Ivy parked her car in the back of the bank parking lot on Monday and took a big breath and released it. She was excited to get back to work but anxious about dealing with Mr. Harris. Finally, she grabbed her purse and forced herself to open the door and slide out.
Automatically, she headed for the back door and slowed as she reached the beginning of the shadows that gathered there. Maybe she should walk in the front for a while. Her key wouldn’t work there until the lobby opened. She’d have to knock on the window to have someone let her inside.
“Ivy! Hi! Let me walk in with you. We’re so glad you’re back,” Virginia said warmly.
“Hi. Thanks.”
As they approached, a huge floodlight clicked on, illuminating the area. It totally erased the trace of darkness from the entrance. Ivy felt her heart rate slow. This was so much better.
“Wait until you see the display inside. No more relying only on the peephole,” Virginia celebrated.
As she stepped inside, Ivy turned to see a video feed of the back of the building. Not just the area around the door, but the display revealed the entire back of the building.
“Mr. Harris did this?” Ivy asked.
“Oh, no! Some generous donor insisted on updating the technology. He paid for all the costs from the installer the board approved,” Virginia told her as they walked through the employee area to reach the lobby.
Claps filled the area as people spotted her. Busy with all the morning duties required to open the bank on time, they waved and called their warm greetings to welcome her back as Ivy passed. Stepping into her office, she found the box of her belongings set in the middle of her desk as well as a gorgeous bouquet.
Ivy collapsed into her chair and opened the bottom drawer of her desk to stow her purse. There, a small version of Lucky dressed in a tattered vest peered up at her. Blinking away the tears, she caressed his soft head. She wasn’t alone.
To distract herself, Ivy plucked the card from the flowers. It was from one of the bank board members, Erick Hamilton. He’d risen through the ranks quickly and quietly to claim a seat. She stared at it. What could make him send her flowers? Maybe he was the friend of the doctors?
Forcing her mind back to getting ready, Ivy quickly unpacked her box of possessions. Setting her nameplate on her desk, she felt official. She grabbed her mug and headed for the coffeepot, greeting people as she passed. The last office in the row was dark. Mr. Harris wasn’t always in the bank during all the official business hours, of course, but Ivy was amazed that he hadn’t been here to make sure she’d followed his instructions.
She filled her cup only partially and felt guilty. Steele hadn’t let her drink caffeine at all while she’d recuperated. Even though he wasn’t here to see her, she only put a splash in her cup with some milk and sugar.
Taking a sip, she smiled. Perfect!
Checking in with all the departments as she had always done before the bank opened, Ivy was pleased to find everyone glad to have her back. When they tried to tell her horror stories of what happened while she was gone, Ivy had waved them off and asked them to submit a report through the normal channels if there was something injurious to the bank customers or themselves, the security at the bank, or against board policy. She didn’t want a lot of hearsay. To take something to the board, she would need concrete evidence. To her amazement, many confessed that they already had filed complaints.
Ivy hung in the lobby, talking to customers entering for the first hour until the morning rush subsided. It felt good that the regulars had missed her. Some had even heard of the attack and expressed indignation and concern that there wasn’t better security. She did her best to address their worries and shared that improvements had been made to keep everyone safe and to protect the bank even more.
By the time she wandered back to her office, Ivy was glad to have some time alone. She had interacted with more people than she’d talked to in two weeks. Checking her schedule, Ivy noted she didn’t have any requests for meetings. Probably because Mr. Harris booted me out of here.
Instead of diving into a sea of ill will toward her boss, Ivy continued working on her computer and checked her messages. The number that had accumulated astounded her. Two weeks’ worth of bank business stared at her from the inbox. Taking a fortified drink of her coffee-flavored milk, Ivy dived in.
An hour later, a knock on her door made her look up with a smile, expecting to see an employee needing assistance. To her surprise, three board members stood at her door. What is going on now?
