Marry Me for Money (2 page)

“Welcome, Beth.” Jim, the head banker on my team, shook my hand before immediately turning to Renee. “Renee, are you available tomorrow? Plack Industries has a request on the table.”

He’d barely taken notice of me, and my smile faltered as he moved past me into Renee’s line of sight.

Renee straightened her back to stand a little taller and her gaze flicked upward. “Thanks for letting me know in advance,” she said, sarcasm etched in her tone. “No, I’m not available. I already committed to going with another banker on a client call tomorrow.”

He scratched his head. I noticed his receding reddish-brown hair matched the light freckles on his face.

“I need an underwriter there. This deal needs to move quickly,” he prompted, placing his hand on his hip.

Renee crossed her arms over her chest. I could see annoyance written all over her face.

“Well then, take Beth. Plack Industries is in her portfolio now. She’s the underwriter on that account.”

I shifted from one foot to the other, glancing back and forth between them.

Jim offered me a fake small smile before turning back to Renee. “Plack Industries is one of my biggest clients. I want you there. I need someone experienced.”

“Beth’s new, but she can handle it. She interned here before. She knows our systems and how to draw up a credit approval package.”

It surprised me when Renee rolled her eyes in front of him, and suddenly, I wanted to hide from the tension emanating in the room.

“Renee,” Jim pleaded.

Renee ignored his plea and pivoted to a sweet-looking brunette typing away on her computer. “Caroline, show Beth where the file room is. Beth, study Plack Industries and their latest financial statements, and come up with your questions for the company tomorrow. If you need help, ask Caroline. I’d like to see the proposal on my desk in two days.”

My face must have registered shock because a moment later, Renee placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Beth, don’t worry. You will do fine.” Her eyes softened before she marched straight past Jim.

He stomped back to his desk, muttering something under his breath.

I blinked a couple of times, looking toward Renee’s retreating back. I was surprised that I was being thrown into work after being here for less than twenty minutes. All the while, I was also making lists in my head of what I needed to do before tomorrow’s meeting.

“Hi, neighbor. I’m Caroline.”

I turned to the young woman sitting right next to my new desk.

Her smile was brief but genuine. “Jim can be a prick. He’ll always try to do the deal. Your job is to make sure that we don’t lose money while he’s doing it. I’ll brief you during lunch. So, you’re a fresh grad, huh?”

I studied her cute bob cut to her petite frame to her natural pouty lips. “Yeah, this is my first job out of college,” I said, glad that my neighbor exuded friendliness.

What nobody here knew was that although this was my first job out of college, I’d started working when I was thirteen. I’d had random jobs, like babysitting, bagging groceries, and waitressing. Working had never been an option. It had been a necessity.

As I sat at my desk, I realized that all those late-night vanilla lattes, study groups, and staying in while everyone else had partied had led me to this point. My hand brushed against my nameplate.

BETHANY CASSE

UNDERWRITER

And I smiled again.

Sitting at a table in the cafeteria during my lunch hour with Caroline, I watched the women in their hip-hugging suits and high heels, carrying their designer bags, saunter past us. Chicago was a fast-paced city—well, fast-paced compared to where I’d come from.

Caroline continued to talk about her family and her college boyfriend, whom she had been dating for years. I kept silent, listening and smiling, as she continued. Midway through my turkey sandwich, I was chewing a mouthful of food when a tall male knocked on our table, breaking our conversation and causing me to look up.

“Hey, Caroline. I’m glad you’re showing Miss New Girl around.” He turned to me and waved.

When our eyes caught, I noticed that his eyes were the lightest shade of blue.

“Hi, I’m Brian,” he said, sporting a boyish grin. “I hope Caroline is being nice to you.”

The specimen in front of me was all-American. He looked like a spokesmodel for the bank with his broad shoulders filling out his gray pinstriped professional suit.

“Hi,” I said, cheeks full of food. I put down my sandwich and wiped the crumbs from my fingers. “I’m Beth.”

I swallowed the remnants of my lunch before taking his hand. His hand lingered on mine a second longer than comfortable, and when he released me, I picked up my drink and took a sip, giving my hands something else to do.

“I hope you’ll like it here, Beth,” he said. “And you tell me if Caroline is being mean to you. I know her boss.” He winked.

The color of his eyes reminded me of a clear summer sky, light with flecks of different shades of blue reflected in his irises.

“You should join us, Brian,” Caroline said, bringing me back to reality. She kicked out the chair next to her, offering the empty seat between us. He looked behind him toward a group of guys congregated at another table.

“Ladies, I totally would, but I’ve made plans already,” he said as our eyes caught. “I’ll definitely take you up on that offer soon. Nice meeting you, Beth.” He gave me a small smile before he turned away.

I watched as he continued to walk through the cafeteria until he sat by the other men.

“Holy hotness. Wow, right?” Caroline said, all wide-eyed.

I shrugged shyly and peered at him through my lashes.

“He’s not only good-looking, but he’s really smart. Brian started when I did, but he’s moved up the chain, and management likes him. He went to the University of Wisconsin and I want to say that he even got a scholarship for football.” She beamed dreamily in his direction and then shook herself out of her reverie. “If I wasn’t almost engaged, I would have to hit on that fine masterpiece.”

