Chapter 7
Nate hung up the phone and settled back into his chair with a grin as Samantha slipped through his door. “Head office called just now when you were on the phone. Said to check your email.” She stopped and stared at him. “What’s got you grinning like an idiot? Did you get lucky last night?”
Her incredulous look made Nate laugh. “None of your business.”
“Well, that’s a yes, I guess. I haven’t seen you smiling like that in years. Who’s the mystery girl?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“I would.” She pulled his visitor chair out and plopped into it. “Come on, spill. Everyone will want an answer once they get a look at your face. I’d like to be able to fill them in.”
“I’ll keep that information to myself a little longer, but,” he eyed his mobile phone on the desk, “how soon is too soon to text?”
Samantha smirked, stood up and turned for the door. “In my limited experience of men who actually want to text me the next day, I’d say you can never text too early, but you can text too late. If you feel like it, send her a message.”
He watched her leave and considered the time he’d spent with Kelly this week. For several nights he’d been asking himself why he’d stayed locked up at home or out with the boys for the last few years. Every moment he spent with her made him feel alive and it was a feeling he didn’t want to end. His fingers crept toward his phone as he argued with himself. She was as interested as he was and she didn’t hesitate to push him to get him to commit to seeing her. Surely a quick text at nine in the morning wouldn’t freak her out?
Maybe I’ll just wait until after lunch. I have to retain some dignity. So far since we met I’ve been bitten by her tiny dog and she’s discovered I’m a homebody who barely dates.
Instead of alerting her that he’d been thinking about her within thirty seconds of arriving at work, he turned on his computer to check his email instead. The usual assortment of advertising and correspondence filled the screen. The last email was from his immediate manager who was based in Sydney. He clicked on that one and read the few paragraphs with a frown on his face. His boss wanted him to attend an emergency meeting the next day. His frown deepened as he considered this information. His bank rarely called emergency meetings; when they did, it generally meant something was wrong.
He clicked over to the internet to check available flights, then completed a travel request and sent it for sign off. It came back ten minutes later and he booked the last flight for the end of the working day.
Now he did have an excuse to text Kelly straight away. He was going to have to cancel their date for tomorrow night.
***
Nate paced around his lounge room as he tried to decide what to do. He was packed and ready for his flight but he still hadn’t heard from Kelly. Two texts and a phone message later he needed to leave. If he called her again he started to look desperate; if he didn’t he risked leaving without knowing if she’d taken his messages the wrong way. He’d been clear that this was a last-minute work meeting. After last night, though, there was every chance she’d think he was running away.
Which sucked, because it was the last thing he wanted.
He let out a sigh and picked up his bag. They’d just have to work it out when he got back.
***
By nine thirty on Friday morning Nate’s carefully laid out future was in tatters. His emergency meeting had been the bad news he’d suspected. He just hadn’t expected it to impact him so directly. There had been meetings and talking and apologies all day and he’d been glad to get away in a taxi when it was all over.
As he sat in the airport lounge at four o’clock, waiting for his flight home he read and re-read the letter with his name printed at the top. The sad expression on his manager’s face hadn’t prepared him for the contents of the envelope he’d been handed. One paragraph had his attention now and the words swam before his eyes as he read them over and over.
It is with deep regret that the bank informs you of the imminent closure of eighteen branches. Please be advised that with this letter we confirm the intention to make your position redundant within six months. Your branch, and your current staff, will commence the process to close immediately.
His eyes flicked down further to the last line.
Your redundancy package is included separately with this letter. Please be advised that there is no extra payment allowed should you choose to stay until the final day of the close out period. If you are successful in securing employment elsewhere, the bank will support you and allow you to commence your new position without detriment to your termination package.
He could leave immediately and they’d still pay him. The amount printed on the attachment was crazy. He’d be able to pay out his mortgage and have a nice bundle to add to his savings while he found a new job.
Holy shit! I can leave straight away if I want and still get my full payout. I never would, but what the hell would I do with myself if I did?
Maybe a holiday was in order? Part of the reason his payout figure was so decent, on top of his redundancy package, was that it included 20 weeks of accrued holiday pay. He’d also receive a payout of his unused sick leave. Since he never took sick days he had a nice number of those to cash in, too.
So, what did he want to do? The sensible option would be to work out the six months and get his affairs in order during that time. Except there was nothing to get in order. He had savings, few expenses and his only debt was his mortgage. Six extra months of pay wouldn’t make a huge difference either way, but it wasn’t an amount of money to be ignored.
A few years ago, he’d considered leaving the bank and starting something of his own. Fear had kept him from doing it then, but maybe now was the perfect time. He picked up his phone, intending to do an internet search for possible businesses for sale. He was distracted from his search by the reminder that Kelly still hadn’t answered him. Whenever he’d thought of her today, his stomach churned and a chill washed over him.
Where was she? Why hadn’t she replied? Was she angry that he’d had to leave and had cancelled their date? Or did she think he was making excuses? What if something had happened to her?
Whatever it was, he planned to go to her house on his way home from the airport. If she was angry, they’d sort it out; once he explained what had happened she would understand. Apprehension still tickled at his senses.
God, I hope nothing has happened to her.
His flight was called and he pushed down the fear that could only be him overreacting. He tucked the letter into his briefcase and made his way to the gate, all the while considering what he might like to do in the future that had now opened wide in front of him.
That was a decision his staff would all have to make now, too. He’d emailed Samantha to ask everyone to come in early on Monday so he could notify them personally of what was about to happen. The bank had supplied him with information kits and a slide show to break the news to the staff.
They should send someone from head office to do their dirty work.
He’d dedicated a good part of his adult life to the one employer. Working in a bank had the perception of being rock solid employment. Nate’s father had informed him he had a job for life when he’d been promoted to the role of branch manager, and he’d believed it. The job landscape had changed, though, and now he had to find something new. Another job wouldn’t be that hard to find; he could start applying as soon as he got home.
An hour on the plane listening to the man next to him complain about his job had him convinced this was his opportunity to do something big and different, something that didn’t necessarily include him finding new employment. When an advertisement to invest in a community bank played on the radio on the way home, he grinned to himself. Boring Nate was suddenly considering all kinds of changes he wouldn’t have considered if this change hadn’t been thrust upon him. Owning a small bank that supported the community was just one possible option on a long list he’d written on the back of his redundancy letter on the plane.
The glimmer of excitement that twisted in his gut made it impossible to be worried about this turn of events. Every part of him vibrated with an energy he hadn’t noticed in a long time. This was the same excitement he’d felt with Kelly when they’d hung out together that first night. He needed to talk to her and see what she thought about it all.
When he pulled up outside her house an hour later it was silent and dark. A fresh wave of irrational fear washed over him as he got out of the car and checked the mailbox.
Empty.
No junk mail piled up. A good sign nothing had happened to her. He pulled out his phone and dialled her number but it went straight to message bank. Fang didn’t bark at him from inside so she wasn’t home. He sent her another text and then went back to his car to get paper and a pen from his briefcase. He wedged a short note between the doorjamb and the handle and then he returned to the car.
If she’d stopped speaking to him, he figured he’d done everything he could to get in contact with her now. Her work was modelling, but he’d never asked where she worked, assuming she did location shoots and they changed based on the assignment. She’d said she worked in a studio but it could be anywhere. That information would have been useful right now.
When he got home his house seemed quieter than usual. There was nothing to unpack since he’d only been gone for the day and he quickly found himself at a loose end. A quick check of the fridge revealed nothing tempting for dinner and he made the easy decision to round up some of the boys and see if they were doing anything fun. A couple of texts later and he was out the door, headed for the corner pub and the promise of cold beer.