina, and now Rose. “We’re doing okay, thanks.” Ryan clamped his jaw, in effect warning her to stay out of his business. “You about done with that signature card?”
“Just about.”
Rose returned the form, and Ryan thought about Tina. They were supposed to act as if nothing had happened between them. Pretend he’d never seen her naked, had never touched and tasted every inch of her body, and never watched her come apart? That wasn’t going to be easy. Especially when what he wanted most was to make love with her again.
All in all, it was a bad situation.
Behind his eyes, a headache threatened. He rubbed his forehead.
Rose handed him the completed signature card. “That was real sweet of you to go with Tina and G. G. to Anacortes.” She eyed him shrewdly, making him wonder whether she knew something.
“Any neighbor would.” Not wanting to revisit the subject again, Ryan stood up. “Sit tight,” he said. “I’ll be right back with a receipt and your savings and check books.”
As he headed across the lobby, he caught a whiff of coconut. His body went on red alert and he almost stumbled. But Tina was at the hospital in Anacortes. Apparently someone in the lobby used the same shampoo.
Wanting Tina was driving him nuts and making him miserable. As he neared Serena’s window, several customers, unhappy waiting in a long line, frowned at him. If he’d known how to be a teller, he’d have stepped in. But that was a skill he’d never been taught.
By now, a full-scale headache pounded his temples.
The day just kept going downhill.
“WE’RE ALMOST home,” Sidney said as he slowed to turn onto Huckleberry Hill Road.
The hospital had released G. G. later than planned, and instead of taking the noon ferry they’d had to catch the three-fifty. Now, at five, it was dark and rainy. Cheery light glowed from the windows of most houses in the neighborhood.
Tina studiously avoided glancing at the well-lit house near the end of the cul-de-sac. Knowing Ryan was inside it, she felt oddly nervous, her stomach fluttery and her heart thudding with anticipation—all without so much as a glimpse of the man.
And for what? The things they had shared were behind them now. Which was the wisest course. Tina hated to leave G. G., yet at the same time she was anxious to get back to Seattle. Maybe then she’d be able to breathe normally again. It would be far easier than acting as if she had no feelings for Ryan.
Her certainty that once she left the island she’d eventually move beyond loving him was what was keeping her strong. She only hoped her friendship with Maggie survived.
Suddenly, the rain turned into a furious storm, pounding the roof of the car so fiercely she couldn’t even hear herself think.
“Goodness me,” G. G. said. “Isn’t this something?”
“I hope it lets up before we get out of the car,” Tina said.
“Doesn’t look as if it will.” With the windshield wipers sweeping madly across the windshield, Sidney rolled slowly up G. G.’ s driveway.
“I don’t mind.” G. G. let out a happy sigh that was audible over the rain. “It’s good to be home again.”
The instant Sidney braked to a stop, Tina opened her door. “You and Sidney stay where you are, while I get an umbrella.”
Pelted by rain, she dashed up the walkway. By the time she unlocked the front door, she was soaking wet.
The house still smelled like Thanksgiving, and Tina’s stomach growled. She’d fix leftovers tonight. Seconds later, she opened an umbrella and hurried back to the car.
Despite what Tina had said, Sidney had the passenger door open and was already trying to help G. G. out. She wasn’t as strong as she’d been before the infection had set in and she couldn’t rotate her body in the seat, let alone help Sidney pull her up.
Tina handed him the umbrella and tried the same tactics she’d used previously to help G. G. out of bed. But that didn’t work, either. Neither of them was strong enough to move the woman. They needed help.
“Tina, go knock on Ryan’s door,” G. G. said. “And hurry up. I’ve got to use the bathroom. Sidney, get back in the car before you’re soaked to the bone.”
Tina held the umbrella over Sidney, who closed G. G.’ s door and got back into the front seat. Then, ready or not, it was time to face Ryan.
Moments later, sanding under the eaves of his big front porch, she set down the open umbrella. The porch light was off, and it was dark. With a cold, wet hand she knocked on the door, breathless from more than just rushing over. The rhythm of the rain tattooing against the roof matched the rapid beat of her heart.
Maggie’s face peered through the living room curtains. She squealed, although the sound was muffled through the door. “Daddy, it’s Tina! Can I let her in?”
The porch light flashed on, and shortly afterward the door swung open. Maggie stood on the threshold, Ryan behind her.
Before Tina uttered a word, the little girl hurled herself forward. Laughing, she hugged Tina’s legs and buried her face against her hips. “You came back! Ew, you’re cold and wet, but I don’t care!”
