Pink Slips and Glass Slippers (20 page)

“Hey Tonya, took some time off with my family.”

“Looks like ya got some sun.”

Marcus strode over carrying the usual two coffees, and said, “Damn, A-Man, you trying to look like me?”

“Hey Marcus. Did I get that much sun? I wore thirty.”

“No, you look good. I’m just messing with ya.”

“Remember the young lady I was here with a couple a weeks ago?”

Marcus said, “You mean Brooke
the babe
?”

Chase noticed Tonya’s frown. “Yeah, Brooke. Did she come in yet?”

“No. I haven’t seen her since last week. You supposed to be meetin’ her?”

“No.”

“I’ll be glad to give her a message?”

Chase considered Marcus’s question longer than usual, then said, “No, I’ll see her at work.”

One 175 degree espresso down—and still no Brooke. Chase decided to leave. Scanning the street one more time, he wanted to return her lingerie so he could remove it again. Bringing it into work was out of the question; he wanted to keep it anyway—at least until her fragrance faded.

Though he lingered at Starbucks longer than usual, Chase was still early for work. The parking lot was fairly empty, but he circled the garage, searching for the Lexus—
nothing
. Each time he realized she wasn’t where he was looking—first Starbucks, now the parking lot—he sighed. He passed the entrance and glimpsed over his shoulder, hoping to catch her pulling in, but still no Brooke.

I hope Ruth didn’t set up any lunch meetings
.

Chase loved this time of day. Empty office, one quad espresso down and still one to savor—at the ideal temperature. He whistled while flipping on his light switch, then winced at his inbox. He spotted Ruth’s neat deck of notes on top of his chair. He leafed through each one as if checking his hand in a game of cards. Then, he spotted the ace of hearts:
Brooke Hart called. Please call her on her cell (704) 867-5309.
Dated yesterday, 9:07 a.m.

Chase tossed the other notes across his desk, then sprang from his chair. He peeked his head out.
Coast clear. Perfect
. Chase clicked his door tightly shut and twisted on the lock.

He drew a deep breath, but couldn’t impede the heartbeat thumping into his throat. Realizing his time alone was limited, he dialed…
please answer, please answer, please answer
—his cadence matched each ring.

“Hello.”

“Brooke? I’ve been dying to talk to you.”

“I was wondering when you were going to finally call…” Chase didn’t pick up her sarcastic tone. His hands trembled like a nervous sixth grader calling his first crush.

“I looked for you this morning…I wanted to give you your pink slip.”

The silence sounded like a lost line.

“You still there?” Chase’s voice cracked.

“Oh yeah, I’m here alright… I can’t believe you just said that. You’re an asshole!”

Silence.

“What?...Brooke?...Brooke?...You there?...Brooke?...Brooke!” Chase squinted at the screen on his phone and the realization struck like a flaming arrow to his chest.
What is up with her? Asshole? I can’t believe she just called me an asshole.
Chase began redialing, but hung up, and stared into the earpiece.

Chase’s head spun. Thoughts of rabbits boiling on the stove from the movie
Fatal Attraction
came over him. He gulped his coffee and grimaced—and not because it was too cold. He clicked on his email and scanned for something from her—maybe her guilt infected her heart and she sent me an email. He scanned his inbox and spotted her name.
What the hell?

From David Greenberg: “Brooke Hart has elected to pursue another career opportunity. We here at Pharmical Solutions wish her well in her new endeavors.” Chase detested the template send off. He glanced at his watch and wondered if his HR SVP was in yet. With waves of dread and confusion pulsing, Chase dialed.

“Good morning boss. Where’ve you been?”

“Hi David…I, uh, I took a few days off.”

“That’s what I figured—smart of you with what’s going on. Don’t worry though, I handled it all yesterday. After Brooke Hart, the rest of the day was a snap.”

“What happened with Brooke?”

“Well, she didn’t handle it well. I had to call security. But, you’d be proud of me—I offered her a lowball severance and she didn’t balk. I still haven’t heard from her so we may have gotten by cheap. I dispensed pink slips to her entire department by noon and handed it over to outplacement. So far, so good.”

Pink slips?
Chase’s eyes rolled to the back of his head; if it weren’t for his chair’s sturdy backing, he would have fallen to the floor.

“Chase, you still there?...Chase?... Chase, can you hear me?”

