by DiAnn Mills
Ryan made his way to the steps leading up to Flash. Thankfully the building stood higher than the parking lot. Even so, water splashed against the first step. By the time he and Alina locked up for the day, the parking lot would be even more difficult to exit. Once at the door, Ryan turned to take another look at the rain. He shrugged and decided to chart the storm’s progress online. If the forecast grew worse, they’d leave early.
He grabbed the door handle and stepped inside to warmth. Maybe the weather report indicated an end to this mess, but glancing up at the gray sky, he saw nothing to indicate anything but more of the same. After removing his shoes and soaked socks and leaving them at the door, he wrung the water out of each pant leg and made his way back to Alina.
“Did you drown in the parking lot?” she asked without looking up from her computer screen.
“Sort of. Let’s say it lived up to its reputation.” He peered closer. “Blue screen?”
She blew out a sigh. “I typed in a command and presto—hosed.”
“Let me take a look.”
She moved aside so he could slide into her chair. After ten minutes, she offered to make fresh coffee and disappeared. Frustrated with her computer, the weather, and his cold feet, Ryan gritted his teeth and worked with the problem until the computer was restored. “Finally, success.”
“I thought I was the only one who talked to my computer.” Alina stood in the doorway with the most delicious-smelling coffee available to humankind. The sight of both instantly propelled him into a good mood.
“I find that most computers respond to verbal commands.” He grinned. “Whatever you’re charging for the coffee, I’ll pay it.”
“It’s on the house.” She placed the cups beside her computer. Steam twisted and rose, sending the aroma to his nose. Alina’s sweet smile could have rivaled an angel’s. And her perfume reminded him of a TV commercial in which the guy couldn’t resist sweeping the girl into his arms and kissing her soundly.
She focused her attention on the screen. “By the way, thanks for fixing my computer. And thanks for moving my car.”
“Correction. I tried to move your car. We have a problem,” he said. “It won’t start. I think it’s the battery. In any event, I need you to steer while I push it to a higher spot. A little more rain, and the water will be inside your car.”
She moaned and faced him. “At least I have boots.” For the first time, he noted her eyes were red and puffy, and he doubted it was because of her contacts.
“You’re a step ahead of me.” He pointed to his bare feet, ice cube toes and all.
“Ryan, you’ll have pneumonia.”
“Nah. I’m too mean to get sick.” He frowned. “Before we go out there, what has you so upset? If it’s your computer, I have it restored. Good as new.”
“I see that. Nothing’s wrong. Just tired.” She lifted her chin. “There should be extra boots to fit you in the service closet, maybe socks, too. The guys often change here.” She snatched up her umbrella and avoided his gaze. “Let’s get going.”
He wanted to shake her. Just when he thought he’d penetrated her steel-encased heart, she changed moods on him. Turning her back to him, she marched down the hallway. Ryan wanted to tell her one more time that he wasn’t the enemy, but why bother? Between her and James, he might as well resign himself to the fact that he’d never please either one. He managed a smile despite the situation. With the way things were progressing between them, he’d better not turn his back on her for fear he’d get whacked.
Alina’s boots were made for snow and lined like a fine glove, so her feet would stay warm and dry. Ryan pushed the thought of his frozen feet aside. Once he got to his hotel tonight, he’d curl up on the sofa like an old man—and stay warm.
“In the corner is an extra pair of Fred’s.” She pointed to a well-worn pair of boots in the service closet. Thick socks stuck out the tops of them. “You really can’t go back out into the rain with your wet shoes and socks.”
Ah, so she does care a little.
Alina stopped at the glass door leading outside while Ryan pulled on Fred’s boots. She gasped. “This has gotten worse. I couldn’t see how fast or high the water was rising from my office window.”
“Do you pray?” Ryan asked.
She slid him a curious look. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“I’ve been all afternoon—ever since Fred and I took a ride out on River Road. It really looked precarious with water rolling over the road. He showed me some low-lying areas where water could have easily gotten into a few homes.”
“I know where that is. The people living there don’t have much to begin with.”
“One woman with four small children had waded to the road. Fred stopped to see if she needed help, but she said her husband had left work to pick them up.”
She moistened her lips. “They all need prayer.”
Both of them stared at the driving rain. He hated the thought of venturing out into the weather, and he figured Alina felt the same way. They lingered a moment longer.
“When did you become a praying man?”
“About five years ago. A friend at Neon invited me to church. I thought I was just fine, even a bit self-righteous up until that point. Anyway, every word the pastor spoke seemed to be directed at me. I kept coming back for more until I realized I needed to make a decision for Christ.”
She tilted her head as though contemplating his response. “I believe it was five years ago for me, too. Mother had suffered a stroke, and Anna had a heart problem diagnosed. The combination of the two depressed me to the point that I couldn’t function. Fred and Marta invited me to church. There I saw Deidre and a few other Flash employees. The first time I was so nervous and sure I’d have a miserable time that I didn’t listen well to the sermon. I’d been to church other times in my life, and as a child, I learned several Bible stories.” She shrugged. “I didn’t understand Jesus wanted to be a part of my life. Actually, in my life. About a month later, I accepted what He’d done for me.”
