Entwined - SF5 (4 page)

"Nope. And when Da finds out you got me one, he’ll throw a fit! He thinks debt is the work of the devil!"

"Wow," was the only word the startled woman was able to get out.

Over lunch Ryan asked rather absently, "How will we manage our checking account if we’re both making withdrawals?"

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked as she swallowed a bite of her turkey on rosemary bread.

"I want to make sure we don’t get overdrawn," Ryan explained, furrowing her brow a bit at Jamie’s lack of understanding of this basic tenet of finance.

Jamie blinked slowly. They had discussed that Ryan would use the account to make household purchases, but she couldn’t imagine how they would ever be overdrawn. "How much are you planning on taking out?" she asked with a surprised look on her face.

"I don’t know, Hon, but we’ll need groceries and gas for the car and all sorts of things. Da’s right, you know. It costs a pretty pence to keep me fed," she added with a worried look.

"Honey, you can write as many checks as you wish. My accountant balances the checkbook at the end of the month."

"But Jamie…" she insisted, but her partner cut her off.

"Ryan, my last statement showed I had over $100,000 in that account. Chill, Baby," she insisted as she patted her hand.

"$100,000!" Ryan shouted. "Are you crazy?! That money should be earning interest!"

"I know it’s a lot," Jamie soothed, "and it is earning interest. We earn a little bit on that account."

Ryan took a very deep breath and let it out slowly. "How much do you know about your financial picture," she finally asked.

"Not much, other than that it’s rosy," Jamie kidded gently.

"I don’t think you’re being advised very well if they let you earn a measly 2% on that much money," Ryan said seriously. "With the market the way it is, you should have the vast majority of that in a mutual fund."

Jamie was even more surprised to hear Ryan speak so knowledgeably, having had the impression that she was a financial Luddite. "Do you know much about investments?"

"Not a lot, but I understand math, and finance is really an offshoot of that. Would you like to understand your finances better?"

"I really would," Jamie agreed. "Maybe you can help me."

"I’d be happy to," Ryan said as she collected their plates. "But for now, it’s off to work for me and practice for you, Little One."

"Okay, Big One. Want a ride?"

"Nah, I think I’ll take my bike. Gotta keep those spark plugs clean."

On Wednesday evening, Jim called Jamie just as they were clearing the dinner dishes. "Jamie, did I catch you at a good time?" he asked.

"Sure, Daddy, we just finished dinner. What’s up?"

"A couple of things, Dear. But primarily I’d like you to come down for the weekend. I have a few things to discuss with you, and I’d prefer to do it in person."

"I suppose we could come down," she considered, furrowing her brow at Ryan. They exchanged glances, and Jamie gave a slight nod as Ryan mouthed, "Your father?"

"Um…I would like to see you alone, Honey," he said with a hitch in his normally assured voice. "Is that possible?"

Since she was on her cell, she stepped onto the front porch so Ryan could not hear. She knew that she would reveal anything that transpired, but she also knew that hearing one side of this type of discussion was a little unsettling. "Daddy," she said clearly, "I know this is hard for you, and I promise I’ll try to give you time to adjust, but Ryan’s my partner. I share everything with her. Now I understand that you don’t know her well, and that you probably feel a little uncomfortable around her. I’m willing to spend time with you alone, just as I did when I was with Jack, but I won’t stay overnight without her."

She could hear the heavy sigh he let out as he took this information in. It took him a second, but he silently acknowledged her position by changing his request. "How about golf on Sunday?"

"Sure. How about eight?"

"That’s fine, Honey," he said. "See you then. Oh, and Jamie?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"This really isn’t that hard for me, Sweetheart. I truly want you to be happy, Jamie, and if this relationship is what you want, I really don’t have any objections."

Wishing desperately that she had her father on speakerphone so that Ryan could confirm what he had just said, she managed to stutter, "Th…thank you, Daddy. That means a great deal to me."

"You mean a great deal to me, Jamie. Always remember that."

