39. Mandy
39
MANDY
T he rain starts right as I duck into the Pacific Horizons building to meet Linda in her office.
I cannot fail. I’ve already screwed up once, and I have to make sure Salinger wins this contract. He’s counting on me.
I’m dressed to win… well, at least dressed for a business meeting. Spanx are my body armor. I brush my hands over the cold droplets of water clinging to my skirt and adjust my blazer.
Linda stands when the receptionist leads me to the glass-enclosed conference room with a small tree in the corner. Next to it is a woman on her phone, her back to the room.
“Nice to see you again Mandy.” Linda’s demeanor is the very definition of Seattle chill .
“Thanks for meeting with me.” My gaze slides over to the woman sitting in the chair as she turns herself around. “Alma?”
Salinger’s ex gives me a fake smile. “I don’t actually remember your name. You’re his assistant, right?”
I nod, suddenly feeling like I’ve wandered into a trap.
“Let’s just get on with it.” Linda motions me to take a seat.
I slide down into a chair, trying not to let her see my apprehension.
“I wanted to give you a little more information on how Rainier Equity works on large public-private projects.” I soldier on gamely, setting one of the pitch books in front of her. “Hopefully, this can address any concerns you have with using Rainier Equity on this port contract.”
I try not to look at Alma. What is she doing here? Whatever it is, it can’t be good.
“As you can see, I like to do my research.” Linda gestures to the woman across from her. “Alma is the niece of a woman who used to live down the street from me. While we drifted apart over the years, I was, of course, more than happy to meet with her over coffee to discuss the concerns she and her aunt have with Salinger Svensson.”
Freaking hell, Salinger. I knew that messy breakup was going come back and bite him.
“He used me,” Alma spits out.
“Your grandfather’s trust was invested in one of Rainier Equity’s highest-performing funds,” I tell her, quickly recalling the information. “It’s not as if Salinger abused the money.”
“He was emotionally abusive.” Alma dabs her eyes. “He promised we were going to have a baby. ”
“Did he really? Look, Linda, you’re not trying to find a good boyfriend. You need a firm with a big-enough cash cushion, experienced project managers, and contacts who can bring in high-quality partners. Rainier has that.”
“And so another poorly behaving man receives a pass and a blank check.” Linda doesn’t even open the pitch book I spent all last night refining.
Alma is nodding. “Think about the sisterhood. You start sleeping with him, and suddenly you gloss over all his flaws?”
Is that what I’m doing? “Look, I’m all about the sisterhood—”
“I highly doubt that, considering you’re a home-wrecker,” Alma hisses.
“I’m not a home-wrecker!”
“You see?” Alma turns to Linda. “She’s defending him because she knows she’s wrong. She knows she started sleeping with him before he broke up with me.”
“That is so not true.”
“Mandy.” Linda holds up a hand.
“She stole him from me. Now he’s got her convinced that her loves her. It’s exactly what happened to me, and it drove me crazy.” Alma tosses her glossy hair. “You can’t trust Salinger or his assistant.”
“You were the one lying about how you were going to have his babies—and saying you were engaged.” I’m incredulous. “I can’t believe I felt sorry for you.”
“I feel sorry for you —you’re in love with him, but it’s a lie. It’s a trap. Salinger only looks out for himself.”
“I appreciate your time, Linda.” I grab my purse. “But I’m having a hard time believing that you agreed to this meeting in good faith, since it has turned into a cheap knockoff of Intervention .”
“Excuse me?” Linda is incensed.
I narrow my eyes. “Please keep in mind that you are also on the board of the Pacific Horizons company and have a fiduciary responsibility to select the best candidate for the job at hand.”
“I beg your pardon.”
I’m not done. “If you’re concerned about Mr. Svensson’s capacity to complete the job, don’t be. Rainier Equity’s track record speaks for itself. However, as a businesswoman, you should know better than to let personal vendettas get in the way of making a profit.”
“I don’t fault you for your viewpoint.” Linda’s lips thin. “Prior to my husband cheating on me, I’m sure everyone would say I sounded the same. However, Salinger and my ex are cut from the same cloth. You cannot trust men like that.” She sighs. “Obviously, he did a number on you. You’ll learn. Unfortunately. I do admire you, Mandy, and rest assured that I’m here if you need help with anything after he breaks your heart. Since he’s your boss and your romantic partner, that puts you in a precarious position.”