“Gentlemen,” she greeted them as she stood. “I don’t think you’re here simply to welcome me back.”
“Welcome back,” one said warmly, and her level of concern lowered—a bit.
“Shall we go into the conference room?” Ivy suggested.
A few minutes later, they settled around a large table with coffee. Ivy took a sip herself to calm her nerves before asking, “Who would like to update me?”
“I’m here as the newly elected board president,” Erick Hamilton began. “Unfortunate circumstances have forced a lot of changes in a very short time. On behalf of the board, I would like to apologize for the circumstances that we believe caused you being targeted—twice.”
“Something other than Mr. Morton’s removal from the board?” she asked, leaning forward. “Shouldn’t Mr. Harris be here? He told me he was the interim president.”
“Mr. Harris is no longer a bank employee and never was a board member,” Erick Hamilton explained.
“I see.”
“Friday night, a group of motorcycle riders came to visit me. I believe you know them—The Shadowridge Guardians?” When she nodded, trying to contain her astonishment, he continued, “After asking if I was the board member who golfed with your doctor at the hospital, a man named Steele requested I join them on a ride.”
Ivy crossed her fingers under the table. What had they done? Her brain followed that thought immediately with, How did Steele know that Mr. Morton wasn’t the friend of the doctor? Immediately, she realized she should have figured that out. Mr. Morton wasn’t anyone’s friend. He must have heard Erick speaking about the doctor’s recommendations.
“You told Mr. Morton I’d be out for an extra week?” she guessed.
“I did. It was the least we could do.”
“And you went on a ride with the Guardians?”
“I’m not normally a motorcycle club member, but Steele stated they were on their way to see Mr. Harris and thought I would be interested in the conversation. Since Mr. Harris’s name appeared in reports several times while you were gone and he appeared to be trying to seize control of the board, I thought it was worth the gamble.”
“You rode with the Guardians?” she repeated. “On a motorcycle?”
“I did. It was quite invigorating. I may have to buy myself a bike now.”
He waved away that thought and continued. “Arriving at Mr. Harris’s house, the group parked legally on the street in front of his house and waited. I stayed in the background—in the shadows—so he wouldn’t recognize me. A few minutes later, he peeked out the door to tell everyone that he had called the police and that they were on the way.”
Mr. Hamilton looked at the other men and chuckled. “I would have called one of you for bail money. My wife would have left me there.”
The laughter broke the tension slightly, and Ivy had to smile.
“Steele addressed him politely and pointed out that they were gathered on the public street, which was perfectly legal. They would be glad to wait until Mr. Harris had time to talk to them. Mr. Harris decided to do that thirty minutes later when the police still hadn’t arrived and the neighbors were beginning to gather. It turns out the Guardians support Shadowridge in a variety of ways.”
“They certainly have helped me,” Ivy pointed out.
“And many other people as well. When Mr. Harris emerged, Steele spoke to him so everyone could hear. During their conversation, Mr. Harris revealed he lacked the professional and social skills needed in a man we choose to have as a bank president. I took the opportunity to videotape the encounter and showed that to my colleagues early this morning. They convened a board meeting and made the tough decisions we needed.”
“What did he do?” Ivy asked in shock.
“Quite literally, he behaved like a jerk and relied on victim shaming to explain his lack of action and leadership. Frothing at the mouth and waving a gun at the public does not encourage people to trust our bank and invest their hard-earned money here. His demeanor changed tremendously when I walked forward for him to recognize me while I continued to record.”
Ivy stared at him in shock. Her stomach sank. “Victim shaming?”
“Yes. On behalf of the board and of me personally, we would like to apologize for the unprofessionalism you’ve dealt with while employed under his tenure here. A letter of commendation is now in your file. Here is a copy for your records,” he said, sliding a file folder across the table to her. “Your annual review will be completed this week and you will find that your efforts to protect the bank's interests by exposing Mr. Morton and Mr. Harris have been rewarded. We would ask one more thing of you.”
