Unforgiving

by Patricia Haley

  “Sounds well and good, but I don’t know. A so-called relationship with God didn’t get any stronger than what your dad had, and we ended up divorced.”

  “That’s true, and it happens, particularly if a person is unforgiving.”

  Madeline was quiet briefly. “Well, I hope it works for you, the marriage and all. But stop messing around and come back to DMI. Don is leaving soon. I need you in the company,” she told him, definitively.

  “I can’t. In order to make the marriage work, I have to step away from DMI, and Zarah has to release her father’s company.”

  “I don’t get it. Why so extreme?”

  “I can’t ask her to do more than I’m willing to do. It’s unfair for her to give up Harmonious Energy if I stick with DMI.”

  Why did Joel have to be selfless and present a rational rebuttal at the very instant when Madeline needed him to be his old self—selfish and reckless? She wasn’t giving up. It wasn’t her style to quit until the deal was done. He was forcing her to take extraordinary measures. There was one button she hadn’t pushed. Backed into a corner, Madeline had to come out swinging, using every trick at her disposal.

  “Your father put his heart and soul into building DMI. He felt called by God to build this company in order to help struggling ministers and churches. Your father is gone, but the call is still alive and well. He always said there is much work to do, and that’s true. Churches need our help if they are to have leadership and sound financial management skills.”

  Joel slid his hands into his pockets.

  She figured he was processing her appeal. Madeline didn’t let up. “You father established the Mitchell and DMI legacy. It’s up to his children to carry the legacy forward, to future generations. It is your turn to carry the torch. Don’t walk away when the church needs you the most.”

  “I’ll admit, you have me thinking.”

  “Great. That’s all I can ask of you. Tell you what. Take a few days and think it over. Talk to your wife and see what she says. I bet she’ll want you to take the job.”

  “You think so, huh?”

  “Absolutely. A good wife supports her husband.” The sacrifices Madeline had made while she was married to Dave were enormous. As a wife and a partner, she had made it her goal to hold the family together, while encouraging her husband to be the most that he could be. She suspected Zarah had a similar mentality.

  “I’m not changing my mind. However, I will take a few days to consider your proposal.”

  Madeline had something to say that she’d been holding in. “Joel, I can’t change the past. None of us can. Although I don’t like many of things you’ve done, I do admire your passion and gutsiness. Somehow, in a different place and time, the two of us could have been friends.”

  Joel grinned. “Thanks, Madeline.”

  “Seriously, I’ve always respected your business aptitude—except when you were plunging into the deep end with your craziness.” She hadn’t appreciated his tactics, but he was a formidable opponent, one who had given her exciting challenges over the years.

  “Touché.” He laughed. “I think that’s a compliment.”

  “Certainly is. You are a strong businessman who hasn’t begun to realize his full potential. I’d love to see you resume the top spot and take this company into the stratosphere,” she said, flinging one arm high into the air. “You can do it. I know you can.”

  Joel thanked her again. “The world must be ending if you’re giving me two compliments in the same meeting. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. That way, you won’t mess this up.” She giggled.

  “I better get upstairs to Zarah.”

  “Sure. And give her my regards. I have to go take care of some business, anyway. Your uncle Frank owes me a refund, because he didn’t get the Remo job done. You know I’m going to call him on this.”

  “I have no doubt,” he echoed as they parted on a positive note, even though nothing was settled.

  Chapter 40

  Monday morning was filled with worry for Madeline. The sting from Tamara’s encounter yesterday was too fresh. She had agreed to back off, but that promise was proving to be more difficult to keep than she’d imagined. She’d keep trying, without making any more promises to Tamara or herself. As a distraction, she diverted her attention to DMI, her other troubled child who was in dire need of a miracle.

  She hadn’t expected Joel to turn her offer down. He was too driven to morph into a househusband when there was a corporate carrot the size of the CEO position dangling in front of him. Madeline believed he’d eventually change his mind. Yet there wasn’t any guarantee. She was forced to pursue plan B, with Don’s departure looming. Appointing a leader was paramount, and none seemed to be falling from the sky.

