Chapter 15
Monday morning had swallowed up any semblance of order in Madeline’s household. The nanny was there by 6:30 A.M., which was a help, but it was not quite early enough to get four children dressed, fed, and off to camp in time for Madeline to hit the DMI parking lot by eight. Today she was willing to settle for what she could get. The clock in her Mercedes displayed 9:05 A.M. when she pulled into the lot. Tomorrow she’d set a goal of 8:45 A.M. and keep shaving off five or ten minutes each day.
The lot was already loaded with cars. She crept to the section up front, which was reserved for the executive team: CEO, CFO, general counsel, head of Human Resources, and Mrs. Mitchell. Her reserved spot was sandwiched between Dave’s shiny Cadillac and Frank’s Chevy pickup truck. Madeline was prepared to pull into her old spot when she had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the tiny car already there. Who had the nerve to park in her spot? She was irked but wasn’t going to go ballistic as long as the car was moved or towed by tomorrow. Anyone was entitled to one mistake. The owner of this car had just made theirs.
Madeline regrouped and circled the lot until she found a space in the rear, about eight rows away from the building. She killed the ignition, drew in a long-winded sigh, and released the air very slowly, methodically taking in the scene. She extracted a tube of lipstick from her purse. Madeline stretched forward, peering into the rearview mirror as she colored her lips. She used the palm of her hand to flatten any stray strands of hair that had eased from her tightly drawn curly ponytail.
Realizing she couldn’t stall any longer, Madeline opened the car door. The July heat was already rising uncontrollably this early in the morning. It smashed against her cheeks, causing her to hustle down the long walkway as fast as her four-inch stilettos allowed. Once the piercing heat, the pressure on her feet, and the weight of her portfolio bag meshed, Madeline couldn’t maintain her calm disposition about someone parking in her spot. She wasn’t dressed for a hike. She was hot in her Chanel suit and felt disheveled. Forget about waiting until tomorrow, she thought. They need to get out today. She was too uncomfortable to think straight. Her temper was boiling hotter with each step, especially after remembering the local magazine was coming out to do an article. She’d arranged the interview as a means of publicly announcing that the DMI leadership team was intact and ready for business. Marketing was her strength and she knew what had to be done quickly to repair the corporate image. Finally, she reached the revolving door and stepped inside.
Madeline rushed to the guard desk and set the portfolio bag down. She caught her breath and said, “Someone is in my parking spot, and I want them out now.”
She wasn’t in the office a lot, but the staff knew who she was. An introduction wasn’t necessary.
“Mrs. Mitchell, we’ll check into it,” one of the guards assured her.
“Don’t just check into it. Find out who owns the car that’s parked in the slot for Mrs. Mitchell and get it out. I don’t care if you announce it over the loudspeaker or have the car towed. I really don’t care how you take care of it, so long as it’s out of there by lunchtime.”
The guards immediately began scrambling.
Madeline wanted to take off her shoe to relieve the pain in her toe, but she feared it wouldn’t go back on. She decided to stand there for a while and calm down. Eventually, she tiptoed to the elevators and made it upstairs. She gingerly moved down the hallway, acknowledging the greetings coming from the few administrative assistants on the floor.
“Is that my sister-in-law?” she heard someone say from behind her.
Madeline turned to see Frank approaching, with a grin plastered across his lips. “You mean ex-sister-in-law, don’t you?” she said with sprinkles of humor. Frank was family. She relaxed as each shoe was pulled off.
“Never that,” Frank said, giving her a friendly hug. Madeline rested the heavy bag on a desk. “It’s good to see you. I mean, really good.”
“It’s good to be back. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone noticed that I was gone.”
“Are you kidding me? We’ve missed you around here. I’ve missed you being here,” he said, poking his thumbs in his chest. “Let’s just say it hasn’t been the same around here without you.”
“You mean Sherry didn’t fill in for me?” she whispered, barely able to get the words out before bursting into laughter.
“Pleassse,” Frank said, joining in the laughter. He whispered in her ear, “There’s only one Mrs. Mitchell, and she ain’t it.”
They continued laughing until Dave came into the hallway. “I thought that was you,” he said.
“Showtime,” Madeline whispered to Frank and picked up her shoulder bag.
“Got a minute?” Dave asked her and Frank. “I’d like to chat for a few minutes.”
“I’m free,” Frank said, walking toward Dave’s office.
“Let me drop my bag off in my office, and I’ll be right in.” Madeline thought about it, and when she was in close proximity to Dave, she said, “That is, if I still have an office.”
“Of course you do. It’s been untouched since you left,” Dave said.