Chase had dropped the phone and could hear Greenberg squawking through the earpiece while he raced through his emails. Then he spotted it—Greenberg’s email to Henry Stoddard, cc: Chase Allman: “Good news, Mr. Stoddard. As of noon, I have personally met with the entire Integrated Client Services department. Aside from Brooke Hart, I don’t anticipate any issues. Phase two is now in Stuart Jacoby’s hands.”

Phase two? What is phase one? Why wasn’t I aware of any of this? I need to make a call—she can’t possibly think I meant
…

After five rings, a generic voicemail, then a quick beep, “Brooke, it’s Chase. Listen, I really need to talk to you. Please call me as soon as you hear this. Even if I’m in a meeting, tell Ruth to interrupt me. Please call.”

I wish she’d pick up
…
She couldn’t possibly think I meant…I have to talk to her
.

Chase’s temples pounded as he picked up his cell. Maybe she’ll answer if she doesn’t recognize the different number. He dialed Brooke. I’ll straighten this out before it gets blown out of proportion. I’ll explain the misunderstanding and get her a job in another department. Five rings, same voicemail.
Dammit, why won’t you pick up? She sure is stubborn
.

An email flashed in the bottom corner of his screen—from Henry Stoddard. He’s in early.
I’ll ask him what’s going on
. Chase pulled up Henry’s empty Outlook calendar and sighed. Chase remembered his boss never used Outlook.

Chase opened his door and Ruth’s desk was still empty. He considered leaving her a note, but didn’t want to waste the time—he had to hustle over there.

Henry’s office towered on the other side of Pharmical’s campus, about a ten minute walk. The building was used for Research and Development, and Security; Henry occupied the penthouse. Chase hoped he’d catch Henry early enough to grab breakfast together. He needed another coffee—even if it wasn’t Starbucks.

Once outside, birds chirped lovely harmonies. A strong breeze from behind whisked like a wind tunnel on another humid Carolina day, lifting a sweet blend of jasmine and magnolia into the air. Ominous clouds swirled, shielding the sun’s early rays. Chase power-walked with head down, oblivious to nature’s delights.

Inside the building, sweat beaded on Chase’s temples around windblown hair, causing the security guard to take notice. Chase retrieved his handkerchief and wiped his brow, then proceeded to the elevator. Security cameras scanned his every step like birds in a Hitchcock movie.

At the sixteenth floor, Chase marched across the dimly lit corridor, then advanced toward the light in the corner. Henry’s door was closed but Lucy stood guard—
she’s here early
.

Lucy peered up over her reading glasses and bolted upright, “Chase, what a pleasant surprise. My, you look tan.” Lucy’s cheeks flushed.

“Hey Lucy. Looks like he’s in a meeting.”

“He’s been on the phone with London for a while.”

“I was hoping to catch breakfast with him.”

“Oh, he’s already eaten—I brought him take out from Le Peep.”

“Wow, you need to train Ruth for me.”

Lucy laughed and removed her glasses. “Henry’s been dying to talk to you. He’s been looking for you the past couple of days—”

“I took a little time off to spend with my family.”

Lucy’s chest tightened. Ruth had gossiped the scoop and Lucy realized she couldn’t let on—even though she wanted to probe in the worst way, thinking he looked so boyish and cute with his hair mussed up. She wished she worked for Chase just for the view.

“He should be off soon and he’d kill me if I let you go before he saw you. I’ve never seen him this happy. Can I get you something?”

Chase smiled and said, “A Le Peep chocolate croissant and espresso would sure be nice.” His grin bordered on laughter as he considered his request.

Lucy read his face, then raised her eyebrows, and said, “Seriously, it’s no problem. I’d be happy to do it for you.”

“I was just teasing, Lucy—”

“Can I at least get you a coffee? It’s not espresso, but it’s good and hot.”

“I’d love a coffee—if it’s no problem?”

Lucy practically jumped from her chair, saying, “It’s no problem at all. I’d be happy to get you that croissant…”

“Just coffee. Thanks though.”

While Lucy was away, her phone buzzed and then Henry’s voice boomed, “Lucy, can you bring me the Stabilitas folder? Lucy? Lucy? You there?” Henry burst through the door and nearly fell into Lucy’s desk.

“Chase! I’ve been looking all over for you. Ruth said you were away.”

Chase wondered what excuse Ruth used—she covered for him better than he could himself. He said, “I took a few days for family time.”