  She emerged from her car with her phone pressed against her ear. “How is Tamara doing?” Madeline asked Don as she spun through the revolving door leading into the DMI building.

  “She’s in the guest bedroom, resting.”

  “I’m sure you’re taking care of her.”

  “Don’t you worry. She’s safe.”

  “Just don’t let her leave. Until this Remo guy is locked up for good or deported, with ‘Do not fly’ stamped on his passport, I don’t want her running around alone.”

  “You know how Tamara is. When she gets something in her head, it’s hard to change her mind. She’s a lot like you.”

  “Humph. Well, lock her inside the guest room if you have to. Do whatever it takes to protect my child.” Madeline hit the elevator button. “I’m at the office. I hope you aren’t planning on coming in today.”

  “No. I think it’s best to hang around here with her.”

  “Just what I wanted to hear.” Madeline breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m getting into the elevator. Call me if Tamara needs anything. Otherwise, I’ll call you later,” she said as the elevator doors opened and employees filed into the lobby.

  Madeline didn’t go to her office. She made a beeline to Abigail. Madeline didn’t knock on the door or ask the assistant who was sitting out front for clearance. She burst in, closed the door, and took a seat in front of Abigail’s desk. If Don and Tamara and Joel were out, Abigail was the only choice left.

  “You know why I’m here. I’m not going to blow smoke up your leg. We need you to take the CEO post.”

  “Me? What about Joel?”

  “He’s out due to some personal issues,” Madeline said, tugging on the corners of her short jacket and then pretending to knock off a piece of lint. “He’s out, and that leaves you. I’m here to ask you personally to take the position. You weren’t my first choice, but I will back you one hundred percent.”

  “First! I wasn’t your second or third, either,” Abigail said.

  Madeline tipped her head. “True, but that’s not important at this juncture. You are my best option given a series of factors.”

  “In other words, I’m your last choice.”

  “Come on, Abigail. You’re a smart woman. CEO positions don’t come around very often. You’ve worked hard from the day Dave recruited you. Don’t let this rare opportunity slip through your fingers just because you weren’t my first choice. Set your pride aside and be smart about this.” What was the corporate world coming to? She had three hotshot executives between Joel, Don, and Abigail, and each one was emphatically walking away from the prize position, a seat at the top of the DMI food chain. She had to believe that such foolishness occurred only in the halls of DMI. Anywhere else, people with far fewer qualifications than her three would kill to get the opportunity.

  Abigail tapped her fingers on the top of her laptop before responding. “Pride!” She cackled. “Are you kidding me? Staying here and putting up with everybody’s garbage confirms that I have no pride.” She cackled again and folded her arms. “Seriously, I expect a self-righteous statement like that from Joel, but not from you.”

  “Hold on, missy. Who are you talking to?”

  “I’m
sorry, Madeline, but I’ve already told you and Don that my mind is made up. I’m not getting suckered back into this place. I should have stuck to my guns from the beginning and stayed out of the CEO race, but silly me. I let Don and this place lure me right back into the DMI shark-infested waters. Anyway, I’ve had enough. I’m done, and it’s time to go.”

  “You’re making a mistake,” Madeline said, crossing her legs.

  “Maybe, but it’s my mistake to make. That much I have earned.”

  “I’m surprised to see you running from a challenge.”

  “Madeline, I understand the position you’re in. I wish you’d extend the same courtesy and appreciate my position. The bottom line is that I’m at peace with my resignation.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Madeline asked. She’d approached Abigail from various angles without success, but she wasn’t close to giving up.

  “With all due respect, I don’t have to convince you or anyone else. I feel like God has released me. For me to stay where I’m not supposed to be is an automatic recipe for problems. And trust me. We’ve endured enough problems to last a lifetime. I want something new.”

