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“Mary, you need to think this through. You’re making a big mistake over such a little thing. Can’t you see how ridiculous you’re acting?”
Charles Webb recognized the familiar scowl on her face and knew he had crossed the line of mutual respect. Two years of dating had taught him that no one disrespected Mary and got away with it. Even his soothing denim-blue eyes weren’t good enough to save him from the tongue lashing that was about to take place.
“A little thing?”
Charles could see her electric blue eyes fade to grey.
“You call dumping me for Stephanie little? How dare you treat our relationship as disposable. After all the time and effort I spent over the last two years trying to make you happy, you decide I’m not good enough and flirt with my best friend.” Mary’s breathing began to quicken as wetness began to form in her eyes. “You’re nothing but an insensitive womanizer.”
“Womanizer? That’s not fair. You know I was faithful and dedicated for two entire years. Two years, Mary. I warned you that I was unhappy and that this relationship wasn’t meeting my needs.”
“Yeah, but you never said you were going to date someone else.”
“What else did you expect me to do? Stay in something I wasn’t happy with? I told you I needed more time from you. How can you expect to build a relationship without spending quality time together?”
“But Charles, you know how hard we worked to get to where we are today. Don’t you remember how much we struggled in the beginning to get Women of Grace off the ground?”
Charles nodded his head in silence. How could he forget the long hours he and Mary had sacrificed on press releases, phone calls, faxes, and begging a long list of Christian radio stations to give their first release Heavenbound airplay. For months, it seemed every station rejected their single until God finally gave them the break they were hoping for. It wasn’t until June 16, three years ago when they received the landmark call from KBBW in San Francisco that would launch the women’s group into instant stardom and fame.
That was also the time that he and Mary decided to court each other exclusively. What had started out purely as a business partnership quickly blossomed into a romantic relationship, one that all the members of the group thought would end in marriage. But as the group’s fame grew, so did the pressure on Mary to maintain a stream of hits that would keep Women of Grace in the limelight. Soon, their relationship began to suffer as Mary devoted more hours to the business leaving him to feel neglected.
Did Mary think he would sit around forever waiting for her to make their relationship a priority? No, he had been patient long enough. “Look, I know it’s been a crazy ride getting to where the group is today. All I can say is that I’m proud of how hard you ... I mean we, have worked together. I know you had to make sacrifices. I’ve made sacrifices. But all I wanted was some regular time together. That’s all. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”
Mary pressed her lips together in silence as he continued.
“It wasn’t like I was purposely trying to hit on Stephanie. You know we were just friends. But when I needed someone to talk to, you weren’t there, and she was. I wasn’t trying to cheat on you. It just happened.”
“Did you ever think how I would feel about this? Charles, you know how much blood, sweat, and tears I put into our group. I was doing it for the girls ... for us. And now you’ve thrown it all away.” Mary’s body began to tremble as a line of tears ran down her face.
“We can get over this. I know it might be awkward, but we’re all mature adults aren’t we?”
“No, Charles, we can’t get over this. I can’t get over this.”
Charles stepped closer. “Mary, you just need to calm down. You know you can’t run this group without my help. I helped you lay the groundwork. You can’t just kick me off that easily.”
“Get out.” Mary pointed at the door.
Charles creased his forehead. “I’m not going to leave until you come to your senses.”
“If you don’t get out, I’m going to call the police.” Mary reached for her cell phone, but Charles clamped his strong fingers around her arm stopping her short.
Before Mary could cry for help, the door to her office swung open, and Joshua walked in.
Charles turned his head quickly to see who had interrupted their discussion.
“I’m sorry,” Joshua apologized. “I didn’t know you were meeting someone.” He pointed toward out the door. “Should I come back another time?”
Mary brushed a hand across her eyes and took a deep breath. “No, Joshua, you’re right on time.” She turned to face Charles.
“Charles, this is Joshua Davis, our new musical director.” Her gaze returned to the new director. “Mr. Webb was just leaving.”
A look of confusion washed over Charles’s face. His gaze traveled from Mary to the stranger standing by the door. The man had the physique of a professional boxer, and he knew without a doubt his soft body would suffer a terrible beating if there were a confrontation. He gave Mary an ominous stare. “This isn’t over. Just wait and see. This group will fall apart without my leadership, and then you’ll be begging for me to come back.”
Charles turned to go but stopped next to Joshua and extended his hand. “Mr. Davis, I’ve heard great things about you. I’m sorry they had you get involved. It’s just a big misunderstanding, and I think we can settle this without your services.”
Joshua gave Charles a firm handshake. “It’s no problem at all. I’ve known Mary for a long time, and when she needs help, I’m always glad to help out.”
Charles gave him a nervous laugh. “I think when you see what I’ve done with the group, you’ll find there’s not much to improve.”
Joshua smiled back. “I beg to differ, Mr. Webb. From what Mary has told me, your profits are down this last year, and you’re only booked one month in advance. Sounds to me there’s lots of room for improvement.”
Charles tightened his hand into a fist and glared at Mary. “This isn’t over yet. You can’t get rid of me that easy.” He turned back to Charles and nodded his head. “Good day, Mr. Webb. This won’t be the last time we see each other.”
“I’m counting on it.” Joshua kept a firm gaze on his predecessor.
Charles gave Mary one last look before stomping out of the room.
As he made his way to his silver Mercedes, he could feel his blood pressure rising. There was no way he was going to let Mary kick him out of the group without putting up a fight. Someway, somehow, he would find a way to make his ex-girlfriend pay for humiliating him in front of the whole group. He would show everyone that it was he who was responsible for the success of the group. A plan began to form in his head as he navigated the German sports car away from the large Tudor mansion before vanishing down the street.
