The Second Time

by Jade Winters

‘At least I’m not denying it.’ Bette said matter-of-factly. ‘And I don’t lead women on unlike some people…’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Madison asked tentatively. She dreaded to think of what was coming next.

  Bette feigned surprise at her question. ‘I take it Darcie hasn’t told you?’

  Madison shook her head. ‘Told me what?’

  ‘Oh, how careless of me. I do hope my loose lips haven’t caused you a problem.’

  Madison fought the overwhelming urge to punch those lips until they weren’t loose any more. Bette reached into her miniscule handbag and pulled out her phone, pressing a few buttons she said, ‘Check your messages.’

  As if she were in a trance, Madison slowly tapped the message icon on her phone and opened the attachment Bette had sent her. On the screen was a photo of Darcie outside her building, kissing another woman. Madison eventually released the breath she hadn’t realised she was holding in a rush that came out as a gentle groan.

  ‘I believe her name is Katie.’

  Madison looked at her incredulously. ‘Oh my God, have you been following Darcie?’

  Bette tapped the side of her nose and remained silent. Madison took her silence for an admission.

  ‘Who is she?’ Madison couldn’t refrain from asking. She knew this was all a game to Bette, that her intention was to hurt her, mess with her mind, but she needed to know.

  ‘I think she’s her on and off again girlfriend. You know the type—the one who keeps the space beside her warm when no one else is available. Can’t you see Darcie’s been using you? She will do anything to get what she wants, and what she wants more than anything is your contract. Once you’ve signed on the dotted line she’ll drop you like a hot potato. I bet she’ll deny it until she’s blue in the face and like a fool you’ll believe her.’

  Madison’s hand trembled as she put her phone back on the table.

  ‘They do make a hot couple don’t they? Apparently, they’ve been together for two years. Well, I must be off. Laura and I are going out for a slap-up meal tonight, to celeb—oops, sorry. I don’t suppose we should be too premature,’ Bette said, the sickly-sweet smile back on her face. She stood up, lifted one arched eyebrow as she looked at Madison, shook her head slightly, then was gone.

  Everything suddenly fell into place. Darcie was non-committal because she was already seeing someone. It made sense. Madison had never asked if Darcie was single, she had just assumed. Did that mean she was just some bit on the side for Darcie, some piece of skirt she chased to give her an advantage in the race for the contract? After everything Darcie had said about the underhand dealings of Laura and Bette, was she no better herself? It didn’t sound like the Darcie she knew but …the evidence was there in front of her.

  This was a disaster, not only had Madison committed to leaving Clover Ltd if the board voted against her, but if they supported her and she stayed what would the atmosphere be like if Darcie won the contract? Unbearable that’s what it will be. Knowing that Darcie was with another woman had turned her world upside down.

  She felt nauseous at the thought of them being intimate.

  ‘Hey, you might have left me a mouthful of drink, Madison. What’s up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’

  ‘Sorry, Kay. I have to go,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, right, OK then, see you later,’ Kay said increasingly loudly to Madison’s retreating back, then she leant over, picked up Madison’s glass, took a sip, and smiled and waved at the cute guy by the toilets.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Darcie was fast sobering up. Four cups of black coffee and a bottle of water had seen to that. She made a mental note to go to the gym for a vigorous work out the next time she felt like the world was closing in on her. Sitting at her desk, her eyes remained shut as she tried to articulate her thoughts and put them into words. Darcie hadn’t looked at her computer screen for a while, thinking it best not to overcrowd her mind with what was written already. If she did, she’d probably delete it all and re-write. Something that wasn’t feasible. She didn’t have the mental stamina for it. When a gentle knock came on her door, she glanced quickly over.

  Assuming it to be the cleaner, Darcie called out, just loud enough to be heard in the hallway, ‘Bear with me a moment.’

  Knowing that she would have to vacate her office in a matter of minutes, she now looked at the screen. She was on the last paragraph of the proposal and wanted to make sure she got it spot on.

