The Second Time

by Jade Winters

  ‘What? Who?’ Madison scooped bubbles over her chest and made sure there were plenty hiding any other parts of her she didn’t want all and sundry to see. They were being saved for Darcie until only an hour or so ago.

  What a fool I’ve been.

  The door opened and a foot and one hand, holding a brightly-coloured iced carton and two spoons, shot through. ‘It’s our old friends, Ben and Jerry,’ another hand appeared as if by magic carrying a stubby bottle, half full of dark, amber liquid, ‘and Jack Daniels, and of course me,’ Kay said, stepping wholly inside. ‘I couldn’t find any clean glasses, so we’ll have to slum it and chug from the bottle.’

  Kay’s antics and the thoughtfulness of what she was doing set Madison off again, even though she was smiling inside, grateful for her friend’s company now.

  After a minute of sniffling and sobbing, she managed to get herself under control. Kay passed her over a spoon and flipped the lid off the carton into the sink, then sat down on the edge of the bath with her bare feet in the water.

  She took a spoonful of Chunky Monkey and with a face of sheer delight at the first taste, passed the carton over to Madison. Madison sat up, sniffed, and did the same, the silky smooth, bittersweet taste washing around her mouth.

  She passed the carton back to Kay.

  ‘So, what happened?’ she asked Kay, wanting to talk about anyone but Darcie. ‘It’s unlike you to be back home so early.’

  ‘Oh, the pleasures and pitfalls of dating strike again. You remember the guy who hit on you when you were in the bar.’

  ‘The one you were coming on strong to by the toilets?’

  ‘That’s the one.’ Kay looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Was I coming on strong?’

  Madison would have mimed out what Kay had been doing, but she was covered in bubbles and holding a bottle of Jack in her hand, so she decided not to. She simply said, ‘Yes, you were.’

  ‘Ok, well he came over to the table.’

  ‘Meaning you asked him over?’

  ‘Potatoes, po-tar-toes, anyway, who’s telling this story?’

  Maddie held up her hands, Jack, Ben, and Jerry all firmly gripped, so they didn’t fall into the bath.

  ‘He came over to the table, and we talked for a while. He was nice enough; Said he worked in the city or somewhere, which he bored me to death with for a while, but he was quite good fun for a while. Until.’ She paused, shaking her head.

  Maddie slid more upright in the bath. ‘What happened?’

  ‘His wife.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘His wife turned up. He’d just asked me for my number which I was about to give him, when this woman marched over and started to bend his ear. She was a sweet-looking thing too, but what was coming out of her mouth she hadn’t learnt at Sunday school, if you know what I mean? Then she looked at me!’

  ‘Uh oh.’

  ‘I just held my hands up, told her I’d been talking to him for ten minutes, grabbed my stuff and scarpered. I could hear her screaming at him as I left. The bouncers were heading their way. I actually felt sorry for them. I reckon she was in the mood to rip somebody’s nuts off. But that’s not the end of it.’

  ‘You mean there’s more?’

  ‘This is more to do with you. I saw Eric in the window at the Segal’s wine bar—’

  ‘So?’ Madison took a swig from the bottle and grimaced as the liquid burnt her throat. ‘That’s his watering hole. My uncle used to drink there as well.’

  ‘Oh really? Is it Bette’s and Laura’s watering hole too? And if I’m not much mistaken, they were swapping saliva and little brown envelopes if you know what I mean?’

  ‘Who was?’

  ‘Eric and Laura.’

  ‘How could you tell? I mean about the envelopes?’

  ‘You know how nosy I am. I went into the bar and had a drink. I could see them as clear as day from the bar.’

  Though she should have been surprised, even horrified, she wasn’t. Madison knew they would go to any lengths to win the contract, even if it meant bribing a member of the board. Whether it was because of the alcohol dulling her senses, she really didn’t care. The business wasn’t the same anymore. Not since her uncle had died. Did she really want to be part of a world where back stabbing and underhandedness was considered the norm? The more she thought about it, the more she realised she didn’t. If she did leave the company, she was sure her uncle would have understood. Maybe he was right. She let her heart rule her head too much.

