Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
“Merry Christmas!” Jolene smiled and waved at the tellers as they headed out the front door. Once they were gone, her happy expression drooped to reflect her mood.
She had known this was going to be a depressing Christmas with Charlotte still in Hawaii.
But she didn’t realize how depressing it would be.
Of course, most of her sadness didn’t have to do with her sister.
It had to do with a certain stubborn mechanic who she’d fallen more deeply for than she’d ever thought possible.
She had thought she’d loved Kyle. But when he’d broken their engagement, she hadn’t felt like this.
She felt empty. Like all the joy had been sucked out of her life, leaving a hollow, aching shell.
The pain was mixed with a heavy dose of self-loathing.
How could she have been so stupid as to fall in love with a man who never had any intention of loving her back?
She had gone into the relationship with her eyes wide open.
She’d known Cal was against marriage and still hurting from his ex-wife.
She’d known that all he’d wanted was sexual gratification and maybe a little salve for his wounded heart.
But knowing wasn’t the same as feeling. Your heart doesn’t have a rational brain.
It just knows what it feels. And her heart felt warm and full when she was with Cal and cold and empty when she wasn’t.
Before she closed the security gate, she couldn’t help peeking out the door and looking up and down the street for a black Stetson. There were numerous ones, but none with Cal beneath. She finished locking up.
“Everything secure?”
She startled and turned to find her father standing in the doorway of his office.
They’d been avoiding each other since he kicked her out of his house.
Hanna had helped her pack up her things and cried when she’d left.
Her father had hid away in his study and Jolene had caught only a glimpse of him standing at the window as she drove away.
At the bank, he always arrived before she did and left well after.
It was a sad, lonely existence.
One she no longer wanted to be part of.
Her heart was broken, but that didn’t mean she was going to hide away like her father.
She liked working at the bank—it was part of her family’s history, and she liked loaning people money to follow their dreams. But it was a job.
Just a job. There was so much more to life.
Cal had given her a taste of what she could have and she couldn’t go back to being a dutiful daughter who spent all her time working. She wanted to live.
And she wanted to love.
Maybe she needed to start showing that love right here and now.
She walked over and gave her father a hug.
He stiffened, but he didn’t pull away. She took that as a good sign.
“I love you, Dad.” She squeezed him tighter.
“I’ll always love you. I’m sorry we got into an argument.
But I’m not sorry for approving Cal’s loan .
. . or that you kicked me out. It’s time I got on with my life. ”
He drew back. “So I guess this means you’re quitting and going to leave town like your sister did.”
“No. I love Simple too much to leave.” She hesitated. “And I love you. I just think there needs to be some changes.”
He scowled. “Changes? What are you talking about?”
She hadn’t planned to have this conversation on Christmas Eve. But it was too late to back out now. Besides, it might be nice to start the New Year with everything out on the table.
“Well, to start with, I don’t see why we can’t put up some holiday decorations in the lobby of the bank.”
“Decorations aren’t professional.”
“Maybe not, but they’re fun and welcoming. And why do our employees have to talk in soft voices like this is a library or museum and dress in somber colors like we’re attending a funeral? Why can’t they joyfully greet our customers and wear colorful business attire?”
“Because that’s not the way we do things,” her father said.
“You mean it’s not the way my grandfather and great-grandfathers did things.
They all thought any frivolity took away from the professionalism of a banking institution.
But I think they’re wrong. Banks can be professional and still be friendly and welcoming.
And since my grandfathers are all gone, why can’t we change things to suit us and our customers? ”
Her father seemed too stunned to speak so she continued.
“I know that you felt like you had to prove yourself when you took over the bank. You worked hard to prove to Grandpa that he could trust you to run the family business the way it had been run for generations. But sometimes releasing antiquated ideas and trying some new ones is good for a business. It helps it to grow with the changing times.”
Her father’s eyebrows lowered. “Exactly what kind of antiquated ideas are we talking about? Giving loans to people with bad credit?”
She nodded. “Yes. If we know the circumstances. We’re not a big cooperate bank.
