Page 35 of The Reading

Ouch.

“Of course, Mr. Turner,” I replied like he was being unreasonable.

Those blue eyes of his shot me a look. “I’d watch it if I were you,” he hissed. “I’m not in the mood to humor you, Hattie.”

Deciding to keep my mouth shut, I gave him an acknowledging nod, then followed him to his office. I knew that everyone was looking at us, but that was the least of my worries. I was probably getting fired, and all I could think about was how nice it was that Fourth of July was a drinking holiday.

Chapter 1

Hattie~

Ethan held the door open for me, and I thought that was rather considerate, considering that he was mad as hell at me. Normally, when he wasn’t scowling at me, the man was as hot as they came. At well over six-feet tall, he also had dark brown hair, startling blue eyes, and a face that reminded me a little of a younger David Beckham.

No doubt about it, Ethan Turner was sizzling hot. He was also my boss,likedbanking, and seemed personable but boring as hell. I mean, who liked math? Who enjoyed finances? Yeah, sure, I worked as a bank teller, but that was more for the fact that I needed a job, not because I enjoyed numbers. Besides Ethan Turner, who in the hellenjoyednumbers?

Granted, he was doing something that he enjoyed in life, and I was not. I had gone to college to get a liberal arts degree, and I was incredibly thankful that my parents were still talking to me after wasting their money like that. I mean, who in the hell went to college for a liberal arts degree if the plan wasn’t to become a teacher or some sorts?

Me, that’s who.

Still, I didn’t regret college; that’s where I had met the girls. Plus, Sloane, Kit, and Chanel had all talked about loving Patch, California so much that I had kind of matriculated here when I had found myself eating cereal with no milk on my parents’ couch a few months after graduating from college. In fact, we had all found ourselves moving here after a while, and I couldn’t be happier. Okay, looking at Ethan’s scowling face, I could be a little bit happier.

Once he took a seat behind his desk, I braced myself for what was to come. Sitting down on one of the chairs positioned in front of his desk, I sat with my back straight and my chin held high.

“What in the hell were you thinking, Hattie?” he asked, and at least he wasn’t cussing at me.

“Obviously, I was thinking that he was trying to rob the bank,” I retorted. “What else was I supposed to think, Ethan?” I lifted my hand to tick off my reasonable suspicions. “First, he walks in looking all shifty. Next, he lets other customers ahead of him because he’s waiting for aspecificteller. Then he continues to look around nervously as he slides Racine a note. Anote,Ethan.”

Ethan ran his hands down his gorgeous face. “Jesus Christ, Hattie,” he muttered.

“What?” I demanded. “You’re acting like I didn’t have reason to be concerned.”

I could see his right eye twitching a bit. “If you had suspicions when he first walked in, why not close your window, then come get me?” he asked. “The cameras show him letting several customers ahead of him, so that would have given you plenty of time to come get me.”

I bristled at his logic. “Well, because I didn’t want to get you excited if I was wrong,” I answered.

“So, better to hit the goddamn security alarm because a seventy-four-year-old man slid Racine a note?” he countered. “You thoughtthatwas a better approach? Because I gotta tell you, Hattie, I’m not seeing how it was.”

“No one in their right mind slides abank tellera note, Ethan,” I said, defending myself passionately. “Plus, I’d never seen him before. I didn’t know him as a regular banking customer.”

“Goddamn it, Hattie,” he snapped. “Mr. Traverse is mute. His daughter runs his errands and does all his banking, and that’s why you’ve never seen him in here before.”

“How in the hell was I supposed to know that?”

“I’m not blaming you for not knowing that,” he quickly fired back. “I’m blaming you for sounding the goddamn alarm over nothing. If you were growing suspicious of a customer, then you should have come and gotten me.”

“I already expl-”

“Not to mention the danger that you put Racine in if hehadbeen an actual bank robber,” he continued. “Instead of alerting me of your suspicions right away, you allowed him to make his way all the way up to the window, putting Racine in danger had this been a real bank robbery.”

That stung.

He also wasn’t necessarily wrong.

“Look, I might have gone about things a bit wrong-”

“A bit?” he huffed.

“Are you going to let me explain or not?” I huffed back.

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