The course was crowded, but Jim managed to convince the starter to let them go off as a twosome. They chatted about their respective weeks for the first few holes, both managing to get over their slight discomfort with each other in a short time. Jamie was playing so well, Jim spent another five holes just marveling over her increased skills.

On the 16
^th
tee he finally got to his agenda. "I was dismayed when I was notified that you had converted your checking account to joint status," he said rather gravely.

"Why were you notified?" she asked, a bit perturbed that Mr. Merriman would notify her father.

"I am your trustee, Jamie," he reminded her. "Your monthly allowance goes into that account so I receive confirmation of all changes."

"Daddy, you know I would have gotten a complete distribution if I had married Jack. The funds Ryan and I are sharing are truly a drop in the bucket! Even if you don’t trust her, I would hope that you would trust me," she said with a note of hurt. "I want her to have some spending money and this is how I choose to do it. Please don’t second-guess me."

He strode to the tee and hit his drive, remaining silent until she was finished with her shot. "I certainly don’t mean to second-guess you, Jamie. I’m just concerned."

"There’s absolutely nothing to be concerned about, Daddy. Ryan is the most trustworthy person I’ve ever met."

Jim looked at his daughter carefully as they got into the cart and drove to the fairway. "She might be, Honey, and I truly hope that she is, but I don’t know her. You have to understand my position here."

Trying her best to soften her attitude, Jamie patted him lightly on the knee. "I can see that you don’t have a good feeling for her yet, Daddy. I guarantee that over time you’ll come to agree with me, but I acknowledge that it will take a while."

"I just have one question," he said slowly, making sure that he had her attention before he stated it. "Did Ryan, in any way, try to talk you into this?"

Jamie tossed her head back and laughed heartily at the question, causing her father to react with a very puzzled look. "I’m sorry, Daddy," she gasped. "The thought of Ryan doing that is just too funny. I practically had to drag her into that bank to make the change." Giving her father a confident smile she insisted, "I think money is going to be an issue in our relationship–but only because she wishes I didn’t have so much of it!"

He nodded slowly, honestly wanting to believe his daughter, and hoping, for her sake, that her impressions were correct.

After the round, they decided to have lunch together in the grill. Jamie wished she didn’t need to bring up the topic, but since her father had made it clear to Ryan that he wanted her to pay rent, she knew she had to approach it sometime. "Daddy," she began, fidgeting a little in her seat. "I…uh…Ryan told me that you want her to begin to pay rent to live with me."

He paused, mid-bite, and gave her a serious look. With a sigh, he replaced his fork and pursed his lips. "I think it’s best, Jamie. Having her pay her own way will reassure me that her intentions are honest."

Jamie cocked her head a little and asked the question that had been lingering in the back of her head. "Would you have done the same for Jack? If he had been attending Boalt," naming the law school at Cal, "would you have expected him to pay to live with me?"

Jim gave the question a moment’s thought, deciding that he had to be honest with his daughter, even though his honest answer weakened his position. "No, I wouldn’t," he admitted.

"I didn’t think so," she said, looking directly into his eyes. "Daddy, the bond I have with Ryan is deeper than what I had with Jack. If she was a man, we’d already be married. It’s important to me that you eventually come to realize that."

He nodded briefly, acknowledging her wish. "I promise to try, Jamie. That’s all that I can do." Running his hand through his hair, he nodded once more. "I would feel better if she would continue to support herself the same way she had been before…but since this means so much to you, I agree to withdraw my request. She doesn’t have to pay rent."

She graced him with a sunny smile, terribly pleased that he was so willing to listen to reason. "She lived with her family before, Daddy, and had no living expenses to speak of. So, in essence, she is supporting herself in the same way she was before."

He laughed a bit at this and said, "Not really what I had in mind, Sweetheart, but again, I defer to your judgment on this. You’ve always been very levelheaded, and I have no reason to believe you’ll not continue to exhibit that trait."

