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“Yes. Did you want to speak to him?” Julia smiled as Dave Askew, one of the young bank clerks, appeared at her door.
“Yeah, right. As if Mr. G. knows anything.”
Julia lifted an eyebrow at Dave’s dismissive tone and went back to sit behind her desk. “Whatever you think about Mr. Glynn, he’s still the boss.”
“I know, more’s the pity. We all know that you run this place.”
She opened her mouth to repeat her previous statement, but he was already laughing.
“It’s okay. I’ll shut up now. I came to tell you that a guy just walked in and wants to open an account with us.”
Julia sat back. “Are we so desperate for customers that you have to tell me every time we get a new one? What am I supposed to do, sing him a happy song and give him a balloon?”
“Well, there is that, but this guy only has one form of ID on him.” Dave rolled his eyes. “And you know how strict the old guy is about proper identification. I decided to cover my ass and let you check him out. Hesayshis family has lived her for years, so I figured you might know him.”
“Is his name Luke Warner?”
Dave’s smile was full of admiration. “Wow, you’regood.”
Julia shrugged off the compliment. “It’s a small town and news travels fast. I went to school with Luke’s cousin Roxanne, and his Aunt Josie taught me at school. They both called me to tell me he was back in town. Ask him to come in.”
While Dave went to fetch Luke, Julia concentrated on taking deep, slow breaths and making sure that her hair was tidy and away from her face. She wanted to make a good impression on him when he entered her domain. She wanted him to see how far she’d come.
“Hey, Miss Assistant Manager.” Luke’s soft greeting and the absence of Dave surprised her for a moment. She stood up and held out her hand.
“Good morning, Luke.” He took her hand and shook it and then sat in the chair she indicated. He had a faded blue T-shirt on today, but the same pair of ripped and paint-splattered jeans.
“You’ve done good, girl.” His slow smile warmed her heart. “Hell, you’ve done double good.”
She knew he’d appreciate her success. Unlike Paul, who’d always had the ranch and loving parents to rely on, she and Luke had been raised by families that were often absent or uncaring. Parents who hadn’t noticed whether they’d skipped school, and who definitely didn’t believe in the value of an education.
“Thanks. It got a lot easier after Mom left town with husband number four. I got to make my own decisions without her telling me I’d never make anything of myself.”
“Hardly easy.” He crossed one long leg over the other and settled deeper into the chair. “I bet you had to work your ass off to pay your bills and attend college.”
“It was what I wanted to do, though.” She shrugged. “It never seemed like a chore to me.”
His smile was warm. “I know how that feels. When I first got to San Jose, except for that one stint at the local burger take-out place here, I had no skills at all. I had to get three jobs just to afford a place to sleep at night, but I did it.”
She met his gaze, felt that tug of attraction again, of like finding like, of mutual appreciation. “So, what exactly did you end up doing over there that helped you come home and take on the old drugstore?”
He glanced down at his hands and spread his fingers wide on his thighs. “I started working in a smoothie and fresh juice bar, right in the heart of San Jose’s Silicon Valley and ended up taking over and managing it myself.”
“Managing it or owning it? They’re quite different things.”
He smiled. “I don’t own it anymore. I sold it awhile back.”
“And did what?”
“Nothing much. I just kind of dabbled in stuff.” He sat forward and grinned. “What is this—an interrogation?” He dug a wad of bills from his back pocket and tossed them onto the desk. “I just want to open a bank account, not buy the whole town.”
Julia felt herself blushing. “Sorry. It’s just professional curiosity. When you go back out front, just tell Dave that everything is okay, and he’ll get you started on the paperwork for your new account.” She tried a smile. “I’m always interested in how people get their money and what they plan to do with it in the future.”
“It’s okay. I was just kidding. Can’t you tell anymore?”
“Obviously not.”
And there she was, staring into his eyes again, and feeling that spark. She bit her lip, saw he was watching her, and did it again. He contemplated her for a long moment.
