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  Marina entered through the unlocked door and smiled. I was glad she didn’t scold me for not having every bolt fastened like she did. I grew up in Wisconsin where everyone left their doors unlocked. It’s habit for me. Marina grew up in the city and locking everything was ingrained in her just like keeping a baseball bat next to her bed or carrying pepper spray in her purse. “Ready for make-up?” she asked.

  “I guess.” I sat on one of the bar stools at the island not at all ready for a makeup session.

  “You look like you’re going to a funeral not an interview for a job you want.” Marina set her bulging make-up bag on the breakfast bar and opened it, spreading out an assortment of powders, brushes, and tubes.

  “Don’t make me look too made up,” I begged.

  “Are you saying I wear too much makeup?” Marina dabbed foundation onto a sponge and tested it on my face without the slightest hint of annoyance.

  “No, it’s just that I’m so pale. Your makeup blends nicely with your skin tone. I put on blush and I look like a clown.” It was true. Marina had this beautiful olive complexion and I looked like I’d been kept out of the sun all of my life. If I did get any sun, I just freckled, unlike Marina who tanned even prettier than she already was. Staying out of the sun had only two advantages, odds are I wouldn’t die of skin cancer and freckles made me look younger. I was the only one I knew who still got carded.

  “You won’t look like a clown. I don’t know why you don’t wear makeup more often. Not that you need it badly. It just evens things out. You blush too easy and then you look all red and blotchy. This will help.” Marina smoothed the liquid over my face, careful to get every bit of skin.

  “It just melts off with all the heat from the ovens.” I shrugged.

  “There is some really matte stuff out there. It adheres to the skin. I’ll find you some.” Marina dusted my eyes with a neutral shadow and then picked up a pencil. I pursed my lips. Marina shook her head. “Close your eyes.”

  “My eyes?” I asked.

  “You said you don’t like mascara because the little flakes get in your eyes and irritate your contacts so this will define your eyes and no flakes. I have to say, I think it’s all in your head. The mascaras I buy are top rate.”

  “Like your puppies and kittens really care if your mascara is runny or flaky.” I closed my eyes as directed and felt the gentle glide very close to my eyelashes. I did my best not to flinch, luckily Marina had a practiced hand. She had four older sisters and learned everything from their different styles growing up.

  “My patients don’t care. I do. I don’t wear it for other people. I wear makeup because I like it. For a job interview, yes, it’s important to show that you can dress nicely and clean up good. They won’t hire someone who looks like they just rolled out of bed and showed up. That’s just good sense. Still it doesn’t hurt to have a makeup bag full of products that work for you in case you have a date or something.”

  “They always go after Lori.” I picked up the mirror to examine the progress. Marina was gifted. My skin looked a lot more even.

  “Well, she’s a skinny blond. That’s men. She can only handle one at a time so you have to step up and take advantage of the lurkers.”

  “I could never ask a guy out.” I hated the term “princess” but I had nothing but older brothers and a protective dad who adored my mom. I had the sheltered life and dreamed of Prince Charming adoring me and pursuing me. I’d never had to be aggressive, I had brothers for that. No one bullied me because my brothers would make sure they’d pay. “Have you ever seen me ask a guy out?” Marina posed the question as she began to work on my lips so I slowly shook my head. I hadn’t seen Marina ask a man out and that amazed me.

  “You don’t have to do the asking,” she explained. “You just have to put yourself in their path. Once they realize Lori isn’t going to give them the time of day, their attentions will turn. You’re there looking hot and friendly and available, not too slutty, and they’ll be all over you.”

  “Why would I want a guy Lori rejected?” I asked as Marina switched from lip liner to lipstick.

  “She hasn’t gone through and personally rejected each of them. The skinny pretty blonde picks the guy who looks the most like Brad Pitt with the best build. There are a lot of perfectly good-looking and nice guys in that wake. Even if they aren’t Mr. Right, they might be Mr. Right-Now. No law against that.”

