Monday Night
I’d consumed most of a bottle of wine by the time Luke showed up that night. I usually don’t see him until Thursday, when we spend the weekend together. But I was feeling as battered and bruised and pitiful as an abused puppy, so I called.
When I heard his key in the lock, I jumped up from the sofa and hurried to the door. He’d hardly taken off his coat when I threw myself against him and started to cry.
He wrapped his arms around me and held me, which only made me cry harder. I’d been trying to hold it together, but seeing his face, full of concern, cracked me wide open.
I clung to him. He rocked me from side to side like I used to do with Rachel when she had an “owee.” “Whoa, whoa, what happened, sweetheart?”
“I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire career.”
“Tell me.”
I shook my head, tears still streaming down.
“It’s okay,” he said in a soft, gentle voice. “You’re okay.”
After a minute or so, I calmed down. I raised my face from his sweater and ran my fingers around the spot I’d cried on. “I think I ruined it.”
“That’s why they have dry cleaners.” He smiled and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “Come on, let’s go in there…” He pointed to the family room. “I want you to tell me exactly what happened.”
I sniffled. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. Luke Sutton is the only man I know besides my father who carries an actual cloth handkerchief. I took it and dabbed at my eyes. Luke wasn’t tall, but he was sturdy and strong. His skin was pale and covered with freckles, about which he had to be careful. He wore glasses and had reddish brown hair, what little of it was left, as well as a scruffy gray beard that I had to remind him to groom. But he had the kindest blue eyes east of the Mississippi. My friend Susan describes him as the type of man you can’t wait to take home to meet your parents.
Now he led me into the family room and sat me down on the sofa. “So, what happened?”
I explained how Charlotte Hollander had torpedoed the project. “It made no sense. Teresa had said there was a buy-in at the top levels of the company. But she just came at us out of left field, and then the other guy wouldn’t say a word, and—”
Luke raised his palms. “Wait. You’re going ninety miles an hour. Take a deep breath and start from the beginning.”
I did. I went over the history of the project. How excited Teresa was. How her enthusiasm was contagious. How, after I’d unveiled the concept and my proposal, they approved it. How hard we’d worked on the filming and post. “It looks terrific, Luke. Hank was unbelievable.”
He frowned. “And you’re sure this woman sabotaged it?”
My eyes filled again. “Of course I’m sure. Plus, she was nasty about it. She said her twelve-year-old son could have done a better job. She was out to humiliate me. And Teresa. And she did.”
“I don’t get it. Who is this woman?”
“Vice president of engineering. She’s pretty high on the Delcroft ladder. She might even be CEO one day.”
Luke was quiet for a moment. Then: “There had to be a reason she went bat-shit crazy.”
“I don’t know what it is, but if word gets around, I’ll never work in this town again.”
“You think you may be just the slightest bit melodramatic?”
I leaned back against the couch. Now that I was calmer, I felt oddly removed from the events. I suppose it’s because a human being can endure only so much shame. It might have been self-protection. Then again, it could just have been the wine kicking in. I massaged my temples.
“There had to be a trigger,” Luke was saying.
“I don’t know. Maybe she doesn’t like other women encroaching on her territory.”
Luke shook his head. “You don’t become VP of engineering doing that. Did something in the video set her off?”
I sniffed again and tipped my head to the side. “Let’s see. Everything was great during the first segment. I saw nods and smiles. In fact, I thought they were enjoying it.” I paused. “It was good, Luke. No puffery, just, well—you know—sincere. Even a tad self-deprecating.”
“Put your personality into it, did you?”
“Stop sweet-talking me.” I managed a wan smile.
He grinned. “You got me.”
“Hey, can I show it to you? I need an objective opinion.”