“Jim Marconi. Nice to meet you. You are?”
Ricki wasn’t sure, but she might have had her mouth hanging open, and there might have been drool on her chin. He was about six feet tall, olive skin, dark curly hair, and piercing blue eyes. “Uh, Ricki. Ricki Rydell.”
“Oh, yeah, right, right. You’re the writer or something.”
“Huh. Yep, that’s it.” Curious. If, as Taryn said, the producers were so anxious to meet her, they sure didn’t act like it. She had a sneaking suspicion Taryn might have fibbed a little to get Ricki out to the studio to show off all the hard work she had done before the show got underway.
“We’re glad to have you on the show. Anyway, I’m heading out. Nice meeting you.”
“Just a quick question before you run off again,” Taryn said, taking hold of Jim’s elbow. “Have you found a host yet?”
“I thought I told you.”
“Um, no. We keep missing each other and no one is replying to my emails.”
“Yikes, that’s my fault. Yes, I did. An old friend of mine.”
Taryn’s eyes grew wide. “Oh. Great. That’s a relief. Who?”
Jim started walking toward the door. “Her name is Kari.” He shook his head. “Could’ve sworn I told you. Anyway, gotta run. Nice meeting you, Ricki.”
All Jim left behind was the scent of his musky cologne that Ricki found herself inhaling deeply.
Taryn released a hefty sigh. She turned to Ricki. “Well, if there’s anything you need, let me know.” During Ricki’s short visit, Taryn had gone through at least five or six different moods, and this probably made seven or ten. She had lost track. This new mood was as if someone had let the air out of her balloon. “I best be getting back to work. I’ll send those questions off to you as soon as I get them. I’m sure the next couple of days are going to be really busy for me.”
“Okay.” Without further word, Taryn escorted Ricki out the door, smiling thinly as she waved goodbye. “Here’s your hat. What’s your hurry?” Ricki said once she was in the parking lot.
If Ricki had reservations about doing the talk show before, she had even greater reservations now. She didn’t have a point of reference to judge what a start-up talk show was like, but something wasn’t right about this situation. The few talk shows she had done were already established, well-oiled machines. Still fast-paced, but not with the same energy she experienced that morning. She hadn’t seen this level of dysfunction since she had solved the mystery behind Jennifer Barnes’s death at the Unionville Public Library.
Four
Ricki had scanned the email from Taryn, surprised that she had gotten back to her so soon. She was drowning in work the last time she had spoken to her.
“Ricki, Kari requested that the two of you meet for dinner at Hilltop Inn this Saturday. Reservations are for nine o’clock under my name. Sorry it’s so late, but that’s all they had available. Double sorry that I won’t be able to make it—haven’t been to Hilltop in ages—but I have to run out of town for a prior commitment. Do me a solid and say you can make it. I attached the list of questions you requested. Later, Taryn.”
The bright spot in all of this was having dinner at Hilltop Inn. Ricki’s mom would be so jealous if she knew her daughter was going. She wouldn’t tell her until after the fact, though. As a way of apologizing for not inviting her along, she would buy her a dozen of their famous dinner rolls. For years, Thea tried to replicate the recipe for the rolls but only managed to make pretty hockey pucks.
Too bad Taryn wasn’t going to be there. She could have acted as a buffer between this stranger and Ricki and do most of the talking as she was wont to do. Ricki headed upstairs after reading the email and planned her outfit for the evening. A few days ago, it was a warm and blustery fall day. Yesterday, the temperature dropped quickly. It wasn’t looking too good for the weekend either, and with the wind coming off the lake, it was going to make it even colder. No skimpy dress for that night. She wanted to be comfortable while still looking professional, so she picked out something simple: black pants, a blouse, and a vest she picked up at a vintage clothing store.
Around 8:15 that Saturday night, she headed out to the restaurant, giving herself a few minutes to collect her thoughts in the car before going inside. She wasn’t a good conversationalist when it came to talking with total strangers and needed to mentally prepare herself. She popped a mint in her mouth, checked her makeup in the mirror, and took a deep breath.
Bryce, the manager of Hilltop Inn and long-time friend of the Rydells, held the door open for her. “Nice to see you again, Ricki. How’s the fam?”
“Doing well, thank you. How are you?”
“Fantastic as usual. I didn’t see the name Rydell on the reservation list tonight.”
“Reservations are under Taryn Wilkes.”
“Ah, yes. The other member of your party hasn’t arrived yet.”
Ricki breathed a sigh of relief. It gave her more time to get comfortable and ease the anxiety that had wormed its way into her brain.
Bryce walked Ricki to the table and pushed the chair in behind her. “Can I bring you something other than water? We make a mean Shirley Temple.”
“Oh, yum. I’ll have that. Did the other party say if she was going to be late?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
As Ricki waited for her drink, she checked the time on her cell phone. It was five minutes till nine. Boy, how she wanted to get this night over with. For nine o’clock on a Saturday night, Hilltop was crowded. It was always packed, but tonight seemed unusually busy. Couples dressed in their best clothes sat gazing into each other’s eyes over candlelit tables. It was such a romantic atmosphere, so quiet, so full of whispers of sweet nothings. Her heart panged with loneliness. Memories of her and Marty holding hands across the table and gazing into each other’s eyes like they were the only people on earth came flooding back. But she chased it out of her mind before nostalgia took hold and clouded her sensibilities. He had moved on and so had she. Other than the occasional run-in, like last weekend, she’d didn’t have to worry about seeing him and his fiancée unless he came back home for a visit. Out of sight and all that rot.