We’re a small community bank. While we can’t break all the rules and still stay in business, we can bend some of them.
The people of this town aren’t just our customers.
They’re our friends. For years, I didn’t try to make any friends because of our family belief that if we made friends, they’d only expect us to give them loans.
But isn’t that our job—to help people out with loans when they need it?
I know we can’t just hand out money and not expect it to be repaid.
But when our neighbors who we’ve known for years are struggling, we can hold out a helping hand and say ‘No worries. We got you.’”
“That’s sheer craziness,” her father snapped. “That’s how banks go under.”
She shook her head. “No, Daddy, that’s how banks build trust.” It was the first time she’d called him Daddy since she was little. She didn’t know if that’s what caused his eyes to soften. Or if it was the truth of her words. They stared at each other for a long moment before he sighed.
“You always have been a good debater, Jolene Elizabeth. And you might be right. It might be time to make a few changes.” When she smiled triumphantly, he held up a finger.
“A few. We’ll have a meeting after the first of the year with your sister and discuss it.
When she called, she said she want to play a more active role in bank decisions. ”
Jolene was stunned. “You talked with Charlotte?”
“She called me to let me know that she’s getting married.”
“I hope you were nice, Dad.”
He snorted. “Charlotte never gives me a chance to be nice. She’s too stubborn and controlling.”
“Just like someone else I know.” Jolene thought he would argue. Instead, he only nodded.
“You probably have a point.” He hesitated. “She asked me to keep a close eye on you, but she wouldn’t tell me why. Is everything okay? Are you sick?”
Just sick at heart. But she’d get over it.
“I’m fine.”
He studied her for a long moment before he moved on. “I’m assuming you’re coming to Christmas dinner tomorrow. Hanna made prime rib and I don’t have a clue how to heat it up.”
Jolene laughed. “Is that only reason you want me to come?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I want to spend Christmas with my daughter.” He hesitated. “And you need to move back home. Hanna misses you.”
It was her father’s way of saying that he missed her. She gave him another hug. “I miss you too.” She drew back. “But like I said, it was time. Besides, I like living in my little pink house.”
He rolled his eyes. “Pink.” When she giggled, he smiled.
Not a big smile, but enough to let her know that there was still something left of the daddy who used to play Big Hibernating Bear with her and Charlotte.
He glanced out the window. “We better finish closing up and get home. A storm is supposed to be moving in.”
Jolene always got hopeful when a storm was forecast on Christmas Eve.
As she stepped out of the back door, the cold wind that whipped her hair from its bun increased that hope.
But when she glanced up at the evening sky, she didn’t see one cloud.
Not one. There would be no white Christmas for her this year.
Or a Christmas pageant. No matter how much she wanted to see Cheyenne as Mary and little Gray Dove as Jesus, she couldn’t risk running into Cal. Her emotions were still too fragile and she didn’t want to break down in front of everyone at the church.
So after saying goodbye to her father, she headed home.
Maybe she would start a fire and decorate her tree.
She had picked out a beautiful Fraser fir at a lot just outside of Abilene.
But just the thought of trimming a tree made her think of Cal and how much fun she’d had trimming a tree with him.
The pain in her heart squeezed a little tighter .
. . until she turned the corner onto her street.
She gapped at that sight that greeted her.
The twilight sky still didn’t hold one cloud, and yet, her lawn was completely covered in snow.
Glistening white, powdery snow. There was a thick layer on her roof and every tree and bush wore a beautiful snowy coat.
She was so stunned by the sight that she ran over the curb as she pulled into her driveway.
She turned off the car and got out, still not believing what her eyes were seeing.
The proof was the slippery slush that lined the pathway to her door and the cold iciness that greeted her hand when she reached out to a snow-covered bush to steady herself. How had this happened?
She had her answer when she saw the snowman sitting in the center of the lawn. It had a long carrot nose and coal eyes and buttons. Instead of a top hat, it wore a black Stetson. The exact black Stetson Jolene had been looking for.