The Corporate Escape (12 page)

“It's me, Katherine.”

The hug of reassurance from her friend, brought new tears to Lynn's eyes. They decided to go to the city for lunch, as Katherine had some things she needed to drop off at her office. Lunch seemed like the third degree to Lynn. Katherine was using all of her legal skills to try to figure this one out. She had just come up with yet another hypothesis when Lynn saw Paul.

“Oh, no,” she said quietly. “He's with Christine.”

Katherine's mouth was wide open. She was dumbfounded. Paul and Christine were seated at a table on the other side of the restaurant. Paul's back was to them, and Christine shot a triumphant smile their way.

“Let's get out of here,” said Lynn softly.

“You bet,” Katherine replied, as she left the money for the lunch on the table. “Did he see us?”

“He only has eyes for her,” said Lynn, her anger resurfacing.

They dropped off the information at Katherine's office and headed back towards Manly. They sat on the beach and talked for hours. They returned to Lynn's room to change.

The knock on the door was unexpected. Katherine answered the door, and Christine marched in as if she owned the place.

“I just came by to say good-bye, and no hard feelings,” Christine purred. “Paul told me, at lunch, how the two of you had planned this whole thing to make me jealous. I must say, I am flattered. It worked, it brought me to my senses. Paul is too good of a man to loose, and I can't thank you enough for being so kind.”

Katherine and Lynn were speechless. The smile on Christine's face twitched slightly as she turned to leave.

“I'll send you an invitation to the wedding,” she said over her shoulder, as she walked out of the door.

“The nerve!” screamed Katherine. “How can someone blatantly lie like that?”

“Why do you think she is lying?” Lynn asked through the shock and pain.

“Her face was twitching so bad is looked like it was doing the twist,” said Katherine. “Christine has had that problem since we were kids. Every time she lies, she twitches.”

A ray of hope hit Lynn, yet left as soon as it had shone.

“Perhaps it is just a nervous reaction,” she stated. “It couldn't have been easy swallowing her pride, and coming to thank me.”

“Swallowing her pride! She was wallowing in her implied victory. She is behind this somehow. And I plan to get to the bottom of this! Enough of your grace. This is a battle with the devil herself!”

“Katherine,” pleaded Lynn. “You are over reacting.”

“I am serious. Let's get you packed and checked out of here. You are staying with me tonight. No if's, and's or but's!”

The rest of the day was a daze. Lynn knew her mind was trying to cope with the pain, and her constant state of exhaustion helped. She slept dreamlessly through the night and well into Tuesday. She slept until Katherine and Barbara made her get dressed for her flight. Both were concerned as they stood together at the airport in tears.

“I love you both so much,” sobbed Lynn. “Please take care of Paul. Something has changed these last two days. He needs strong Christian friends like you to get him through this. I’ll write, I promise.”

“We'll write too,” said Katherine. “And remember, Doug and I are still planning on Hawaii and then San Francisco for our honeymoon.”

Lynn's tears flowed like a river. She was choking on her pain and tried to gain control.

“I love him with all my heart,” she said slowly. “We had teased that when I left, it wouldn't be fatal. But right now, I know a part of me is dying.”

“I am going to get to the bottom of this,” Katherine stated with authority.

“And, I'm going to pray for you both,” said Barbara. “What more could I ask for?” Lynn smiled feebly, as they announced boarding for her plane. She turned to go through security.

“We love you,” said Katherine, as she hugged Lynn tightly.

“Like a member of the family,” added Barbara. She brushed Lynn's hair off of her forehead. “This will all work out, according to God's plan. Have faith. He will prevail.” Slowly Lynn searched her purse for her passport. She felt a heaviness in her heart that she had never known before. How could this have happened? As she walked through security she turned back for one last glance at her new friends. Lynn smiled, waved them good bye, and cried herself all the way to San Francisco.

*****

Lynn had tried everything she could think of to get Paul out of her mind. Yet, he had claimed a part of her heart, and she knew now that she would never forget him. She recognized that she loved him, but reality showed her the hopelessness of the situation. She had simply been a summer romance for him. If even that. He had demanded her soul, and then he had cast her aside as a simple play thing. He had used her as a way to get Christine. That was all.

Lynn was certain that he had not fallen in love with her. His words of endearment had been a facade. Or were they? She had seen in him, many of the qualities she longed for in a man. He was so self assured, so in control. Yet at the same time, he was vulnerable and caring.

“Stop dwelling,” she said aloud to herself. “Reality is reality.”

Once again she switched her mind to work. Thinking of all the events that she had coming up the next week. She had many things to plan and prepare for. She laughed when she caught herself longing for a full weekend of work, as she had before she had left on her vacation. At least then she wouldn't have time to think.

