Flash Flood (8 page)

He whirled around. “What are you talking about?”

“Right, Ryan. I didn’t need access to any code to understand your little condescending remarks about me not working fast enough.”

While doing his best to appear emotionless, Ryan tore through his memory bank for the appropriate words to ease her irritation. Where had she come up with such craziness?

“And don’t give me a textbook response,” she continued. “I simply can’t do this … this working together.”

“You broke up with me, remember? I should be the one feeling uncomfortable, not you.”

She gestured around the room. “You’re telling me that you have no …” She paused. “No uneasiness or doubts about working with me for three months minus one week? That this is purely business and nothing else?”

“I’d be a liar if I said otherwise. I thought we’d talked through this issue the other day.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s harder than I thought. I can’t think clearly. I can’t work. Why didn’t you change your brand of cologne?”

He looked startled. “Why didn’t
you
change
your
brand of cologne?”

They faced each other. He wanted to go to her, wrap his arms around her, and ask her if there was a way to make things right between them. They could pick up the pieces of their shattered relationship, couldn’t they?

“Can’t someone else do your job, or someone else complete my part?” The defeat in Alina’s voice echoed with desperation.

“And what reason do we give? I’ve worked with people who hated my guts. We’re professionals, not kids fussing over who gets what toy.”

“Toys? I appreciate your choice of words. Toys? As in who has a job at the end of three months and who doesn’t?”

He wanted to wring her pretty little neck. “Alina, listen to reason.”

“I want ground rules.” Her voice quivered. What had brought on her emotional onslaught? Had he missed something?
Women—so difficult to read
.

“For what? Is it the lunch and dinner thing? All right. I apologize for asking you to join me.” He stood and closed the office door, then turned so no one from the outer office could see or hear the tirade. “What else? I purposely didn’t attend your church on Sunday so I wouldn’t offend you. I want this settled now, because I have a job to do.”

“I’m glad you are so gainfully employed.” A crack of thunder rattled the office windows.

“What can I do, Alina, but make recommendations?”

She turned her back on him. “I wouldn’t want you to venture outside of your professional ethics.”

“Sarcasm won’t help the issues between us.”

She stiffened. “You don’t understand, do you?”

“How can I? You ended the relationship. You refused to talk to me then, and you’re acting the same way now. Would you please turn around?”

“Maybe later.”

The urge to grab and shake her sped across his mind. Lightning streaked across the sky. Within seconds, thunder split the air again. “Great weather. Goes with our amicable discussion,” he said. “You asked for ground rules. What did you have in mind?”

She stood frozen, as though moving might cause her to change her mind. “Do you despise me?”

That’s a ground rule for working together?
“No. Do you want me to?”

“I’m asking the questions.”

He blew out a heavy sigh. “No, I don’t despise you. Anything else?”

“It would be beneficial if I knew you had a girlfriend.”

“Not at the present. If it makes you feel any better, I’d much prefer you had a boyfriend. Are you seeing anyone?”

“I’m still asking the questions, but for the record I don’t have one of those. If you see the transition will be shorter than three months, would you call that to my attention?”

“Certainly. It’s not my desire to have you go one day without an income, other than your severance pay.”

“The letter of recommendation—will it be affected by our past?”

“Negative again.” He could tell she was working her way up to something.

Before another word was spoken, Deidre opened the door. “In case you haven’t figured it out, a nasty storm is headed our way. Tornado warnings, too. Want me to order out for lunch?”

“Sure,” Ryan said. In one breath he welcomed the interruption, but nothing had been settled between them, simply more of the same. One day he’d corner Alina and get his answers. He’d waited six years; he could endure a little while longer. But what was she about to say?

Friday, 11:30 a.m
.

Alina needed to talk to someone, and that someone was Deidre.

Ryan and Fred were in a meeting, and the lunch hour fast approached. She moved from her desk and out of the office to her dear friend. “How about a little walk? I need to sort out some things before I go nuts.”

“Sure thing.” Deidre set the phone on voice mail and grabbed her coat. Outside, the sky held a tint of gray, more like rain clouds than snow. Yesterday’s storm had passed over Radisen with only a mild electrical storm. They walked toward town. Although neither had said a word about the Bake Shoppe a few blocks down, Alina knew they’d end up there.

“Hope those clouds head in the opposite direction. I’ve had enough rain for a while. The creeks are up,” Deidre said.

“Uh-huh. The weather befits my mood, but a heavy dose of sunlight would help me crawl out of this pit.”

“So what is making you crazy, girlfriend?”

“In short, working with Ryan makes me behave like a teenager on hormonal overdrive,” Alina blurted out.

“Is he obnoxious? Rude?”

Alina shook her head. “Quite the contrary. He’s kind, considerate, patient, and understanding.”

“Sweetie, I understand this is a debatable point, but are you ready to admit you’re still in love with him?”

Did she dare answer that question? “I’m not sure.”

“Oh, yes you are.”

Alina shrugged. “Yeah, probably so. I wish he’d snap at me or something. I mean, he doesn’t let me get by with anything, but I’d feel better if he went completely ballistic.”

Deidre laughed, and when Alina considered her last remark, she laughed, too.

They walked a few more steps in silence. “Maybe this walk wasn’t such a good idea after all. All I’m doing is dragging you through my problems. I know this business with Flash and Neon isn’t all about me, but the relationship thing is definitely all about me and Ryan.”

“Let’s talk about you two. How did you meet?”

“At college. It was one of those storybook moments in the library where the only place to sit and study was right beside him.” Alina tilted her head. “I remember our first date.” At least with the wind hitting her in the face, she didn’t have to look at Deidre, only talk. “My wild, crazy mother nearly did us both in.”

“Tell me all of it.”

