“Did you buy a new house too? Will it be in the area?” Shari was all questions and bright eyes.
Marlowe hated to disappoint her. “No, I'm moving away. Relocating to Charlevoix.” The words felt strange in her mouth. Seeing the shock on her new friend's face, Marlowe felt bad. She was enjoying getting to know Shari. The older woman had been a mystery for so long.
Looking pensive, Shari slipped onto one of the wrought iron chairs at the glass topped table. Marlowe did the same. “So that will leave Jenna on her own.”
Why should she be concerned about the woman who’d stabbed Marlowe in the back over the Bobby Jensen sale? “Jenna and I have hardly been good friends.”
“Oh, I know all that,” Shari said quickly. “Last Friday I had a heart-to-heart with Jenna.”
What a surprise. “Could I ask what that conversation was about?”
The sound of Shari's nails tapping the glass tabletop indicated that the conversation had not been easy. “I’ll be perfectly honest. I intend to work at that company for at least ten more years. After what happened with you, I had to do something. Situations like that aren’t good for the company.”
“You are totally right on that one. But how do you interfere when your boss is the man in question?”
“I know that wouldn't have been easy for you. But as I told you earlier, Landon is my ex son-in-law. Needless to say, I have to tread carefully, but I’m not staying silent. I’d like to see his current marriage survive. My grandkids don’t need more drama.”
Marlowe's heart went out to the woman. She was trying to do the right thing but this situation was very difficult.
“So what exactly did you say?”
“I invited her to have drinks at Bice.” The restaurant was a popular spot at the corner of 5th Avenue and 3rd Street, close toShari's new home. “The poor girl, she actually thought I'd invited her just to chat.”
“She’s young and a little naïve,” Marlowe said. “But smart too. For a while she was a big help to me. I think she enjoyed learning.”
“But not smart about older men,” Shari said with a resigned voice.
“True. Especially a man who is already married. A man who lied.”
“There you have it. I began by complimenting her on her work. Then I added that there couldn't be many more mix-ups like the one with Bobby Jensen's property.”
“I would agree with that. And thank you for somehow getting me a cut on that one.”
Shari’s lips pursed with disgust. “I never want to see a deal go down like that one again. For good or for bad, I indicated that I was related to Landon and knew his wife Melissa. And I also told Jenna that he was never going to divorce Melissa. Let’s be practical. He's already been through one divorce from my daughter Ainsley. A man like him isn't willing to split his considerable assets one more time. He already has four college educations in his future.”
How practical. Marlowe had to chuckle. Shari was so darn smart. “But those are exactly the things that a young woman like Jenna would not consider,” Marlowe pointed out. “And of course she wants her own family. Most young women do.”
Was she herself past that point? Marlowe wasn’t sure. Sam’s news had gotten her thinking down a different path. She sure enjoyed her time with Holly. Did she want to pass on having children? But back to the conversation. “What did Jenna say?”
“She got really quiet. My heart went out to her. The man is such an idiot, but he can be charming. That’s what makes him agood salesperson. I think she was on the verge of tears. But she didn’t cry.”
With that Shari glanced up and met Marlowe’s gaze with her very blue eyes. Could eyes really be that blue? Or was she wearing contacts? “I told her that I would handle Landon and that Monday I did.”
My, this conversation was getting better by the minute. “And what did he say?”
Throwing her head back, Shari let out a chortle. “I think he was almost relieved. Maybe he’d reached a point where he knew he couldn’t go any further.”
Shari really was amazing. “Landon probably appreciates your wisdom.”
“I’m not sure about that and I don't really care. But I don't want that agency to blow up because of his male stupidity.” She licked her lips. “You could have charged him with harassment.”
“Yes, and I mentioned that in the break room one day,” Marlowe said.
Shari looked impressed. “Talk about taking the tiger by the tail.”
“Yes, well coupled with your warning, it might make an impression. How did he take your warning?”
Her eyes dancing, Shari nodded. “Upset doesn’t quite cover it. I mentioned a couple of local harassment cases that had not gone in the man’s favor. Seeing him sweat was a small satisfaction.”