Completely mind-boggled, she asked, “Yes?”
“One of the board’s requirements for a bank president is that they have a master’s degree in finance or a related area. We would like to add reimbursement of successful graduate courses completed to your contract and to encourage you to pursue an advanced degree,” Mr. Hamilton suggested.
“Are you suggesting I could be the next bank president?” she clarified.
“No one has a crystal ball to see the future, but you have a brilliant career ahead of you. You were the only one to note a problem in the first place and document it. Then you continued to follow the data trail to discover the theft went deeper than believed. We would like to support your career and hope that you’ll consider applying for that position when you finish your degree.”
“I will. Thank you. And I will take advantage of the chance to expand my knowledge with a degree program. That is very generous,” Ivy said in amazement.
The three men stood and shook her hand. She followed them to the door and thanked them again.
Mr. Hamilton drew her aside to hand her his card. “Here is my personal phone number. Do not hesitate to call.”
“Thank you for the flowers.”
“My pleasure. The Shadowridge Guardians also gave me a bear last night. I hope you found it. I wanted you to know that you had a friend here when you walked in today.”
Holding the folder to her chest, Ivy nodded. She was completely out of words as the kind man turned and walked out the door. On autopilot, she walked to her office and closed the door. No one would disturb her unless it was an emergency.
Parking her car next to the Shadowridge compound that evening, Ivy walked to the garage area and noted most people had finished for the day. The others greeted her fondly as she passed. Steele was exactly where she expected him to be—at his bench, hard at work.
She took a seat on the cot behind him and waited patiently for him to notice her or finish. It didn’t take long. Steele extinguished the torch and stood, shrugging off the protective helmet. He brushed a hand over his protective leather apron to make sure no molten sparks smoldered before stalking forward to extend a hand to help her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, Steele hugged her tight.
When Ivy felt the light kiss on her temple, she relaxed into her Daddy’s arms. “I expected you there when I walked out tonight.”
“I chained myself here.”
Ivy understood. He would have fought himself not to walk her out of that back entrance for the first time. She leaned back slightly to look into his eyes. “You were right. I needed to do it myself. I did, of course, follow protocol and walk out with several other employees after checking the additional security that’s been added.”
“I knew you could do it,” he praised and kissed her lightly.
“I had a visit from Erick Hamilton today,” she shared.
Steele’s gaze never wavered. “I like him.”
“I do, too. You know that could have backfired horribly.”
“That wasn’t a possibility,” Steele rebutted her statement. His tone once again brooked no argument.
“What did Mr. Harris do?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Okay. They want me to go to school, so I will qualify to be a bank president,” Ivy told him.
“No late nights, Little girl. You need your sleep.” Before she could protest, he added, “I’ll support you in every way, but I’m always going to take care of you.”
There was no argument to that. She knew Steele would always be there for her, but he’d always be in charge.
“I don’t want to go back to my house. Can I stay here with you?” she asked.
A devastating smile spread across his lips, and she shivered against him in reaction to his potent charm. His arms tightened around her, hugging her closer. “I’m glad that was your idea. Your place is always with me, Little girl.”
“The guys won’t mind?”
“All old ladies are welcome here.”
“Do I have to be an old lady?” she asked, bristling at that name.
“Nope. You get to be my Little girl.”
“Do the others know?”
“Yes. I’m not the only Daddy in the Guardians.”
“Kade?”
Steele’s slow nod confirmed her suspicion.
“Mr. Hamilton wants to buy a bike now.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Are you ever going to take me on a ride?” she asked.
“As soon as we get clearance from the doctor. I don’t want your brain vibrated until we’re sure you’re okay. How did it go using the computer today?”
“I have a headache,” Ivy confessed and felt one of his hands stroke up her back to massage her neck gently.
“Your muscles are as rigid as a board. Dinner and a hot bath for you before bed,” he announced.
“Sounds heavenly, Daddy.”