Brett had learned his lesson the last time this happened. He had no doubt that Sidney could handle herself in any situation, and if she did need his help, she would ask for it. So he got behind the gentleman and waited patiently for his turn at the teller window.

When the guy glanced back over his shoulder at him, Brett nodded a friendly hello and asked him how he was doing. But the man ignored him and turned back to Sidney and the other teller, who both wore looks of frustration. Yep, they were clearly dealing with an asshole. Figures.

He couldn’t hear what the man was saying to them since he was whispering as if he was afraid Brett would overhear his account number, but he was obviously being a jerk about something. Sidney’s eyes kept glancing back at Brett, and it set him on edge. Was she worried that he might say something?

So as he waited for the guy to finish his transaction, Brett glanced around the bank, noting the light gray walls paired with the darker gray carpet on the floor. They looked good together, and he wondered if he shouldn’t have the same look in his customer waiting area once he opened his garage.

After a few moments, the guy in front of him finally turned to leave, and the relieved look on Sidney’s face told Brett that she was glad to be done dealing with the jerk. Brett hated that the guy had given her a rough time, but he hoped that what he was about to do would change her day for the better. And his too, if everything went right.

Brett set the roses on the counter and then kneeled down on one knee. Then he quickly pulled the ring out of his pocket and opened the box, holding it up to present it to her. “Sid, I—”

Sidney turned away from him, and Brett froze. Did she not want to marry him? But then he saw her running around the counter as fast as she could, and he realized that she just couldn’t contain her excitement about his proposal. Smiling, he waited for her to run over and fling herself into his arms. But instead, she ran right past him without even glancing at the ring and headed for the doors of the bank.

Damn. His heart stopped beating, and his chest ached. That was brutal. If she didn’t want to marry him, all she had to do was say no. No reason to make such a dramatic exit.

He rose to his feet, closed the ring box, and turned to leave. But he saw Sidney locking the front door with her keys before returning to the counter. Her hands were shaking almost as much as her voice as she lifted the roses from the teller window and said, “I’ll be in my office. Let me know when the cops arrive.”