but deep inside he was worried. It had only been in the past few years that his salary and compensation package had risen to the level of other banking consortiums the size of Midwest. He and Nicky had recently built a new house in the exclusive Zionsville area near Indianapolis and were just starting to enjoy the good life. With so much at stake, he knew his decision to pay back the bailout money could put his job in jeopardy. Chairman Barnes had threatened as much. Alex rued the day he asked the successful attorney to be on his board—he had been a thorn in Alex’s side ever since. Charming, when need be, and a natural politician, Barnes always seemed to find a way to sway the board’s vote in his favor on big decisions. The previous fall he worked behind the scenes to convince the board to accept the bailout money over Alex’s very strong objections. And once again, it appeared as though the board was leaning his way on the payback. Alex was also concerned that Barnes, now his Chairman, might use this crisis to move Midwest toward a possible change in management, one that he was certain would not include him. “We need to be more flexible and open-minded”, he so often stated during heated debates with Alex. The bank’s stock, which had been as high as twenty-nine, was now trading at just under three dollars a share. This would be a terrible time for the bank to buy Alex out; it would be a financial disaster for him and his family. He had to find a way to sway the board to come around to his way of thinking.
Chapter 2
“You were kind of preoccupied at dinner tonight, honey. You weren’t yourself,” Nicky said probing her husband.
“I was hoping no one would notice.” Alex gave a quick honk to the Everett’s as they stood by the front door of their house waving good-bye. He smiled meekly at his attractive wife. She looked stunning in her black pantsuit and silk blouse. A delicate diamond necklace hung around her bare neckline and was accentuated by two small diamond earrings. Her dark brown hair was pushed back on the sides revealing her classically beautiful face. And more importantly to Alex, beneath that lovely exterior, was an equally lovely person. Kind and caring, she was a dedicated wife and mother. Alex loved her more than anything in the world.
“Don’t worry honey, you covered yourself well. I’m sure the Everett’s didn’t notice a thing.”
“Hope not.”
Nicky pressed her reluctant husband, “Did something happen at work today?”
“Well…uh yes it did. I didn’t have time to tell you earlier; we were in such a rush to get to dinner.”
“Yes, you were late again.”
Alex gave Nicky an exasperated look. “Sorry, but Strom Winslow came over to see me just after I left the office this evening. He caught me in the lobby of the building.”
“Hmmm….he probably wanted to talk to you about the bailout money.”
Alex shook his head, “You’re amazing.”
Nicky gave him one of her cute little grins. “Things aren’t that complicated, dear. Uncle Sam gave you twenty-five billion dollars and the board wants you to keep it. You want to give it back and they don’t like it one little bit.”
Alex slowed almost to a stop; his headlights reflected off the empty guard station at the entrance to their neighborhood. He accelerated through the tight opening and turned right.
“Want to go with me tomorrow? You could probably solve this problem in oh….ten minutes or less.”
“No way! All those rich old men would scare me to death.”
“Right now, they kind of scare me too,” Alex smiled.
The turn signal flashed as he turned into their driveway. Alex slowed as they passed under the still rising garage door and came to a stop. He looked in his mirror, headlights flashed by. He watched a dark sedan drifted slowly past their house. Alex pressed the opener and the big door slowly rattled shut.
Nicky’s hand fell tenderly on her husband’s arm. “Alex, let’s go north. Let’s move full time to the lake. You don’t need this job. With your background, you could get a good position in South Bend or Fort Wayne. You could work a few more years and then retire and enjoy the lake and those grandkids.”
Alex grimaced, “I thought you liked it here. We’ve finally arrived. We live in a two million dollar house and you drive an Escalade, for cryin’ out loud!”
“I know, it’s fine here but we both love the lake, and we’ve been here twenty years. That’s long enough.”
Alex looked away toward his cluttered work bench at the back of the garage, “I….uh don’t know. Most of my retirement is in the form of stock options. Right now, our stock is under three dollars a share. My retirement is in the tank right now. And I just can’t see myself running away from this fight. It’s just not the way I do things.”
Nicky’s hand slid off his arm. “I’m not sure your bank’s stock is going to get much better for awhile. But it really doesn’t matter. We have plenty of equity in this house. Even if we sell below market, we have other holdings. We could get by. Just think about it, dear, that’s all I ask.”
“I will honey, I promise.” He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
“Hope you enjoyed that, it’s about all you’ll be getting for awhile,” she joked as she slid out the passenger side.
Alex playfully sang ‘I can’t get no satisfaction,’ as he climbed out of his seat and hurried around the front of the car.
“You’re hopeless,” she laughed as they came together by the back door and fell into each other’s arms, hugging and laughing.
Alex sang on, “I try and I try and I try. I just can’t get no…”
A giggling Nicky interrupted, “Okay! Okay! How about a quick shower and then we’ll take it from there?”
Alex pulled her very close and spoke softly, “How about a shower together?”
“We tried that when we first got married and never made it out of the bathroom.”
“I know.”
The two playful lovers quickly entered the house and hurried upstairs for their late night rendezvous.
Chapter 3
“Pardon me Mr. Crane; Mr. Winslow is here to see you.”
“Okay Erica, send him in. And could you bring us both a cup of coffee? Strom likes his black.”
“I’ll be right back with the coffee sir.”
Born and raised on a dairy farm in North Central Indiana, Alex Crane’s father was a stern, but loving, taskmaster. He had taught Alex the value of hard work at a very young age. His mother was out-going and friendly and taught Alex the value of relationships and getting along with others. Strong and fleet of foot, Alex was also one of the best athletes to ever come out of North Central Indiana. He earned all-state honors in both basketball and football at Oak Hill High School. After graduating from high school, he went on to be a star athlete at Butler University in Indianapolis, majoring in finance and graduating with honors. After a stint in the Navy, he found a job
