Garrett followed them out, wanting to demand an explanation immediately, but the auditor was seated in front of Kelli’s desk with a sour expression coating his features. Great. I love it when I get a grumpy auditor out of the gate.
The man looked at his watch with exaggeration, promptly piercing him with an irate stare. Garrett heaved a heavy sigh on the inside, putting on another happy face for the general public, and ushered the auditor into his office. He winked at Kelli on the way by her desk, whispering a quick, “Thanks.”
Five hours later, he said good-bye to the auditor until tomorrow and headed to Abby Washburn’s desk.
“Hey, what happened earlier with Hunter and Jessica?”
Abby tilted her head to one side and frowned. “I don’t follow.”
“Did Jessica Hoyt access her safe deposit box?”
His best and secretly favorite employee narrowed her eyes. “Is this a trick? I can’t give out private information like that.”
Garrett rolled his eyes. He didn’t usually seek access to the safe deposit box log-in sheet, unless he happened to be the employee providing the service to retrieve the box. Which he wasn’t, in this case. But it wasn’t against any rules. He did own the bank.
“She’s my friend, and—”
“No.”
“What?”
“I’m not telling. Go ask her yourself. If she wanted you to know, I suspect you already would.” She then presented a wide grin, meaning she was fucking with him.
“Abby—”
“No. Go away and do bank owner stuff, I’m too busy to regulate your love life.”
He would have continued his quest for information, but his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He gave Abby a smiling eye roll and walked away. The phone call was from Seth. Maybe he knew what the hell was going on.
“Hey, what’s up, Seth?”
“The auditor still there?”
“No. He’s already left for the day.”
“Good. I wanted to tell you what happened to Jessica earlier.”
“With Hunter?”
“No. Her ex-fiancé showed up.”
“What?”
“Fucker checked into my new hotel under a fake name and then surprised her this morning. Actually, he cornered her by her office.”
Garrett’s mind shuddered to a stop for a moment as a bubble of rage over her ex-asshole-fiancé surprising her filled his mind. He shook it off, asking, “What happened?”
Seth gave him the quick story of the earlier events.
“Bastard,” Garrett whispered.
Seth cleared his throat. “I want to talk about something else.”
“What?”
“I want to marry Jessica.”
Garrett smiled. “Interesting. So do I.”
His best friend sighed over the phone. “Before we start searching for a ring and the perfect wedding location…” He paused and Garrett knew his exact thoughts. Fucking Gina and her vileness always had to be considered. “Are we hurrying into this relationship too quickly?” he asked in a rush of words.
Garrett knew his fears because they mirrored his own. “Maybe, but I truly believe it would even more foolish not to pursue her until she’s ours. She is perfect for us, right down to experiencing her own horrid experience with her ex-idiot-fiancé.
Seth remained silent at the end of the line.
Garrett could almost hear him thinking about all the hurt they’d endured long ago. “We got burned, Seth. But it was a long time ago. Do we ever get our own happily ever after or do we forever stay mistrustful bachelors afraid to love?”
“We could read a romance novel. Isn’t that where all the happily ever afters live?”
“Very funny.”
“Listen. I want her. I can’t imagine my life without her. But if she decides for some reason to leave, I may not recover.” Seth only said aloud exactly what Garrett was feeling.
“That would make two of us. The truth is, though, my soul also might never recover if we don’t make a concerted effort.”
“Well, my soul feels much the same way.” He paused once more before saying, “Honestly, she’d be worth it either way. Therefore, I plan to do my best to keep her.”
“Good. Me, too. When should we do it? Sooner is probably better than later.”