Alina smiled. “I brought Ryan home to meet Mom. You know, the approval thing. Anyway, Mom found out we planned to go shopping and invited herself.”

Deidre moaned. “From what you’ve told me about your mother, that had to be … well, unusual.”

“She had her pleasant moments, and she could be quite charming. This was one of those times, and she wanted to check out this guy dating her daughter.”

“That obvious?”

“Oh yeah.” Alina laughed. “She wanted to take her car, and Ryan got stuck in the backseat. I noticed she kept staring at him in the rearview mirror. Later he told me he thought he’d grown warts. Anyway, during lunch she made the announcement that she wanted to give Ryan a perm.”

“You’re kidding. A perm? What did he say?”

“Deidre, he agreed! You should have seen him then. He wore his blond hair to his shoulders. It was thick and gorgeous. He looked more like a California surfer than a native Ohioan.”

“Why did he agree to such a ridiculous suggestion?”

“Said he was trying to impress her.” Alina laughed again. “Right in the middle of rolling up the perm, she decided one side was a little longer than the other. She got out her scissors, and in the process of trimming his hair, she accidentally clipped his ear. His poor ear bled and bled. Ryan just sat there holding his ear while Mom wound his hair around those perm rods.”

They both broke into hysterics. “I’ll never forget when she took out all the rods and dried it. She said, ‘Look at all those pretty waves.’ And kissed him on the cheek.”

“How did Ryan react?”

“We had to stop at a drugstore and purchase one of those hair-straightening kits. Then I had to fix the mess Mom made. He never complained, but we had plenty of laughs about it.”

Deidre glanced up at the rolling clouds. “What if he wanted to get back together?”

Alina hesitated. As much as she wanted Ryan in her life… “The problems are still there, Deidre. Nothing’s changed. They’ve only grown worse. Festered.”

“The bottom line is you’re in love with the man, yet you’re convinced the relationship will never work out.”

“Yes. You’ve put into one sentence what I can’t seem to grasp.”

“By whose standards? Yours or his?”

“Mine, but if he knew the truth, his standards would reveal the same thing.”

“Sounds complicated.”

“It is. And I’m praying about it all. Right now I feel God has played a horrible joke on me. I’m losing sleep, and my work is suffering. All because I have to work with Ryan every day. Three months is forever.” Alina glanced at her friend. “Dramatics are not my normal way of handling crises. Does that tell you anything?”

Deidre smiled. “The heart doesn’t understand logic and time. What about a stop at our favorite Bake Shoppe?”

“Oh, why not. Lately I either have no appetite or consume everything in sight.”

“You really have it bad.” When Deidre opened the door of the shop, the tantalizing smells of rich pastries and deli delights wafted around them.

Alina enjoyed the specialties there, but today her heart longed for more than food.

Sunday, 2:30 p.m
.

“How are you and Ryan getting along?” Marta asked as she and Alina rode horses across the pasture at Fred and Marta’s farm. Green spots showed here and there, with promises of spring, but March could deceive them with another jolt of ice and snow.

“Nothing like being blunt.” Alina laughed, but the familiar ache swelled in her heart. “As well as can be expected. I think Ryan is pleased with our progress.”

“You’ve had four full days together, and I don’t see any battle scars.”

“None visible anyway,” Alina said.

The radiant smile, so much a part of Marta, faded, and sympathy took its place. “I’m joking about working with Ryan, and truthfully I have no idea how difficult this must be for you. You’re in our prayers, and we will do all we can in your pursuit of another job. When Fred learned your position would be eliminated, he wanted to back out, but between the doctor, the kids, and me, we convinced him his health had to take priority. I hope you understand.”

“I do, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Really, I
was
angry when I first got the news about the buyout. Then when I learned the reasons why, I felt horrible for creating such a fuss.”

Marta stopped her horse. “I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t want a word of it leaked out to the others.”

The seriousness in Marta’s voice caused Alina to rein her horse in. “Of course. What’s wrong?”

“Fred’s health is worse than what he’s telling people.”

“Isn’t the medication helping?” Alina asked.

“Yes, but he has to take off about thirty pounds. The stress is too much on his heart.” Marta shrugged. “Last week he had a spell, and I believe it fell under the category of a light heart attack. The doctor is talking about a quadruple bypass.”

Alina gasped. “Are you sure? Have you obtained another opinion?”

“Oh yes. They want him to have some additional testing and lose the weight before surgery. Naturally, Fred doesn’t have the time for such nonsense—as he puts it—until he gets a breather at work.”

“That’s crazy. He needs to be in the hospital now. We can handle Flash.”

Marta patted the mare’s neck. “He’d like to think he can’t leave the company for the surgery and required recuperation. In any event, if you’d remember him in your prayers, I’d appreciate it.”

“You got it. I wonder if any of us could do anything to keep his life a little calmer.”

“Whatever you do, it can’t look like it came from me, or I’m in trouble.”

“I’ll run it by you before we act,” Alina said. “In the meantime, I’ll look for ways to eliminate any undue stress.”

Marta shook her head. “Whatever stress you can keep from him is good. I want my Fred to enjoy retirement. He’s committed to the weight loss, but unloading work burdens is a whole new problem. That’s the real reason I wanted to know about your and Ryan’s working relationship. It’s a favor,

I guess.”

Alina took a deep breath, hoping the discussion didn’t venture too far into forbidden territory. “Ryan represents a level of professionalism that I need to attain. I have much to learn from him. Some of the others are bitter and blame Neon for pressuring Fred into selling, but I want to give them a good role model. Let’s pray God softens their hearts so the burden is less on Fred.”

“Even though that’s not what happened? He contacted Neon to see if they were interested in purchasing Flash.”