Page 256 of Love in Riverbend
The woman’s lips curl as she sizes me up and down. “You’re the one who left her the letter.”
“Guilty.”
“Your name?”
“Richard Dunn.”
“Just a minute.”
I wait as she pushes some buttons and speaks into her headset. After a few moments, she removes the headset. “Follow me to Ms. James’s office.”
The receptionist leads me through a closed door to a hallway of doors. She knocks lightly on one. Next to the door is the nameplate: Marilyn James, Wealth Adviser.
“Come in,” Marilyn calls. She stands from behind the glass desk.
I can’t help but scan from her rich chestnut hair down her figure. Even in the blouse, jacket, and skirt, I see each of her curves, imagining the way they look without the clothes.
Marilyn smiles. “Thank you, Klara.”
Klara, the receptionist, nods and leaves the two of us alone.
“I didn’t expect you to visit me,” she says, walking around the desk and dusting off the lapels of my new suit coat. “You look very handsome.”
We share a chaste kiss.
“And you’re stunning.” I turn a full circle, taking in the bookcases, chairs, and window. “Wow, you have a window.”
Marilyn laughs. “A little bigger than a porthole on a ship, but it’s glass.”
She’s exaggerating. While it isn’t a floor-to-ceiling window, it’s a normal-sized view of the outside. I’ve learned from her stories that, as an intern, she was in a cubicle, surrounded by other cubicles.
“I’m glad you like the suit. You picked it out.”
“You’re going on your second in-person interview with the partners. I thought it was time you move up from the one suit.”
“Hey, that suit has served me well. I’ve had it since my grandpa’s funeral.” I try to think. “That’s six years ago.”
Marilyn nods, her lips pressed together in a tight smile. “You deserve a new suit.”
“I hate to use you as a spy,” I preface. “Have you heard anything about the hires for the new position?”
Marilyn’s smile fades. “I heard something this morning.”
Shit.
“I don’t like your expression.”
“The talent acquisition team agreed on hiring six of the twenty applicants from the dinner.”
“When are they going to let us know?”
She reaches for my hand. “They already have. Calls went out yesterday. The other applicants will be notified by snail mail.”
Gritting my teeth, I exhale. “Then why the fuck am I here?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I believe the partners are interested in you for research and development with the agriculture wealth campaign.” She brightens her smile. “This is much bigger than the position you interviewed for, Ricky. This is moving up.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
