Ivan(31)

"Good for you!" Lena shot me an annoyed look. "Why didn't you tell me Benny owned this place?"

"I didn't know you two were acquainted."

"We were in the same dorm freshman year," Benny explained. "We had a pretty good time together."

"Hell yes we did!" Lena's skilled eye jumped around the bakery. "Looks like you could use some marketing and PR help, Benny. This is a good location but you're not doing nearly as much business as you could."

Benny swallowed a bit nervously. "Those kinds of skills are expensive to hire."

Lena smiled warmly. "I'm sure we can work something out."

Benn looked surprised. "You're in PR now?"

Lena nodded. "I work at Hillman & Crest where I do mainly night clubs and restaurants but I know I can handle this. Why don't we trade contact info…"

When the line moved, Vivi and I left the two old friends behind to talk business. We placed our order and found a table. A short time later, Lena joined us with her coffee and breakfast burrito. She seemed rather excited about working with Benny.

"Isn't this a step down from the usual posh places you promo whore for?" Vivian asked.

Lena didn't deny it. "I won't do it on company time, obviously, but she's a really nice girl. It's clear she could use some help." She dumped a few tablespoons of sugar into her coffee and gave it a stir. Her gaze held mine. "So—how was it at the jail yesterday?"

I licked some of the sweet cinnamon filling that had oozed out of my pastry from my finger. With a grimace, I said, "It was okay. Jails are creepy places."

"Is Ruby doing well in treatment?" Vivi sipped her tea. "She's five weeks into it. That's better than she's ever done, right?"

I nodded. "She was…difficult during our visit. I could tell that she's depressed and having a hard time facing the consequences of what she's done. Being high as a kite for years made it easy to mask all the wrong she was doing. Now it's staring her right in the face. She's trying, though, and that's all that really matters."

Lena emptied a couple of creamer packets into her cup. "Has her lawyer finished hammering out her plea deal?"

"She's going to finish the six months of mandatory in-jail rehab and do another six months in an extended treatment program at the jail. Twelve months total," I said. "Then probation."

"Wow," Vivi said softly. "That's harsh but I guess she's just lucky to be alive."

"Absolutely," I agreed.

"Have you," Lena lowered her voice, "have you had any more problems with you-know-who?"

She meant the Albanians and the Hermanos. "No, they've left us all alone."

"Do you blame them?" Vivi asked. "Ivan put one of those guys in a halo brace and the other one had to have his leg rebuilt. I'm sure they're going to avoid you two like the plague."

"Speaking of Ivan," Lena said with a lascivious smile, "how are things with your big Russian hunk?"

My cheeks grew hot. "Very good."

"Oh come on!" She practically begged. "Details? Please! I live with a nun," she gestured to Vivi, "and I'm stranded in a sex desert where there isn't one good penis to be found."

Now my ears were bright red. I glanced around the tables surrounding us and prayed no one was eavesdropping. "Not here! Maybe later."

"No maybe to it, Erin. I'm going to get all the juicy, dirty details from you."

Vivi rolled her eyes and whacked Lena's arm. "Calm down! You're worse than a frat boy."

Lena looked contrite. "Yes, Sister Vivian."

I laughed as the two roommates and longtime friends pinched and smacked one another. When they were done with their childish play, they laughed and turned back to me. Both stared expectantly and I realized they wanted to hear more about my relationship with Ivan. I figured now was as good a time as any to tell them.

"So—Ivan wants me to go back to school in the fall and work on my MBA. I was hoping to turn my part-time gig at the firm into full-time employment but they've made it clear they're going to downsize. I won't be kept on as an accountant. I was toying with the idea of going to grad school but it's so expensive. Ivan offered to help." I hesitated. "And he wants me move in with him."

Instead of the cries of outrage at the idea of moving in so quickly with him, they both looked rather calm. Finally, Vivi spoke. "Well—are you going to?"

"What? Go back for my MBA or move in with him?"

"Both," she clarified.

I chewed my lower lip and admitted, "I'm leaning toward yes on both."

"But?" Lena asked.