Chapter 5
Mallory had to give Dot credit. As far as babies went, she was very quiet.
The child didn’t make a peep the entire first night Mallory was back home, and the next morning, she only cried for a couple minutes before being calmed back to sleep by just a few coos from Callie.
Mallory didn’t mind being woken up by the sound anyway, since she had to leave the house early if she was going to make it to the lunch spot Ariel had chosen for them.
It was directly in the middle between Ferndale and the town Ariel and her family were currently living in. Mallory could never remember the name.
The only thing left to do was sneak out of the house without her mother noticing.
She would tell Callie the truth about where she’d been when she got home.
For now, however, she was just trying to avoid a fight.
It was too early and she’d already made up her mind.
Letting Callie know the truth would only upset her mother for no reason.
That’s why she waited in her room until things quieted down in the kitchen.
She wouldn’t be able to have any coffee, but she could always pick some up on the way.
Outside of her father’s office, Mallory tiptoed down the hallway and took the keys off the hook on the wall.
She was nearly out the door when her phone beeped in her pocket—the sound echoing throughout the otherwise quiet house.
Mallory held her breath and froze in the entryway, but nothing happened.
“Thank god,” she whispered to herself, then she snuck outside and got into her father’s car before her luck ran out. She pulled out of the driveway and waited until she was all the way across town, filling up the tank with her credit card, to check her phone.
She had a text message from her old boss, Donovan.
Call me, ASAP.
She hadn’t heard from Donovan since she’d left the company and she truly had no desire to talk to him just then, but her curiosity outweighed her exhaustion. She first went inside to get a cup of coffee however, and then called Donovan back while parked in the gas station lot.
“Mallory!” he answered. “Finally.”
“What do you mean finally? You only texted me like fifteen minutes ago!”
“And in those fifteen minutes, a lot has happened.” Donovan was talking in a low, rushed voice. “The FDA is here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The FDA! They are here raiding the place.”
Mallory cracked a smile. “They are? Why? Do they have a warrant?”
“Yes,” he said. “Trust me, that was the first thing I asked. Apparently, one of the chemists who works for us filed an anonymous report with the FDA, stating that our supplements cause damage to the esophagus! Can you believe that?”
“But they can cause esophageal damage,” Mallory said plainly. “We already knew that.”
“I most certainly did not,” he insisted. “This is the first I’m hearing about it.”
“That’s not true,” she snapped. “Donovan, we talked about this before, remember? A lot of the people who take the supplements experience get really sick that first month—”
“It’s the detox period,” he cut her off. “The supplements help people detox a lot of harmful chemicals in their body so that their–”
“Their microbiome can be in tip-top shape, aiding them in the weight-loss process,” she finished the sentence for him.
“I know what the talking points are, Donovan. I had to repeat them over and over again while making my sales calls. And even more often when people called to tell me how nauseous they were feeling. But when people throw up a lot over a short period of time, it can cause harm to their esophagus.”
“And how do you know this? You’re not on the medical side of things.”
“I’m not on any side of things,” she reminded him. “But we were given a memo about this over a year ago. Our medical team did a study, and these were the findings. I came into your office right after reading it and we had a full discussion about this issue.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I did.”
“Okay, well then you clearly must’ve downplayed the whole thing, because I think I would’ve remembered if you told me people were being rushed to the hospital thanks to our pills! God, this is such a mess. We’re going to be shut down. I’m going to lose everything.”
If only because Donovan sounded upset enough as it was, Mallory refrained from telling him that she absolutely hadn’t downplayed the findings of the study, he just didn’t want to listen to what she had to say back then.
“Mallory, what am I going to do?”
“Why are you asking me? I don’t even work there anymore.”
“You were always my best salesperson,” he said. “You were the smartest person in this office. I thought maybe you would have some idea of how I could get myself out of this. What have other companies done in this position?”
She laughed bitterly. “Deny everything? I don’t know.”
“There’s too much evidence,” he said solemnly. “Too many victims.”
Mallory put her free hand to her head and closed her eyes for a moment.
“Donovan, I’m sorry this is happening. Er, no, actually that’s a lie.
I’m not sorry this is happening. You made a cheap product with dangerous side effects, and so as far as I’m concerned, karma is just finally coming back to bite you in the butt.
I can’t help you now. I’m not sure anyone can. ”
“How can you say that? After everything I did for you?”
“What exactly did you do for me?” she demanded to know.
“I gave you a livable wage for one! And good benefits.”
“Those are the bare minimum requirements for most employers, Donovan. Giving people a livable wage and the option to see the doctor once a year doesn’t make you a saint.
It doesn’t undo all the terrible things you’ve done in the name of profits.
” She grew more fired up the more she talked.
“In fact, I’m really glad this is happening.
I wasn’t the whistleblower, but I sort of wish I was.
