Flash Flood (13 page)

Why did he have all the characteristics she craved in a potential husband? Aside from his good looks, he exuded charm and compassion, and most of all—the one item that mattered to her the most—he loved the Lord.

Three months was a long time to fend off affection.

Friday, 12:30 p.m
.

With the inclement weather clawing at the two-story brick building of Flash Communications, the service department ran one call after another to keep up with the power outages and the normal glitches of maintaining a cable company. Lightning managed to do its share of damage, and customers were demanding immediate repairs. Twice Fred postponed the meeting until they decided to have a working lunch. A delivery boy from the deli nearby battled the downpour and brought soup and sandwiches.

Ryan stood outside Fred’s door. The older man gestured with his hands while he talked on the phone. His reddened face indicated trouble. “Do what you can, James,” Fred said. “Have dispatch radio the other crews and let them know what the situation is.” He motioned for Ryan to come on in and pointed to the food. Ryan smelled what he believed was chicken noodle soup. Comfort food.

“Go ahead and eat,” Fred mouthed. Lines creased his forehead. “We’ll need to call in a few servicemen for Saturday to get caught up.” Fred nodded. “Keep me posted.” He hung up the phone and reached for his lunch with both hands. “If it doesn’t stop raining soon, we’re going to have some big problems.”

“Service guys having a hard time?”

“Everything is in slow motion today, plus two of the men called in with the flu. The big problem teeters on whether the low-lying areas flood.” Concern rang through the older man’s voice. “I have the radio on for weather updates, but every time the phone rings, I turn it down. Have you been listening?”

“Fred, I don’t think the rain is supposed to let up before sometime tomorrow.”

Fred took a bite of his sub sandwich. He chewed on it while staring out the window. The rain had not slowed, making it difficult to gauge how much had fallen. “Once we’re finished eating, I need to meet James. He said one of the servicemen botched up a job yesterday, and the customer wants his cable installation fixed immediately or he’ll refuse to pay. I’d like to stop by and see what I can do to smooth things over.” He glanced up. “But that is my problem, and it may take awhile to resolve. Do you mind if we shelve our discussion until Monday?”

“No problem. I’d like to tag along while you check on the situation,” Ryan said.

“I’d welcome the company. I also want to take a drive down toward the river, just to be assured we aren’t in for real trouble with the rain—not just for Flash but for the whole town.”

“When was the last flood?”

“About thirty years ago, and a lot of construction has gone on since then. Although builders are aware of a potential problem, concrete can’t absorb water. So where’s it supposed to drain?” He lifted the lid of his soup. “Good old chicken noodle soup. My dear departed mama made hers from scratch just like this. And she always made a huge pot when it rained.”

Thirty minutes later, the two men climbed into a service truck and headed southeast through town. Windshield wipers flew fast and furious. Water spilled over the ditches, but none flowed into the streets.

“A little more and the water will flood the streets,” Fred said. “And this is not a low spot. If this rain would quit, the drains could handle the overflow. As it is, there’s no place for any of it.” Fred glanced over at Ryan. “Don’t mind me. I’m just an old man complaining about the weather. My knees ache, and I’m mad about the lousy job the serviceman did yesterday.”

“I’d complain, too.” Ryan watched a sports car ahead of them speed over the wet streets. “If he doesn’t slow down, he’s going to hydroplane. I did that once in my high school days.

Scared me to death and taught me a lesson.”

Before he could take another breath, the sports car swerved to the left to avoid a huge puddle and nearly hit an oncoming car.

“Well, that was no surprise,” Fred said. “The driver has his cell phone stuck to his ear. He’ll either kill himself or somebody else.” The car turned at the next intersection. “You’re gonna wish you’d stayed back at the office.”

“Oh, I’d hear complaints there, too.”

“I like your sense of humor.”

“We’ll see if it holds when we meet up with James.”

Fred pulled up in front of a new subdivision hosting upper-middle-class homes. Ryan wondered why the owner hadn’t had cable installed when the house was built. Near the front, Fred pulled up next to James’s van.

“I hate umbrellas, but if my wife found out I was running around in the rain, I’d be in the doghouse.”

Ryan snatched up his. “I’ll use mine, too.”