  … and this completes our proposal for the new childcare centre. To maintain links with the company and its history, we would suggest the name for the centre should be…

  Darcie heard the door click and open as she typed the last few words, saved the document, and, holding her breath, pressed send on her email system. It was gone. The proposal was in. Emma would be pleased.

  ‘Sorry, I’ll just grab my things and I’ll be out of your way.’

  ‘No need to go anywhere on my account,’ Madison said. The sound of her voice took Darcie by surprise.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Her tone came out harsher than Darcie intended, but she couldn’t help it. The woman she had loved for years was standing in front of her but all she could feel, right then, was anger and bitterness, mixed with a tingling in her inner core that had no right to be there at that moment.

  ‘I thought I’d drop by seeing as I haven’t heard from you all day. I went to your flat first, but your concierge said you were out.’ Madison spoke as she walked towards the desk. ‘He seemed nice. He asked me if I was your friend. When I said yes, he told me where you were.’

  Darcie half-smiled to herself. Stan as Cupid, whoever would have thought? It was just a pity he didn’t know what she knew, that Madison and Bette were in cahoots, if not in a relationship. The half-smile faded.

  ‘So, what do you want, Maddie? I’m done here. I need to go home.’

  Madison took the last couple of steps before she reached her desk then dropped onto the seat opposite Darcie.

  ‘I was thinking… We haven’t really talked about our recent pasts, have we? Everything seems to have been about the foster home, or in the here and now.’

  ‘There’s nothing much to tell.’ At least not about me. But you on the other hand…

  ‘Really? It’s been ten years, Darce. Lots must have happened. I mean you didn’t just walk out of foster care and straight into your own business.’

  ‘Obviously not.’ Darcie fought to keep her anger at bay. She couldn’t understand how Madison had the audacity to sit across from her and act like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. She really must think I’m a fool.

  ‘So what happened?’

  Darcie let out a frustrated breath. If telling her what she wanted would get her out of the office quicker so be it. ‘You want my life story? Here it is. When I left the home, I got a job at McDonald’s, saved a bit of money, met Emma who was flipping burgers beside me. It was around that time of the chicken nuggets scandal…’

  Darcie told Madison how she remembered watching the story develop and how in awe she was at the skill of the marketers who were able to rescue the company’s reputation. ‘So we decided to set up Silver Lining. There you go. My life in a nutshell.’

  ‘I like Emma. She seems like a nice person. Did you and her ever …?’ Madison’s voice trailed off.

  ‘What, me and Emma? God no. Chalk and cheese. You know?’

  Madison nodded but something about the way Madison leant forward and held her gaze told Darcie she wasn’t finished with her questions.

  ‘What about girlfriends?’

  Darcie furrowed her brow, wondering where this was going, but as she looked into Madison’s eyes, she couldn’t see any malice there. If anything, Madison looked almost tearful, upset about something. Which was a bit hypocritical seeing as Madison was the one who had stabbed Darcie in the back. If anyone should be sitting here crying, it’s me. But even feeling this, seeing Madison that way stilled Darcie’s own anger.
/>   For a split second all Darcie really wanted to do was to reach out to her, to walk around the desk and put her arms around her, and hug her, and kiss her, feel her soft lips on her own one more time, but she knew she couldn’t do that.

  She wanted to tell her that whatever the problem was, it would all be OK, and they would be together forever, but that was not to be. And knowing this made her incredibly sad. More than she could ever have imagined.

  Something she had wanted, her dream, had come to pass and just as it had, it had become unreachable.

  ‘Darcie?’ Madison said interrupting her thoughts.

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘You were going to tell me about girlfriends.’

  ‘Girlfriends?’ Darcie said testily.

  ‘Yes, girlfriends. Lovers. Bed mates. Call them whatever you want.’