I cast her a look, and at that, we both laughed.

That evening, back in my one-bedroom apartment, I glanced at the neutral walls surrounding me before ducking my head back into my papers. Plack Industries’ financial statements covered most of my plush couch. For the last two hours, my determination to be well prepared for tomorrow’s client call had kept me seated Indian style on the couch, staring at the numbers in front of me and writing notes.

The phone ringing forced me up, and I rubbed my numb bottom as I reached for the phone.

“Beth Boo, I miss you!” Kendy said, her squeaky voice echoing through the receiver.

An instant smile appeared on my face. Her voice reminded me of home.

We had practically grown up in the same house, and this was the only time we had ever really been apart. Kendy was my cousin, my best friend, and the sister I never had. Now, she was one of the few family members I had left.

“I miss you, too, Kendy.” I took the phone to the couch and plopped down before moving the financial statements from the seat to the floor.

“So, tell me everything. How was your first day at work? Do you like it? Are you busy? Do you have a nice desk? Oh, are there any cute boys?” she rambled on.

My heart ached from just thinking of the distance between us, and I pulled the phone closer as I felt myself loosen at the sound of her voice.

“Hello? Anybody there? Am I talking to myself here? If so, that’s rude,” Kendy said.

I shook my head, but of course, she couldn’t see me. “Kendy, life does not revolve around men. I just got to Chicago this past weekend. They have me so involved in work already, and that’s all I want to be involved with right now.”

“Come on, give me some juice, Beth! I have to live vicariously through you. Tell me your life is more exciting than being a registered nurse at Bowlesville Hospital where no one dies or gets sick. I just sit there, waiting for the next big emergency, because helping old people pee all the time sucks.”

I let out a carefree laugh. “I didn’t say there wasn’t any eye candy at work,” I said, trying to tame her curiosity.

“That’s it? Eye candy? You’re single. You’re hot. You have this amazing job. You’re a triple threat. You are the perfect package. Girlfriend, get out there, and put yourself on the market. Date, Bethany Marie. Date a lot. Have fun, girlfriend. You deserve it.”

“I will. Don’t worry. I have a plan for these things. Right now, I have to concentrate on my job.” I yawned and glanced at the clock. Remembering my early customer call the next day, I clutched the phone closer to my ear. “Kendy,” I exhaled.

“Yeah?”

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” I said, thanking the heavens above that I had her.

“Pfft, girlfriend. You got that high-paying job all by yourself. Helping you get that apartment was no big deal.”

I huffed, thinking of all the ways I could thank my cousin for cosigning my lease. “Still, I owe you,” I said.

“You owe me nothing. We’re family. It’s not your fault things are the way they are. Shoot, I’m just proud you made your way out of here. And you know what?” she said slowly, making sure I was taking her words in. “Nana would be proud of you, too.”

I bit my cheek to stop the emotions running through me at the mention of my dead grandmother. There was silence on the phone, but it was a comfortable silence that we always had around each other, a silence shared among best friends. I knew what she was thinking because I was thinking the same thing. We missed Nana.

My eyes moved to the financial statements on the floor, triggering memories from the past.

I peeked up from my high school calculus book and sat up on my bed when I heard the door open. “Hey, Nana,” I said, noting the bouquet of red roses in her hands.

“You know he’s going to keep coming here every day until you answer his calls.”

I sighed as I swung my feet over the bed and reached for the flowers. I put them on the wooden desk that already had three-dozen roses in separate vases.

“I don’t know what to tell him. He’s never gonna let me go. I just know it. And I hate seeing him cry,” I said, dropping my butt on the edge of the bed.

I felt the bed indent as she sat next to me.

“Honey, you’re the only one I know who can make the captain of the football team cry.”

“Seriously, I don’t know what to do. That’s why I’ve been avoiding him like the plague.” I lifted my head to meet her eyes.

When she raised an eyebrow and cast me one of her looks, I let out a low laugh.

“Bethany Marie, you know darn well what to do. You do the right thing. There are always two roads to take in life, two choices you can make. In the end, you do the right thing because that’s how I raised you. If you don’t want to be with him, you let him go. You break up with him—properly.” She shook her head slowly. “What’s going on between you two anyway?” she asked, concern etched on her face.

I looked into my grandmother’s eyes. They were dull from age, yet they were still full of life. Her forehead creased with worry. I wanted to take my finger and even out the wrinkles. I normally didn’t tell her many of my problems because she had a lifetime of worry, and I didn’t want to add to that. I leaned into her, resting my head on her shoulder. Ever since I was younger, her closeness had always provided me with comfort.

“It’s not like he did anything wrong. I swear, sometimes, I wish he had, so I would have a good enough reason to break up with him,” I whispered.

I thought of the week that had just passed. Jason had followed me around school like a lost little puppy dog. I’d known he could sense that something was wrong between us. I’d thought if I just cut him off cold, he would get pissed-off and leave me, but he’d just tried harder to figure out what was bothering me and why I was distancing myself.

I pulled at my ponytail. “We’re just going in different directions. We’re graduating in two weeks. Two weeks! I don’t want to spend the summer with him, knowing that I’ll be leaving for college at the end of it while he’ll just stay here.”