A woman met them at the door with a toddler hanging on to each leg. “Come on in, but take your boots off. I’ve had enough mud tracked through my house for one day.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Fred said as water dripped over him while he removed his boots and balanced his umbrella. “I’m Fred Lineman, owner of Flash Communications. My foreman said you had problems, and I wanted to check on it myself.”

She lifted a brow. “My husband is furious. The cable doesn’t work, and the man yesterday put outlets where we didn’t want them.”

“I’m terribly sorry. We’ll make sure the job is done right this time.”

Ryan held up his shoes. “May we set these inside?”

She frowned. “Wait while I get an old towel.” In the meantime water blew in on both men. When she returned, she pointed to the stairs. “The attic is in the hallway upstairs. I hope he knows what he’s doing, or there will be a lawsuit.” The woman looked tired.

“James is the best man I have,” Fred said.

“You’d better hope he is.”

Ryan observed Fred’s manner in dealing with the irate woman. Nice job.

Fred and James climbed the attic stairs. “Hey, Fred. I’m about to wind up this job. It sure was a mess.”

“What happened?”

“Tom didn’t follow the work order. It detailed exactly what the customer wanted. That man is going to get a piece of my mind. This is the third time I’ve cleaned up after him.”

“Let him go,” Fred said quietly. “This is costing us money and making our customers unhappy. I’m surprised you haven’t fired him already.”

Despite the cool temperatures, sweat beaded James’s brow. “He has a houseful of kids. Felt sorry for him. His wife left him, but now I understand why. Sorry, Boss. I’ll tell him when we get back. The mistakes on every job were pure laziness.”

Ryan filed away James’s remarks. So the man had more than one soft spot in his heart.

“I’ll have the customer send us the bill for any damages,” Fred said.

“You sure will pay for the damages.” The woman must have been standing in the hallway below the attic steps. “We’ve lived here less than a month, and now this.”

Fred made his way to the stairs. “Ma’am, this is not the way I do business. I’m sorry for what happened, and I meant what I said. You have the holes filled and the wall painted, then send me the bill.”

“I want that in writing.”

“I’ll get it for you now.” Fred climbed down the steps, but when Ryan started to follow, James stopped him. “I could use a hand dropping wire.”

“Tell me where I should go.”

James glanced up. “Don’t tempt me. In the kitchen, there’s an intercom system, and the wire needs to come out there.”

“All right.”

“I bet you’ve never had your hands dirty.”

Ryan let the insult digest. “Told you before, I worked my way through college doing construction. Does that count?”

“It might.”

“Fred told me about your little girl. Sorry to hear that.”

“We don’t need your pity. We got along fine before you came along, and we sure don’t need you now.”

Ryan bit back a retort about the possibility of two men getting fired.
He’s upset about his little girl and this job
. With a deep breath to balance his temper, Ryan took the wire and helped James finish the job. After Fred made arrangements with the woman to have her walls repaired, Fred and Ryan made their way out into the rain and on to the truck.

Fred shivered. “I’m soaked to the skin. Sure glad my house sits on a hill and my wife doesn’t have to get out for anything.”

Ryan noted the water standing in the fields. “I wonder if I should call Alina. I’m assuming Anna is in a high and dry facility, but—”

“How do you know about Anna? I knew Alina over three years before she told me about her sister.”

Ryan felt heat rise from his neck to his face. The last thing he wanted was to reveal information about Alina. He respected her privacy, and she probably wouldn’t appreciate Ryan’s telling Fred about their past relationship.

“You two must be getting along better than I thought.” Fred threw him a sideways look.

He refused to let Fred believe he and Alina were involved. “We went to college together.”

“You must have been good friends to know about Anna.”

Ryan stared at the blinding rain. The windshield wipers zigzagged in front of him.
Swish. Swish
.

“Did I touch on a bad subject?” Fred asked.

“Depends on how you look at it.” Why gloss over the matter? “Yeah, it’s a touchy subject. We dated—we more than dated. I asked her to marry me.”

Fred coughed. “No wonder she blew a gasket when she saw you. So you two were engaged?”

“For two weeks we were officially engaged. She broke it off, and we haven’t spoken since. We graduated from Ohio State and went our separate ways—until now.”

Fred whistled and palmed the steering wheel. “You hadn’t seen her until you and I began our meetings?”