  Darcie could hear an undertone of anger in her voice and couldn’t help but wonder why Madison had brought this subject up. Did Madison think Darcie had been playing Mother Theresa in the intervening years since they’d last met? She couldn’t be that naïve, surely? ‘Why this is relevant I don’t know but yes, Madison, I have had girlfriends—’

  ‘Had? You’re using past tense?’

  ‘That’s because there hasn’t been anyone in my life for a while.’

  When Darcie glanced up from her hands, the look in Madison’s eyes had changed slightly. The hurt was replaced with an angry glare.

  ‘So, who is Katie?’ Madison asked, her voice slightly shaking.

  Darcie’s brain took a few seconds to compute the question. How the hell would she know about Katie? Who told her?

  A loud knock on the door made them both jump. The door swung open and a woman’s face peered around. ‘Cleaner,’ she said in an eastern European accent.

  Darcie stood up. ‘Sorry, we’ll get out of your way.’

  She looked over at Madison who had also stood up. She still seemed annoyed but was gathering her things together.

  ‘Let’s grab a coffee?’ Darcie said, determined that now they were together and talking, she didn’t lose the chance of asking Madison how she felt about destroying her life, even if it did mean answering personal questions about one-night stands she might have had in the past.

  Madison nodded, and they left the room to the cleaner.

  ***

  The coffee shop was surprisingly busy, even at that time of night, and the two women stood side by side in the queue, in silence, and almost unable to look at each other. Darcie stole an occasional glance but from what she could tell, Madison’s eyes stayed firmly forward as they waited.

  At the table they both stirred their drinks in silence.

  Madison raised her head after a few moments. ‘Are you going to tell me who Katie is?’

  ‘Why are you so fixated on Katie?’

  ‘So, you do know her then?’ Madison’s angry eyes flashed again.

  ‘I never said I didn’t.’ Darcie sighed. ‘Look, we spent the night… no that’s not entirely true, we spent a couple of hours together—’

  ‘Did you sleep with her?’

  Darcie inwardly cringed, remembering her inability to feel anything down below. ‘I wouldn’t say I slept with her, but yes she came to my flat. What’s all this about?’

  Madison ignored her question. ‘So, you’re not in a relationship with her?’

  ‘A relationship? Christ, no. Why on earth would you think I was?’

  Madison slid her phone over to Darcie.

  ‘Bette sent me this picture.’

  ‘Bette!’ Darcie looked down at a photo of Katie and herself kissing outside her block of flats. Sliding the phone back over to Madison, she said. ‘What the fuck! How did she get—’

  ‘She said you two have been seeing each other for two years.’

  Darcie snorted. ‘Two years. That’s a bit of a stretch. It was one night. A few weeks ago. Bette must be stalking me, that’s the only explanation. This happened before we even met again. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it.’ As she spoke Darcie placed her hands on her lap and curled them into a tight ball. When is that bitch going to stop meddling in our lives?

  ‘So you’re saying that Bette is lying?’

  ‘That’s exactly what I’m saying.’ Darcie’s voice rose slightly. ‘Did you even listen to what I said. Seriously, she’s unhinged, do you even have to ask?’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me about her then?’

  ‘Tell you what exactly? If you remember, I didn’t even know who you were.’

  ‘But when you did find out who I was, what then?’

  Darcie frowned. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘What was that all about in Thailand, Darcie?’ It was Madison’s turn to raise her voice now.

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Darcie said in a low whisper.

  Darcie looked around but nobody else seemed to be paying them any attention.

  ‘Why? So nobody hears about your sordid little plan to get the inside line for your proposal?’

  ‘What?’ The accusation shocked Darcie to her very core.

  ‘You came to Thailand to try and get some advantage, some inside knowledge for your proposal. You slept with me, and all the time you had a girlfriend back home, waiting for you.’

  Darcie looked at Madison’s face contorted with anger. ‘Whoa, I think we need to backtrack here. Do you—’

  Madison leant slightly across the table, the glare in her eyes told Darcie she was well past listening to common sense. ‘Well, your little plan hasn’t worked. The proposals are going to be assessed anonymously, I’m not going to be voting.’

