His dark eyes ran over her.Boldly she met his glare.He was tall and lean, his jaw angular and sharp.But his eyes were what drew her attention.Dark and ruthless, they seemed to possess the sharpness of a hawk’s.Lesley doubted that much escaped his notice.If it hadn’t been for the contempt in his eyes and the tightly reined impatience about him, she might have thought him attractive.She noted he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.He looked like the type who would prefer to play the field than settle for one woman.Definitely not a man who would interest her.
As if aware of her censure, his mouth formed into an unyielding, hard line, his displeasure stamped on every feature.
So be it, Lesley mused.She didn’t particularly care for the way he was arrogantly appraising her either.
“Mr.Daniels would like to open a checking account with an out-of-state check,” Charlotte inserted, handing Lesley the check.
“I’m sure Mrs.Lewis explained that we must allot ten days for this to clear before issuing you checks for your account.”The question was directed to him.
“She’s explained that several times,” he returned with marked patience, his tone sarcastic and dry.“But if you’d simply place a phone call, you’d be assured that the check is good.”
“I’m sorry, Mr.Daniels, but that’s not the way things are done.Coeur d’Alene isn’t a vast metropolis; we move cautiously here.The check must—”
“When will the manager be back?”he interrupted her angrily.
“Mr.Daniels.”Lesley could feel her own impatience rising.“Let me assure you Mr.Fullbright will say the same thing.”
One corner of his mouth edged up in cynical amusement.“Now, that’s something I doubt.I’ll wait for someone with real authority.”
“I assure you, in Mr.Fullbright’s absence, I have full authority.”Lesley could feel her calm façade evaporating with every sharp word.
“Still, I’ll wait for someone who doesn’t have the word “assistant” in their title,” he declared in cutting tones that aroused the attention of customers, who turned to stare openly at the small group.
“I can see that it isn’t going to do any good to explain the bank’s point of view.If you prefer to speak with Mr.Fullbright, then you’re encouraged to do so.Now, if you’ll excuse me.”Seething, she pivoted and stalked back to her desk.
Boorish, ill-mannered beast.Her fingers were shaking as shesat down and picked up her pencil.That man had a chip on his shoulder so big it made a California redwood look like an acorn.
The indignation persisted when Lesley pulled into her driveway that night.Her confrontation with Daniels had weighed heavily on her most of the day, and she sat quietly in the car an extra minute, enjoying the unexpected warmth of an Indian summer afternoon.
As Lesley slipped out of the driver’s seat, she noted a sports car parked in the driveway on the other side of the duplex.She couldn’t identify the make, but it looked fancy and expensive.Apparently the place had been rented.Swinging the long strap of her leather purse over her shoulder, Lesley wondered how long it would be before she met her new neighbor.
The duplex was in a quiet section of town, her nearest neighbors half a block away.Lesley didn’t even bother to lock her front door.What did she have that anyone would want?Besides, if someone was determined to steal her things, they could rip out the door lock.In some ways her view of life could be looked upon as dangerously simplistic.But this was a small Idaho town, and she knew and trusted everyone.
At least once she was home she could remove the ambitious businesswoman façade and be herself.Changing into jeans and a red-checked, short-sleeved blouse, she slid open the back door to inspect her garden.Large tomatoes weighted the vines.Many of the green ones wouldn’t have time to ripen before the first frost, and she picked several to take inside.The zucchini were still abundant, and she bent down to retrieve one.The pumpkin was large and turning orange.Dinner tonight would consist of a fresh vegetable salad, cheese and leftover roast.
She placed the vegetables in the sink and poured herself a glass of iced tea.Amid the loveliness of the afternoon, the world seemed filled with good things.The grass felt cool andwelcoming as she sat, crossed her knees and leaned back to rest her weight on the palms of her hands.She chewed on a long blade of grass and tried to guess what kind of neighbor God had sent her.
Not that anyone could replace her sister, brother-in-law and niece.She was going to miss Terry, Robert and baby Lisa.The little family had become a big part of her life over the past year.Times like now, when she would normally have shared the tea with her sister, made it seem as if Terry was across the world instead of across town.But they had quickly outgrown the one-bedroom duplex after Lisa was born.It was so convenient living next door to one another that Terry had delayed the move for as long as possible.With mixed feelings, Lesley had helped her sister look for a house.They had hugged each other and cried when the last box had been loaded onto the rented moving van and the time had finally arrived for Terry and Robert to drive away.
But before Terry had climbed into the van, the two sisters had walked around the vacant apartment.Together they had prayed for whomever God would move into the duplex.The words of the prayer returned to Lesley now as she stared at the closed sliding glass door of her neighbor’s apartment.Terry had promised to continue praying for Lesley’s new neighbor.They prayed that whoever the Lord sent to the second half of the duplex would be someone special in her life.Now, alone on the grass, Lesley echoed that prayer.
Whoever had moved in would soon realize that the walls were paper-thin.Terry and Lesley often had to laugh because it was apparent, just from the sounds echoing through, what the other was doing.Countless times they had borrowed things from each other, shared the clothesline and weeded the communal garden.Water pressure had been a problem, but they’d learned to coordinate usage.Lesley would consider herself lucky to find someone as compatible as her sister.
The glass door that opened into the common backyard was closed, the drapes pulled.Lesley wondered who would want to keep the sun out on such a glorious afternoon.But whoever it was, Lesley felt God had specifically sent that family or person.Hadn’t she and Terry prayed for just that?
The radio was playing softly in the background as she ripped the lettuce leaves apart for her salad.On an impulse, she pulled out an extra bowl and made two huge salads: one for her, one for her new neighbor.She would take it over as a way of introducing herself.
Adding a dab of gloss to her full mouth, she did a quick inspection of her five-foot-five frame and shoulder-length chestnut-colored hair in the bathroom mirror.No one was going to call a Hollywood producer, but she looked presentable.
She pushed in the doorbell and listened to the buzz.
Nothing.
Lesley rang the bell again.The fancy sports car was still in the driveway, but that didn’t necessarily mean there was someone inside the house.She was about to return to her apartment when the door was jerked open.
In retrospect, Lesley didn’t know who looked more shocked, Daniels or herself.
“You!”she gasped, her mouth dropping open.
