Chapter 1
Hey, Janice. What’s up?” I click Save on my computer and turn to face her. “I can’t wait for the weekend. Hopefully, this rain will break by then.”
We glance out the bank”s front window, where rain is still relentlessly pouring down like it has been all week. It feels like walking into a waterfall whenever I run between my car and work or home.
“I’m with you on that,” Janice says. “All I want to do is hibernate. I don’t remember the last time we had this much rain in a single week. Let’s go get a cup of coffee.”
Janice cuts me off when I start to decline because I’ve already had way too much coffee this morning.
“You need to come with me.” She smiles, her voice low.
Intrigued, I lock my computer and follow her.
Janice doesn’t say anything until we’re in our tiny break room off the bank”s main floor. “What did you think about Horace’s announcement today? He’s worked here so long I didn’t think he would ever retire.” Janice’s voice is an urgent whisper. “He”s retiring at the beginning of November.”
I try to keep my excitement in check. I’ve barely been able to think of anything else since this morning’s meeting. The Jefferson branch of Heartland Regional Bank is small enough that there isn’t a lot of turnover, unless someone retires, gets pregnant, or quits – and not many people quit. I like what I’m doing as a client services rep, but it”s all about opening accounts and drafting money orders. I’d love to become a loan officer like I was in Portland. I want to help people achieve their dreams.
“You should apply! I’d love to work with you.” Janice is already a Junior Loan Officer, which means she’ll probably move up to Loan Officer, since Janice has said that it’s likely everyone in Loans will get moved up a step.
Bonnie Kelvin struts by, her eyes narrowing as if she can overhear our conversation. I shudder inwardly as she passes. If there”s anyone who could potentially steal this opportunity from me, it”s her.
“I’d love to. But what about…” I cut my eyes to where Bonnie stands, talking to the branch manager. “She’s been here longer than I have, and you know she’s going to apply.”
“You’re better at your job than she is, Betty, and you know it,” Janice states.
I appreciate her enthusiasm, but I still have doubts. “Yeah, but this is a small bank, and she’s been here so much longer than I have.” I cringe at the faint whine in my voice, but I can’t help it.
After living in a bigger city for so long, I hadn’t considered that promotion opportunities don’t come around as often in a small town. I don’t regret moving to Jefferson, but I’m still getting used to the different dynamics of a small town.
“Betty, listen to me.” Janice’s whisper is firm. “Everyone here knows you work twice as hard as Bonnie, and the customers like you more. It’s not just you that she’s bitchy toward.”
“Then why do they keep her?”
Janice sighs and shrugs. “Habit? She does a good enough job, but we know the client services job isn’t complicated. She just makes everything take longer, so she doesn’t actually do as much. But hey. Mr. Jackson and Beth Hopkins would be fools if they didn’t give it to you. Besides, Bonnie’s on a mission to get married and pop out a bunch of babies. The moment she’s engaged, she’s gone for good.”
“That’s true.” I nod. “But would they skip her for a promotion because of that? There has to be a law against that kind of thing.”
“There probably is,” Janice agrees with a shrug. “It’s not like it would matter in the long run.”
“I suppose,” I say, uncertain. I want this promotion more than anything, but ever since the meeting, I’ve been telling myself to calm down, since I don’t have the seniority. What if Janice is right, though? What if I really have a chance?
Yet when I watch as Bonnie lays on the charm with Mr. Jackson, every part of me wants to win over her. I remember being bullied in school by girls like her, who thought everything and everyone should fall at their feet because they were thin and pretty. It’s not like I was massively overweight, but girls like her always went out of their way to make me feel like dirt. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am, but it’s hard to move past the emotional ghosts from the past.
“Mr. Jackson values loyalty and hard work. So does Beth Hopkins. It’s obvious that that’s you. Bonnie is competitive because she needs to feel better than everyone else. As soon as she’s married and pregnant, she’ll be in the school pick-up line and one-upping the other moms.”
I roll my eyes and nod. “We better get back,” I say, nodding toward two customers waiting in the lobby. “Thanks for the encouragement.”
