Chapter 7
Ricky
I can’t hold back my smile. Marilyn James actually showed. If I were a betting man, I would have said the odds of her coming here tonight were against me. Seeing her snarky smile and the gleam in her soft blue orbs, I’d gladly lose that bet to have her here now. “I’m glad you showed,” I say honestly, letting my arms drop to my sides.
“You’re not going to hug me, are you?”
Was I about to hug her?
I feel the heat coming to my face. No matter how self-assured I act around others, there’s something about Marilyn that sees through the bullshit. Avoiding her comment about the hug, I motion toward the bar, to where I was sitting. “Come. I have a stool for you. They said there was a forty-minute wait for a table. I hope you don’t mind waiting here.”
Marilyn shakes her head and loosens the knot of the sash keeping her wool coat closed. Beneath the bulk of the winter covering, she unveils her light-colored blouse and slacks. While not intentionally revealing, I notice the way the neckline dips over her voluptuous breasts and the taper of her waist as the black material covers her long legs.
Her voice pulls me from my trance. “This is good. I’m sorry I’m late. Busy day.”
“I want to hear all about your job. However, I’m warning you, if you tell me it’s a terrible place to work, I’ll be heartbroken.”
She drapes her coat over the back of the stool and secures her purse beneath the bar on one of those little hooks. I can’t help but continue to scan her, from her long dark hair to the toes of her boots. The little girl who used to hang out with Devan has grown up and grown out in all the right places. As she takes a seat, I inhale the slight sweetness of her perfume.
“Would you like a drink?” I ask.
Marilyn eyes the glass of beer before me. “What are you drinking?”
“It’s a local craft beer, tall blond.”
She smiles. “Good to know you prefer tall blonds.”
My smile returns. “When it comes to beer, I’m partial to blonds and ambers. When it comes to real life, I’ve always had a thing for brunettes.”
Her eyes open wide. “Are we working on our script?”
“No, Marilyn, that’s not pretend.” I lean back and make a point of staring into her eyes. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you how pretty you look.” I shake my head. “And how amazing I think it is that you’ve accomplished all that you have. I know I’m a little late to this world, but the truth is, I want it.”
Marilyn’s shoulders seem to relax.
The bartender appears before us. “Would you like a drink?” she asks Marilyn.
“A tall blond,” she says with a smile and a sideways glance in my direction.
“I didn’t know you liked beer.”
“I’m not picky. My indulgence of choice is ice cream, not alcohol. But I’m not against a drink or two.”
“I heard stories about Devan’s bachelorette party.”
She takes a deep breath before covering her face with her hands. “Oh, don’t remind me.” As she drops her hands, her cheeks glow with a hue of pink. “I’ve officially sworn off cheap wine for the rest of my life.” Her smile grows. “Now, wine that doesn’t come in a box, I’m still willing to partake in. In moderate amounts.”
“I remember Devan being a little green that next morning.”
Marilyn arches her eyebrow. “And you, Ricky Dunn, have never had too much to drink. What about Justin’s bachelor party?”
“Oh, I was perfectly sober.”
She hums and tilts her head.
“Until I wasn’t. I couldn’t let my best friend get married without a party.”
The bartender sets Marilyn’s glass of beer on a napkin in front of us. “Would you like anything else? Something to eat?”
It’s my turn to lift a brow toward Marilyn. She shakes her head. “We’re good for now.”
“Let me know,” the bartender says with a smile.
“I think you have an admirer,” Marilyn says as she lifts her glass.
My gaze goes to the woman behind the bar and back to the one sitting at my side. “Would you believe me if I said I’ve been out of the dating scene for so long, I think my radar is broken? Because if you think she’s sending something my way, I’m totally not picking it up.”
She lifts her glass. “To your future.”
Our glasses clink, and we each take a drink. Setting down my beer, I bite the bullet. “I know I told you at the wedding, but I’m sorry for the way I closed you out.” Marilyn’s smile fades, and I immediately regret bringing up the subject. “I may have been older than you, but that didn’t mean I was more…”
As I struggle for the next word, Marilyn says, “Mature?”