“I certainly am.” Tina laughed, too, and her heart melted. How she adored this child. Oh, she would miss her.
Over Maggie’s head, she glanced at Ryan. He looked as exhausted as she felt. The
corners of his generous mouth turned downward and his eyes were dark and brooding. Because she was hugging Maggie, accepting and encouraging her love?
Tina loosened the little girl’s grip, squatted down and peered soberly into her face. “I’m still leaving tomorrow, sweetie. I’ll be back for Christmas, but after that, you and I won’t see much of each other.”
Ryan’s nod of approval assured her that she’d said the right thing. As she stood again, his gaze held hers, and for a moment she couldn’t look away. Behind his concerns for Maggie, another emotion flared in his eyes and face. Sexual desire. For her.
Heaven help her, her body quivered. Her nerves tensed and stood on end, and she strained toward him without actually moving a muscle. Feigning disinterest, hiding her love and desire, was agony. Impossible.
She jerked her gaze away, the breath escaping from her lips, thin and wispy, in the cold air. G. G. was waiting.
“Sidney and I are having trouble getting G. G. out of the car,” she said. “We need your help.”
Ryan nodded, seeming relieved to know that her reason for showing up on his doorstep was not about them.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Maggie.
“I want to come, too.”
“In this rain? Better not. You watch out the window.”
Tina tipped up Maggie’s chin. “If your daddy doesn’t mind, I’ll come over tomorrow and say goodbye. Would that be okay?”
“Is it okay, Daddy?”
“Sure, Sunshine.”
Maggie brightened and Tina felt better. “G. G.’ s waiting for us. I’ll see you later,” she said.
“I’ll be right back, Maggie.”
Without grabbing a coat or waiting for a reply from his daughter, Ryan slipped out behind Tina and closed the door. Tina reached for the umbrella.
“I’ll take that.” His warm fingers brushed her icy ones.
They crowded together underneath it. Heat and love rippled in waves through Tina, and she fought to keep from leaning into Ryan’s solid strength.
She glanced up at him. In the dark his eyes were black and shadowed, but she felt their intensity and sensed his pain. “Are you okay?”
“Maggie’s nightmares are worse than ever,” he said in an anguished voice as they moved toward the street.
Tina felt bad for both man and child. “Because of me?”
“And G. G. This hospitalization—well, it scared her.”
“It scared us all,” Tina said. “But G. G.’ s okay now. Maggie understands that, right?”
“She says she does, but she’s said that before and she didn’t. Who knows what’s really in her five-year-old mind?”
Tina did. Guilt and self-blame, for things that were absolutely not her fault. Afraid of making Ryan feel even worse, she kept quiet.
“I scheduled an appointment with a therapist. We’re meeting her on Wednesday.”
“I’m glad, Ryan. I wish someone had done that for me. I hope it helps.”
“You and me both.”
“How are you holding up?” he asked as they reached the street.
I’m in love with you, and my heart is breaking. “Relieved that G. G.’ s out of the hospital and finally on her way to recovery,” she said.
They waited while a car rolled by, splashing water from a street puddle.
“How are you?” she asked. Do you wish I was staying on the island as much as I do?
“It’s been a crappy few days. Besides dealing with Maggie, I’ve been summoned to corporate headquarters on Monday. They’re not happy with our bottom line. My guess is, they’re going to fire me.”
“What? But you’re the best manager that bank has ever had. Everyone says so.”
“The board doesn’t care about that. They’re only interested in the numbers. Don’t say anything, all right?”
“You know I won’t. I’m sorry, Ryan.”
“Don’t be. I’ve been thinking about resigning, anyway.”
“You should, and then you should open your own bank. Like you said you wanted to.”
“We had this conversation before,” he said, setting his jaw. “Maggie’s my priority.”
“Right.” They crossed the street. “What time should I stop by tomorrow to say goodbye to her?”
“What time are you leaving?”
“Early afternoon, after the nurse arrives.”
“Come right before you go.”
“Okay.”
After that, there was nothing left to say. As they headed up the driveway only the gravel crunching under their feet filled the heavy silence.
WHEN TINA TRUDGED toward Ryan’s door the next afternoon, dark clouds obscured the sky. Her spirits were just as dark.
Before she could knock, he opened the door. “Maggie’s upstairs, making you a card,” he said.
“How is she?”
His desolate expression said it all. “How do you think?”
“I’m sorry, Ryan.” How she wished she could stay here with him and Maggie.