“I’m not a child,” I snap. “I’m thirty-four.”
Linda gives me a knowing look, one I probably give the interns on a regular basis. “Still so young.”
Is Linda right? Is Salinger someone I can’t trust?
“I must say, Mandy, that I didn’t have high hopes for this meeting myself,” Linda admits. “The only reason I acquiesced to extending the invitation was on the counsel of my godson.”
I stand. “Again, I do appreciate your time, and I hope that you—”
“Jaxon!” Linda waves happily. “You stopped by after all.”
My stomach drops like I’m on the world’s most un-fun rollercoaster. I don’t want to turn around, hoping that if I don’t, if I just ignore it, he’ll disappear. But that’s not going to work, because my stalker is here, in the flesh, walking into the room.
No, no, no.
“Ms. Linda, lovely as always.” Jaxon gives his godmother a hug while I stand there, clutching my bag.
“Mandy!” He smiles at me. It doesn’t reach his eyes. “Great to see my favorite person.” His smile widens when he sees the fear I can’t hide in my eyes. “Where’s Pepper?”
Jaxon drapes an arm around my shoulder while I try not to puke right there all over the table.
“She has the cutest dog,” he tells Linda conversationally, like we’re old chums, like he hasn’t just spent the last several months making my life a living hell. “Did the meeting go well?”
Linda sniffs. “Hardly.”
“Salinger Svensson is a piece of shit, but we like Mandy.” He draws me closer to him. “Don’t we? Hopefully, Mandy will come to her senses and jettison that sociopath she’s hooked up with. Maybe find a nice boy, like yours truly.” Jaxon winks at me.
“Oh, you!” Linda is charmed by him.
I’m not. “I’m sorry, but I really have to go.” I can barely whisper the words.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Linda—I’ll escort her down.”
I want to collapse as I wait next to Jaxon for the elevator.
Jaxon hums the Green Day song “Amanda,” the one he sang a few bars of at the singles mixer when we first met. I had thought it funny and charming then.
Jaxon steps into the elevator with me. As soon as the doors close, he’s herding me back against the wall. “Your little dog’s not here to defend you, and neither is that brute you tried to replace me with.”
All the charm he displayed in front of Alma and Linda has been snuffed out. All that remains is a monstrous glee.
“Surprise!” He laughs. His breath is stale on my face. “That’s right, it’s me. I’m the puppet master. I’m the one pulling the strings in your life. I control you.” He spins a finger in my face. “Do you get it now? I’m everywhere. I even had someone hack your grandmother’s Facebook. You can’t escape me. Give in. I’ve already won.”
He pokes his finger in my stomach. “All you need to do is ditch that asshole you’re spreading your legs for and bend the knee to me.” He grabs my arm.
I would give anything right then for Salinger to be there, to save me.
“You don’t want Rainier Equity to lose that port contract, right? Then send me a copy of your resignation letter and be at my condo at six o’clock tonight. Wear those panties I like.” He gives me a greasy smile. “I’ll even let you keep your little dog. But she needs to wear a muzzle.” He kisses my cheek.
The elevator dings. The doors open.
I’m free.
Except I’m not.
“Have a safe trip back to your office,” Jaxon calls loudly as I stumble, numb, out the front doors of the lobby .
It takes a few moments of the cold rain hitting my face before I remember to open my umbrella. Shivering, my shoes getting soaked in the rain, I walk slowly toward Salinger’s office.
What am I going to do?
My phone beeps. I hope it’s Salinger out looking for me, but it’s not.
Unknown: Tick tock six o’clock.
Six o’clock. I only have a few hours.
I can’t think. I don’t know what to do.
It’s all my fault, because I didn’t find a way to fix it earlier, to take care of the problem. I wasn’t smart enough or strong enough, and now I’ve lost the port contract. Salinger is going to be furious, I know. He’s going to rage and throw things and tell me it’s my fault for not coming to him sooner.
