Page 211 of Love in Riverbend
A laugh bubbles from my throat. “I’m not exactly sneaky. Rich and Ricky are both short for Richard.”
“So is Dick.”
My cheeks rise. “Yeah, my headhunter thought Rich would look better on résumés.”
“I don’t know, Dick Dunn would certainly catch people’s attention. Why did you call me at work? Do you need a wealth manager?”
“No,” I scoff. Hardly. Making it to the next paycheck is more my speed. Instead of saying that, I reply, “It’s part business and part personal.”
“I’m curious,” Marilyn says. “What’s the business and what’s the personal?” She pauses. “I have a meeting with a client in ten minutes.”
So much for chitchat. “Remember that I went back to college?”
“I remember.”
“I loaded up on the hours and completed my bachelor’s in December. I thought I might see you in Riverbend over the holidays.”
“Couldn’t get a lot of time off. Business, personal,” she prompts.
“Work, well…that’s why I’m calling. I’ve been on more than a few interviews.” My mouth goes dry as I say what I’ve practiced. “One position is with Parker and Stevens.”
“Oh.”
I was hoping for a more enthusiastic response, but I continue, “It’s a starting position, one in research, but it’s a foot in the door. I’m not ready to be a fiduciary yet. I’m hoping to work as an underling and, at the same time, take classes toward my master’s degree.” I don’t pause, afraid if I do, Marilyn will cut me off. “The thing you might already know is that these entry positions are relatively new, and Parker and Stevens has a huge selection of applicants. I was hoping that maybe I could stand out above the rest with your help.”
“My help?”
Biting the bullet, I spit out my question, “Marilyn, will you be my date for the dinner with the partners? It’s only for one date and no strings.” When she doesn’t respond, I add, “It’s a recruit dinner. There will be twenty of us there vying for an undisclosed number of openings. I was hoping?—”
“When is the dinner?”
Inhaling, I take a much-needed breath. A question is better than a flat-out no. “This Friday.”
Marilyn coughs. “This Friday, as in today is Tuesday?”
“That’s the way it works. I only received the email with the invitation yesterday. I didn’t see it until today,” I admit. “It said something about a delay with the holidays. It asked about a plus-one, and I thought of you.”
“Not to be rude,” Marilyn says.
I brace myself for her to be just that. Here it comes, her smartass comment.
She goes on, “Why me?”
Okay, not what I expected. “You know the partners. You work for them. This is one friend helping the other.”
“Hmm.”
Taking a deep breath, I lay it on the line. “Help a friend out.”
Chapter 6
Marilyn
A friend.
I wonder what’s wrong with me. Am I a masochist when it comes to men? Or is it only with Ricky? If I say yes to his dinner invitation, am I opening the dam I’ve built, block by block, over the years, the one that is supposed to keep the feelings about Ricky safely concealed far behind it? Then again, if I say no, am I allowing a mistake from the past, from both of our pasts, to influence the future?
“I went to a similar dinner a few years ago,” I volunteer. “They’re looking for stability, not a one-night stand.”