These products need to be ripped from the shelves and you need to face consequences for everything you did. ”
“Are you serious right now?”
“As a heart attack,” she said. “Which, incidentally, I think those pills can cause as well. At least, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could.”
Donovan was quiet a moment. In the background, Mallory could hear some muffled voices, but since Donovan always kept his office door shut, she had to assume that the people talking outside of the room were actually yelling. It would seem things were falling apart over there as they spoke.
“You’re not so innocent, you know?” he hissed. “You sold these products to people for three years! If you really thought they were so cheap and dangerous, then what does that say about you? What are your values, huh?”
She breathed out heavily. “Trust me, I have been asking myself that question a lot lately. I genuinely feel terrible when I think about the people who I might’ve been harmed after purchasing supplements from me. It makes me sick.”
“And yet you judge me?”
“Yes. I judge us both. You a little more though, since you were making a lot more money than me. At least I can say that I needed the job to pay my bills. You, on the other hand…” She trailed off. “I just, I don’t know what you want me to say. None of this is my problem anymore.”
“Okay, well it could be!”
“What?”
“Mallory, I understand that you’re still angry about being let go,” Donovan said eventually.
“Donovan, I quit.”
“Yeah, but only after I told you that you had to start making sales again or else you’d be fired.
” She couldn’t argue with that, so she just let him keep talking.
“But the point is, letting you go wasn’t a decision I came to lightly, and I’ve been thinking about it the last couple of weeks.
I think it might’ve been a bit rash. If you were willing to come back during this period of transition--”
“Period of transition?” she scoffed. “That’s a very PR-friendly way to put it. And why would you want me back after everything I just said about the company and the supplements?”
“I need someone like you in my corner,” he explained.
“Someone who tells me things I don’t want to hear.
It’s important for a CEO to have someone like that to keep him grounded, you know?
I think if the two of us work together, we can fix all of this.
Once upon a time, you were one of our best salespeople and once I deal with all this FDA nonsense, we’re going to need to ramp up sales again. ”
“I think you’re underestimating how bad things are about to get for you.”
“See! That’s what I’m talking about.” He laughed excitedly, or perhaps it was nerves in his voice.
“You’re willing to say what other people aren’t.
This is why I need you. You see things for what they really are.
I want you there when we start this new chapter, so go ahead and name your price.
What about that raise you were talking about before?
I’d be happy to sign off on that. And your benefits, is there anything you feel like your health insurance doesn’t cover? ”
“Most things, yeah.”
“Make a list!” he said. “I’ll find a way to address all the issues you have. Whatever it takes to get you back.”
She shook her head, her heart and her head battling it out internally. “What if I told you I’d only come back if you made the product safer, stopped selling to vulnerable populations, and gave everyone a raise?”
He laughed.
“I’m serious.”
Donovan inhaled sharply. “Let’s be realistic here, I can’t agree to all of that.”
“Then count me out.”
“But–”
“No, no buts.” She smirked and turned the key in the ignition.
“Even though it sent my life spiraling, I’m now realizing that getting fired from your company was one of the best things that could’ve happened to me.
I have no interest in working for someone who puts profits over people every step of the way, and I truly hope the FDA shuts you down completely.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment I can’t be late for. Have a nice life, Donovan.”
She hung up and tossed her phone on the passenger seat, put the car in reverse, and pulled out of the lot.
*
Mallory should’ve anticipated that her sister would choose a fancy restaurant, and yet it hadn’t even crossed her mind when she got dressed that morning.
Walking through the well-lit, sweet smelling brunch spot, she was keenly aware of the paint stains on her jeans and the faded Yankees logo on her t-shirt.
She wasn’t even a baseball fan; this was just a leftover souvenir from her last relationship. If you could even call it that.
Ariel wasn’t there yet. She’d texted to say she was running a bit late and suggested Mallory grab them a table.
The hostess showed Mallory to a high-top in the back of the restaurant, which was perhaps an attempt to keep Mallory out of sight of the other diners, but she didn’t care. She sort of felt like hiding anyway.
“Your waitress will be with you shortly,” the hostess said, handing Mallory a menu.
“Thank you.”
Mallory did her best to get comfortable, despite being so underdressed.
She unfolded the napkin over her lap and took a long sip from her glass of ice water.
The long drive had given her plenty of time to think about her decision to turn Donovan down, and she was generally feeling pretty good about that choice.
Of course, when she opened the menu and saw the price of the food, she had a moment of regret.
I can’t afford to eat anything here…
She tried to do some mental math, and checked the date on her phone to see how many days she had left before she had to make a credit card payment, and sank back into her chair.
She put the menu to the side and said she would stick with water when the waitress came to ask if she wanted something to drink.
Alone once more, Mallory took a deep breath, ignored the hunger pains in her stomach, and waited patiently for her older sister to arrive.