Chapter 20
Even soggy from the rain and incredibly pissed off, June is gorgeous. Unexpectedly seeing her in the real world is something I hadn’t dared to hope for—I’d actually considered hiring an actress to play her role at my parents’ upcoming supper. An actress felt less awkward and dangerous than trying to see June again. Couldn’t lose my head around a woman I didn’t know. But June does something to me. It’s as though my brain short circuits around her, and if my brain does that when we are at supper with my parents, then he will never retire.
My luck will not hold out, if that’s the case.
But, then again, she did just show up here …
“Any idea why your account is frozen?” she asks in that sultry voice of hers.
Or maybe I just hear it as sultry and it’s a perfectly normal voice. “Could be any number of things. It’s a large sum of money—banks get angsty about that kind of thing.”
“Yeah, okay. That makes sense. I just … I wish you knew more.”
“As do I.” The truth is, it’s mortifying. I have never not paid a debt for any reason.
To have the bank get persnickety when I need my money the most?
The ultimate humiliation.
And June more than earned her wage. She deserves to be paid. Hell, she deserves that money for letting me peer into her deep brown eyes. If anger didn’t simmer behind them, I might try to kiss her right now.
“I will make some calls and get the situation handled. The transaction will be marked as a donation to the Chamberlain charity and given that, I imagine they think there’s an extra zero or some such. An assumed clerical error. Nothing more. I will handle it, and you will get your money, June. Regardless of what happens with the bank, you will get it. I promise you.”
She sighs and sits on my desk, and it’s all I can do not to run my hand up her dress. “You do not know how much this money means to me, Anderson. It is everything to me right now.”
“I’ve never been in your position, so I’m sure you’re right about that. When I tell you I’ll do something, though, I do it. You’ll have your money. And soon. As soon as I get all of this settled, you’ll have it.” I’m not sure what combination of words will make her smile again, but I’m willing to try them all.
No smile yet, but her brows lift, as though she’s a little relieved. “Thanks. And I’m sorry about barging in here when you were with clients?—
I wave her off. “No need for that. Your matter was far more urgent than a murder trial, and?—”
She laughs in shock. “What?”
But I grin up at her. “Kidding. Just a run-of-the-mill property dispute.”
“You dick,” she says with a giggle.
“Just wanted to shake you up a bit. Give you a start, so you could unwind.”
She smiles and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, okay, funny guy. Not my fault that I’m stressed out about all this.”
“No, apparently it’s mine. But like I said, I’ll handle it, and you will have your money as soon as possible.”
My words appear to wash through her this time. The rigid line between her brows has lessened and the harsh set of her mouth falls. I’m glad to see it. She should have a simple life of luxuries, not one defined by stress. But June’s entire life has been one of stress.
And I did not help matters. But I can now.
Well … can I? Why the hell is my account frozen? It makes no sense. I drop bundles of cash onto anything and for any reason. Sure, this is a higher sum than most, but it shouldn’t be anything that would trigger a freeze. It’s preposterous. I’ve made bigger donations to various organizations in the past. For this to trigger a freeze? It’s downright degrading.
Maybe because Chamberlain has gone to a new bank? Something overseas for these transactions? What I’d told June wasn’t that far off—banks get tetchy for all kinds of reasons. If Chamberlain’s bank is flagged for something international or another reason, it may be the sole reason for all this hoopla. No need for me to get worried about it.
And yet.
Something about all of this rubs me the wrong way. If I had never made larger donations in the past, I wouldn’t be that worried about it. I’d think that was the cause of this. But given that I have, it’s hard not to get lost in my own questions on the matter.
Whatever the case, I must call the bank.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. You can give me your number,” and as I say the words, her brows leap up her forehead, “and once I get things settled on my end of this, I will phone you to let you know what is going on and when you can expect your payment. Agreed?”
She takes a breath and cautiously nods. “Yeah, okay. I guess so.”
“You guess so? Is it really such a terrible idea for me to have your number?”
“Is it really such a strange idea for me to hesitate to give you my number?”
That stings. I take a breath and let it out slowly. “Forgive me, but I would have thought our last interaction bought me a sliver of grace.”
Somehow, she manages to purse her lips and almost smile at the same time. She pauses to think about things. “Look, I want to believe this is all some banking error. That you’re not the same jerk who tormented me throughout school, and that you’re not playing some wildly elaborate hoax on me. That you’re not going to rip me off somehow …”
“But?”
“But I learned a long time ago that a tiger can’t change its stripes, and you’ve bitten me more times than I want to remember, Anderson. Yeah, we had a shockingly good night together, but one night compared to years of bullying isn’t enough to balance the scales or tip them your way. So, forgive me for being suspicious of you. I have every right to be.”
I hate that she’s not wrong. A single night is not enough, though. As much as I’d have loved for that night to tip her scales in my favor, that would have meant she was a fool. And I don’t harbor crushes on fools. “You’re right. I shouldn’t be insulted by your suspicion. If you weren’t suspicious of me after all this time, then you’d be mentally deficient. But either way, I still need your number to contact you about the payment. And if I were a real bastard about things, I could have gotten your number years ago, if that was my angle.”
“That makes sense. You have more money than you know what to do with. I’m sure getting my number wouldn’t be too hard if you wanted to do something nefarious with it.”
“Precisely.”
“Thank you for understanding about me being suspicious of you.” She gives me her number, and I give her mine. “And I hope you’ll also be understanding about this.” A moment later, my phone lights up with her number on the caller ID.
“About what, exactly?”
“Had to try it. To make sure you gave me your real number.”
I laugh. “The depth of my imagined dastardliness is unfathomable in your mind, eh?”
“There are things I can forgive, but I never, ever forget.”
So she can forgive some of the things I’ve done, but she’ll never forget them? I’m unforgettable? I think I can live with that. Romance has started with less.
Wait? Romance?
I shake off the errant thought. Clearly, I’m under-caffeinated and my brain is rambling nonsense. It’s afternoon, so I’m sure she needs to get back to work. I know I do. “I must make those calls, and I doubt you were doing nothing before you came here, so …”
“Right.” She pauses and frowns. “Thought about sticking around to watch you make your calls.”
“But you know how banks are. This could take hours, June.”
“And that’s why I’m not going to stick around.” She stands up straight and pauses again. “I just wish … never mind. I look forward to hearing from you, Anderson.” She heads for the door.
But she wants to stay. And I want her to stay.
“You don’t have to go?—”
“Yeah, I do. Like you said, I wasn’t doing nothing. Have to get back to work.”
“Alright, then.” Damn. “Talk later.”
She gives a nod and leaves.
That was clumsy of me. I should have insisted she stay for the calls. Or a coffee. Or some other excuse to spend time with her. It probably wouldn’t have taken much of a reason for her to stay. Instead, my mind went to work and logistics.
I am my father’s son. What a depressing thought.
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