  ‘Can we not talk about work, Darcie or anything else that’s going to wind me up? So back to you then. No clubbing? No all-night party to go to tonight?’

  ‘Nah. I’m starting—and don’t faint at this—I’m starting to get a bit tired of that scene now and I’ve decided it’s all your fault.’

  ‘How is it my fault that you are finally growing up?’

  ‘We’ve lived together for a few years and after hearing about Darcie this and Darcie that, well to be honest, it was getting a bit tedious.’

  ‘Oh, thanks, nice of you to say so.’

  ‘No listen. I’d heard all this Darcie stuff but when I saw the two of you together, I finally understood. The way you look at her. It’s just all so … beautiful.’

  Darcie pondered that for a second, then furrowed her brow. ‘I thought you didn’t like her?’

  ‘I don’t when she’s hurting you. But the other night when she was here… I thought that what you two had was the real deal.’

  ‘So did I,’ Madison said miserably.

  Kay continued, ‘But seriously though, since she reappeared you’re like a different person. It’s like, before you were only living at three quarter speed. Now you seem complete, well you did at least. It’s something I want. I want more than just a quick roll around and an “I’ll see you later”. So that’s my tale of woe. Now it’s your turn.’

  Madison spilt it all. From their days at the foster home, right from their time in Thailand down to Bette’s appearance that night. It took her an hour by which time they had retired to the sofa in the living room and she was tired and ready for bed.

  As she lay in her bed, the room having finally stopped its nauseating spin, Madison’s mind was in a state of confusion. Why would Darcie think she would have passed on her proposal to Bette? Which she hadn’t of course. Then on the other hand, she had Bette telling her that Darcie was in a relationship with someone already. In all honesty, she couldn’t figure out what was going on and who was telling the truth.

  Something was there, hanging in the air between her and Darcie but she didn’t know what it was. If only she could just reach out …

  ***

  Madison woke with a start. Through the alcohol induced haze, her mind was spinning, grinding up what she knew and spitting out one answer. Bette. She was the key to all this. She wrote the letter. She told her about Darcie seeing Katie. She turned up pretending to make a play for her. Madison checked her phone.

  Eight o’clock.

  There was still time.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Darcie stepped out of the shower, dripping on the mat and across the floor.

  She wrapped herself up and twisted her hair into another towel to dry, then walked slowly, shoulders slumped, into the kitchen.

  The night before she had walked for a while, then, whilst in the taxi home, she’d sent Emma a message to say she had submitted the proposal but had told Madison that she was withdrawing the bid. To her surprise Emma hadn’t replied.

  Darcie sat down heavily on the sofa and flicked through the TV channels, looking for anything that wasn’t news, depressing, or thirty-years old. Five minutes later she switched off the TV.

  She sipped her coffee, listening to those bloody cheerful birds outside of her window.

  What right do they have to be so chirpy when I feel like shit?

  She wondered how long it would be before she heard from Emma.

  Almost the second she finished the thought, the front door resounde
d to the sound of heavy, urgent blows.

  Emma. Darcie readied herself for another ear-bashing, but right then, she didn’t care. In a few hours it would all be over and she would have lost her livelihood. What hurt the most was that despite that, she ached inside to see Madison again.

  The door rattled again, vibrating the inner letterbox flap into a jaunty rat-a-tat-tat.

  Even the bloody door sounds happy.

  ‘OK, OK. I’m coming, take it out on me, not the door.’

  She flung open the door, and braced herself for the onslaught of fire and brimstone she knew would be heading her way.

  ‘Darcie.’

  ‘Madison! What are you doing here? Where’s Emma?’ She realised then what a stupid question it was.

  How would Madison know where Emma is, unless there was something else she wasn’t telling her?