“Well, you should do it more often. Have you seen the news? I can’t stop watching that CNBC piece.” Henry looked animated.

“I missed the CNBC piece…good news?”

“Good news? I’d say so. The stock popped three bucks before the CNBC babe turned it over to Joanne’s closer—that Wall Street guy she found was perfect. They practically read the script verbatim. Joanne’s PR firm sure earned their pay.”

Chase’s stomach roiled every time Henry bragged about Joanne. One of Henry’s hand-picked board members, Chase sensed she had his boss’s ear—and more. Henry spent an inordinate amount of time in New York City, and Chase guessed it wasn’t all business.

“I missed it. What did they say?”

“I sent it out to all employees on email.”

“I, uh, I just returned to work this morning…I haven’t gone through all my emails.”

“Well, hang on. You gotta see this one. I can’t stop watching it—and hell, I wrote it.”

Henry resembled a Stone Age man at a computer seminar plopped in front of his monitor. Chase figured Henry needed Lucy to help him with the on/off button. Chase said, “Did you save the file to your desktop?”

“Huh?” Henry looked uncharacteristically bewildered.

“Never mind. Check your sent file for the email and just click on the link.”

Instead of another
huh,
Henry just stared at Chase. Chase said, “Did Lucy send the email?”

“Of course. You know I hate doing those goddam emails.”

Chase wondered if Henry needed Lucy to say “right, left, right, left, right, left,” when he walked. Chase shuffled around Henry’s imposing mahogany desk, then in a few clicks, hit the file, standing as Henry remained seated.

The video opened with an attractive brunette woman in a dark blue business suit: “Though Hurricane Katia continues heading toward the Florida coast, a Carolina company isn’t evacuating just yet. Some
great breaking news
out of Pharmical Solutions today. The drug company announced plans for a strategic workforce reduction which will allow them to globalize their reach while still cutting costs. This will pave the way for new markets like Asia and Europe. Leading the charge is Stabilitas, a breakthrough anti-depressant drug. Many analysts have upgraded the stock. Joining us now is Michael Pratt, president of Pratt Securities. Michael, your firm recently upgraded Pharmical to strong buy. Tell us what you see...”

“Pharmical should see unprecedented growth, both domestically and in emerging markets. Their new globalization initiative is brilliant and we like their next generation of drugs. The anti-depressant market has tremendous upside potential, making Pharmical the shining star of Research Triangle.”

“Thank you Michael.”

Though Henry had viewed the video a dozen times, he looked ready to salivate. He turned and stared at Chase with Doberman eyes. Chase just glared at the CNBC logo on the blank screen.

“Not bad, huh? Joanne and I spent all weekend in New York writing that. I never thought she could get it on all the news shows by Monday. She never ceases to amaze me. Oh, I could just kiss her.”

Chase pondered the time it would take to write that short script, and guessed Henry had enough time left over to kiss her alright—and then some. With his love-struck boss behaving like this, he didn’t feel as guilty about his couple of glorious hours with Brooke, thinking, that reminds me.

“I was blindsided by the mass firing yesterday.”

“What do you mean?” Henry frowned.

“I was off for a day and a half and when I returned, an entire division was obliterated. Why wasn’t I in the loop?”

“I looked for you Friday and Ruth said you couldn’t be reached. She made it sound like you were on a flight. Didn’t matter—Greenberg and I hashed it out with Jacoby.”

“I think we jumped the gun.”

“How so?”

“Well, you and I discussed these changes, but you knew I wasn’t in agreement.”

“Bullshit. You said you were on board during our lunch.”

Chase stepped back and furrowed his brows. Henry’s narrowed eyes met Chase’s like a bull eyeing a matador. He strangled a scream. “I don’t agree with handing everything over to India this fast. There’s too much at stake. I would’ve liked to test outsourcing first. What if it backfires?”

“See the big picture. Our stock just soared to a record high—better than a takeover play. And, only because of the news of our downsizing. My net worth jumped to eleven digits in one day. Hell, I can finally retire. You made millions. We all did. The board’s giddy, everybody wins. Why are you so down?”

“Why couldn’t we have discussed it more? Most of those people let go were just hired. They all have families.”

“C’mon, listen to yourself. You’re not making sense. We provided those people outplacement. Don’t let the Board hear you whining like this. They’ll lock you up in the
Ha Ha Hotel.
”