and started up the stairs, juggling the bags and my purse with one hand. “Paige, hey, what’s up?”
“Can you get on a plane to Chicago tonight?”
“What?”
“Chicago. You. A plane. Tonight. Can you do it?”
“Why?”
“A buyer for Jordan Brooke saw you on Love, Wendy yesterday and wants a meeting.”
“Jordan Brooke? You’re kidding.” Jordan Brooke was a national department store.
“Not kidding. She wants to meet you, and she has tomorrow morning open. Can you meet me at JFK at six? There’s a seven o’clock flight on Delta, we’ll get in around nine.”
I held my phone away from me to check the time. It was nearly three, and I was drained from shooting my latest segment that morning. I was enjoying Honey on Your Mind even more than I thought I would, but I hadn’t realized how time-consuming and exhausting it would be. But Jordan Brooke was a big store, and I knew I’d be foolish to turn down a meeting with them.
“So we’ll be there for just one night? Jake’s coming in tomorrow for the weekend.”
“Yep, in and out. You can be back home by dinner, I promise.”
“Are the tickets going to be crazy expensive to buy last-minute?” I’d be paying for both of us.
“Sort of, but it will be worth it if she places an order. That’s just how it is with sales. Everything’s an investment.”
“Got it.”
“So I’ll see you at six?”
“OK.”
I hung up the phone, put away my groceries, and ran to pack.
• • •
“That didn’t really happen.”
“Oh yes it did.”
“I still can’t believe it. And you paid to meet him?”
She nodded. “I paid. A lot.”
“Good God.”
It was approaching eleven o’clock, and Paige and I were having our second drink at the hotel bar in Chicago. It was packed, and I found myself wondering where the others were from and why they were there.
“So what is this company called?” I leaned forward to hear her over the chatter around us.
“It’s called Just a Drink , but after this experience I think I’m going to refer to it as Just a Joke .”
I laughed. “That’s good. So they really told you they would set you up with some quality men?”
She nodded and took a sip of her martini. “In my interview they talked about all the successful, professional men out there who are too busy to find love on their own. I think their tag line is something like YOU focus on your career, let US focus on your love life. ”
“That’s catchy.”
“I know, isn’t it? What a load of crap.” She stabbed the olive in her drink with a toothpick.
“They really told you he was a professor…and he turned out to be a cab driver ?”
She nodded. “Apparently, in the eyes of the genius screeners at Just a Joke , teaching two mornings a week at a community college in the middle of nowhere qualifies you as a professor . A professor in New York City, they also said.”
“Yikes.”
“I mean, I want to be open-minded, but I figured they’d match me with someone with a similar professional background. That seems reasonable, right?”
“Definitely. What did they say when you told them he was a cab driver?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Absolutely nothing. It’s been ten days, and no return phone call or e-mail. Quite a contrast from how attentive they were when I was thinking of becoming a client.”
“But that’s so unprofessional!”
She waved her hand in front of her face. “They obviously don’t care about being professional. They care about my check, which they already cashed.”
I laughed. “I can’t believe you let him drive you home from the date in his cab. What if he turned out to be a serial killer?”
She shrugged and finished off her drink. “He was nice enough, so I didn’t want to be mean. I mean, it’s not his fault that they set him up with me. And besides, as evidenced by our current circumstances, one never knows when one might need a ride to the airport in a pinch.”
“This is true.”
She stood up.
“Can you get on a plane to Chicago tonight?”
“What?”
“Chicago. You. A plane. Tonight. Can you do it?”
“Why?”
“A buyer for Jordan Brooke saw you on Love, Wendy yesterday and wants a meeting.”
“Jordan Brooke? You’re kidding.” Jordan Brooke was a national department store.
“Not kidding. She wants to meet you, and she has tomorrow morning open. Can you meet me at JFK at six? There’s a seven o’clock flight on Delta, we’ll get in around nine.”
I held my phone away from me to check the time. It was nearly three, and I was drained from shooting my latest segment that morning. I was enjoying Honey on Your Mind even more than I thought I would, but I hadn’t realized how time-consuming and exhausting it would be. But Jordan Brooke was a big store, and I knew I’d be foolish to turn down a meeting with them.
“So we’ll be there for just one night? Jake’s coming in tomorrow for the weekend.”
“Yep, in and out. You can be back home by dinner, I promise.”
“Are the tickets going to be crazy expensive to buy last-minute?” I’d be paying for both of us.
“Sort of, but it will be worth it if she places an order. That’s just how it is with sales. Everything’s an investment.”
“Got it.”
“So I’ll see you at six?”
“OK.”
I hung up the phone, put away my groceries, and ran to pack.
• • •
“That didn’t really happen.”
“Oh yes it did.”
“I still can’t believe it. And you paid to meet him?”
She nodded. “I paid. A lot.”
“Good God.”
It was approaching eleven o’clock, and Paige and I were having our second drink at the hotel bar in Chicago. It was packed, and I found myself wondering where the others were from and why they were there.
“So what is this company called?” I leaned forward to hear her over the chatter around us.
“It’s called Just a Drink , but after this experience I think I’m going to refer to it as Just a Joke .”
I laughed. “That’s good. So they really told you they would set you up with some quality men?”
She nodded and took a sip of her martini. “In my interview they talked about all the successful, professional men out there who are too busy to find love on their own. I think their tag line is something like YOU focus on your career, let US focus on your love life. ”
“That’s catchy.”
“I know, isn’t it? What a load of crap.” She stabbed the olive in her drink with a toothpick.
“They really told you he was a professor…and he turned out to be a cab driver ?”
She nodded. “Apparently, in the eyes of the genius screeners at Just a Joke , teaching two mornings a week at a community college in the middle of nowhere qualifies you as a professor . A professor in New York City, they also said.”
“Yikes.”
“I mean, I want to be open-minded, but I figured they’d match me with someone with a similar professional background. That seems reasonable, right?”
“Definitely. What did they say when you told them he was a cab driver?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Absolutely nothing. It’s been ten days, and no return phone call or e-mail. Quite a contrast from how attentive they were when I was thinking of becoming a client.”
“But that’s so unprofessional!”
She waved her hand in front of her face. “They obviously don’t care about being professional. They care about my check, which they already cashed.”
I laughed. “I can’t believe you let him drive you home from the date in his cab. What if he turned out to be a serial killer?”
She shrugged and finished off her drink. “He was nice enough, so I didn’t want to be mean. I mean, it’s not his fault that they set him up with me. And besides, as evidenced by our current circumstances, one never knows when one might need a ride to the airport in a pinch.”
“This is true.”
She stood up.
Similar Books
