Chapter Seven
From the moment that Chrissy walked out of the front door of the ranch, Mike had been plotting to be with her again. She had told him that she wanted a baby, but he really didn't think her future plans included a husband! So Mike had kept his own future plans to himself - he hadn't told Chrissy that his time in the Marines was up because he didn't want to scare her away.
Even before meeting Chrissy, though, Mike had been in the process of getting his retirement in order. At this point, all he needed to do was to get back to base, finish up the paperwork and close up his office. He had already applied for his terminal leave and it would begin in the middle of January. He would then have about 2 months before he was officially discharged, but he would be on leave for the whole time. It was a nice way to have some income and not have to worry as he was trying to figure out where he was going next. And where he was going next was definitely somewhere very close to Chrissy.
It took Mike the full two weeks to finish all that he had to do in order to process out of the Marines. Time took on an unreal quality for Mike with one moment seeming to pass quickly and the next moment seeming to drag on forever. He was anxious to get back to Chrissy, but he was really excited about bringing his successful military career to an end. He had done well as a Marine and there were lots of friends that wished him well. It was with great pride and pleasure that, on January 15th, he closed his office door and turned in his key. Mike's car was already packed and pointed out of town. Next stop - Chicago!
Over the past three weeks, Chrissy's life had been busier than ever. She had returned to work on Jan. 2nd and immediately immersed herself into the world of corporate loans. Rather than allow for the possibility of having any extra time on her hands to mourn for her loss (both of Mike and the child she had hoped for) she took on even more of the loan applications than before. She found herself being asked out to dinner, by more than one male client, in order to finalize their loans. Chrissy marveled that, just when she no longer cared about getting male attention, suddenly she seemed to attract it. Even though she had no intention of pursuing a relationship with any man, she accepted the dinner meetings and closed deal after deal for the bank. Although her personal life was in shambles, her professional life had never looked better.
So, when her intercom buzzed on a bright Monday morning in the middle of January, Chrissy answered it with her usual, "C. M. Stanton - may I help you?" The intercom was wired throughout the whole building and it wasn't unusual for a new employee to call the wrong office. It was always safer to identify herself.
"Ms. Stanton? There is a client here who needs to speak with you," came the hesitant reply from the information desk receptionist.
Chrissy had worked with the bank long enough that she didn't have to handle the day to day customers. She only worked with the corporate accounts, and those meetings were arranged by appointment only. Annoyed at the interruption, she responded, "I'm afraid that I am not able to meet with anyone this morning. Is it possible that another of the loan officers might be able to help our customer?"
Chrissy was hoping that the receptionist would take the hint and direct the customer elsewhere. But her hopes were in vane as the young woman replied quietly, as though trying to keep someone else from hearing her, "I'm sorry, Ms. Stanton, but he refuses to speak to anyone else!"
Chrissy huffed out her annoyance but answered sweetly, "Very well. Ask our customer to give me a moment and I'll be right there." As she made her way out of the back offices into the main area, she pasted on her best smile. She approached the information desk, thinking about a few odds and ends she needed to wrap up, and vaguely wondering just what this customer wanted.
"Katie? Is our customer here? The one that needed to speak with me?" Chrissy asked the receptionist.
Katie's eyes were big and round as she pointed over to some chairs that made up a small waiting area. "It's the gentleman over there," she said.
Chrissy wasn't sure what the man had done to intimidate Katie so badly, but she knew that she would need to do a little damage control when this meeting was over. Either that, or find a new receptionist since this one seemed about to short circuit!
As Chrissy approached the area, she noticed that there was only one person in the waiting area. The man had his back to her. He was wearing a baseball cap and an old blue jean jacket. Not exactly the kind of corporate clothing she was used to her clients wearing. She cleared her throat, "Excuse me? I'm Chrissy Stanton."
When the man turned around and looked Chrissy in the eye, her legs gave way under her and her face turned ashen. He was beside her instantly and guided her into a chair, squatting down beside her. Her heart was hammering and she felt like she couldn't breath. Her mind kept screaming, "It's Mike! It's Mike" - Mike couldn't really be here - could he?
But it was Mike and he was grinning at her like a Cheshire cat. Chrissy reached out and touched his face. Mike turned to kiss her palm. Chrissy's eyes widened even more, "Mike? Are you really here?"
"Yes, Ms. Stanton, I'm really here!" he answered, with a twinkle in his eyes.
Chrissy realized that the receptionist had turned around in her seat and was watching them with great interest. Several of the tellers were also moving around behind the counter trying to get a better view of the waiting area. For the sake of deterring office gossip, Chrissy realized that she needed to get Mike out of such an open area and she needed to do it fast. "Why don't we go discuss your loan in my office, Mr. O'Connor?" she asked with business like politeness.
Mike took his cue and stood up, offering her his hand. She accepted it only to stand, then broke the contact. Although disappointed that she hadn't held onto his hand, Mike obediently followed her out of the front office and down a hall into the back. Personnel offices lined the walls in this area of the bank. Chrissy turned into one of the doors on the left which had her name printed on it in block letters. Mike had a brief moment to register that her office was rather Spartan in appearance with nothing more than two rather generic landscape paintings on the walls.
Then Chrissy was closing the door and suddenly all of his attention was focused on her. Her face had gotten a little bit of color back in it. She was wearing a pale green jumper with a hot pink turtle neck under it. In the dead of a Chicago winter, Chrissy looked like the blessed breath of spring. Her flaming red hair was drawn back into a twist, but several soft stands hung loosely around her face. Mike's heart warmed when she pushed her sleeves up on her arms, and he heard the familiar jingle of her charm bracelet. She was everything he remembered and all that he would ever want. But the look on her face said that she was less than amused at his presence.
