Now there was a concept that was entirely lost to him. Parker couldn’t remember the last time he had fun for the sake of it. Before he got to Half Moon Key, his entire life was built on the concept that hard work was the only way to live life.
Well, you better get used to it, his panther commented.You should take a page out of my book. If you need help to lay by the water and live a life of leisure, I can obviously help you with that.
He mumbled under his breath that he would go for a run in the woods soon, and that seemed to quiet the animal living in his head.
Parker walked across the street to avoid a pack of teenagers screaming happily to themselves like they were the center of the universe. They were all dressed in their swimming gear, and they were weighed down by a massive cooler and a few inflatable floats. No doubt, they were on their way to the lake. Crossing the street to avoid the whole crowd of them put him on the right side of the street to make his way into the bank … his next stop.
The building was made of gray stone, and it was pretty small for a bank. It must have been a little house at one point. There was even a little freshly-painted wooden bench in front of it. A small plaque was affixed to it, dedicating it to Robert Francis, one of Half Moon Key’s founders.
Parker looked away from the strange memorial to assess the bank. Just looking at it, he could see a few security fails he would fix if it were his bank.
It wasn’t.
He wasretired. No more work. No more assessing security risks and fixing the issues.
Parker was free to do whatever he wanted. That had to be narrowed down to the activities he could do in Half Moon Key.
He pulled the door open, hoping to see at least a security guard roaming the bank, but there was only a small service counter where two women sat. One was a little older, talking animatedly on the phone. Apparently, whoever was on the other end was living a crisis that involved a toddler, a pair of scissors, and a very bad haircut.
The other woman was in her early twenties with honey-colored hair and green eyes that were just a bit too bright to be comfortable. They looked like they could see right into his soul. The woman’s lips were full and pillowy, painted in a soft pink that made his throat dry.
Her little black dress was clearly professional wear, but the way the material pulled across her breasts made Parker long to keep his sunglasses on. At least with the shaded lens’ on, the teller wouldn’t catch him staring at her tits like a creep.
Then, the worst thing that could happen happened.
The woman smiled. It lit up her entire face, making her green eyes lighter, her mouth fuller, and her skin shine.
Parker tried to open his mouth to greet her, but he couldn’t function. Never, in all of his life, had he been so affected by a woman. It was weird as hell.
You up there?He asked his panther, but the animal was dozing, apparently unconcerned by the stunning bank worker.
The teller turned the full force of her attention to him, and his breath caught in his chest.
“Hey, there. How can I help you?” Even her voice was sweet and enticing all at once. The tone was happiness personified, and he had the intense urge to keep her talking for hours.
What the fuck is wrong with me?Love and lust were obviously not things he could give in to under the circumstances of his life. He tried to shake off the attraction he felt for the woman. He had a lifetime of practice at stuffing down his emotions. What were a few minutes more?
Parker flipped off his shades and slid them into his back pocket. “I’d like to open a bank account, please.”
The beautiful woman on the other side of the service counter tilted her head to the side, her smile pulling down a bit. “Oh, I’m sorry. We can’t actually do that right now. Our system is down.” She shrugged like it was the most natural thing in the world before pointing to her computer’s black screen.
“What do you mean?” He frowned. Never before had he heard of a bank’s entire system being down. That’s why backups existed. And all of the banks Parker ever worked for always had a backup.
Then a backup for the backup’s backup. It was just good sense, honestly. What kind of clown bank was this?
“Well, you know how things are here in Half Moon Key,” she shrugged like it was normal to work in a bank that had less than reliable electricity.
“Aren’t you scared of thieves?” Parker asked.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. It was a really weird thing to ask. He knew that. Judging by the sudden size of the woman’s eyes, she was also taken aback.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m new to town. I’m not used to this slow pace you’ve got going on here.”
“Right,” she said. “I guess it would be bad if bank robbers knew that we lost power for large chunks of time every now and again. You must work in security.”
Parker felt the color drain from his face. “Why would you say that?”
She continued to smile warmly at him, and he continued to pretend he didn’t notice she was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.