Jamie reached across the table and squeezed his hand, beaming a smile at him. "I’m very glad that you’re my father," she said softly, the hint of a tear playing at her mist-green eyes.

When Jamie pulled into the tiny driveway of the O’Flaherty home, she heard two sets of feet scampering down the stairs to greet her. "You look like you could use a hand," Ryan smiled, grasping Jamie’s huge golf bag with both hands and yanking it out of the passenger seat.

Duffy decided to run around to the more interesting side of the car, and as Jamie pushed the door open, his sturdy body shuffled backwards just enough to give her the bare minimum for clearance. "I’ve gotta say, you two always make me feel welcome," she sputtered as Duffy put his paws on her thighs and struggled to reach her face. Looking over at Ryan’s bemused smirk she playfully demanded, "Did you ever give any thought to teaching your boy not to jump on people?"

Her tone was light, and she was obviously teasing, but Ryan’s brow furrowed and she commanded in a sharp voice, "Duffy! Off!" Shooting her a puzzled glance, he immediately rested all four feet on the ground, his curly black tail thumping loudly against the concrete. The dog’s big black eyes darted from Jamie across the car to Ryan, who still looked a little cross. "I didn’t know that bothered you, Jamie." Her voice was quiet, and there was a definite shadow in her normally open gaze.

Walking around the car, Jamie placed her hand on Ryan’s back, giving it a little rub. "Everything okay, Love?" she asked softly.

Ryan looked a little embarrassed and nodded. "Yeah…fine. I guess I just wish you had told me before that Duffy’s jumping bothered you." A hint of a pout played around her lips and even though Jamie’s fervent wish was to be able to grab her and kiss the adorable little face, she knew that wasn’t the wise choice since Ryan was obviously in a snit over something.

Ryan had shifted the golf bag onto her shoulder, and the three of them made their way onto the deck. "Let’s sit outside for a bit," Jamie suggested, noticing a glass of lemonade and a book lying on a table.

The big bag rattled when Ryan set it down, and not for the first time Jamie wished she had a smaller bag to tote her clubs in. The large bag allowed her to carry the multitude of items she might need on the course, but now that she had to transport it in her small car, it was as much a hindrance as a help.

The two of them sat on the cushioned loveseat, Duffy looking around for a way to be as close as possible to Jamie while being as comfortable as he could manage. He chose to lie at her feet, hoping for a bit of a head rub if the opportunity presented itself. To his complete pleasure, Jamie’s hand was almost at the perfect spot to do just that, and she tangled her fingers in his jet-black hair, pleasing him completely. "I’ll deny it in public," Jamie mused, "but I have to admit that Duffy is my second favorite O’Flaherty."

The tone of her voice was very gentle, and Ryan immediately knew she was teasing. "I think everyone knows that already, Jamie," she said, smiling at the look of rapture on her dog’s face. "Although Duffy thinks he’s your absolute favorite."

"Nope. He’s a distant second. But he is very dear to me, and I think you know that I love having him jump on me to welcome me home." Her free hand was trailing up and down Ryan’s khakied thigh, and she smiled when she realized that both O’Flahertys were leaning in for more pressure on their respective parts.

"I thought so," Ryan said, a confused look on her face, "but your tone was really sharp, and I thought you meant it."

Jamie knew that her tone had not been the least bit sharp, and she suspected that she knew the source of the problem but did not want to bring it up directly. One of the things that she absolutely hated about Jack was his irritating habit of attributing every show of bad temper to her period, and she had decided that she would never do that to Ryan. Deciding that it would serve no purpose to disagree, she gave a little scratch to Ryan’s thigh and soothed, "I’m sorry if I sounded sharp, Honey. I certainly didn’t mean to. I love Duffy, and I love you, and I want both of you to jump on me and wag your tails when I come home for many, many years."

Her tone combined with her sincerity did the trick, and Ryan snaked an arm around her, leaning over to nuzzle her neck. A few gentle kisses followed, with Ryan finally lifting her head to murmur, "Somebody was in the sand today."