  Madison flashed a quick look of confusion then waded on, practically hopping from foot to foot as if she needed to pee. ‘Look, Darcie, I know you’re angry and everything, but I need you to answer just a couple of quick questions and hopefully everything will be sorted out. OK?’

  Too stunned to object, Darcie nodded.

  ‘Do you remember our last night in Thailand—all of it?’

  ‘Well, not all of it. But enough. Why?’

  ‘Because we’ve been a pair of idiots. We’ve played right into Bette’s hands.’

  Darcie scowled at the mention of Bette’s name. ‘I haven’t done anything. It’s you that’s had your head turned by her.’ Darcie turned her back, walked to the living room and sank down onto the sofa. Madison was right behind her.

  ‘You had that trouble with that girl at work passing on your information? Sophie or Sophia something?’

  ‘Yes, but that’s in the past now. I don’t want to—’

  ‘Just bear with me. Did she ever say who she was passing the tips on to?’

  ‘No, we never managed to get her to say.’

  ‘Did you ever hear her mention Bette’s name? Think, Darcie.’

  Darcie sat back in the seat, hands on head. She thought back, trying to remember. ‘No, I don’t.’ She paused and jerked into a sitting position. ‘Fuck! No that’s impossible. She couldn’t … there’s no way…’

  ‘What is it?’ Madison was at her side. ‘What have you remembered?’

  ‘I … I walked in on her on the phone once and heard her say Bet before she noticed me. I assumed she was gambling. You think that was Bette?’ Darcie didn’t want to believe it could possibly be true. If it was, that would mean Bette had nearly ruined her life for the second time and in both cases she had been helpless to retaliate. Why does she hate me so much that she won’t stop until she ruins me?

  ‘That’s exactly what I think. She’s got it in for us, Darcie. She always has, from day one.’

  ‘But there’s no proof. Even if she is behind it there’s nothing I can do.’

  ‘Yes there is.’

  Darcie’s forehead creased in confusion. ‘What?’

  ‘Answer this question first. And I want the God’s honest truth. Can you forgive me for believing her lies and not trusting you, and do you love me?’

  Darcie hesitated for a split second as she watched the woman she had fallen in love with all those years ago close her eyes, as if she couldn’t bear to hear the answer.

  ‘That’s two questions but the answers are, yes and yes. Despite everything that she’s done to keep us apart, I love you from the depths of my soul.’

  Madison moved in quickly and planted her lips on Darcie’s. Before Darcie could respond she stood up. ‘I love you too. Be at my office at one, OK? All will become clear.’

  Then, Madison was gone, the only evidence she had ever been there, the tingling of Darcie’s lips where they had touched Madison’s, and the dying echo of the sound of her heels clattering towards the front door.

  Darcie ran a thumb over her lips and savoured the memory.

  ***

  The clock on Darcie’s wall had just swept past eleven when she finally got into her office. She had spent a perplexing hour trying to decipher the riddle of Madison’s appearance at her door and despite the kiss, she still had no idea what the hell she had been going on about.

  Emma stepped through the open doorway and sat down opposite her.

  ‘Tell me again what happened this morning? All I got from Madison when she came in was that she needed a copy of that proposal you put together. I said it would be on your computer. Once I’d printed it off, she grabbed it, hugged me, and sprinted out the door. I dread to think what her taxi bill will be. By the way, when this is all over you need to change the password on your computer. MADISON was just too easy to guess.’ She offered Darcie a smile.

  Darcie spent the next hour telling Emma of Madison’s suspicions. The more they spoke, the more they both realised Madison was probably right. Bette’s unseeing hand had played them good and proper and they hadn’t even realised they were being played.

  Soon it was time to leave to get to the Clover offices for the big reveal. Although she thought they were in with a good chance of winning, Darcie didn’t want to jinx herself. As they left their office, the butterflies in her stomach were so intense she didn’t know how she managed not to be sick.

  Half an hour later when they reached the Clover offices they were ushered into a side room, where both Bette and Laura sat smugly waiting. The four women sat in silence, but Darcie kept flickering her eyes over to Bette.

