Missing Marlene by Evan Marshall Read Free Book Online Page A

left Ivy to fend for herself, bouncing from one secretarial job to another, never staying at any one job for very long because of her basic inability to get along with people. And while Ivy was at work, Marlene was out on the streets of Detroit with what Ivy had described as a “tough crowd.” When Marlene graduated from high school and was offered a college scholarship, Ivy, who could never have afforded tuition, had recognized the scholarship as the opportunity of a lifetime. She was crushed when, at the last minute, Marlene refused to go. How much more demoralizing had it been for Ivy to beg Jane to hire Marlene as Nick’s nanny?
    But Marlene had taken the job. What had she expected to find in Shady Hills? What did she want out of life? Perhaps nothing more than good times drinking with her friends at the Roadside Tavern. Perhaps nothing more than a boyfriend named Gil Dapero. And when she no longer had him, and there were no other reasons to stay, she had taken off.
    It was all very sad, Jane thought, finally veering off at the exit for Shady Hills.

Seven
    She was fifteen minutes late for lunch with Roger at Eleanor’s, one of the few decent restaurants in Shady Hills. Once Hadley’s gristmill, it stood beside the Morris River, which ran through the woods about half a mile from the village center. Now the building was a country-elegant combination of rough-hewn wooden beams and the finest china and crystal.
    When she arrived at the table, Roger was working on his second Bloody Mary. He always drank like this, though she’d never seen the alcohol affect him much. He rose crisply and kissed her cheek. He looked trim and smart in a black-cashmere turtleneck and gray-tweed slacks.
    “Sorry I’m late,” she said.
    He waved it away. “You’re looking very pretty today.”
    “Why, thank you.” She’d tried. She’d worn a new wool suit in a forest green that brought out the green of her eyes and complemented her auburn hair, and she’d added a favorite silk scarf in a vivid mosaic pattern of russet and gold.
    “Drink?” Roger asked.
    “Just some seltzer, please.”
    He flagged the waiter and ordered it for her.
    “I . . . ah ... I’m sorry I walked out on you,” he said, looking embarrassed.
    “That’s all right,” she said softly. “Let’s say no more about it.”
    He smiled gratefully. “Well.” He stroked his mustache with two fingers, a sure sign he was nervous. “How did you fare with Arliss?”
    “Not well. It’s no use, Roger. They won’t budge.”
    “You mean she won’t budge. Jane, I told you to go over her head. I want you to meet with them.”
    She shook her head sadly. “Roger, darling, there’s no point. They’ve done all they’re going to do for A Better Place, and they’re not picking up their option. To meet with them now would be—humiliating.” She looked into his eyes. “We don’t need them. We’ll go somewhere even better. But we can’t do that unless . . .”
    He was watching her, waiting for her next words.
    “... unless you rewrite the new book. It’s just not ready to show.”
    He sat perfectly still. His eyes narrowed to slits. “I can’t believe you said that.” He looked down at his drink and stayed like that for several moments, motionless. Then he got up, threw his napkin on his chair, and walked out of the restaurant.
    She was getting rather tired of being walked out on.
    The waiter appeared with her seltzer and a basket of cinnamon rolls. She looked up sharply.
    “Will you be ordering lunch, ma’am?”
    “Yes. Yes, I will. Bring me a menu, please.”
    Damn Roger and his childish rudeness. When she was only trying to help him. When she was the only friend he had.
    She abhorred his behavior but understood his frustration. He still wanted to fight, whereas she had already decided to retreat.
    She’d give him time to think things over, she decided.
    Then, grabbing a roll and ripping it in half, she wondered once more how Kenneth would have handled