Riona sat at her desk in her offices catching up on some work when there was a knock at her door. She called for the person to come in, not looking up from her work. After she heard the chair creek a little when someone sat in it she looked up. Dina had made herself comfortable.
"O my goodness Girl!" Ri jumped out of her seat and attacked her friend. "Why didn't you tell us you were back in town?" They hugged tightly.
"And ruin the surprise?" Dina replied. She had been in France finishing up her Culinary School.
"I am so glad to see you!' Ri exclaimed and sat in the second chair in front of her desk. "Tell me everything."
"You tell me," D inquired with a raised eyebrow. Ri Sighed.
"Claire?"
"Yap"
"Can't that girl keep a secret?"
"Not from us I am afraid"
Ri leaned back in the chair. She had been closer to D than the other two girls, they had practically grown up together, so she figured she may have been hurt not to have gotten the news from Ri directly but Ri was also just processing the news. She hadn't even gotten to terms with it and it had been over a week.
"Roger did it again and I am paying the price." Ri finally said
"You do know that you can downright refuse. You are your own woman, a powerful one at that, with 2 thriving businesses. You shouldn't bow to the pressure of your parents."
"I know, but I do not want to be painted the villain. You know how my folks are."
"Just as long as you know you are not," D leaned forward and held her hands, "Babe, you cannot keep letting them roll over you."
"I have a plan," Ri said
"O really? Tell me about it."
"If I can somehow make it impossible for the man to marry me. I don't know, make myself unattractive or just unsuitable to be seen with him or something I am sure I can get away with it."
"That is a horrible plan. And even though it does work, how will you make sure the family company survives your schemes?"
"I haven't gotten to that part yet but I am still planning. Right now they do not know I know. They have been sending invites to dinner but I have managed to avoid them."
"But for how long? Plus I do not think making yourself unattractive sits well with me."
"I wouldn't completely botch my image, just do things when around him that could cause him to rethink this."
"We need a girl's night and booze for this kind of planning."
"Put it together!" Ri said excitedly, "Tonight?"
"Supposing you people haven't lied about keeping the Thursday night tradition, we should do it then." D said rifling through her bag. She pulled out a souvenir from France. A little Eiffel Tower for her desk.
"Thanks," Ri hugged her again, "And I have to get back to work now. But let us set up Thursday, tell Claire at the same place. She knows what to do." She paused, "I really missed you D"
"Yeah, yeah. Get back to work." D picked up her bag and headed for the door. "See you Doll."
Ri smiled at her as she resumed her seat at her desk. D was back in town! She was ecstatic. Now she could plan some real fun. D was the most devious of them and also the most fun loving. Ri recalled the trouble they had gotten into the last time her friend had been in town about 8 months before. She put a whole new meaning to painting the city red. Ri resumed her work all smiles. Life was good.
At the end of the day as Ri was concluding her days work, Claire came into her office.
"So D tells me she wants to start the fun right away," Claire started, leaning on the doorframe.
"She sure did. So we are on for Thursday night." Ri looked up from her desk, "When was the last time we actually went out on the town?"
"I wont tell if you wont. She will get us so drunk in retaliation for lying we would need the whole weekend to recover. And you have that gala on Sunday."
Ri groaned, "I wish I could get out of that one. I had succeeded in avoiding them.
"You could take a date…"
"I could…" Ri looked pensive for a moment, "I know just who to take." She smiled conspiratorially.
"So are we set?"
"We have 2 days to prepare our livers for what D may have in store. I think we should shore up courage."
"We will need it I am afraid"
Ri started to pack up to head home. She could finish some of the things she had from there.
"I will not be in tomorrow. I will work from home"
"Sure thing boss," Claire replied, saluting and heading back into the throng of people shutting down for the day.
Ri headed to the underground packing, to her car. She drove slowly home in the traffic. She kept thinking of all the things she figured a man of such a high calibre as Mr Fletcher would not appreciate in a woman. She would ask her friends to add to her list. She already had a starting point. Taking a date to the gala was step one. He may not want a seemingly taken woman. He was sure to attend it. She just needed to make it apparent that she was uninterested and unsuitable.
She had a delivery to complete, dogs to feed and a chat date waiting on her. She enjoyed her life as it was. She couldn't allow her family and some unknown to mess up the life she spent so many years to painstakingly build. May be she could recruit a few people to help with this here her little scheme.