  “I guess. I don’t like meeting people in bars though.”

  “Well Lucas’ office is full of men who live their jobs like you do. Their careers are everything. Maybe you’ll meet someone when you’re on your mission for me. Your time would be much better spent scouting out a new guy for yourself than researching Lucas Rigby. Get a visual and a ring check and get away from him.” Marina dusted loose powder over my face and blew the excess away. “There you go, perfect.”

  I held up the mirror and smiled. “Thanks Marina, I’m so glad it’s your late shift today at the animal hospital.”

  “Forget it. I love this stuff. I’ll leave you the lipstick and powder in case you need to touch up. Now, no drinking, eating, sneezing, or touching your face in any way until after the interview.”

  “Good thing it’s in half an hour.” I smiled, still taken back by how sophisticated I looked. It wasn’t clown makeup; it was soft and subtle. “You should have gone into cosmetology and created your own makeup line.”

  “I don’t know if I could spend my life selling things.” Marina tossed the rest of her stuff back in the bag and checked her watch. “Half an hour? You better get going.”

  “You’re right, thanks.” I hopped off the stool and grabbed my purse, coat, and portfolio complete with resume and references. I dashed out ahead of Marina, knowing she’d lock the door. I wasn’t going to be late when I looked this good.

  ~* * *~

  Everything had gone perfectly so far. I hadn’t stuttered or frozen up once during my interview. All that was left was a tour of the kitchen. Coty’s hadn’t opened yet so all was fairly quiet. Crews were cleaning as I entered the nearly complete kitchen behind Ralph Coty, the owner. The trendy restaurant had statues of ancient Roman gods, Indian gods, and a reclining Buddha. Add a lucky white Chinese cat, very eclectic. The cozy booths and tables were all in black with bright paintings of European sites on the walls. The kitchen gleamed white and stainless steel all around me.

  “The dessert preparation would all be in this area,” Ralph said, ushering me to that side. Then he began speaking in French. Was this a bad dream? Had I lost my mind? I was in a panic. I didn’t speak French and if that was a requirement of this job, I was out. I felt the desperate need to leave before an anxiety attack kicked in. Then another man turned around and smiled at Ralph and me. “Welcome,” he said with a very thick French accent.

  “Jen Burke, this is my partner Andre. He is the expert in sweets.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said a little too loud and slow and stopped myself before I said any more. I reached out to shake hands instead, he pulled my hand to his mouth. Maybe it was that self-defense class Lori made me take with her, but I slapped Andre hard with my free hand.

  Instantly I felt my face burn as the men talked in French. “I’m so sorry,” I squeaked.

  “No,” Ralph insisted. “Andre is silly and old-fashioned. He thinks he can charm American women with kissing their hands. I told him city women don’t play those games. He’s lucky you did not spray him with pepper.”

  Pepper spray was Marina’s weapon of choice on the more dangerous Chicago streets. I decided to get some since my best reflex toward a man I thought was being too forward was a slap out of Moonstruck. I played along to get myself off the hook. “You have to be careful, we city girls can take care of ourselves.”

  “Very sorry.” Andre held up his hands and left the room muttering in French.

  I felt a tension headache building behind my eyes. My hand moved to rub my eyes and ease the pain. Luckily, I stopped in time and remembered
not to touch my face or I would have smeared Marina’s hard work.

  Ralph laughed and put his hands on my shoulders, giving them an affectionate squeeze. “Don’t worry. Andre will judge you on your work not your socializing skills. He has only been here a few months. He didn’t want to leave Paris but I had already leased this space.”

  “He’s a good friend.” I smiled as relief replaced panic. No harm done apparently. Two good friends going into business together. Ralph was handsome and Andre’s accent was so sweet. I could get used to it here.

  “Friend, yes. Well Jen, are you interested in joining our group? You’ll learn a lot of French if nothing else from Andre.”

  “Yes, I’m very interested. Are you planning on opening soon?” I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten an offer or not. It sounded like I was in the running.