“I’ll take it. Guilty as charged. There’s something about staying in Riverbend that hinders a person’s ability to grow up.”
“People grow up in Riverbend. I didn’t want that, but I don’t think less of those who do.”
Exhaling, I sit straighter. “I’m not dissing people like Justin and Devan. Hell, she’s my sister, and he’s my best friend. If anything, I think Devan made Justin grow up. It’s crazy to say, but before they got involved, Justin was like me.”
“What is that?”
This is the most honest I’ve been with anyone in years. “A boat lost on the sea. A dandelion turned to seed and floating in the air.”
Her smile returns. “I didn’t know you were this deep.”
“Oh, I’m not. It’s that I appreciate you helping me, and if we’re going to make this seem legitimate, I thought the best thing was to come clean. Before Devan, I wondered if Justin was as sick of farming as I was. Every now and again, he’d make a comment.” I lift my beer. “He wasn’t tired of farming. He was just untethered.”
“Now he’s tethered—tied down?”
I shake my head. “That’s not a bad thing. I mean, it sounds bad.” I chuckle. “But for Justin, it’s given him the focus and drive he didn’t have.” I sit taller. “He’s kicking ass with ethanol. And don’t tell Devan, but he’s even made a few comments about being ready for kids.”
Marilyn’s eyes grow wide. “I’m not sure Devan is ready.”
“That’s why you can’t tell her. He doesn’t want to pressure her. They’ve got something that’s…” I inhale again “…it’s cool.”
“What about you?” she asks.
“What about me?”
“Are you still a boat or dandelion puff?”
“No.” I take a moment, giving her question consideration. “For the first time in my life, I think I’m on the right track. I mean, even after Vincennes, going back to Riverbend and farming was expected. You know, Dad took over Granddad’s farm. I was next. This, getting my degree and looking for more than a job, a career…it feels right.”
“Tell Justin that farming isn’t a real job.”
I take a sip of my beer. “That’s not what I mean. What about you? You didn’t have a drive to return to our small hometown.”
“No,” she says and sighs. “That doesn’t mean that sometimes I don’t miss it, the people, the closeness, the support. It’s different out here.”
“Do you want to go back?”
“Oh, God no.”
A laugh comes from my throat. “That’s what I expected.”
“But if we’re both being honest, it gets lonely out here. You know how at home, when you walk down Main Street or go into the Main Street Diner…?”
I do know. “Yes, five to six mornings a week, like clockwork, there was a standing breakfast at the diner. The table would be filled with three or twelve men. We shot the shit and chowed down like there was no tomorrow.”
“Do you have that here?”
“No. I have other things.”
“Your degree,” she says.
“And a feeling of self-worth that I lacked before.”
Marilyn’s smile grows. “I see that. It looks good on you.”
“I was preparing all day for you to give me shit.”
“Maybe I’ve matured too. Parker and Stevens is a good place to work. The position you’re applying for used to be staffed by interns.” She lowers her voice. “In other words, I did the work for free.”
“I can’t really afford free.”
“Over the last few years, things have changed. If you get hired, there’s a good chance that they’ll offer you a stipend to continue your education.”
“I have already applied for my master’s. I’m scheduled to take the GMAT in a few weeks.”
“Really?” she asks. “Oh my God, that test was worse than a million internships.”
“Thanks.”
She reaches out and covers my hand with hers. The warmth flows from where we touch throughout my body. As I look down, Marilyn lifts her hand.
“Sorry.”
I don’t know if she’s apologizing for the touch or for scaring the shit out of me about the Graduate Management Admissions Test. “Don’t be.”
“I could help you with what questions to expect.”
“You’d be willing to do that?”
She smirks. “A continuation of that Riverbend camaraderie.”
“Well, we have been dating…” I leave the statement open, wondering where she’ll take it.
“Off and on.”
“That could work.” I broaden my grin. “Tell me, what do I need to know about my off-and-on, not-on-relationship. Tell me something only your boyfriend would know.”