We head back to our desks, and I wonder if Janice could be right. Could I get the job instead of Bonnie? I want a family, too, one day, but that seems so far off. I’ve never even had a proper boyfriend, much less had sex. Though having a career is important to me, I never planned to quit when I married.
That is if I get married. I have to find a boyfriend first.
* * *
“Hey, Clark,”I say, shivering on my landlord’s doorstep as I angle my body away from the worst of the rain and the wind. The rain still hasn’t let up, and we don’t have much of an overhang over our doors, and the wind is too strong to use an umbrella without turning it inside out.
“Betty, what can I do for you?”
Clark is wearing worn Levi’s that are practically hanging off his hips and a t-shirt smeared with grease. I almost forget why I’m here. I just want to breathe in his scent and run my hands over his muscled body. Every time I look at him, I become dizzy with desire. I tell myself I shouldn’t have a crush on my landlord – especially when he’s my next-door neighbor – but I can’t help it. The man is intoxicating.
“I need you to come to my bedroom,” I say, shivering as a blast of wind pushes rain through my sweater and chills me.
His eyes widen in shock. “You what?”
We’ve never talked much, but he’s always been cordial with me, if not particularly friendly. But now he’s looking at me like I’ve bought a one-way ticket to crazy town and want him to join me.
I’m sure my cheeks are crimson as I realize how what I said sounds and try to backpedal. “Oh, my God. I’m sorry! I was putting clothes away in my closet and noticed a big wet spot in the corner by the ceiling. I think maybe the roof is leaking?”
Clark’s demeanor changes instantly. “Right. Can I come over and have a look?”
“Of course.”
I lead him in my side of the duplex, suddenly aware of my laundry piled on my couch and how my place isn’t picture-perfect tidy. Don’t be silly, Betty. Your home looks lived-in.
I feel awkward as we walk into my bedroom. I’ve never invited a man into my bedroom for anything, and this certainly isn’t how I imagined the first time for that would go.
“Goddamn storm,” Clark mutters, stepping into my closet and looking at the water stain.
I watch as he comes back out and checks around the edge of my bedroom for other spots before taking a good look at the window.
“Okay. Bad news is, you’re probably right about a leak on the roof. You’re going to need to remove everything from the closet, and I’ll seal it off. I’ll talk to my friend Leo, who runs Swinton Construction, and see if he can get out here ASAP to fix this wall and patch up the roof until we can get that fixed.”
“Seal off my closet?”
“That’s just a precaution. At this point, it looks like fresh water damage from the storms. The containment is in case there’s any mold that’s started. Pardon my language, but that shit’s insidious and needs to be taken care of immediately if it’s taken root inside the wall.” He glances at everything in my closet and then turns back to me. “Do I have your permission to come in tomorrow with Leo to get started on this?”
“Of course. Do you think it’ll be a lot of work to get it fixed?”
Clark looks back at the closet and shakes his head. “Sure hope not. This is the wrong time of year to do work on the duplex. But don’t worry, Betty. I’ll get this taken care of immediately.”
“Thank you so much,” I say, fighting a blush as I remember that the object of my fantasies is standing in my bedroom. “Hey. Would you like to stay for dinner? As a thank you?”
Clark’s arm muscles flex under his t-shirt as he tugs up his jeans. He pauses for a moment and gives me a long look. He shakes his head quickly like he’s not even considering it. “Maybe another time, Betty. But I appreciate the offer. I’m just doing my job as your landlord.”
“Sure. Another time, maybe. The offer stands.” I smile, but can’t help feeling deflated. He’s respectful and polite, but I can tell from the tone of his voice that it’s a hard no, and he’s not interested in the slightest.
I walk Clark out and lean against my front door once I’ve closed it. Something about Clark makes everything in me light up like a Christmas tree. He’s older than any man I’ve ever had a crush on, but I like that he’s older. His masculinity is intoxicating. Between being hot as sin and having his life together, he’s the kind of man I’ve always dreamed of.