Beach Rental(9)
She checked her watch. “It’s five-thirty. I have to get back to Singer’s by six o’clock.”
He faced her. “What if I said you didn’t have to go back?”
“I’d say I don’t enjoy hunting for jobs.”
“Consider my proposition.”
“You never said what it was.”
Ben looked into her eyes. “You’re a smart girl. You know what I’m suggesting.”
“I think you’d better spell it out.”
“Marry me.”
As nice as he seemed, and she kind of knew what he’d been hinting at, she was still hurt he would play with her feelings. She wasn’t well-to-do or well-educated, but she worked hard. Juli glared at him and started to walk back up the asphalt drive.
“Wait, please.” He grabbed her arm, then quickly released it. “Please. What do you earn per month? I’ll double it. No, I’ll triple it.”
“I’m sure you’ve got some fancy friends who can help you out. Go ask one of them to marry you.”
He was silent. She saw he was sorting his words for one last effort.
“Please think about it, Juli. For as long as the marriage lasts, I’ll pay you triple what you’d make each month, with a guaranteed minimum.”
“Okay, I’ll play this what-if game with you. Why would I quit my jobs when, sooner or later, I have to go back to pounding the pavement, looking for others?”
“Use your imagination.” He sounded rude, harsh for the first time. “Is Singer’s Market what you want for the rest of your life? I can’t believe you’d settle for that if you had the opportunity for more.”
“More? With you? What kind of opportunity is that?” Deep breath, Juli.
“You’ll have money. Money buys education. A better job. Who knows what else could open up for you? Remember, I’ll guarantee a minimum. Dream a little.”
Bitterness rose in her mouth and twisted her face. How easily he spoke the words. How privileged. So easy for him and those like him to say, dream, as if it were no more complicated than picking an apple from the fresh produce bin.
“Companionship? Why now? Why me? Why marriage?”
“Marriage? Because we’ll be living together in the same house. Even in a platonic arrangement, I’d only feel comfortable as husband and wife. I don’t need a housekeeper. I mean it when I say I want companionship. Someone to hang out with. I think you and I would get along well. I liked you from the moment we met. I admire your strength of spirit.”
“My spirit? Please. Don’t patronize me or make me out to be something I’m not.”
“I’m not perfect, either, but I’m a good judge of character. Always have been.”
He held her gaze until she broke it off. She did a slow boil inside. There was nothing polite to say. In fact, there was no point in saying anything more because her supper break was over.
“Consider this, too. Marriage combined with a pre-nuptial contract will provide more protection for you and your financial interest in the arrangement.” He reached into his pocket. “You asked why now? I’ll tell you when you accept the offer. Until then, it’s personal.” He pressed his business card into her hand. “Call me, but don’t wait too long.”
Arrogant. She hurried up the drive to the road, then strode, almost ran, down the sidewalk. After she crossed the road she tucked his card in her jeans’ pocket, down deep where it couldn’t slip out. After all, never turn down a free meal and never close your mind to an opportunity even if the proposition sounded outrageous at first hearing.
The heat that set her cheeks afire lessened with each step she took, each step that left Ben behind and brought her back to the automatic doors of the market and the cash register.
Living day by day and letting the future take care of itself hadn’t prepared her well for life. She feared she’d created her own, personal dead-end. Late in the evening, she stood at register number five. Sheila was at the express lane and doing double-duty at the customer service counter. Billy was re-stocking the plastic bags. They outnumbered the customers at this hour and closing was a short time away.
Time is relative, she’d heard it said. As she progressed through her twenties, she’d noticed her co-workers getting younger, except the older women who’d suddenly found themselves in need of employment because a marriage dissolved or a spouse lost a job. The kids had plans for better, or at least for Spring Break in Cancun or a car or whatever. That’s who I used to be. The older women and retirees were earning extra cash until their health gave out. She wasn’t there yet. The question was who didn’t fit in this picture?