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“It’s the same—”
“This is a branch of my bank in Tallahassee. They’re doing me a small favor. You don’t have to say a word. They have no idea who you are.”
“Everybody knows!”
“Not true. Most people live in their own little world. And you’re hardly in the headlines.” He held out his hand. “C’mon. Don’t be a coward.”
“I’m not a coward. I’m being sensible. Suppose I see someone I know?”
“Say hello.”
She refused to budge.
Tyler kept his frustration in check. “Listen, whether you believe it or not, I’m looking out for your best interests. Besides, the way you’re headed with your flea marketing, you’ll have knocked down thirty thousand dollars by year’s end. What’re you gonna do if you can’t handle banks? Stuff it in a shoebox and keep it under your bed?”
“Don’t appeal to my practical side. I’m not ready. And you don’t know how much money I’ve made.”
“You forget. I was there.” He grasped her arm and tugged. “Out!”
She obviously wanted to stand on her own, but her legs were so wobbly that she was forced to lean on him or fold up on the asphalt. He put his arm around her and moved her forward into the bank lobby.
Liane trailed behind them. “I hope I get a lollipop,” she said.
Stormy turned and grabbed Liane’s hand. “Shh.”
Tyler was afraid to turn loose of Stormy lest she bolt. He pulled her along to the receptionist and introduced himself. The woman left, then returned with a guard and the bank manager.
Stormy felther heart pump harder against her ribcage.
All the tellers were looking at them. She felt on display—matted, framed, and hung.
She leaned into Tyler. “I’m going to kill you for this,” she said without moving her lips. “You wait and see.”
They were shown into a small, softly lighted room. The guard closed the door behind them and stood in front of it, his hand on the weapon anchored at his side.
“Ooh!” exclaimed Liane. “Look at all the money!” Stormy was looking. There were piles and piles of it— stacks of ones and fives and tens and twenties arrayed across the table.
She didn’t know where the next moments went. She remained frozen in unseeing, unthinking panic. As if from a distance, she finally heard Tyler murmur athank youto the bank manager. She felt his hand spanning the small of her back, urging her to move. The guard followed them out. She only seemed to come to her senses when she was seated once again in Tyler’s BMW, and they were on the road. Tyler was cautioning Liane not to eat her lollipop until after they’d had lunch.
At the restaurant, they were shown to a table overlooking the harbor, and Stormy felt some color returning to her cheeks.
“Good,” Tyler said. “You’re back with us.” He lifted her hand and said, “For more reasons than one, it had to be done. You can’t spend your life avoiding banks.”
Stormy sought sanctuary in anger. “You could’ve undone my life!”
“Are you sure you want to have this conversation in front of Liane?” He looked laid-back; the only sign of tension was a vein throbbing in his temple.
Stormy glared at him. “Just tell me, what was the meaning of—”
“Let’s order first,” he said.
“Don’t draw out the suspense. I can walk home from here.”
“You want a scene? Okay. Let’s do it right!” He pushed back his chair and stood up. “Wait here.”
Stormy felt extreme discomfort. It was anybody’s guess what Tyler had up his sleeve.
“I asked you not to pick a fight with him,” Liane piped up, giving immutable evidence of whose side she was on. “Now, we probably will have to walk home.”
