Duet in September (The Calendar Girls) by Ardito Gina

Author:Ardito, Gina [Ardito, Gina]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Victoria Ardito
Published: 2013-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

~~~~

Paige

“Tell me about Albany.”

I took a sip of iced tea before answering Sam. As promised, he’d grilled the mako and corn to perfection. My contribution, a chilled pasta salad with bleu cheese and bacon, added just the right tang. Food-wise, we made an unbeatable team. Our empty plates were proof of our culinary expertise. “What do you want to know?” I asked.

“Do you miss it? Living there, I mean.”

I gave a half-hearted shrug. “Sometimes. It’s a different world from here. Albany is bigger, noisier, busier. Not as big, noisy, and busy as New York City, but definitely more bustling than Snug Harbor.”

“You worked for the state, right? Did you like it?”

“Uh-huh. I worked in the comptroller’s office. I loved it. I didn’t always like it, but I really loved it.”

“Why?” He actually sounded confused.

I squirmed in my chair. What was this? An interview? Toying with my silverware, I stifled my impatience. Eating had given us an excuse not to talk. Now with dinner over, conversation seemed necessary. Sam was probably seeking common ground between us.

“I don’t know. Maybe because there was always something going on. Think about it. The state coffers hold more than fifteen billion dollars in payroll, nearly a hundred fifty million in retirement benefits, and nine billion in unclaimed funds. That’s a lotta scratch. Then there were the routine audits, local government spending, taxes. For a finance geek like me, every day the circus was in town. I never knew what I’d walk into on any given morning.” I flipped up my right hand. “Now I’ve come home, and the most activity I see on a daily basis is when Lou Rugerman calls to make sure his quarterlies were paid on time or Lisa Bloomfield asks if she can write off the cost of central a/c on her taxes because her son has asthma.”

He started to say something, but I held up a hand to stop him.

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind helping everyone here. It’s just…Wainwright Financial is so much more…” I struggled for the perfect description and finally settled for, “…low-key. It’s a huge adjustment for me.”

“So why do it?”

An excellent question. One I toyed with whenever I was bored with my day-to-day rut, which of course, had been the reason behind my enthusiasm for Dara’s thirty day challenge. “I came home because Nia and Dad needed me. Now I stay to run the business. Someone has to keep my father’s legacy alive. It’s not fair to ask Nia to do it.”

“That’s not very fair to you, though, is it?”

I offered a weak smile. “Don’t get upset on my account. I like being here, too. I just wish my job was a little more exciting. And I miss all the people in Albany.”

“What, like your friends? You didn’t keep in touch?”

That actually got a laugh out of me. “No, silly. I miss the amount of people in Albany. There were too many to keep count. Everyone was a stranger to everyone else. Do you

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