  This was the day karma was going to catch up with her. At least she hoped it was.

  Chapter Thirty

  Madison slipped the taxi driver a £20 tip, he deserved it, then she entered her office building and made a mad dash across the foyer to the lifts. Her trips around the city meant that she didn’t have time to put together a speech or presentation. She knew what had to be said but had no idea either how to say it or how it would be received. It was time to wing it, on a gamble that might mean disaster if she lost.

  She stood outside the boardroom door and took a deep breath before pushing it open.

  ‘Good morning, gentlemen. My utmost apologies but I felt that what I had to do this morning was too important to worry about being a few minutes late. I see you all have folders in front of you, one for each proposal. I also have a file here marked X—please pass it around—which I would like you to read last.’ She handed out the small pile of files which the men on the board dutifully passed around to one another.

  ‘Now could you all open proposal number one. Take your time to read it, then we will go around the table to get your reactions and thoughts. I’ll be jotting down the salient points on the whiteboard, just so we don’t forget. Please begin. Refreshments will be served in thirty minutes or so.’

  Thirty minutes later, two fresh pots of coffee stood on the unit at the back of the boardroom as Madison replaced the top on the marker pen she had used to write down a brief version of the rambling opinions on the first proposal, and get the board’s agreement that it represented a fair summary of their thoughts.

  ‘OK, gentlemen. Ten minutes to get a coffee each then on to the second proposal please.’

  Madison sat at the end of the table, sipping on her drink as the board members read through. Other than an occasional tut, and shake of the head, the five men read in silence and without moving.

  ***

  ‘So, gentlemen, are you all agreed that the comments about the second proposal that I’ve written on the whiteboard are a fair summary?’

  All five nodded their heads.

  Eric had a look of some puzzlement on his face, the creasing of his brow emphasising the crow’s feet in the corners of his eyes.

  ‘I don’t think I’m speaking out of place when I say there seems to be a clear winner, Madison.’ He looked around the boardroom at the other men sitting around the table who were all nodding their heads in agreement. ‘I hope this mysterious file,’ he picked up the file and waved it around, ‘isn’t your way of trying to influence
the voting. If your friend’s bid is proposal number two, then whatever is in here will make no difference at all, because she has already lost.’ The grin on his face reminded her of Bette’s. Before Madison answered she couldn’t help wondering how Darcie’s nerves were doing.

  ‘Thank you, Eric, I appreciate your input.’ Madison cast him her sweetest smile which immediately knocked the grin off his face. ‘I’m now going to ask you to vote for the proposal that you feel will help Clover Ltd regain our market share as the premier luxury hotel brand. Please write the number of the proposal you feel is the best on a piece of paper, fold it, and place it in the bowl in the centre of the table.’

  Madison cast an eye on the clock on the wall opposite her chair. It showed the second hand sweeping around to mark the turning of the hour.

  The time for truth had arrived.

  She waved at her secretary through the glass wall, and a minute later the woman came back with the two teams in tow.

  Bette and Laura looked radiant. Emma and finally Darcie appeared terrified as they entered the room. Madison gave Darcie a small smile as she prepared herself to deliver the verdict.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Darcie needed a pee. She needed to get out of that stuffy boardroom, and once the winner was announced, that was exactly what she was going to do. She didn’t care which bar she went to, just as long as the alcohol kept flowing.

  Feeling claustrophobic, she moved to stand by the refreshment unit where there was at least some space in front of her. Emma stood by her side. Laura and Bette leant against one of the long boardroom walls, smiling happily at those board members who would meet their steely gaze.

  Darcie watched as Madison retook her place at the head of the table, she slid the chair out of the way, so she could stand, then leant over and flipped up the lid of her laptop. She stood back up straight, took a sip of coffee from her cup, and began to speak.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen, firstly I would like to offer my thanks to both the board, and the two companies whose representatives are here today, for taking the time to put together two very different proposals. I know it’s involved a great deal of effort, not to mention heartache, to have gone through this process.’