went to the reception desk and spoke to the young brunette woman seated there. “Is it possible to see Mr. Neal? Tell him Lorelei Hutchinson is here.”
“Yes, Miss Hutchinson.” The woman picked up the phone, and when she hung up said, “Mr. Neal said to have a seat and he’ll be out … shortly.”
Lori wasn’t in the mood to wait. “Is he in a meeting?”
The girl shook her head.
“Then I’ll just head to his office. Where is it?”
The receptionist stood and together they went toward a row of offices. “Actually, he’s in Mr. Hutchinson’s office.”
Lori smiled. “Oh, is he? Excuse me, I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s Erin Peters.”
“Well, Erin, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m Lori.” She stuck out her hand. “Have you worked at the bank for long?”
“Three years. I’ve been taking college classes for my business degree.”
“That’s nice to know. I’m sure my father appreciated his employees continuing their education.”
Erin only nodded as they walked toward the office at the end of the hall. Lori knocked right under the nameplate on the last door that read Lyle W. Hutchinson. She paused as she gathered courage, then turned the knob and walked in.
There was a balding man of about fifty seated behind her father’s desk. He seemed busy trying to stack folders. When he saw her he froze, then quickly put on a smile.
“Well, you must be Lorelei Hutchinson.” He rounded the desk. “I’m Gary Neal. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Lyle talked about you often.”
She shook his hand, seriously doubting Lyle said much about her. Her father hadn’t taken the time to know her. Now, did she have to prove herself worthy of being his daughter?
“Hello, Mr. Neal.”
“First off, I want to express my deepest sympathies for your loss. Lyle and I were not only colleagues, but friends. So if there is anything you need …”
“Thank you, I’m fine.” She nodded. “I’ve only been in town a few days, but I wanted to stop by the bank. I’m sure you’ve already heard that I’m going to be staying in Destiny.”
He nodded. “Dennis Bradley explained as much.”
She hesitated. “Good. Do you have a few minutes to talk with me?”
“Of course.”
Still feeling brave, she walked behind the desk and took the seat in her father’s chair as if she belonged. She didn’t miss the surprise on the loan officer’s face. “Where’s your office, Mr. Neal?”
He blinked, then finally said, “It’s two doors down the hall. Since your father’s death, I’ve had to access some files from here. Lyle was hands-on when it came to bank business. I’m his assistant manager.”
“Good. Then you’re who I need to speak with.” She motioned for him to sit down, but she was feeling a little shaky trying to pull this off. This man could be perfectly wonderful at his job, but she needed to trust him. “I take it you handle the mortgage loans.” With his nod, she asked, “What do you know about the Mac Burleson mortgage?”
The man frowned. “Funny you should ask, I was just working on the Burleson file.”
“Could I have a look?”
He hesitated, then relented. “It’s a shame we’re going to have to start foreclosure proceedings in a few days.”
Neal dug through the stack, located the file and handed it to her. She looked over pages of delinquent notices, the huge late fees. And an interest rate that was nearly three points higher than the norm. No wonder the man was six months behind. “Has Mr. Burleson paid anything during all this time?”
“Yes, but it could barely cover the interest.”
“Why didn’t you help him by dropping the interest rate and lowering the payments?”
“It’s not the bank’s policy. Your father—”
“Well, my father is gone now, and he wanted me to take over in his place.”
“I’m sure he did, but with your limited experience …”
“That may be, but I feel that given the state of the economy we need to help people, too. It’s a rough time.” She knew firsthand. “I want to stop the foreclosure, or at least delay it.”
“But Mr. Burleson isn’t even employed.”
“As of an hour ago, he’s gotten a job offer.” She looked at the remaining eight files. “Are these other homes to be foreclosed on, too?”
The loan officer looked reluctant to answer, but nodded. “Would you please halt all proceedings until I have a look at each case? I want to try everything to keep these families in their homes.” She stood. “Maybe if we can set up a meeting next week and see what we can come up with.”
Mr. Neal stood. “This isn’t bank policy. If people aren’t held accountable for their debts, we’d be out of business. I’m sure your father wouldn’t agree with this, either.”
For the first time in days, Lori felt as if she were doing the right thing. “As I said before, my father left me in charge. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Neal?”
With the shaking of his head, she tossed out one more request. “Good. I also need money transferred into the escrow account for the Mountain Heritage project as soon as possible. Mr. Yeager will have his crew back to work first thing in the morning. And if you have any questions about my position here, talk to Mr. Bradley.”
She walked out to the reception desk and found Jace standing there, talking with Erin. He was smiling at the pretty brunette woman. Why not? He was handsome and single. And why did she even care?
He finally saw her and walked over. “Hi, Lori.”
“What are you doing here? I told you that I’d get the money for the project.”
“I know you did, but that’s not why I’m here—”
“I’m really busy now, Jace. Could we do this later?” She cut him off and turned to the receptionist. “Erin, would you schedule a meeting for all employees for nine o’clock tomorrow in the conference room?”
With Erin’s agreement, Lori walked out of the bank, feeling Jace’s gaze on her. She couldn’t deal with him. She had more pressing things to do, like moving out of the inn and into her father’s house, where she had to face more ghosts.
Jace was angry that he let Lori get to him. He’d wasted his afternoon chasing after a woman who didn’t want to be found. At least not by him.
He hadn’t blamed Lori for walking out on him at lunch. Okay, maybe he had no right to say what he did to her. Damn. He’d let his past dictate his feelings about women. Like it or not, Lori Hutchinson was his partner. More importantly, she had the money to keep the project going. If he wanted any chance of keeping Cassie he had to complete his job.
An apology was due to Lori. And he needed to deliver it in person. If only she’d give him a minute to listen to him. He also needed her to sign some papers that needed her authorization.
Jace left the bank to meet up with his foreman to finalize the crew for tomorrow. Then the search for Lori continued as he’d gone around town and ended up at the inn, where he finally got an answer as to her whereabouts.
He had to pick up Cassie from school, but went straight to the Hutchinson house after. He drove through the gates, hoping he could come up with something to say to her. The last thing he wanted was to start off on the wrong foot.
“Wow!