Free Call Me! by Dani Ripper Page A

about you for years! I finally had to come to town and see for myself what all the fuss was about. And now that I’ve seen you in the flesh, I feel I’ve known you forever. Can I call you Honey?”
     
    A reference to my bush.
     
    “I told you Roy was a charmer,” Ben says.
     
    “You did,” I say. Addressing Roy, I add, “Given your history as a charmer, I’d feel more comfortable if you called me Dani, as in Ben’s wife, Dani.”
     
    Ben looks mildly uncomfortable. “Well, I didn’t mean to imply…”
     
    Roy interrupts, “No, of course not! No harm done.” He smiles. “Dani’s clearly onto me! Yes, I may be a charmer, but I know true love when I see it.”
     
    Ben’s face goes from concerned to all smiles. A waitress brings Roy a shot of bourbon, neat. “Keep ’em comin’, Monica,” Roy says, “maybe I’ll give you a car for a tip.”
     
    “If you do, I’ll give you a ride!” she giggles.
     
    Roy looks at me and winks. “What do you suppose Monica means by that?”
     
    We look at her and she giggles again. “Oh dear,” she says.
     
    “Catch me again when we get a table,” he says.
     
    “Will do!” Monica says cheerfully, then flits off to find another flirt.
     
    “They must know you here,” I say.
     
    “Nah. I ordered the drink when I came in. Gave her a fifty.” He looks at me and says, “Women will do anything for cash.”
     
    “Some women,” Ben says.
     
    Roy gives him a smug look. “Well said, Benny Boy.”
     
    He downs it in a single motion, and Ben and I exchange a look.
     
    The hostess finds us in the bar and escorts us to our table. A busboy removes a chair so Roy can park his wheelchair in its place. Our waiter introduces himself and sees we have our drinks, so he tells us the specials and hands us menus. We study them a few minutes. When he comes back, we place our orders.
     
    “What type of work do you do, Roy?” I ask.
     
    “I’m an investor. Businesses, Real estate, horses, you name it. If there’s money in it, I’ll find it!” Then he says, “What about you, Dani? What do you do?”
     
    “I’m a housewife.”
     
    Roy laughs. “I know better than that! Our Ben has kept me informed through the years. It must be terribly exciting to be a private investigator.”
     
    “The truth is I get very little work. Most of the time I’m a housewife, and quite content to be one, though I wasn’t aware you and Ben spoke on such a regular basis.”
     
    “I check in with him once or twice a year, though now that I think about it, he never calls me. What’s with that , Benny Boy?”
     
    Ben says, “I figure you’re so busy all the time! I’m always afraid I’ll interrupt some high-level business meeting. You’re always in motion. I was just telling Dani, you’re a force of nature!”
     
    Roy says, “Well, thanks, but you’ve managed to do something I’ve never accomplished.”
     
    “I can’t imagine what that might be,” Ben says. “You’re wealthy, successful, brilliant…you’ve had a wonderful life.”
     
    “I can’t complain, and thanks for calling me brilliant. But with all my success, I’ve never found true love, and that’s the greatest success of all. I’m truly happy for you!”
     
    “Thank you,” Ben says. “That means a lot to me.”
     
    As Roy looks at me his eyes tear up. I wonder how he does that. Does he keep a cut onion in his pocket and rub his eyes with onion juice when I’m not looking?
     
    He says, “I’m happy for you, too, Dani. Because Ben’s not only my best friend, he’s also the best human being I’ve ever met. Of course, I don’t have to tell you how special he is!”
     
    “True,” I say, “But it’s always nice to hear my husband complimented.”
     
    “I’d never do anything to hurt him,” Roy adds, holding my gaze.
     
    “I’m sure you wouldn’t. I mean, what type of friend would ?”
     
    Ben says, “Thanks, Roy. You’ve always been a good friend.”
     
    Monica brings Roy