  “Here you go with the religious factor. My goodness, maybe you and Don should have gotten together. It seems to be the only argument the two of you have.” Madeline twisted in the chair, annoyed. However, she was in begging mode and didn’t have the luxury of harping on Abigail. Yet her natural reaction was to be up front, even if it meant that she was jeopardizing her chances of Abigail accepting the CEO position. “Let me give you a piece of advice,” Madeline said, pulling closer to the desk. “Be bold enough to say what you want and make no excuses. You don’t have to hide behind God or anyone. It makes you look weak.”

  “Okay. Then my resignation stands. I’m out of here, and nobody is changing my mind. Not even the persuasive Madeline Mitchell is going to win this discussion.”

  Madeline left the office in a funk. Every option had been a bust today. She fretted for a little while and decided to do the unthinkable. Finally coming to terms with reality, she shuffled to her office and stopped at the desk of her administrative assistant. “Pull up Sherry Mitchell’s home phone number.” Madeline walked to her office door and stood there. “Let me know when you have her on the line.”

  As directed, Madeline’s assistant made the call. “Mrs. Mitchell, I have Mrs. Sherry Mitchell on the line.”

  There were numerous occasions when hearing “Mrs. Mitchell” uttered in reference to Sherry sent Madeline into a fit. As far as she was concerned, Dave Mitchell had one legitimate wife and that was her. Sherry was at best a lackluster sideshow. How Madeline felt about Sherry was immaterial at this juncture. Business and legacy had to take precedence in this surreal predicament.

  “Good. Forward the call to my phone,” Madeline said, then entered her office and closed the door.

  Madeline strolled to her chair and exhaled before taking the call. There were a thousand reasons why she didn’t want to speak with Sherry. However, one in particular spurred her to pick up the phone. She grabbed the receiver and let her words flow without thinking about the implications. “Sherry, this is Madeline. I need your help.”

  There was no response.

  “Hello? Are you there? Sherry, this is Madeline.”

  “I heard you. I just wasn’t expecting a call from you asking me for help.”

  Madeline suppressed her dignity and continued. “I’m sure you weren’t. To tell the truth, I didn’t expect to be calling you, but here I am.”

  “What do you want, Madeline?” Sherry asked, coming across as defensive.

  “It’s about your son. I need your help in convincing him that DMI is where he needs to be. I’m not sure if you know that I made him a second offer to take on the CEO role. He’s declined for reasons that don’t make sense.”

  “And what makes you think I can change his mind?”

  “Because you’re his mother and you can appreciate what this means for him.” Madeline knew Sherry had lived on the fringes of DMI and the Mitchell family, never having full access to the building or enjoying any other rights and privileges. Madeline had made sure that Sherry stayed on the outside. Perhaps that would work in her favor now. Maybe Sherry’s desire to feel validated by the Mitchell family would compel her to push Joel into the CEO post. Madeline could only hope. “Can I stop by and go over the details of the offer with you?”

  “Don’t you think you should be talking to Joel, not me?”

  “You’re exactly the person I need to speak with. Can I stop by?”

  Sherry gulped softly. “I guess you can drop by.”

  “Good. I’ll see you within the hour.”

  Madeline was pleased that she had survived one of the toughest calls she’d ever made. It was humbling to ask her husband’s former mistress for help in saving the family business that Madeline had helped build. It was insane. Yet that was what she had to do.

  Chapter 41

  Madeline cruised down the Chrysler Freeway, headed to the house she’d moved out of after divorcing Dave. She hadn’t stepped on the grounds of the Mitchell estate in West Bloomfield since his funeral. Thousands of memories, not all pleasant, rushed in as she drove up the driveway. Madeline smirked, remembering how often she’d dropped in without notice to see Dave during his illness. Sherry had often complained to Dave, but it had been pointless. Madeline had designed every inch of the house on Mayweather Lane, down to the twelve-foot-tall double doors, which she had had shipped in from Spain.