“I’m glad,” Ryan said. “Odd, it happened to us about the same time.”
She blinked. “Well, I admit I haven’t acted much like a good Christian lately.” She closed her eyes and released a light sigh. “Every time I apologize to you, I turn around and manage to do the same thing and behave poorly again. In any event, I don’t want to discuss it any further. Guess we’d better battle this rain.”
“I’m ready. When you’re ready to go home, I’ll take you.”
She shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll take one of the trucks. Once the rain ends, most of this will drain off. What’s important is to get some of this work done.” She stepped out under the awning and shook her head. “Like James, I prefer a snowstorm. Water scares me.”
“I thought nothing ever frightened you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, her face paled, and Ryan wished he could draw them back in.
“Only the big things.”
“I understand exactly what you mean. We all have big things in our lives.”
“Most of which are private.”
Ouch. Got me there. He dreaded moving out from under the awning and getting wet again. “Once we’re out there, all I need is for you to guide your car. I’ll be pushing from behind.”
“Ryan, that’s ludicrous. You’re talking about pushing it up to a higher part of the parking lot and battling the water, too.”
“I’m a strong guy. Besides, the incline is gradual.”
“We need a tow truck, and I’ll call one the moment we’re back inside. If they’re too busy in this weather to give me a hand, I’ll schedule them for tomorrow.”
“Might be too late.”
“And I think your ego has gotten in the way of common sense.” She shook her head.
“Sounds to me like you don’t want to get wet.” He laughed. “I’m trying to save a damsel in distress.”
“The damsel has car insurance.” She pressed her lips together, but he did see a fai
nt smile. “Besides, if you drown or die of pneumonia, I’d probably be charged with murder.” She opened the door and gestured for him to come inside. “Seriously, my car can be fixed or replaced. Your health and safety aren’t worth the risk.”
“Thanks. Let’s not bury ourselves in work to the point we aren’t watching the weather.” He helped her slip out of her coat. When he touched her shoulder, they both jumped. Junior high kids. “Let’s finish the data run and call it quits.”
“Agreed.” She glanced around them. “I don’t relish the idea of spending the night here anyway.”
“Oh? Why not? We could talk about old times.”
Alina frowned as her boots tapped down the hall. He’d made her angry again.
fifteen
Friday, 4:30 p.m.
Alina clicked PRINT, heard the printer kick into gear, then watched it spit out the ten-page summary showing Flash’s accounts in varying graphs. All the while, the rain beat against the window, and her mind kept yanking her back to the spring of her twenty-first birthday. Her junior year of college was nearly over with a wonderful summer ahead teasing her senses. She had Ryan, and love had taken over her heart. All the misery of the past seemed to fade when they were together. If it hadn’t been for him, her studies surely would have slipped, but he insisted they do their best. Alina clung to his every word as tightly as she clung to him. He had a great future ahead of him, and he wanted them together to enjoy every moment of it. Ryan talked of marriage as readily as he spoke of their grand summer—and her birthday. She remembered walking across campus. The snow had melted to slush, a not-so-pretty sight when the pure whiteness of winter mixed with mud, but it promised the showers of spring and beautiful growing things. Like her love for Ryan.
“What do you want for your birthday?” Ryan held her hand tightly, his leather jacket thrown over his shoulder. How handsome he looked. How much the other girls envied her.
“Just you.” She laughed at her whimsical words.
“No, that doesn’t work. I need a definite.”
She held her breath, thinking an answer would soon fill her head. “I honestly can’t think of a thing.”
“This is dangerous, because now I have to use my imagination.”
“Surprise me.” Anything he chose promised to make her life even more wonderful. She should have told him how her life now had meaning with him, but she refrained, feeling a little foolish about making the confession.
Two weeks later, on her birthday, he stopped by the apartment she shared with two other girls. He carried roses in one hand and a teddy bear in the other.
“Flowers and a teddy bear, how sweet.” She inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers.
“Oh, the bear isn’t for you,” he said. “I thought we’d take it to Anna and spend the day with her. I have a cake in the trunk with party hats, birthday plates, and napkins.”
Alina cried. He understood exactly what made her happy. Nothing could ever separate them. Their love meant so much to her, and to see him include Anna in his plans demonstrated the depth of his feelings.
In one year’s time, everything changed.
Alina gathered up the pages from the printer and set them on Ryan’s desk.
He looked up, his light blue eyes captured her gaze, and the feelings she vowed to hide surfaced again. Her stomach fluttered.
“Do you remember the frat party when we dressed as Dorothy and the Tin Man?”
He’s remembering, too. “Vaguely.” Of course I do.
“You carried a stuffed dog, and I roasted in the Tin Man suit.”
She tried to remain dispassionate, but the memories coaxed her like a warm fire on a cold evening. “Weren’t we planning to go as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, but couldn’t find the costumes?”
