Page 6

GRACIE

“ A nd there we have it.” I slide an indigo envelope, holding the newly acquired bank card over the table to Henry Harlow and his grandson. The young boy, who can’t be older than four, snatches it eagerly and rips it open to get to the goods.

“Thanks, Pop-pop.” The youngling can barely contain his enthusiasm. I’m sure he doesn’t fully understand what’s going on here, and that the eleven thousand dollars his grandfather put inside his account is the start to a flourishing life ahead.

But someday, Billy Harlow will remember this moment. And hopefully then he’ll smile, remembering the good times with his granddad.

“Not me.” Henry shakes his head, but he’s all smiles nonetheless. “You’ve gotta thank Gracie. She’s the one who did it for you.”

“Thank you, miss.” Billy’s smile softens, and he tries to hold a respectable look.

“It’s my greatest pleasure,” I say, collecting the discarded paper from Billy’s haphazard ripping. “Will that be all for you?”

“Yes, thank you.” Henry helps Billy off his lap before standing up. He takes his grandson’s hand and starts walking off. “Have a wonderful rest of your day.”

Oh, I’m going to.

I’ve only got three hours left before I can be back in Talon’s arms again. God willing, they will be three eventful hours, with a constant stream of people needing my assistance to open accounts or rectify faults, so time can fly by.

And as the clock ticks on, it seems I’ll be getting my wish.

One after the next, new faces drop opposite me.

I guess it helps that Mercury Bank is one of the largest in Boulder, and most folks in town work through them.

The influx of people moving here because of the new job opportunities those factories brought has Mercury Bank very busy lately.

In time, once the dust settles, it’ll go back to drips and drabs.

But hopefully by then, I’ll be able to spend a day at work without Talon consuming my every thought. Until then, it’s back to the grind.

Before I know it, hours have elapsed, and there are only ten minutes left, with one more ticket listed on my desk. Rush this out, and I can forget my woes for another glorious night with my Talon. Here we g?—

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I mutter it under my breath, but by the way my last client’s deadpan gaze shifts into a grin, he definitely heard me.

“It’s lovely to see you too, Gracie.” Ezra Green cocks his head to the side and looks down at the black chair in front of my cubicle. Behind him, I see the first of my colleagues shuffling out the door to freedom.

My heart sinks at the sight, leaning back in my chair to see if anyone else is around. Someone who wouldn’t mind taking on a last-minute arrival and sparing me the torture of having to deal with the man I stood up not twenty-four hours ago.

Luck isn’t on my side. The only person left is making his way to the backrooms, leaving me to do this alone.

Big girl smile and treat him like everyone else. You can do this.

“How can I help you today, Mr. Green?” Amicable, respectable, and sincere. Fake as it may be, I doubt anyone would be able to see past the plastered-on facetiousness.

“Straight to business, huh?” He raises a brow and awkwardly pinches the backrest of his chair with his thumb and index finger to pull it out. His face twists in disgust as he does it, brushing his hand down his pant leg, as if everyone who touched it before was a germ-riddled, disease factory.

When he sits, Ezra does so stiffly on the very edge of the chair. Limiting his exposure to the surface as best he can.

“We’re in my place of business, during business hours, why wouldn’t I get straight to it?” I lean back as far as I can in my own chair, trying to put as much distance between Ezra and me as possible.

I don’t want to stir the pot or make things more uncomfortable than they already are, but I’ll do anything in my power to show him that there is no second chance. My heart belongs to another, and now that I know Talon feels the same, nothing will get in the way of it.

Ezra gets as comfortable as he’s going to, kicking one leg over his knee while his eyes burn a hole straight through mine.

He glares at me like he’s trying to look straight through me.

An attempt to make me feel small, maybe?

A way to show how I’m one of the peasants, while he’s a titan of industry, a conqueror, and I’ve missed the biggest opportunity I’ll have at being with someone like him.

The longer I think about it, the more delusional it sounds. It’s my mind playing tricks on me after I ditched him for the man I’d rather be with.

“Are you going to say something?” Someone has to get the ball rolling beyond the discomfort we both have on display. I hate that it has to be me, but I can’t sit back and let him think this power play is actually working. “Or are you just wasting my time until the clock ticks out?”

“Is that any way to talk to a new client? Perhaps I should have a word with your manager about this insolence.” Ezra’s lips prick upward into a twisted half smile. He’s looking for ways to push my buttons, and while I’m in my office, I can’t fight back and defend myself.

There are no personal boundaries here. “The customer is always right” is a statement my boss adheres to, even through the worst transgressions against his staff.

So, fighting against my body’s want to gag in disgust, I force a smile onto my face, beaming with false joy, and want to satisfy a client’s needs. “My apologies, Mr. Green. I got ahead of myself. How can I help you today?”

“Much better.” Ezra smirks and folds his hands over his knee.

“And I do hate to be a bother, but I’ve got a lot of questions about one of your investment packages.

I’m sure we’re going to be here a while, so don’t get any ideas of rushing out the door at…

” His neck cranes down to his watch to check the time, and it inspires another sickly grin.

“Well, now. Wouldn’t it be a shame if I took my business elsewhere? ”

Still continuing to fake my pleasant demeanor, I start clicking and typing away at my computer as though I’m actually taking him seriously.

He doesn’t question my actions, though his eyes do drop to my hands, watching them tap away at the keyboard.

Most of my typing is nothing, a visual flair to keep suspicion off his radar, but my true intent is to open my emails and send an SOS to Talon.

If Ezra thinks he’s going to stand in the way of me and my man by keeping me glued to this chair all night, he’s got another thing coming.

“Yes, sir. That would be a tragedy. Mercury Bank has your back.” I click on Talon’s details into the email line before turning my attention to Ezra.

This dance won’t play out the way he thinks it will.

Either his facade will crack and give Talon reason to storm the gates, or my man will come in here and swoop me away the same way he did last night.

Hell, this job is just that. A job. Somewhere to make ends meet, and there are plenty more available nowadays.

If I felt safe in the idea of walking out of here without Ezra following me back home, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

But I can’t risk what he’d do to me alone. An unhinged lunatic who thinks the world revolves around him? I’d rather take my chances with security at the front door and wait for Talon to get here.

“Which package are you looking at?” I ask when the deafening silence makes my ears ring.

“All of them. Why don’t you list the pros and cons from top to bottom, and we take it from there?” His lips move, but the rest of him remains statuesque.

“Very well then. Give me a moment.” Taking the brief time I have to “search” for our packages, I type my message to Talon.

Ezra’s at my office. No danger, yet. Boring me to tears. Save me?

After hitting send, I find the documents listing our packages and start the boring process of going through them. It’s out of my hands now. I can only hope Talon’s close to his phone or a computer to get me out of this mess.