Except things didn’t always work out that way. As she scanned the room, she caught sight of a blonde woman talking with Bryce at the front desk. That hair. That face. Marty’s fiancée. There was no sign of Marty anywhere. What was she doing here? Ricki’s stomach tightened at the sight of her, remembering last weekend when she saw Marty holding her hand, looking happy and in love. She surveyed the room for a table that might have been missing the other party but didn’t see any. And when Bryce walked toward her, his eyes meeting her gaze, Ricki realized that he was walking toward her table. The other party that was missing was her. Kari, the host of the talk show that she would be doing on Monday. Kari, Marty’s fiancée. Kari, now sitting across the table from her.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Bryce asked.
“Your best white wine, thank you.” She laced her fingers together, placed her hands on the table in front of her, and glowered at Ricki. There was a hint of defiance and victory at Ricki’s expense in her eyes. “So, Ricki Rydell, we finally meet.”
Inside, Ricki was screaming at the top of her voice at this woman. The audacity of calling her by name when she didn’t even know her. “What? How?” That was all Ricki managed to get out of her mouth. But inside, she gave that woman a good verbal tongue lashing.
“I imagine you’ve been wondering who I was for a while now, haven’t you?”
Ricki shook her head.
“I told Marty it was inevitable that we’d run into each other. I never thought it would be so beautifully ironic. My name is Kari Olson. Kari, as in car.” She reached her hand across the table, expecting Ricki to reciprocate the gesture. She didn’t. “That’s fine. But we have to work together at least for the next week. I thought it would be a good idea if we met before the show so neither one of us would be in for a total shock.”
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Something in Ricki’s brain snapped. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here because I wanted to meet you before the show as I said already. We should get to know each other since I’ll be in town more often. Marty is out of town at the moment and out of cell phone range, so you don’t have to worry about him showing up. Besides, he doesn’t know about this meeting. I wanted it to be hush-hush, just you and me.”
“You are the host? You left Chicago to come to the Somerset area? Why?”
“Because I always wanted to get a talk show off the ground.” She straightened the silverware. “This was the perfect opportunity for me. Don’t worry, Ricki, you had nothing to do with my decision.”
Where did that come from? Ricki wasn’t even thinking that. “You know what? I’m going to phone my agent and tell her I’m not doing the show. How does that sound? I can’t do this with you.”
“You’re going to have to deal with my presence sooner or later.” She looked Ricki dead in the eye. “I’m not going anywhere. Know what I mean. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, so you might as well get used to the idea.”
Like a knife to the heart. Marty said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Ricki at one point.
“I know you must still have some feelings for him. He’s a good man. My man. As far as getting out of doing the talk show, from what I heard, you can’t. It’s too late, so you might as well get used to that idea as well. It sounds like you have a lot of issues to work through before Monday.” She studied Ricki, the intensity in her eyes easing off as if letting her guard down a bit. “So, let’s talk. Ask me anything you like.”
“Ask you anything I like?” Ricki’s voice shot up like a flare in the middle of a darkened sky. Everyone heard it go off, and everyone wondered what was going on. “Don’t sit there and talk to me like we’re friends. How am I supposed to feel knowing that I have to do a show with you now?”
“Would you keep your voice down, please.”
“I will not.”
“If that’s the way you want to play, fine. I promised Marty I would be civil to you at the very least, but screw that. Look at you. Little frump that you are. Do you seriously think you can take him away from me?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Marty is a vivacious man. He wants adventure, excitement, someone who likes to go out of the house. You, on the other hand, can’t even think of something to say when meeting strangers.” She giggled. “Oh, Marty told me how you used to trip over your own tongue when fans complemented you. If a fan comes up to you, Ricki, you don’t shut down. You come alive. Do you think Marty really wanted to spend the rest of his life with someone who didn’t have the confidence to deal with other people?”
This was all new information to Ricki. Marty never, in their entire time together, ever said anything negative about Ricki’s introversion. He thought it was cute that she fumbled for words at times when people made her nervous. He held her hand for support when she was in anxious social situations. If he felt this way about her, why didn’t he say anything? And why would he fall in love with someone the likes of Kari, as in car, Olson?
“What happened between Marty and me is our business, not yours.” Ricki stood up quickly, knocking the glass of water over on the table, sending it in Kari’s direction. Unfortunately, the table cloth soaked it up before it had the chance to drench her lap. By now, everyone in the restaurant watched and stared. “Don’t you dare sit there and pretend like you know who I am.” Ricki raced out of the restaurant and headed toward her car in the parking lot. To her surprise, Kari was hot on her heels.
“Ricki, hold up. Let’s talk.”
“Go away.”
“Don’t take your anger at your failed relationship out on me. You don’t know me either.”
