The bank manager sat back in his chair and studied her. As the seconds ticked by, she began to squirm, feeling like a bug under a microscope. “This need for an additional loan wouldn’t by chance have anything to do with the appearance of Mr. Worth, would it?”
“How did you—”
“I ran into Lovie Murphy at the Chamber of Commerce meeting this morning, and you know how she likes to talk. Before Sally had finished reading the minutes from our last meeting, Lovie had told everyone everything she could about her latest customer. Including his name.”
“I don’t understand. How did you know about him? About Jared Worth?”
“I’ve known about him for some time.”
She couldn’t have been more surprised if it had started snowing right then. “You have?”
He nodded, and his face took on that distinctive paternal look once more. “Naturally. Before a loan approval is granted, the bank requires a full and complete understanding of the lendee’s standings. This includes Blue Sky Air’s loan with Mr. Worth.”
“So then you understand why I’m here.”
“I’m not certain I—”
“I need a loan to buy out Mr. Worth’s interest. I will not have a partner. What I mean,” she quickly added just so he didn’t think she was being completely unreasonable, “is that like I was saying, Blue Sky is at a critical point of expansion, and Mr. Worth and I do not see eye to eye on how the business should be run.” Putting it mildly. Their differences, in a nutshell, were that Jenny saw Blue Sky continuing just as it had, while that man saw it de-winged, dismantled, and dissected into saleable bits.
“I’m sorry, Jennifer, but I just don’t think we’re going to be able to help you.”
“But—”
“You know I have great respect for what you’re trying to do, but for the bank it all comes down to numbers. Profit. Losses.” The last word was said in a soft, sympathetic tone.
Neither of them needed a calculator to determine what column her business fit in. When she looked up and into his kind eyes, she knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind. Bottom line was bottom line.
With as much grace and maturity as she could muster, Jenny stood and stretched out her arm. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Howard.”
He took her hand and grasped it softly. “I’m sorry. I wish things could be different. Come back in six months. If business is picking up like you say it is, there’s a strong chance we can work something out. In the meantime, maybe your parents—”
“Thank you again,” she interrupted, cutting him off midsentence. While everything in her screamed to run and run fast, she forced herself to walk sedately out of his office, out the front door, out into the sun’s bright light. It wasn’t until she was inside her car that she let the full impact of the refusal hit her. She tossed her purse and file folder on the passenger seat where they promptly slid off and onto the floor, spilling their contents.
“Perfect. Just perfect,” she mumbled as she took in the mess.
In pure frustration, she leaned her forehead against the hard curve of the steering wheel and waited for the rush of tears, certain they would fall. But, strangely, the tears didn’t come. It was as if she’d used up all of her tears over the last nine months, and now she had nothing left.
Slowly, she lifted her head and stared out her windshield. Ahead of her lay the road that led out of town to the western shore of Hidden Lake.
Maybe your parents.
The bank president’s words came back to her. For a moment she contemplated starting up the car, following that scenic road to her parents’ home. She tried to picture the scene in her mind. Walking up alongside the manicured lawn, the impeccably tended flower beds, to the Colonial-style entrance with its wide, white trim. She knew if she pleaded her case long enough, her dad would loan her the money.
But at what cost?
She continued to stare at the road ahead.
At what cost? She couldn’t shake that thought.
Some things were more valuable than money, and she knew if she asked her parents for this loan, she’d end up paying them back with more than just money. Always before when she’d screwed up, flunked, or just plain failed, her parents had been there, bailing her out. And each time they rescued her, she could see the ever-sinking disappointment in their eyes. She was twenty-six years old.