Falling For Gracie

He would bet money she didn’t wear perfume, but her sweet scent seemed to fill the car. Tension crackled between them. Who would have thought after all this time, he would find Gracie appealing?

He reminded himself of his mission, his rules and how much could be lost by a single night of pleasure. Then he leaned toward her and watched as her eyes widened and her pupils dilated.

“Have a good rest of the night,” he said as he carefully undid the lock and pushed the door open. A blast of cold air swept into the car.

She blinked. “What? Oh. Sure. Thanks again.” She gave him a quick smile and hurried up the walk toward the house.

He waited until she was inside before starting the car. But it was a long time before he drove away and that night, thoughts of her kept him hard and awake well past midnight.

* * *

THE SHARP SOUND made Gracie want to yell at somebody. She hadn’t gotten to bed until almost four and it was far too early for her to be getting up. She knew she hadn’t set the alarm, so what....

Sleep receded. She gazed around blurrily until she realized it wasn’t the clock radio making the noise but the phone. She grabbed the cell.

“Yeah. Hello?”

A deep sob filled her ear.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“It’s me. Alexis.” Another sob. “Oh, Gracie, I just went over to his office and I saw him. With her!”

“What? Who? What her?”

“P-Pam. Zeke is having an affair with Pam Whitefield.”

CHAPTER FIVE (#ua5e9af8c-5631-5cbc-a27c-08281319131b)

BECCA JOHNSON’S HAND shook as she signed the final loan documents. “I’m scared,” she admitted with a smile.

“This is the point of no return,” Riley told her. “You want the chance to change your mind?”

Becca looked at him in surprise. “Are you kidding? Thanks to you, I’m getting the chance to open a business in my home. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. Since the divorce, I’ve barely been hanging on, financially.” Her smile faded. “Was I supposed to tell you that?”

He did his best to look reassuring. “My loan committee did a thorough check on your credit and income. I doubt you have any financial secrets from us.”

“Okay. I mean I’m good for the money.” She signed the last paper and passed it over to him. “I really appreciate this.”

Becca Johnson was a thirty-something divorced mother of two interested in opening a day-care facility in her home. She’d come to the bank for a loan to cover some remodeling expenses and start-up costs. The committee had been on the fence, so the final decision had been Riley’s. He’d given the woman the loan.

“I figured with so little equity in the house and all....” She stopped talking and shook her head. “I should probably keep my mouth shut. I don’t want you to change your mind at this late date.”

“Too late for that.” He tapped the signed papers on his desk. “We have a binding contract. Good luck with your new business.”

“Thank you.”

She rose and walked to the door of his office. “You’ve been wonderful, Mr. Whitefield. All the other banks in town told me no. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

The praise made Riley uncomfortable. He shrugged off the compliment. “You’re the kind of person who pays her bills on time and that’s what we want.”

She nodded, then stepped out into the hallway. Riley turned his attention to his computer. The door closed, but he knew he wasn’t alone. Even the air stood at attention when Diane entered a room. He glanced at his assistant.

She wore yet another of her infamous tweed suits. A green one this time, with a fussy yellow blouse underneath. Her shoes were dark and sensible—the kind that frightened small children.

“Here are Becca Johnson’s loan documents,” he said, handing her the file. “Please see that they’re processed today and that the money is deposited in her account first thing in the morning.”

His assistant took the papers, but didn’t leave.

“You have something else on your mind?” he asked.

She stood there glaring at him. “I do. Your quarterly projections aren’t very detailed.”

“Is that a criticism?”

“It’s a statement of fact.” She glanced down at the file in her hand. “Funny how Ms. Johnson thinks she’s just been offered the chance to make her heart’s desire come true. If only she knew she’d made a deal with the devil.”

Riley leaned back in his chair. “And here I thought we’d agreed you would call me by my first name.”

Diane’s disapproving expression didn’t change. “How long does she have until her world comes crashing in on her? A month? Are you closing the bank the day after the election or will you wait until the results are certified?”

So, she’d figured it out. Riley wondered if the woman would find any satisfaction in knowing she was right.

“All the loans will be called,” she said. “Every single one. Do you know how many houses that is? How many businesses? You could destroy the town.”

Riley didn’t respond. Her gaze sharpened.

“Don’t you care?”

“Not one damn bit.”

“That’s what I thought.”

She turned on her heel and left.

Riley stared at the closed door. He refused to feel guilty about what he was going to do. If he won, the bank was history. If he didn’t, life would go on as before. Someone else would be brought in to run things.

Diane could destroy his chances, but she wouldn’t. She was from the old school—what happened within the sanctity of the workplace stayed there.

He closed the current program on his computer and accessed the databank. After typing in Diane’s name, he checked for any outstanding loans. There was one on a house. Per the balance, she only owed a few thousand dollars. Even if the bank closed, she would be fine. So what did she have to get so upset about?

Fifteen minutes later, he was halfway through the weekly loan reports when someone banged on his door. Riley looked up and frowned. Diane would never bang, even if she was furious with him, which she probably was.

“Come in,” he called.

The door opened and Gracie peeked around it, into the room. “Hey, it’s me.”

“I can see that.”