Ricki dropped her car keys on the ground and let out a sharp scream. “I know Marty better than he knows himself, and I don’t understand how he would even find someone like you remotely attractive. I always thought Marty would end up with someone who had a bit more empathy. You know what, you can have him. The last thing I want in my life is a man I have to beg to stay with me.”
“Really? Because from what I heard, you did beg him to stay.”
Where was she getting this information? She may have tried to talk through the breakup with him, but she never begged him. She had hoped he would stay on his own free will. Ricki’s face burned with anger, her voice hoarse from shouting. “If you don’t move out of the way I’m going to run you over with my car.”
“Real nice. Do you always threaten people when you’re mad?”
Ricki jumped in her car and fumbled to put the key in the ignition. Her hands shook so hard she knew it would be a bad idea to drive home in this condition, but she couldn’t stand to even look at that woman for another second. Somehow, she managed to get the car started and was just about the backup when Kari knocked on her window. This girl was not giving up.
“Look, we have to put this behind us. Marty and I are already house shopping. You’re going to be seeing the both of us more often. You have to let him go, honey.”
Her friends and family often called her honey, and that was okay. When waitresses in restaurants called Ricki honey, she thought it was cute. But when evil fiancées called her honey, it set her teeth on edge. Ricki jumped out of the car and stood face-to-face with Kari. “I don’t care what you do with your life from here on out. Just stay away for me. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.” She jumped back in her car and pulled away before Kari had a chance to stop her.
The drive back to Unionville was a blur. It seemed to have taken forever to get home, but she didn’t remember any of it. Her heart pounded in her chest, throbbed in her temples. Her head felt like it was going to explode. What Kari said was hurtful, but she wasn’t going to give Marty or his fiancée the satisfaction of a single tear. She had only one question: If he was so unhappy with her, why didn’t he say something instead of up and leaving like he did?
Not like it mattered anymore. She was officially done with him. If that was the kind of woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, then maybe she fooled herself into thinking she knew him at all. And to think she had to go on a talk show Monday morning and face this woman like nothing had happened.
Five
With a bouquet of flowers in her arms, Ricki rang Becca’s doorbell. Her mother always told her never go to someone’s house empty-handed. In most cases, her mother was referring to food, generally, pie, specifically. In this case, the only pie Ricki had was a humble one.
When she still hadn’t heard from Becca, she grew worried. Maybe she had hurt her friend worse than she imagined. After the fight she had with Kari the night before, Ricki couldn’t stand being away from her and reached out. After all, she was the one who needed to apologize. She was truly sorry she had left Becca out of the loop. She was sorry for not telling her friend the truth about what had happened between her and Marty. Sorry that she never told her long after the sting of the breakup wore off. Sorry that they had fought.
Becca poked her head out the door. Ricki smiled and waved. Becca was still in her pajamas, and it was already ten o’clock in the morning. Megan usually had her up around six o’clock, so this wasn’t normal for her.
“I suppose you want to come in.” Becca’s tough attitude didn’t fool Ricki. If she didn’t want to see her, she would have slammed the door in her face. “It’s a good thing you brought flowers.”
“Don’t I always?” Since Becca looked like she had just rolled out of bed, Ricki expected to see piles of laundry everywhere and a sink full of dishes, but her house was spotless. Megan cooed gleefully in her swing. The TV was on some morning talk show. “Am I bothering you?”
Becca put the mixed bouquet up to her nose and inhaled. “No, I was only being lazy. I made a pot of coffee. Help yourself.”
“Can I get you one?” Ricki strolled to the kitchen and took two cups out of the cupboard. �
�I suppose you know why I’m here.”
Becca filled a vase with water. “What took you so long?”
“Oh…” Ricki laughed, shaking her head. “You have no idea. But let me start off by saying, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what really happened, but you have to understand how hurt I was. I was devastated. It was my first real break up from my first real boyfriend.”
Becca wrapped her arms around Ricki and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, too. I think Taryn’s comments on my looks set me off. As if people don’t change, ya know. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. Of course, you were upset. Of course, you wouldn’t want to tell me everything. It’s none of my business, but…”
“But you’re my best friend, right?”
“Right.”
As Becca arranged the flowers, Ricki tended to two cups of coffee. “If it’s any consolation, my mother doesn’t even know.”
Eyes wide, Becca tilted her head to the side. “You never told your mother? Wow. I thought you told your mother everything.”
“I do, but she doesn’t know the whole truth. No one does. Well, except his fiancée.”
“The way you say fiancée makes me think something is up.” Becca sat at the table and cradled the cup in her hands. “How would you even know what his fiancée thought of you?”
Ricki sat across from Becca, ready to tell her everything, albeit a few years late. Now that she was working through this apology, she thought it would be good to come clean. Being apart from Becca in the best of times had Ricki suffering from withdrawal. Being apart because of a disagreement only made it worse. “Do you remember how Taryn said she wanted me to be on her new talk show?” Becca nodded. “Well, you’d never guess who the host of the show is.”
Becca gasped, throwing her hands in the air. “Oh, my God. You’re kidding me.”
Wake Up to Murder (A Ricki Rydell Mystery Book 2) Page 3