  None of it made any sense. Darcie shook her head trying to get the jumble of thoughts that were flying around inside into some sort of logical order but nothing stuck. They were just thoughts and not one of them seemed to connect together.

  ‘Nothing to say, huh? Well I suppose that makes sense. Bye, Darcie. I’ll see you tomorrow at one.’ Madison stood up, banging her knee on the table, sending concentric ripples across the surface of her untouched coffee. She left without another word.

  Stunned, Darcie sat for a moment. Then she stood, grabbed her things, and dashed outside.

  Madison was by the kerb, talking through the window of a black cab.

  Darcie grabbed her arm and span her around.

  ‘I swear I have no idea what you are talking about, Maddie, but if we are talking secrets here, then I’m not the only one who has been keeping them.’

  ‘What are you saying? Let go of my arm, you’re hurting me.’

  ‘You know what I’m talking about. You and Bette. You’ve been plotting this right from day one, haven’t you? Right from the moment I met you in the coffee shop this has been one big set-up, just so she gets the contract. You even passed her a copy of my proposal. Well, a fat lot of good that will do her. Fuck you both and consider my proposal withdrawn.’

  Madison’s face creased in confusion. ‘I—’

  ‘Don’t deny it. I want nothing to do with it or you, or your fucking company. I’d rather be broke but have my self-respect. Can you say the same?’

  She let go of Madison’s arm and walked off into the night leaving her behind.

  Again.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Madison held back the tears until she got to her flat and ran herself a bath, but once she was in and enveloped by the soapy water, she could hold them in no longer.

  The words that Darcie had spat at her as she was about to get in the taxi still rang in her ears but made no sense to her. Set-up? Secrets? Her? What the hell was she on about?

  The fact that Darcie had denied everything about Katie had also been a blow. How could she trust a woman, work with a woman, who would so blatantly lie to her face? She was stuck. Resigned to either have to sell up, which right at that moment seemed the most likely outcome, or to have to work with Darcie if she did submit her proposal. If it won!

  Knowing Laura and Bette, they would have worked their magic on the board me
mbers sufficiently to sway at least some of them. None of the board were angels after all, and even if it was only an implied suggestion, the possibility of them bagging a good-looking woman at their age might be enough to drag a vote or two their way and that might be all they needed.

  Something Darcie said, no accused her of, popped into her mind. Something about passing on her proposal. The only proposal she’d had was in the folder she accidentally picked up, which she’d never read and that hadn’t ever left her possession, so she couldn’t mean that one.

  Madison lay in the bath, the tears now streaking down her face.

  Darcie didn’t want to know her.

  Darcie’s company was going down the plughole.

  Darcie didn’t love her.

  Her company, and her uncle’s memory were going to be sullied by having Gaze—Laura and Bette—representing them which probably meant Clover Ltd was on the same path as Silver Lining.

  Madison heard the front door slam and Kay call out her name. She wiped a soap bubble covered hand over her face to hide the tears and shouted that she was in the bath.

  Kay poked her head around the door.

  ‘You’re back early,’ Madison said quietly, she didn’t have the energy for company right then.

  Moving into the room, Kay sat on the toilet seat. ‘Guess what I—’ She paused mid-sentence as she took in Madison’s red swollen eyes. ‘You’ve been crying. What’s going on? Is it Darcie?’

  Madison’s tears started to flow again as she nodded.

  Kay watched Madison for a moment, then jumped to her feet. ‘That bitch! I knew she’d hurt you. I knew it. Oh God, if I could see her now I’d show her what it’s like to hurt.’

  Kay strode towards the door, saying over her shoulder, ‘I’ll be back in a second.’

  Madison sniffed and wiped her face again. Despite the relaxing aromatherapy bubble bath she had used, she had never felt more tense. Her shoulders and back ached and her throat was sore.

  ‘Times like these you need a bit of company, so I’ve asked a few friends to join us,’ Kay yelled from outside the bathroom door.