Page 206 of Love in Riverbend
Our conversation halts as the waitress approaches. “Can I get you something to drink?”
As I rub my hands together, I see Jill’s cup of hot chocolate. It’s definitely a day for warm drinks. Smiling, I reply, “Coffee, hot coffee.”
“Coming right up.”
Jill lifts her cup. “I can’t believe we both have jobs a few blocks from each other.”
I couldn’t agree more. While I’ve made new friends at Parker and Stevens and others from my gym and apartment complex, old friends are special. “And we haven’t met up since before the holidays. How is your family?”
“Good.” She rolls her eyes. “It’s always a fight over whose house we’ll stay at when we visit. I’d rather be at my parents’, and Todd wants to be at his parents’. The thing is, the Blakelys haven’t changed Todd’s room since he was in high school. Oh, they replaced his twin bed with a full.”
I scrunch my nose. “A full?”
Jill nods. “When you’re used to a king-sized, a full might as well be a twin. And we have to go back next weekend for Todd’s sister’s daughter’s birthday.”
“Where are you going to stay?”
“My parents’ house.”
“What about your old room?” I ask.
“Oh, it’s a perfectly fine guest room with a queen-sized bed. My mom has no problem with ‘out with the old and in with the new.’”
I laugh as the waitress arrives with my coffee. The ceramic mug warms my fingers. “I wanted to see more people in Riverbend,” I confess. “But since I could only get a few days off, Mom had a million things planned. I didn’t even get a chance to see Devan.”
“Oh, she and Justin have made their farmhouse so cute. Talk about ‘out with the old and in with the new.’ It looks totally different than it did when we were kids.”
“I saw it last summer. They weren’t finished with the kitchen yet. I know Devan spent her summer vacation painting and changing the landscaping. I’m not sure how I would feel about living in and changing my childhood home.”
Jill nods. “The Dunns have been super supportive, according to Devan. They want her and Justin to make the house feel like their home, not like they’re living in Devan’s old house.”
“I’m not sure my mom would be that open to change.” I lift the menu. “It doesn’t matter. Melissa is graduating high school this year, and Marcus is settled in Chicago. I don’t see my parents moving anywhere.”
“I can’t believe your little sister is graduating high school. I suppose that’s how Justin felt about Devan before they connected. I mean, in my mind, Melissa is still a little girl.”
I shake my head. “She’s all grown up. And she’s been accepted to Purdue.”
“Oh,” Jill exclaims. “Traitor.”
I can’t help but laugh. The state of Indiana is divided into two camps—IU or Purdue. It doesn’t matter whether the person attended one school or the other or they simply live in Indiana. Everyone has an opinion. And considering Jill graduated with her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from IU, she has the right to favor her alma mater.
“According to Missy, the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business is the best in the state.”
Jill purses her lips. “She has a right to her opinion, even if it’s wrong.”
After the waitress takes our order, I ask Jill about her job. She’s the human resources manager for a law firm up the street, here in Carmel.
“I love it,” she says, her smile beaming. “I’ve been talking to Todd about going back to school.” She sighs. “I think I want to take the LSAT.”
“Become a lawyer?”
Jill nods. “I know by some Riverbend rule, I should be popping out babies by now, but honestly, Todd is so busy with his firm, neither one of us is ready for kids. After spending the last six months in the law firm, I want to do more.”
“I think that’s great.”
“And your job?” she asks.
“I love the firm. It’s growing, and I feel like I came along at the right time. Wealth management is the new must-have. The demographics of Carmel and, really, all north Indy is ripe for our services.”
