It was almost nine when Kerri entered the office of Iacardi & Sons. She marched directly to her boss's office and closed the door behind her. Dennis smiled and jumped to his feet. "Welcome back. You can't know how glad I am to see you. You had me worried."
Kerri left her overcoat on and sat on the metal chair in front of his desk. "Sorry I'm late. I was on the way out the door when Brian arrived. I should have kept going, but I couldn't."
"I bet you're going to tell me it wasn't a happy reunion."
"That's an understatement. We can't even communicate any more."
"You bring up the subject of his picture in the Times?"
Kerri shook her head. "I knew it would make things worse. I just asked him if he planned to come home. He said he wouldn't if I continued to hassle him about the way he lives his life. Then he refused to continue the conversation and went upstairs. I presume it was to pick up some of his things, but I didn't stay long enough to find out."
Dennis looked away and shook his head. "I feel so sorry for you. I wish there was a simple solution to it."
"So do I, but there isn't...I'm such a fool, Miles. I was absolutely determined to save our marriage. I was prepared to do whatever it took. I was even convinced the split was my fault."
"You may be guilty of being naive, but you're no fool."
Kerri blinked, vainly trying to suppress tears. "If I'm not a fool, maybe you can tell me what I'm doing here."
"At the risk of sounding trite, I'll tell you what you're doing here. You're working for me, and you're doing a damn good job."
"Thank you. It's the one good thing to come out of this whole mess. Unfortunately I'm going to have to end it. I would give anything to stay here with you, but it's impossible. I can't afford to stay in New York on my salary."
"It's not impossible. You know that regardless of whether you reconcile with Brian or not, he's going to have to maintain your life-style."
"No way!" Kerri argued, shaking her head. "Accepting money from Brian would be worse than accepting welfare."
Dennis smiled. His admiration for Kerri had risen several notches. "You're truly unique. Most women I know wouldn't look at the situation quite that way."
"How would they look at it?"
"The old fashioned way. Initially, they would feel abused and damaged. Eventually, consumed with anger and indignation, they would rush off to hire the meanest, nastiest divorce lawyer they can find, the kind who eats raw meat for breakfast. Then together, using the full force of the law, they tap into the husband's jugular vein and open the valve. At the end of the day, they whine and snivel all the way to the bank."
"Well that's not me. I'd feel dirty. I think the best thing for me to do is to go back to Vancouver and start over."
Dennis was troubled. Kerri had become indispensable. He adored her. "I can't let you go, Kerri. You're too valuable to me... If I could make it possible for you to stay in New York, would you consider it?"
"Sure I would. But..."
"Twelve years ago, when our kids were still with us, my wife went back to work. We had an apartment built in the basement and hired an Irish nanny. It was a super arrangement until the kids left home. The nanny moved out and we stopped using the apartment...I would be delighted if you would consider making it your home."
"That's very generous, but it's too much of an imposition. I couldn't."
"No imposition at all, but there are strings attached. You have a wonderful future in this business, Kerri. If you accept my offer, you'll have to enroll in the Commodity Trader's Course. If you're successful, you'll become a licensed commodities trader. With your intelligence and my help, you can't miss, and you'll certainly be able to afford to live in New York."
Dennis's unexpected offer was enormously appealing. Suddenly it was possible for her to remain in New York and stay in the business she had grown to love. Even better, she could retain the independence she valued so highly. "Is there a curfew?" she asked, smiling at last.
Dennis shook his head.
"Then I accept." Kerri stood and extended her hand to Dennis.
"Wonderful!" Dennis said, then stood and hugged her instead of accepting her hand. "I promise I'll do everything possible to ensure that you never regret this decision and one day I'm going to refer to you as my colleague."
Surprised by Dennis's uncharacteristic display of emotion, Kerri flinched, then relaxed, happy to feel the strength and warmth of a man's arms.
"You're going to make it through this mess, Kerri, and when you do, it'll be nothing but a bad memory."
"I wish I could share your optimism. I'm really scared, Miles."
"That's understandable. An awful lot's happened to you in a very short period of time. It may not be any consolation to you, but you're not unique. Splits are so common now that surviving first marriages are considered items of curiosity. The game has changed so much that some people think there's something wrong with you if you're still in your first marriage."
"Are you?"
Dennis's face flushed as he nodded. "Andrea and I are a prime example of a prehistoric married couple. We're alone. Not one of our friends is still involved in a first marriage."
"You must have a formula."
"I keep telling myself it's love and devotion, but in all honesty, I think there's a bit of inertia involved. Relationships change with the passage of time. When the intense passion subsides, it's replaced by friendship, closer and more precious than any you'll ever experience." Dennis's gray eyes locked on Kerri's. "Let me show you. Have dinner with us tonight." He walked to his telephone and lifted the receiver. "Say yes and I'll call Andrea, right now."