Flash Flood (12 page)

“Did you order this?” he asked Alina once he made it to her office.

“Not exactly, but if this delightful weather dampens your spirit about the transition, you can always come over to the other side. We take recruits here.” Alina lifted her head from the computer. She smiled, and her nut-brown eyes sparkled—a rather nice addition to the gloomy morning.

“Very funny. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you orchestrated this downpour.”

She laughed. “It’s amazing what a minor in computer science can do. I learned to manipulate everything with the click of a mouse.”

“As in a hacker? But you majored in accounting.”

“Oh, that’s right. Guess I forgot.”

Whatever had grabbed hold of Alina, he hoped it would stay firmly attached. “You’re in a good mood.”

“Must have been all the sleep I had last night,” she said. He raised a brow, and she laughed again. “From our early morning conversation, I guess neither of us slept well.”

“Nope. Kept wondering if I should have leased an ark instead of an SUV.”

He saw her hesitation and wondered what else would fly out of her mouth.

“Ryan, I’m sorry. I really will try harder to make our working relationship a little smoother.”

“And I’ll try harder to be more sensitive. I read your reply to my e-mail.” He groped for words. “By the way, your sweater looks great.” Purple had always done special things to her eyes.

“Thanks.” She smiled again. “Hey, do you still like chocolate cream-filled donuts?”

“Do I ever.”

She handed him a small white bag. “Here are two and six donut holes as a bonus.”

“You remembered my obsession with donut holes. I’m at your mercy for the rest of the day.” Thrilled as a little boy with a kite on a windy day, he peeked inside and inhaled the tantalizing aroma. “You fought the rain for this?”

“Yeah.” Alina shrugged. “I figured I needed to make a little sacrifice to go along with the apology. It probably won’t happen again, so cherish those delicacies.”

“How about I head for the break room and get us a couple of coffees? Did you get something for yourself?”

She pointed to another bag. “Sure did.”

“Maple cream filling?”

She nodded. “Thanks for the coffee refill. I’m in dire need of more coffee this morning.”

“I’m on my way.”

“I’ll see if I can hack back into the weather and end this downpour.” She paused and tilted her head. “Oh, when you get back, I have something to tell you about James. Not good at all.”

He made his way to the door. The man probably was proficient in car bombs, or he’d filed some lawsuit against Ryan. He immediately scolded his thoughts. Totally uncalled for. God loved all His children equally, no favorites.

Alina was in a good mood this morning. For a few moments, he had his Alina back, the girl he met and fell in love with in college. The woman he still loved.

Ryan wanted to jump into a lengthy dialogue with her about all those things he remembered about their college days, but he stopped himself before rehearsing any more questions. The tone of her e-mail left no doubt of her intentions. Strictly business. He’d expected her to not even acknowledge him this morning. Then she brought his favorite donuts. He’d never understand women—never.

But this morning was a step in the right direction, and he refused to ruin it. Alina’s emotions were as fragile as one of the Styrofoam cups stacked on the counter beside the coffee machine. Fill it with hot coffee, and it might burn his hands.

In the middle of his reverie, Fred rounded the corner and nearly collided with him. “Oops, almost nailed you there.”

Ryan grinned. Even wearing coffee stains on his favorite black knit sweater wouldn’t spoil his day.
Hmm, Alina used to compliment me when I wore black
. “Is our meeting on at nine thirty?”

Fred rubbed his jaw. “This weather has brought in a flood of service calls. We might get interrupted.”

“No problem. I’d like to observe how you handle service call overload.” Ryan moved away from the doorway before someone else surprised him. “When is the storm supposed to end?”

“Weatherman said we’re in for rain and more rain.” Fred reached for the coffee carafe.

“Does it flood here?”

“Not for years. The Ohio River knows we frown on it overflowing its banks. Except the parking lot, and I think it’s lower than the two blocks to downtown.”

“If this keeps up, might have to post the river a reminder.”

Fred nodded. “We’ll see if the temperatures plummet. Then we can all ice-skate around town.” Concern swept across his face. “Oh, by the way, James got some bad news last night.”

“Alina said she needed to tell me about James. What’s the problem?” Guilt took a huge bite out of Ryan’s conscience.

“He and his wife learned their little girl has a brain tumor. He’s pretty shook up.”

He recalled the kids’ pictures in James’s van, and the sound of his voice when he spoke about them. “I’m sorry. Is he here today?”

“Yeah. Come Tuesday, they’re taking the little girl to Columbus Children’s Hospital.”

Bible study day
. “I’ll remember them in my prayers.”

“I appreciate it; so does he, even if he can’t vocalize it. A miracle is in order.”

“Thanks for telling me.”

Ryan walked to Alina’s office with a cup of coffee in each hand. She appeared engrossed in her work, but a faint smile came easily. “Just heard about James’s daughter,” he said. “Is that what you were planning to tell me?”

She nodded. “Sad, isn’t it? Jenna’s a precious little girl, and her mother is a very sweet lady. I pray for the doctor’s wisdom and peace for James and Becky.”

“Fred suggested a miracle.” He paused. “You have good insurance here. At least he doesn’t have to worry about covering medical costs.”

She glanced up at him. Doubt crested her eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking. Will James have his job at the end of three months?” He hesitated and lowered his voice. “I’m hoping he and I can come to a working understanding, because he’s highly qualified and definitely an asset for Neon.” An angry shadow flickered in her eyes. He should have chosen his words more carefully.

“What about Neon’s medical insurance?” she asked after a moment passed.

“Our plan is excellent and covers preexisting conditions. His little girl would not suffer for good medical care.”

She took a sip of coffee. “I may have to reevaluate my opinion of Neon, even if they don’t want my expertise.” She wrinkled her nose at him and turned back to her computer.

