“Their investments are completely undiversified, very heavy on fixed income and blue-chip stocks,” he tells me, and I nod sympathetically, though I have only a vague idea of what that means. “They haven’t even considered hedge funds, can you believe that? No wonder they’re worried about being able to pay all the upcoming retirees’ pensions.”
“Yeah, no wonder,” I echo, and that seems to be enough to keep him talking about the subpar returns the pension fund’s been getting and how he plans to change all that, starting with allocating a greater portion of their assets to higher-risk, higher-reward alternatives like Marcus’s fund.
“That’s a great idea,” I tell him, and I mean it. I may not know much about diversification strategies and proper investment allocation, but I do know Marcus, and if anyone can ensure that all those teachers keep getting their pensions, he’d be the guy.
Bob beams at me and starts using even more finance lingo, at which point Marcus joins the conversation, and I gladly focus on my coffee and dessert—which, thankfully, isn’t a single berry but a panna cotta with a layer of berries at the top.
Finally, everyone’s done eating and drinking, and Marcus hands our waiter a credit card to cover the bill. A bill that has to be astronomical because most of the men have been ordering extra alcohol throughout dinner—brandy, whiskey, cognac—and I suspect they haven’t been getting the discount stuff.
As Marcus is signing the receipt, I glance at the entrance and spot Janie standing there with her boyfriend, Landon. He looks exactly as I remember: tall, blond, and handsome in a thin-lipped, country-club sort of way. Both he and Janie are staring at me open-mouthed—I’m guessing because of the company I’m with. Smiling, I wave to them, and Janie hesitantly smiles and waves back. Landon leans down to whisper something in her ear. My friend looks uncertain, but he gives her a slight push, and she heads toward me, with him following.
I stand up to greet them as they approach. “Hi again, Janie. And hello, Landon. It’s good to see you,” I say, extending my hand toward him with a polite smile. I have a strong suspicion he’s not here for me but rather my companions—a suspicion that’s instantly corroborated because as soon as he shakes my hand and mumbles, “Good to see you,” his gaze homes in on my date and it’s as if I don’t exist.
“Landon Worth,” he announces, sticking out his hand at Marcus. “I’m Emma’s friend.”
Marcus’s eyebrows rise as he glances at me, but I keep my face blank. There’s no way I’m claiming this guy I barely know as a friend. I’m beginning to form a theory as to why Janie disappeared after they started dating, and it’s not a good one.
Marcus’s return introduction is curt, the handshake brief. “Marcus Carelli.”
“And this is my friend from college, Janie Brandt,” I say, gesturing toward her. “We ran into each other in the ladies’ room earlier.” Pre-Landon, I would’ve introduced her as “one of my best friends,” but it’s hard to consider someone your BFF when you haven’t spoken to her for six months—and she hasn’t returned most of your texts.
“Nice to meet you, Janie,” Marcus says, shaking her hand with a much warmer expression. Meanwhile, Landon goes around the table introducing himself to Marcus’s investors and handing out gold-lettered business cards. “In case you ever need some M&A or IPO advice,” he says to Weston Long with a wink. “My team at Goldman just launched the Guru IPO, you know.”
Everyone is polite to him, but I can tell nobody’s particularly impressed. These men must run into dozens of Landons daily; with their wealth, there’s no avoiding all the ass kissers and favor seekers. Still, I feel a little dirty watching Landon’s blatant efforts to ingratiate himself, and Janie looks uncomfortable too.
Thankfully, the ickiness doesn’t last long. Everyone was getting ready to leave anyway, and Landon’s arrival merely accelerates the inevitable. Within minutes, everyone heads out, leaving me and Marcus with Janie and her boyfriend.
“So,” Landon says, smiling wide enough to swallow a boat. “How about the four of us grab a drink? There’s a nice bar over at—”
“Maybe another time,” Marcus says as the waiter fetches our coats. He turns to my friend. “Janie, it was nice to meet you. I hope we see you again soon.”
And placing a hand on my lower back, he ushers me out of the restaurant and into the waiting car.
31
Marcus
Once we’re inside the car, Emma closes her eyes with a weary sigh, and I pull her to me, letting her head rest on my shoulder.
“Tired?” I ask, stroking her soft curls. A flowery fragrance wafts toward me, something unfamiliar but pleasant, though it does give me a tickling sensation in my nostrils.
“I’m exhausted.” Emma’s voice is muffled as she burrows deeper into my neck. “I haven’t socialized this intensely since Kendall’s twenty-fifth birthday party.”