“Yeah, we waited too long and somebody else beat us to them. I do remember we could have gone as Yoda and C-3PO, except my pride refused to let me walk around all night with Yoda’s ears.” Ryan eased back in his chair. “We were good together,
Alina.”
She turned back to her desk, but the cherished part of their past longed to be revisited. If she said one more word, she’d cry, and the tears might never stop. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That wasn’t fair.”
Alina’s thoughts had already slipped back. She walked down the hall to the ladies’ room. At least there she’d have privacy to recall the music and laughter, and what Ryan had said to her the night of her birthday. And if she chose to drown in the liquid emotion, well, that was her business.
“I love you, Alina,” Ryan had said. “Nothing will change that, and because I feel this way, I’ll always put you first in my life. We’re together for life.”
She’d leaned against his chest in the front seat of his Mustang and listened to the pounding of his heart.
Alina made it to the ladies’ room just before she broke into a flood of tears. If she’d stayed in her office with Ryan much longer, he’d have asked why she broke off the engagement. And in her present mood, she might have hinted at the truth.
Blinking back the wetness, Alina blew her nose and studied her face in the mirror. Swollen eyes and splotchy skin wouldn’t win a beauty contest. At least Ryan had been polite and not asked why she’d been crying. Perhaps a glimpse at the parking lot might interrupt her self-pity. She blew her nose again and tossed the soggy tissue into the trash. Great—rain drenched the outside world, and her tears drowned the inside. She opened the door and walked to the back of the building.
Nothing had prepared her for the sight: Water had risen midway up her car. Alina gasped. Earlier she’d cast away any worries about damage to her car, but viewing it made her short of ill. She’d purchased it less than two years ago, and she had one more year of payments left. Her gaze swung to Ryan’s leased SUV, and its wheels were almost covered with water.
“Is it worse?” Ryan asked as he made his way toward her. He must have been watching the ladies’ room door and seen her exit.
“Yes, steadily rising. My car is about to get a seat full of water, and yours is not far behind. I wish a tow truck could help us.”
“You said the line was busy?”
She nodded. “Makes me wonder if some phone lines are out.”
“Did you try more than one business?”
“Sure did. I thought they were all out helping people caught in the rain.” Her stomach twisted with fear.
“I am so stupid, utterly stupid,” Ryan said. “We should have left with the others, but no, I wanted to work.” He gestured toward the outside. “Now I’m wondering how you’ll get home and I’ll get to the hotel.”
“One of the service trucks?” She noted the water making its way up the tires.
“We can try, but first let’s call the police department and see what the streets are like.”
“And I’ll log on to check the weather, too,” she said. “I turned the radio off earlier—it was interrupting my concentration. Looks like I needed to be interrupted.”
The lights flickered, and the hum of the office equipment faded. Utter silence swept over her.
“There it goes,” Ryan said. “Sure glad my laptop has a good battery, but I’d venture to say our Internet connectivity is probably gone, too.”
The conditions outside suddenly looked more menacing with the loss of power. The streets had to look better than the parking lot, and she did have a second-story apartment in a relatively high area. But first she had to get there. “I’ll get a set of truck keys so we can leave as soon as you find out which streets are passable.”
He nodded and jogged back to the office.
“The phone book is in the bottom right-hand drawer of my desk,” she said.
“Got it.”
It only took a moment to grab a set of keys from the service pegs. Her mood had ventured toward the dreariness she saw outside. Rather than watch it rain, she made her way back to her office. She observed Ryan standing by his desk, one foot propped on his chair. His casual stance eased her t
repidation and the turmoil swirling through her head.
“Yes, Flash Communications on McKinley Street. I’m wondering how the streets are around us, because the parking lot and everything around us look to be flooded.” Ryan nodded while the other person spoke. “So if it looks too dangerous, sit tight. Should I call back? We are in a rather isolated area…. I understand. Thanks.”
Alina hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, but she released it the moment he put the phone back on the cradle. “We’re supposed to sit tight?”
“Some of the streets aren’t passable, but we can probably get through most of them in one of the trucks. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll call them back, and they’ll send someone after us.”
“As in a boat?”
“Exactly.” He smiled, but she found no humor in the situation. “I suggest we get our things and try to make it out of here.”
As soon as Ryan powered down his laptop and grabbed up a handful of papers to stuff in his computer case, they braved the weather again.
Outside, Alina studied the water reaching the second step. Without a doubt, she was frightened. The area from Flash to the river looked like a solid sheet of water. Her apartment sounded like a slice of heaven. She handed Ryan the truck keys.
“I don’t want to try driving.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re trembling, Alina. I’m sure we’ll do fine once we get going.” He chuckled, but she could tell he forced it. “Too bad Fred doesn’t own an amphibious vehicle.” He took her arm and guided her down the steps. “The water is cold, and it’s going to get into your boots. My advice is not to think about it.” He lifted his computer case above his head. When he couldn’t manage the case, the umbrella, and Alina, he left the umbrella behind.