“Alina, the decision to eliminate your position had nothing to do with your qualifications.”

She flashed a smile. “I’ve come to terms with my termination of employment. Don’t give it another thought. I plan to land a job with a 20 percent increase in pay; then I can thank Neon.”

But still he wondered.

A crack of thunder caused her to jump. “I absolutely hate electrical storms. That business has to go, along with the deluge beating against the window.”

He moved her coffee cup back from the keyboard. She’d nearly knocked it over. The maple-filled donut rested atop a napkin with lipstick smudges on a ragged end. He got a whiff of the maple filling. “Fred assured me this area doesn’t flood. I’m taking his word for it, although I soaked my shoes crossing your parking lot.”

“It’s always been a water trap. To set the record straight, I’ve been in Radisen over five years, and I’ve never worried about high water. The buzz around here is if you can get out of the parking lot, you can get anywhere.” She couldn’t even see out the window through the sheets of water crashing against it. “I imagine it will slow down soon.”

Ryan sat at the small desk he’d claimed, with his laptop, coffee, and file folders from yesterday. Time to get a few things done before meeting with Fred. A streak of lightning bolted across the sky, followed by another crack of thunder that shook the windows.
Must have hit something
. He glanced around, certain they’d lose power any minute.
Good thing I have a spare battery and the home office receives backups of all I do
.

The phone rang, and since Deidre had stepped away from her desk, he snatched it up.

“Is Alina available?” a deep male voice said.

“Yes, she is. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Frank—her boyfriend.” The man chuckled. “You must be new.”

Boyfriend? New? The green monster coursed through Ryan’s veins faster than the rain filling the ditches. He glanced her way.

“Is it for me?” Alina asked. When he nodded, she picked up the phone on her desk.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Frank said. “Are we still on for dinner Saturday night?”

Ryan replaced the phone and listened carefully to Alina’s side of the conversation.

“I’ve missed you, too, and thanks for the roses … How sweet … Yes, I’ll be ready … Oh, I don’t care where we go … Love you bunches. Bye.”

Every nerve in Ryan’s body stiffened. Who was this Frank character? And what right did he have sending Alina roses and taking her to dinner? She’d said she didn’t have a boyfriend.
“Love you bunches.”
Ryan clenched his mouse.

Alina hummed a popular tune from a recent movie, one of those chick flicks in which the couple lived happily ever after. He’d seen it by himself out of boredom. Ryan fumed. At least he’d gotten donuts this morning. All Frank got was a promise for dinner. Maybe Ryan could convince Alina to go to dinner with him tonight. She’d refused him before, but he’d once known how to move her to his way of thinking. Gummy bears used to do the trick. Once he’d turned cartwheels across the front lawn of her dorm while a few buddies serenaded her on guitars.

Suddenly the absurdity of his contemplations hit him square in the face. He was jealous of a man he’d never met and scheming about how to win Alina’s affections. His maturity level had dropped to the sixteen-year-old level.
I need a hobby—anything to shove Alina from my mind
.

“If you aren’t going to eat your other donut, I will,” she said. “I’m starved this morning, and yours has lots of gooey chocolate.”

Ryan picked it up and took a generous bite. “Absolutely not. These are the best donuts I’ve had in years.” He broke the rest of it in half. “Okay, I’ll make the ultimate sacrifice and split this one and the donut holes.”

“You’re such a good man.”

“Glad you’re convinced. If you’re going to join my fan club, spread the word. I could use a morale booster.”

Friday, 10:00 a.m
.

Alina had spent many a time wrestling with the reasons she committed to one type of behavior and then proceeded with another. This morning was one of those times. She’d been determined to steer away from Ryan’s charms; then she took one look at him, and her senses turned to mush.

Now, as she worked through the reports he needed, he paced the office like a caged cat and seemed to have difficulty concentrating on work. The rain, perhaps? Whatever the reason, he was driving her crazy with his inability to tend to the task. She remembered college days when he fretted over a test. He’d pace and study, usually with a book in his hand. Made her crazy then, too.

“Is the rain bothering you?”

He rattled papers on the workstation between them and walked to the window. “Uh, not really, except it puts me in the mood to take a nap.”

“Can I help you find something?”

“No thanks. It’s here in one of these stacks.”

Neon should have instructed him on how to overcome his inability to organize.

“What are you missing?”

“The stats from yesterday. I need it for a meeting with Fred—a meeting that has already been postponed once due to the weather. I don’t want to reschedule again because I can’t find this information.”

She whirled her chair around and picked up the paper from the corner of the table. Ryan must be tired and trying to compensate by overdosing on sugar and caffeine. Understandable. “Are we getting things done fast enough for Neon?”

“We’re right on target. We have three phases to complete, and the accounting portion is the first. The other two phases will be less intense.”

She noted his black sweater. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looked exceptional, but she had no business admiring his clothes or him. “This rain makes me sleepy, too. Hope it lets up by tomorrow.”

“Got plans?”

“I spend every Saturday with Anna, and anything else I have going on is easier without all the rain.”

“At the rate it’s coming down, we might be able to go fly-fishing from the parking lot.”

She laughed. “I don’t have any bait.” She paused. “Are you sure you’re not upset?”

“I’m fine.” He avoided her gaze as he spoke. “Were you able to download the updates to your virus protection software?”

“Done. And now I’m ready to install Neon’s latest software.” She wished he wouldn’t flash his million-dollar smile. It always knocked her off balance.

“There’s access to the program online,” he said. “Here, I’ll bring it up for you.” As he leaned over her chair, his intoxicating cologne filled her senses, her nerve cells, her over-stimulated brain—right down to her toes. “Don’t be nervous,” he said. “This is easy to install. Once I’m into Neon’s network, I’ll show you how to access things for the future.”