I studied her face. "So, what bankwasthis?" Whatever it was, I wanted to give them holy hell for making her travel in such a storm.Would I actually do it?I had the guts and the clout. The only thing I didn't have was Maisie's permission, which was the real sticking point.
She finished with the rag and set it on the counter. "Actually…it's not a bank-bank."
Outside, lightning flashed, and a crack of thunder hit close enough to rattle my teeth. The lights flickered as I asked, "What doesthatmean?"
Maisie frowned. "I think we're gonna lose power."
Nice dodge."But we haven't yet," I reminded her. "So you're saying it'snota bank?"
"Not officially. I just mean…it's more of an investment company." She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "But they're pretty small. You wouldn't know them."
Maybe not. But they would knowmeif I had any say in this. "Their name," I persisted. "What is it?"
She gave a listless shrug. "It doesn't matter. It was just a basic loan meeting."
Bullshit.Whatever had happened, it was anything but basic. But I could pry later all I wanted. Now, other things were more important. "Have you had dinner?"
"Nah, but I'm not hungry."
"Because of the boat ride?"
She gave a weak laugh. "No, because of everything else."
Softer now, I asked, "You wanna talk about it?"
"Nah. It's just business stuff – nothing I can't handle." Her voice warmed as she gave me a genuine smile. "But thanks, seriously."
The smile hit me hard and fast, like a ray of sunlight on a gloomy day. I glanced at the clock. "Hang on. Lemme grab your bike."
She looked toward the front. "Oh, crap. I forgot I left it there." She made a move toward the door. "I'll get it."
I held up a hand. "Nah, I've gotta lock up, anyway. I'll grab it. You dry off."
Her gaze drifted to the soaked towel. "But I'm mostly dry, already."
Yeah, right.I gave her a look. "You're dryer than you were – I'll give you that. But you're still wetter than the sidewalk."
She glanced toward the window. "If you thinkthat'sbad, you should've seen the boat. The water was literally sloshing over the deck."
I was glad Ihadn'tseen it – not with Maisie on board. Before she could object further, I strode to the door and yanked it open just enough to grab her bike and lift it into the shop. Water dripped onto the tile as I shut the door behind me and flipped the lock. Then, I hit the switch to darken the OPEN sign and walked back toward the counter.
Maisie was still standing behind it, aimlessly adjusting things that didn't need adjusting – pens, paperwork, the clipboard by the register. She looked like a storm survivor pretending to be fine.
The last thing I wanted was to add to her worry. But if I kept quiet and something happened – well, that was something I didn't want to think about.
I lowered my voice. "Listen…I had a couple of visitors while you were gone."
She didn't look up. "Customers?"
"Not exactly."
That got her attention. When our eyes met, her expression was curious. "What do you mean?"
"Remember those two guys I mentioned?"
"The 'suspicious' ones?" She said it with quotes like it was some kind of joke.
It was no joke tome. But I wasn't insulted. I was concerned. "Yeah. And get this. One of them was wearing a trench coat."