Ryan smiled. “The reunion was less than pleasant, but today she seems like the Alina I remember. I mean, friendly.” His face warmed. The idea of looking like a blushing schoolboy scrolled across his mind.

Fred shook his head. “Thinking about this makes my head swim. Pardon the pun.”

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell her I mentioned it.”

“Of course. Poor girl’s had it rough taking care of Anna … and—”

“Being told she’s losing her job by an old boyfriend?” He shook away the sensation of having a basketball lodged in his throat. He waved his hand at Fred. “Oh, I’ve researched that topic inside and out. God and I have had more than one discussion about it.”

“He has a reason for putting you two together again.”

“I told Him it would be nice if I had an advanced copy of the itinerary.” Ryan’s reflections about Alina bombarded his mind. “I’d like to find out how Anna’s doing. It’s always bothered me that her mother didn’t pitch in and help with the financial care.”

“Her mother died about four years ago—a stroke, if I remember correctly.”

Ryan wondered if Alina had ever reconciled with her; probably not, considering her mother’s unstable temperament. “How about a change of topic here?”

“Sure. What you told me stays private. Didn’t mean to put you in a tough spot.”

“No problem.” Ryan forced a smile. “You didn’t twist my arm.” He surveyed the road. “Are we still heading toward the river?”

“Yes, we’re on River Road. First off, I want to make sure the way to my house is not going to require oars around five o’clock. It’s also a road several of the employees take. James made mention of flooding possibilities earlier.”

The road swerved around a curve to a flat stretch. Water seeped over the ditches and eased across the road. On both sides of the ditches were fields that had soaked up all the rain they could hold.

“I need to call the office.” Fred snatched up his cell phone. “Deidre, we have a potential problem out here on River Road heading south. It’s starting to flood. Best get the word out for those who need to come this way to head on home…. Yeah, anyone who is concerned about flooding. Send a dispatch to the service crews, too. Their safety is more important than keeping customers happy…. Right. I’ll talk to you on Monday.”

Fred’s concern for his employees was one of the differences a small cable company had over the big ones. Although Neon cared about all of its people, making money did rise to the top of the list—like the water gushing onto the road.

“Guess I’d better call the wife and see how she’s faring,” Fred said. “At least I have a truck.”

Ryan tuned out Fred’s conversation. Admittedly, Ryan felt a bit envious. The desire for a wife and family to share his life nudged him more and more all the time, but he didn’t have one single prospect for Mrs. Ryan Erikson. Alina had the best qualifications, but she had this Frank guy in her corner. Sometimes Ryan felt like a lovesick schoolboy. Just when he thought he had her memory tucked away into a far corner of his heart, she stepped right back into his life. Seeing her every day was torture. The same fresh appeal that had attracted him to her in college days now held him captive again.

“See the one-story home on your right?” Fred pointed. “The one way up the hill?”

Ryan’s gaze followed a winding road up to a red-brick ranch-style home. Huge oaks gathered around the front and sides, like sentinels posted to guard the master and his wife. “Very nice, Fred. I like the white fence.”

“Thanks. We love it here. Makes me feel like the king of the hill. I can stand on my back patio and take in all of Radisen and the countryside. We’ve always opened our home to church affairs and Flash get-togethers. Behind the house is a barn with three horses, and on down the hill is a stocked fishing pond. Retirement will be good.”

Ryan smiled. “Grandkids, too?”

“You bet—six of them, four girls and two boys. If you don’t mind, I need to stop at the house and get my other boots. Marta will want to meet you.”

An eagerness to get back to work had already attached itself to Ryan’s thoughts, and meeting Fred’s wife hadn’t been on the day’s task list—neither had the storm, the power outages, the cable problems, or the news about James’s daughter. If the cable connectivity survived the day, he’d be surprised.
Patience is what I need
. “Sure. I’ll probably wish I had boots before the day is over.”

“Want to borrow a pair of mine?”

“No thanks.”

Marta Lineman met them at the door with steaming cups of fresh coffee. Ryan expected a short, chubby woman who baked chocolate chip cookies and pulled out pictures of their grandchildren. Marta was dressed in jeans and a red sweater and stood close to six feet tall; she was blond, very slender, and looked like she must have captured every beauty queen title in the county. She welcomed Ryan as though he were an old friend. From the way she smiled at Fred, Ryan figured they must have the epitome of a good marriage. Another reason to be jealous.