  “About a month and a half before we open. We want to make our final decisions in the next two weeks. That gives us time to check references and see everyone.”

  “Of course, I look forward to hearing from you.” I followed Ralph back to the entrance and we shook hands. I walked calmly down the street a block or two before I started to giggle. “That was a great first impression,” I felt so stupid, yet it had turned out so great. Andre would make any blunder I made look like nothing. And Ralph was so gorgeous! I knew you should never get a crush on your boss, or in this case prospective boss. I was seriously thinking about breaking that rule.

  I made my way to a few shops to see the Christmas windows and found myself turned around trying to get back to the El. Damn! I wish I’d grown up here. Marina and Lori could tell where they were at all times and exactly in which direction the lake was from their position. I did my old standby and looked up trying to find an El platform, no luck.

  So now, I was lost and had two options. Neither of which I liked very much. I could hail a taxi, and pay it to take me to a place I knew and I could walk home from. Or, I could call someone.

  Money was tight and in the heart of downtown it’d take a while to get anywhere by taxi which would be expensive. Marina was on her way to work so I couldn’t call her. She really needed to work nearer the Loop. That really only left one person to call in a situation like this. I pulled out my cell phone and selected Lori’s cell number.

  “Lori Craig,” she answered.

  “Hey Lori, it’s Jen.” I tried to keep the fact that I was freezing out of my voice. The wind off the lake, wherever the lake was, had picked up and it was a chiller November day than I had anticipated.

  “Hi Jen. How was the big interview?” Lori asked. I was relieved she didn’t seem swamped.

  “Great, I just got out actually. Want to grab some lunch?” I asked casually.

  “It’s your lucky day. I had a client cancel on me. Where are you?”

  “Um.” I squinted at a street sign. “Randolph.”

  “Did you get lost again?” Lori asked not sounding at all surprised.

  I cringed at how well she knew me. “Sort of. I started looking at some Christmas windows and kept walking and got turned around.”

  “Give me the address of the building you’re in front of and I’ll be there in ten minutes,” Lori said.

  “You don’t have to do that. Just give me directions to your building.” I didn’t want Lori to spend money though it never bothered her. She splurged, went on shopping sprees, and never ran out of money.

  “I was planning on having a business lunch anyway and now it’s you. Where are you?”

  I rattled off the address and hung up. How could I still get lost? I knew how. I let my mind wander and my feet kept going. The city’s Christmas decorations were beautiful. I was determined not to wander again and planted my feet on the chilly pavement. These pumps weren’t very warm. Finally a cab slowed and pulled to the curb. I saw Lori in the back waving me to get in. I was rescued!

  “Thanks Lori!” I slid in next to her and rubbed my face to relive the chill that wind had caused.

  “You were just around the corner from my building.” Lori shrugged and then laughed. “Didn’t Marina tell you not to touch your face?”

  “What?” I asked and remembered my eyeliner. “Damn.” I pulled out Marina’s pocket mirror and wiped away the raccoon eyes I’d created. “At least I remembered it through the interview.”

  “I hope so. Where do you want to eat?” Lori asked.

  “Anywhere that won’t break my budget. I’m hoping this new job pays better.” I applied some powder to cover up what eyeliner I couldn’t wipe off. Of course, Marina would use the kind that you need industrial strength makeup remover to get off.

  “No way! This is going on an expense account so we’re doing a nice lunch at least.”

  “I’m not business,” I argued not wanting to get Lori in trouble.

  “And you’re not cut out for business if you think the fat cats don’t pad their expense accounts. We’ll talk about my career and yours if that’ll ease your conscience.”

  “You pick the place then.” I wasn’t going to fight Lori. She had a degree in arguing and expensive taste with or without her expense account. Her father made sure Lori never went without. Being daddy’s little girl had advantages but there were downsides too. Part of me was glad to come from a hard working middle class family. I’d never have to choose between family money and the right man.

