Chapter 19
“Dave, I can’t take this,” Sherry said, breaking down in her husband’s arms. “Madeline hates me, and she’s determined to make my life painful every single day. When is it going to end?” she said, balling.
Dave sat next to her. “You’re right. This has to stop,” he said, taking her hand and sitting on the edge of the chair. “You can’t keep up this kind of stress without affecting your pregnancy.”
“Can’t you make her go? Can’t she work somewhere else?”
“I can’t. She has a job here for the rest of her life.”
“You can fire her.”
Dave scratched his head and sat back in the chair. “It’s not that simple.”
“Why isn’t it? You’re in charge. You can fire her, and that will give me a break from her for a change.”
“I can’t fire her.”
He reached for her hand again, and she snatched it away. “You can’t or you won’t?”
“I can’t.”
He sighed, but she didn’t care if the conversation about his precious Madeline was uncomfortable. Welcome to her club. It was about time some of the other Mitchells joined her in the private hell she was experiencing at the hands of Dave’s first family.
“No one can fire her. She has a permanent position in her contract.”
“How did that happen?”
“I gave it to her.”
“When?” Sherry asked, becoming more upset.
“When we got divorced. It was included in the divorce settlement.”
“How could you do such a thing?” Sherry said, totally frazzled by now. “Now I definitely won’t be able to get rid of her.” She shook her head. “Just because she asked for a clause like that didn’t mean you had to give it to her.” The image of Madeline, smug and in charge, at DMI threatened to make Sherry nauseous.
“Madeline didn’t ask,” he said, letting his voice drop very low. “I offered it to her.”
“You what?” she said, leaping to her feet. “What were you thinking?” Sherry couldn’t believe he was the one who’d turned DMI into a prison for her. So long as Madeline was in the building, peace was not possible. “I’m shocked that you would do something like that to me.”
“Sherry, remember, this was part of my divorce settlement. You weren’t in the picture then. We weren’t a couple and weren’t discussing a future together. This was strictly between me and Madeline.”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?” he asked.
“That you don’t seem to be able to let go of Madeline. You’re divorced, and she’s still your wife.”
“That’s ridiculous!” he said.
“Is it?” Sherry asked. “You’re probably the only person in the world who thinks so.”
“What does that mean?”
“Madeline acts like she’s your wife. She even gets the parking space next to yours, the spot reserved for Mrs. Mitchell, while I park in the next row.”
“I didn’t realize that bothered you. We can swap your space with one of the other executives in the front row, no problem.”
“No, Dave, no, you’re not getting it,” she said, shaking his shoulders as he sat there. “I don’t want another spot. I want the one reserved for Mrs. Mitchell, the one next to you.” He shifted his gaze away from hers. “Can you do that for me?”
He didn’t answer, didn’t have to.
“Of course not. This is Madeline’s company, not mine. How many times has she told me that? A hundred? A million? And thanks to you, she’ll tell me a million more times,” Sherry said, feeling exhausted.
“Here, sit and calm down,” he said, patting the seat next to him.
“I don’t need to calm down. I need to get fired up. Maybe that’s what it will take to get respect around here.”
“Sherry, I know you don’t want to hear this, but Madeline deserved a permanent position here at DMI. She helped me build this company. Honestly, she’s an invaluable member of the team.”
“Right, right,” Sherry said, refusing to sit down. “I know, Madeline is Mrs. Wonderful. She tells me constantly, and I guess you’re telling me too.”
“That’s not what I said,” Dave responded in a harsh voice, which hurt her feelings. He was making her seem like the disgruntled woman, when Madeline was the troublemaker. Dave couldn’t see it, which was painful.
“I’m tired. I’m going home,” she said, beyond the point of frustration. She was flat-out boiling.
“Are the part-time hours too much?”
“I don’t know. I can’t think straight right now.”
“Maybe you should take off completely. The tension between you and Madeline isn’t going to end, and we can’t take a chance with the pregnancy.” He rubbed her stomach again. “The doctor is already concerned that you’ve only gained a few pounds this far along. We have to take precautions for the baby.”
“Is this about protecting the baby or Madeline?”
“How can you ask me a question like this?” Dave said. “You’re my wife, and you’re carrying my child. Shouldn’t that answer your question?”
“No, not really,” she said, ready to go.
“Wait! Don’t rush off mad. We can work this out. Why don’t you seriously consider taking the time off and giving you and our baby a rest?” he said grabbing her hand.
Sherry didn’t pull away, but she wanted to. Her tired limbs just wouldn’t move.
“I pray that the tension in my family will end soon, but in the meantime I believe it will be safer at home for the baby,” he added.
Sherry wasn’t going to fight. Dave and Madeline were too much for her to battle alone. Maybe once her baby was born, she’d have another person on her side. “You and Madeline win. I quit.”