She had thrown herself back in to her job. Bruce felt it was due to the rest she had while on vacation. She was refreshed. Yet, Susan knew better. More than once, she had caught Lynn in a far away daydream of Paul. But it would be two months this week, and he had not even attempted to contact her. Each day the pain dulled a little, but her heart, she knew, would never be the same. She found herself seeing him on the streets. Once, about a month ago, Lynn had even thought she saw him getting into the elevator at her office.

Her resolve had shattered that day. She had called his office in desperation, aware of the agony causing the hallucinations. Yet, Sandra had apologetically informed her that Paul was away on a trip with Christine. He would not be returning that week. Meekly she had left a message, as she had promised Paul she would.

She felt every bit the fool. She realized she had to face the fact that Christine and Sandra had won. Just as Sandra had declared to Lynn they would. The tears stung in her eyes, and the blurred clock on the wall reminded her of her appointment. Quickly she washed her face and reapplied her sparse makeup onto swollen eyes. She knew, however, it wouldn't hide her emotions from Susan's scrupulous eye.

Lynn sat back in her chair, satisfied with her afternoon's accomplishments. She realized that she had successfully blocked out all thoughts of Paul for most of the day. It had still been a conscious effort, yet, perseverance had won out. 'Thank you Lord for my career,' she prayed silently. Without being able to throw herself into her work, this time would have been unbearable.

“Funny, how quickly perceptions change,” she smiled to herself out loud.

She picked up the bank folder on her desk, feeling a pang of remembrance of the fateful weekend before her trip. How truly uncomplicated her life had been, when examined in retrospect. Tomorrow they would be meeting with the bank again, along with the officers of the corporation they were acquiring. It would be a difficult meeting, for the subsidiary they were purchasing was reneging on part of the agreement. It now looked like they were headed for a merger, instead of an acquisition. Still, Lynn felt confident that Bruce would succeed.

“Are you going to stay here all night again?” Steve asked as he stopped by her office door.

“As a matter of fact,” she replied, “If you are on your way out, I'll let you walk me to my car.”

“Deal,” said Steve. “Ready for the meeting tomorrow?”

“You bet,” she smiled. “I knew you guys couldn't get it handled without me. I go away for a month, and you can't even work out a few minor details. So, I have to come back to finish the deal.”

“Just wanted to make sure you knew how truly indispensable you are,” laughed Steve.

*****

The next morning, Lynn had a hard time waking up. She had had a restless night with dreams of Paul and Christine. The alarm went off again, and Lynn dragged herself out of bed. No time to think this morning of lost loves. She had a deal to close. Automatically she showered and got ready for work. They were meeting in the acquired company's offices downtown.

Traffic was worse than usual, and the wait found her impatient and irritable. Her mind, trained to think of pleasant things in bad situations, automatically drifted to Paul. But tears welled in her eyes. She tried instead, to concentrate on the plan for the meeting.

Finally downtown, Lynn retrieved her folders and stopped by Bruce's office for the short walk down Market Street. They discussed the agenda, and compared last minute notes. The elevator doors opened, and they emerged on the top floor where they entered the conference room.

It was a typical Board room, with a large imposing mahogany table complemented by powerful, yet comfortable chairs. Lynn automatically took the seat next to the end of the table, knowing that Bruce would sit at the seat to her left. She was literally the 'right hand man'. She smiled silently. Or more accurately the 'right hand woman'.

Lynn introduced herself to Mr. Brown, one of the assistant Vice Presidents, of their new subsidiary. They had just began to exchange their pleasantries when it happened.

Lynn felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. The main door to the conference room opened and all conversation stopped. At first Lynn thought her mind was playing tricks on her. Yet, the momentary flash of horror that passed in Paul's eyes, made her realize this was not a figment of her imagination. Paul Dillard had just walked into her meeting.

Lynn searched his face for acknowledgement, pleading for more than cursory recognition. But Paul was an enigma. The stone face and cold grey eyes showed no emotion. Surely he recognized her. Of course, he had never seen her in a business suit before. Or with her hair up. But she couldn't possibly look that different.

'Paul,' her heart cried out. 'What in the world are you doing here?' Momentarily her silent question was answered. Lynn found herself being introduced to the President of PD Thompson Inc., Mr. Paul D. Thompson.

'Paul D. Thompson?' her mind repeated. 'P. D. Thompson? Her Paul Dillard, was truly Paul Dillard-Thompson?'

Her mind was swimming as she heard his familiar voice politely saying, “Nice to meet you Ms. Eastman.”

'Meet you?!' her mind screamed. But sarcastically she replied, “Nice to meet YOU, Mr. Thompson.”

Bruce watched the encounter between Paul and Lynn closely. There seemed to be an immediate animosity between the two. He was shocked. Lynn seemed to be reactive and rude. Traits she never displayed. 'Not good,' he thought silently. 'Not good at all!'