I can’t tell him what happened—he’ll be so angry. The contract is worth billions and billions of dollars. He’ll fire me, and then what will I do? I’ll be completely at Jaxon’s mercy.
My mouth is dry. I need a coffee.
Thankfully, Salinger isn’t in his office when I return, dripping water.
“Oh my gosh,” Jess cries, grabbing a roll of paper towels. “You’re drenched. Why didn’t you take an Uber?”
“I—an Uber?” My voice sounds far away.
“Are you feeling all right?” My friend sounds concerned.
“Sure, I just need a coffee. It’s a caffeine crash,” I assure her. “Let’s go to Starbucks. ”
“Can’t. I have to go with Dara’s group to that tech summit tonight, so I need to prep. I hear Emerald Fork is catering. I’ll steal you some caprese pizza bites.”
“Yummy.” I try to sound enthusiastic. “You’re making me hungry. Pepper, come on—let’s go to Starbucks.” I’m going through the usual motions like it’s any old normal day.
Pepper trots next to me as we make our way to the coffee shop. There’s a long line, and I hold Pepper as I wait in the warm store for my coffee, pretending, like always, that nothing is wrong, that everything is fine. I’m going to get my mocha sprinkleberry crunch Frappuccino. I’m going to go back to my office and sit at my computer. Salinger’s going to make a snide remark, Jess will make a funny comment about his hair, and she and I will talk celebrity gossip while I finish the report he asked for.
Everything is fine. Everything is perfectly normal.
“Mandy and Pepper?” the barista calls.
I pick up our orders. I don’t even taste the sprinkles as they fizz on my tongue. I have an hour until six o’clock, yet I’m just walking slowly down the sidewalk like I have all the time in the universe, like my life isn’t just about to end.
It can’t, though, right? I mean, Jaxon can’t just think that I’m actually going to quit my job and show up at his condo, right? If I just pretend this isn’t happening, what is he really going to do? Well, to me, at least? He’ll definitely ruin Salinger’s contract.
The coffee drink is making me sick.
I cut across the first waves of people leaving offices early and toss the mostly full drink into a trash can.
“There she is!” a man yells .
I hear screeching and honking, then a white van with little vented doors on the side and the logo for the City of Seattle Department of Animal Control pulls up next to me.
A heavyset man jumps out of the truck. “We got a complaint about a dog. Two bite incidents.” The man pulls a folded piece of paper out of his coveralls.
“No.” I back away.
Pepper is barking at the man in his coveralls.
“Let’s just do this nice and easy.” He extends a hand.
“You can’t take my dog!” I scream at him.
“Ma’am.” The man sighs heavily. “I’ve had a real long day. This lady called about a stray dog in her trash. Turns out it was a raccoon, and it was mean . Just give me the dog so I can go home. My shift’s about to end.”
“Get back!” I yell hysterically, swinging my umbrella at him.
A cop car pulls up. The sirens blare once then cut off. The blue lights keep flashing as the cop and his partner jump out.
“Thanks, officer.” The animal control guy wipes at his sweaty forehead.
“I want to see a warrant.” I sob.
The cop rolls his eyes as I stand there sopping wet. I scoop up my dog, squeeze her to me, and look around frantically, trying to run. The cops have me boxed in.
“I have a case number already, man.” The guy fans himself with his cap.
“You have to understand, ma’am,” the cop tells me, “that dog is a menace.” His radio crackles. Tilting his head, he says into it, “Copy. I’m dealing with an animal control issue. Suspect won’t relinquish control of the animal. Calling for backup. ”
“Backup? Oh my god, I’m going to be on the evening news. My mother is going to kill me.”
Pepper isn’t doing herself any favors. Her muzzle is covered in frothy whipped cream. She snaps at the cop when he gets too close.
“Watch out, it has rabies!” the other cop yells.
The animal control guy is pulling on thick, heavy gloves.
“Please,” I choke through the tears, “she didn’t mean to bite anyone. She was just trying to defend me, because you all didn’t help me when I told you about being stalked. Then he attacked me.”
“Look, ma’am, if you want to make a report about a stalker, go down to the station,” one of the cops says.
“I have, and no one helped.”