  ~* * *~

  After Lori and I had stuffed ourselves on pasta and bread, we got down to conversation. Conversation and serious ogling of the waiters. The funky Italian hole in the wall had young waiters, mismatched chairs, homemade sauce, and a unisex bathroom with the wine list painted on the wall.

  “So, think you got the job?” Lori asked.

  I shrugged. “After slapping Andre, I thought I was dead. Then Ralph cleared it up. They’re so funny, I think I’d like it there.”

  “A guy tries to kiss your hand and you smack him. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend,” Lori teased.

  “Like you’ve got one,” I shot back.

  “Yeah, yeah. Ralph was the cute one?”

  I nodded. “He’s the owner and so handsome. He studied in Paris and is from Chicago originally.”

  “Then who exactly is Andre?”

  “Ralph’s partner. He has such a great accent!”

  “Partner?” Lori lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes.”

  “What kind of partner?” Lori toyed with her water glass.

  “Business.” I shrugged.

  “Sure. Business.” She nodded.

  “No.” I suddenly realized she thought Ralph and Andre were gay and my fantasy went right out the window. “No wonder Andre followed Ralph here from Paris.”

  “At least you two will have something in common, a lust for Ralph. Or course Andre will actually get him.”

  “You don’t know that for sure. Even if it’s true, you don’t have to rub it in.”

  “I’m not rubbing it in. You were on an interview and your brain was elsewhere. Moving on to heterosexual men, have you tried to find Marina’s ex yet?” Lori asked.

  I was glad Lori changed the subject. “Not yet. She didn’t seem to be in a hurry.”

  “Marina acts like that a lot. Don’t let her fool you.”

  “You think she might want Lucas back?” I asked in shock. Marina had shown no emotion toward him at all.

  “You don’t know what you’ll find. Maybe he was dull then. Maybe he found a sport or hobby for stress relief that’ll make him more interesting. Either way I think she should have to see him again because it was all her idea. What I really meant was she pretends she doesn’t care about being in a relationship when she really does.”

  “What sort of man do you think would be right for her?” I was frequently jealous of Lori and Marina’s longer friendship yet they never made me feel left out. There were times, however, when they had a whole fight and made up with a few eyes rolls, hand gestures, and subtle body language shifts.

  “The right man for Marina is as hard to figure out as
she is. He’d have to be smart.”

  “Naturally.” I was constantly amazed at what odd facts Marina had in her brain.

  “Not a snob. I set her up with one of my cousins in college. She couldn’t stand him.”

  “She always finds a way to avoid the really pushy guys,” I added.

  Lori nodded. “Absolutely. She is a guy’s worst nightmare. If they’re too aggressive, she’ll shut them down and if they don’t make a move, she never will.”

  “That really surprises me. Marina is so direct and not shy at all.” I’d kill to have Marina’s bluntness and the confidence to pull it off.

  “She does okay in the man department. Finding the right one is the hard part.” Lori seemed unconcerned. “If she met a guy who really got under her skin, I think she’d make a move eventually. Marina is picky.”

  “And you’re not?” I teased.

  “Not as picky as my parents.” Lori bit on her lower lip.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to bring them up.” Lori’s parents and the odd relationship there forever puzzled me. Lori’s dad owned the building we lived in and a lot of other property. He wanted Lori to be a princess and marry well and not lift a finger. She’d rebelled by going to law school like her father and lived in the city.

  Lori seemed to want to be free, then had followed her father into law and took his money. I guess money would be a pretty good hold on someone. If my parents had a lot of money, it might have made the decision to move away harder.

  “It’s okay. You’re right. I am picky. It’s my parent’s opinions I can’t escape.”

  “Not even for Nick?” I asked hoping to lighten the mood.

  Lori’s face immediately lit up and she smiled. “No, Nick was all for me. Then I grew up and got a job.”

  “Why here?” I asked.

  “Why here what?”

  “Why get a job here near your parents in Chicago? Why not go downstate or take the bar in another state and practice there if your parents are so pushy?”