“We’ll be okay. And once we see that therapist Wednesday…”
“Will you let me know how that goes?”
He nodded. Then bracketed his mouth with his hand and turned toward the stairs. “Maggie, Tina’s here, and she needs to catch the ferry.”
Footsteps pattered overhead. Clutching a folded sheet of construction paper and dressed in her princess dress, Maggie flew down the stairs.
“You’re all dressed up,” Tina said.
“Uh-huh. ’Cause you’re leaving and I wanted to look pretty for you.” She held out the paper shyly. “I made this for you.”
The card was glittery and covered with crayon drawings. “This is beautiful.”
“I know. That’s you and me and Daddy,” Maggie pointed to the crudely drawn stick figures. “And Eggwhite in her cage. Now you won’t forget us.”
“Oh, honey.” Tears filled Tina’s eyes. “I could never forget you.”
She knelt down and opened her arms. Maggie fell into them.
They shared a warm hug. When Maggie let her go, she was round-eyed and sober. “Will you call me on the telephone?”
“If that’s okay with your daddy.”
Tina glanced up at Ryan. His hands were shoved into his jeans’ pockets and his eyes were bleak.
“Tina will be very busy with her job.”
“Not too busy for a phone call now and then,” she said.
“We’ll see. Say goodbye to Tina, Sunshine. I want to talk to her privately.”
“Thank you again for the card,” Tina said. “I’ll keep it on my desk, where I’ll see it every day.” She meant that, too. Once more, she hugged Maggie, then kissed her little cheek. “I’ll see you at Christmas.”
“Go on upstairs, Maggie. I’ll be up shortly.”
When Maggie had disappeared, Ryan turned to Tina. He spoke in a voice too low to carry beyond them.
“You shouldn’t have said you’d call when you know you’ll be too busy and too wrapped up in your work.”
“Not for Maggie, I won’t. I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to it, then.”
He cupped her cheek. Bent down and brushed his mouth over her lips, a soft, sweet kiss she felt clear to her toes. When he released her, his eyes were dark with feeling.
“Goodbye, Tina.”
“See you at Christmas,” she said.
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Rubbed the back of his neck, then opened the door.
Feeling as if her heart had splintered into jagged pieces, she walked away.
Chapter Fifteen
Monday morning, Ryan sat in front of Bernard Beale’s mahogany desk at corporate headquarters. Wearing a tailored suit and a friendly expression, Beale looked successful and friendly like a snake about to strike. Ryan was ready, his own expression neutral.
“You’re probably wondering why I invited you here,” Beale said.
“To fire me, I expect, but before you do you’ll hear me out. Yes, Halo Island Bank’s bot
tom line is lower than your projections, and though I’ve only worked for you five months I accept responsibility for the numbers. But part of the problem belongs to you and the board. My staff members are competent and hardworking, and I praise them constantly. But without money and recognition from you, it’s not enough. If you acknowledged their efforts and offered training and incentives, I’m confident we could turn the bank around. But you don’t, and they feel unappreciated. The end result is poor customer service. Unhappy customers take their business elsewhere, and business spirals downward.”
Beale opened his mouth, but Ryan held up his hand, stopping him. “I’m almost finished. I can no longer work for a company with your values. You can’t fire me, because as of today I’m giving my notice.” He pulled a letter of resignation from his briefcase. “Please share that with the board.”
“Hold on a minute, Ryan.”
“I can leave now, or in two weeks.” What he’d do with his time was anybody’s guess. But resigning felt like the right thing to do.
“You’ve got it all wrong.” Beale shook his head. “I had no intention of firing you. I invited you here to let you in on something that won’t become public knowledge until next week. So keep what I’m about to tell you under wraps.” He paused, and Ryan nodded. “The first of next year, we’re putting Halo Island Bank on the market. Given your background, I thought you might be interested in buying it. Then you can do whatever you want with it.”
Ryan had never expected this. “You’re selling?”
Beale nodded. “We’ve decided to cut our losses and consolidate. Are you interested in buying the bank?”
Hell, yes. But Maggie came first. With genuine regret, Ryan shook his head. “No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself. I hate to lose you, Ryan.” Beale blew out a breath. “However, if you insist on resigning, I’ll accept this letter—provided you stay on through December. This time of year, it’d be impossible to find a replacement.”
Ryan figured he could hold out for another month. That would give him time to break the news to Jason, Danielle and Serena, and to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.
He nodded. “Agreed. Please don’t announce my resignation until I talk with my staff. I’ll let you know when I’ve done that.”