“Give us the dog, and I’ll take you down to do a report,” the other cop offers.
“Someone help!” I yell. “They’re trying to kidnap my dog!”
The office workers streaming around me pretend they don’t see the commotion, not wanting to get involved.
The bigger cop is already grabbing me so the animal control officer can wrestle the snarling, barking Pepper out of my arms.
“Wait!” I beg.
He stuffs Pepper into one of the little cages and slams the metal door.
“She gets claustrophobic.” I sob, shaking off the cop.
“Ma’am, please remain calm.”
Pepper barks in her little prison cell.
“You’re kidnapping my dog—I’m not going to remain calm.”
The cops’ radios crackle .
“We gotta go. Robbery.” The cops jump in their car, turning on their sirens so they and the animal control van can pull into traffic.
“Wait!” I scream, running down the sidewalk after the truck. “Please, that’s my dog! You can’t take her. She’s been framed. This is a setup—it’s a conspiracy.”
I’m aware of how crazy I sound, how unhinged I look with tears running down my face as I sprint down the sidewalk, pushing my way through the rush-hour crowd as I try to catch up to the truck.
I run and run. I run until I get a cramp. The van is long gone, disappearing into traffic.
“Oh my god.” I collapse on a bench, sobbing. Hands shaking, I pull out my phone. “This isn’t happening.” But it is.
Mandy: Help me! They took Pepper!
Randy: I told you to hand her over to the lawyers.
Mandy: But they took her to the pound.
Mandy: You’re my lawyer! Can’t you do anything?
I try to call him, but he doesn’t pick up
Randy: I’m going to dinner. I’ll call you tomorrow.
He’ll call me tomorrow? I can’t wait until tomorrow.
Trying not to pass out, I google “animal control” trying to figure out where they took Pepper. I need to rescue her.
My phone beeps, and a message appears.
Unknown: Time’s running out. You want to save Salinger, or are you going to come to me ?
Unknown: Thirty seconds.
“Shit.” I try to call Salinger, not even sure what I’m going to tell him. He doesn’t answer the phone.
Unknown: TIME’S UP.
Fuck. I force myself off the bench. I need to go to the office, to talk to Salinger. It doesn’t matter what he says or how much he yells—I have to come clean to him. Even if he hates me, even if he fires me, Pepper’s been taken. I have to do it for my dog.
The receptionists have already packed up and gone home when I huff into the office and jam my thumb on the elevator button. It dings.
“Oh, Mandy, I was looking for you!” It’s Austin.
He seems nervous when I step into the elevator. I can’t catch my breath. The cramp in my side still hasn’t subsided.
Austin’s shuffling. “So, uh, how’s it going?”
“Terrible, honestly. Austin, I’m sorry—I can’t deal with this right now.”
“Well, it’s kind of important.”
“Can we do it tomorrow morning?”
“See… I don’t know if we can. I mean...” He makes a face. “This is so awkward. I’m so bad at this.”
“You’re a fine investor,” I assure him weakly.
“Er… No, uh, not that. Um, so…” The numbers flash as the elevator takes us up. “So, I heard a rumor about you and Salinger.” His voice cracks on our CEO’s name.
“Seriously? Don’t listen to office gossip.” Especially since Salinger’s about to break up with me then fire me.
The elevator dings as it lets us off on my floor .
“It’s just that…” Austin hurries after me. “See, Scarlett was saying—”
“Scarlett?”
“Geez, this is so awkward—”
“What the hell?” The entire glass wall of Salinger’s office is a spiderweb of cracked glass.
Fuck. He knows.
“I really don’t know the best way to tell you this,” Austin says, “but—”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Austin.” I’m on autopilot. I should be trying to rehearse my speech to Salinger, but who am I kidding?
“See, Scarlett is…”
I don’t need Austin to tell me what Scarlett is doing, because I can see it through the cracked glass. She’s got her hands in Salinger’s perfect hair, and he has his hands on her perfect butt. Her expensive clothes are all over his desk, and he’s kissing her the way he used to kiss me. A cry escapes me.
“Mandy, are you okay?” Austin’s face is a mask of worry and sympathy.
“No,” I cry out. “I’m not.”