  She parked her car and meandered toward the front door. Her purpose for seeing Sherry should have sparked more urgency, but Madeline didn’t pick up her speed. She had to accept the gravity of this “full circle” moment. Madeline stopped several feet from the door. Not in a million years could someone have convinced her that this would be her fate. She was coming to her old home, the one she had shared with her ex-husband, to ask his former mistress for help. Technically, Sherry was Dave’s widow, but that title would never cross Madeline’s lips, regardless of how civil they became with one another. Some titles had staying power, and from Madeline’s perspective, mistress was it for Sherry.

  What a twist of fate, Madeline thought. She should have erupted in laughter as she reflected on the quirky pieces of the Mitchell puzzle. Her situation was too funny not to laugh. It was laugh or cry. She agonized for several minutes and finally knocked on the door, intending not to let her history with Sherry derail their impending conversation.

  Sherry opened the door and asked Madeline to come in.

  Madeline entered graciously, which was in stark contrast to her prior entrances. She had typically pushed past Sherry on prior visits to the house. Madeline had intentionally not shown Sherry any respect, taking the stance that she didn’t have to.

  When Dave asked Madeline to stay in the mansion with their children and let him find another house, she turned him down flat. He went on to marry Sherry several years later, after it was clear that Madeline didn’t want him back. His second marriage actually infuriated Madeline and caused her to show even greater disdain. Truth was, she had discarded Dave and the mansion, but that hadn’t tempered her fury. As a result, she’d vowed to make Sherry’s life a living hell through intimidation and entitlement. Madeline knew the trauma she’d inflicted on Joel’s mother. She didn’t feel badly about it, but Madeline wasn’t proud of her actions, either. She exhaled. Regardless of what had transpired, Madeline needed Sherry.

  “I appreciate you letting me drop by on such short notice.” She sensed that Sherry had her guard up.

  “I had to, once you told me this was about Joel.”

  The house was familiar yet strange. Madeline stood in the foyer, as Sherry hadn’t asked her to step any farther. In the past, Madeline would have wandered throughout the house, with Sherry on her heels, begging her to stop. Looking back wasn’t very gratifying. It had been much easier to view Sherry as the culprit on all accounts. It had been easier to blame Sherry tha
n to accept Dave’s second family. But today Madeline stood respectfully in the foyer of the house belonging to her ex-husband’s wife, prepared to plead for help. Life was twisted, and Madeline didn’t have the power to straighten it out on her own.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?”

  “Tea would be nice,” Madeline said, following Sherry into the kitchen.

  Sherry poured two cups of tea from a pot sitting on the stove. She handed a cup and saucer to Madeline. They took seats across from one another at the table.

  Madeline let her gaze roam and her thoughts wander. “In all these years, I guess I never paid attention to the changes you’ve made in the kitchen,” she finally said, sipping the tea. “You’ve done a nice job in here. Looks nice.”

  “Thank you, but I doubt that you came here to discuss interior decorating.”

  Madeline gently slid the teacup and saucer away. “You’re right. I came because I need your help.”

  “Mine?”

  “I know. Can you believe it? But I’m counting on you to help me save DMI.”

  “How?”

  “I need Joel to take the CEO position before Don relocates to South Africa.”

  “When is he leaving?”

  “I don’t think he has an exact date, but it’s within the month.”

  “Good for him.”

  “Perhaps, but that creates a problem for DMI. We don’t have a CEO to replace him.”

  “Joel told me you asked him. He was very excited.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m here. Joel agreed to take the position a few weeks ago, and then some things happened, and a bunch of stuff got in the way. Anyhow, I need him to reconsider my offer.”

  “I’m surprised he turned you down, given how much he’s wanted to come back. You gave him so much hope when you backed his candidacy. Why would he turn you down?”

  “Out of some misguided loyalty and fairness to his wife.” Before Sherry could get defensive, Madeline qualified her statement. “I appreciate him being willing to give up his position at DMI because Zarah is selling her family business, but it doesn’t have to be that way. He loves DMI. He belongs in the top post. He was created for the job. If his wife loves him as much as she confesses, she wouldn’t want him to be deprived of his passion. That could set him up for resentment later.”