It was after twelve by the time an agreement had been reached. As Lynn had predicted, Bruce won every point he truly cared about. Except for one. But, even with that concession, his negotiating skill had been unequalled.

Lynn had been almost inept the entire meeting, so Bruce had no choice but to run the show. Her behavior had not gone unnoticed by him, and he was concerned. As they followed Mr. Thompson and his assistants to the restaurant, Bruce fell back into step with Lynn.

“What is with you this morning?” he asked. “Are you ill?”

'Only a broken heart,' she thought. But her pride kept her from admitting the truth.

“Sorry Bruce,” she replied. “I know I wasn't much help in there today. But, I could tell that Mr. Thompson was going to be reactive to any comments I made. So I felt it would be best to have you handle the sensitive issues.” Bruce remembered the brief exchange he had witnessed earlier. He recognized the soundness of her statement.

“Very perceptive of you Lynn,” he complimented. “I believe you are right. The few comments you did make, Paul seemed to take personal offense to.”

Just the mention of Paul's name sent her heart racing. They walked in silence for a few moments. Lynn felt dizzy with emotional confusion.

“You don't think he is a manipulator do you?” teased Bruce.

The validity of Bruce's comment hit Lynn as if she had been slapped. She felt on the verge of tears. Quickly she checked herself, as she pretended to be interested in a street musician they passed.

“Bingo,” was all Lynn could reply. Bruce laughed out loud at her comment. That drew unwanted attention from Mr. Thompson's entourage.

Paul shot Lynn a hateful look. His glance was quick, yet penetrating. Lynn was overcome by the intensity of his anger. Surely he wasn't upset with her for the outcome of the meeting? He turned back to reply to his Vice President, not missing even one word of the conversation. Lynn continued to stare at his back, and remembered the feel of his firm muscles and broad shoulders.

The atmosphere at the restaurant was one of celebration for all the players. Except, for Paul and Lynn. Their lack of conversation seemed to go unnoticed, as did the searching glances Lynn threw his way. The cold indifference of his eyes mocked her. She recognized her questions would go unanswered. When she bowed her head for her silent prayer of thanks to God, she felt a knot in her stomach. Her eyes met Paul's. His look was filled with disgust and something close to pity. Lynn's pride took over.

By the end of the luncheon, Lynn found she was enjoying her conversation with Mr. Brown.

Bruce watched her constantly. He sensed there was more than there appeared to be, to the animosity between Paul and Lynn. He knew how fiercely independent Lynn was. He could not totally dismiss that her behavior was due to the lack of respect she was receiving from Paul. Bruce thought back to the phone call he had received from Sandra, but dismissed it at once.

Paul saw the admiration in Bruce's glances toward Lynn, and felt sick to his stomach. Paul excused himself to go make a phone call. Just the sound of his voice caused Lynn’s heart to go to her throat.

'How could he act like this?' she wondered. 'How can he behave as if he has never seen me before?' Numbly Lynn reached to her neck to rub the diamond necklace in her fingers. She had promised him he would never take it off, and she always kept her promises. The recognition that Paul had never loved her, sent chills down Lynn's spine. He now seemed to perceive her as an inconvenience.

As they waited for his return, she felt she would burst into tears. All her dreams had been shattered by his indifference. When the check came, Paul had not returned. Lynn felt panic flow through her veins. He had left her again.

Mr. Brown rose to leave, and Lynn overheard Bruce ask about Paul's whereabouts. Mr. Brown explained that Paul had left for the airport. Mr. Thompson was on a tight schedule. Mr. Brown predicted that his chauffeur and found Paul in the lobby, and they had departed from the restaurant.

Lynn's heart pounded. Paul had avoided her by leaving without saying good-bye. Again Lynn's head was swimming. Airport. He had truly left her again. Paul had not said one private word to Lynn the entire day. She felt her world crashing in all around her. Yet, her facade didn't show even one hair out of place.

Inwardly Lynn called to God for strength, forgiveness and understanding.

Miraculously, Lynn had a productive afternoon. She had managed to block out the entire meeting that morning as a bad dream. Something she had simply imagined. At 5:30 PM, Steve walked by her office and congratulated her on her performance that morning. She looked up at him confused.

“When I met with Mr. Thompson last month, I could tell he was a real tyrant. But, I didn't guess how mean he could be. I hear he treated you like a second class citizen.”

“It was not pleasant,” said Lynn with more calm than she felt. Then, realizing his first comment, Lynn added, “Last month? You met with Paul last month?”

“Sure,” said Steve. “He was here for a week in March to try to break the contract. But it is solid. We did a good job that fateful weekend. He couldn't find a hole to hang on.”

“He was in San Francisco for a week in March?” she asked.

“Yes. He had been calling since February trying to get out of the deal. He said he felt we were unfit to do business with.”

Lynn felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her, “Unfit to do business with?”

“That is what he said,” Steve said shaking his head. “So don't take today too personally. He doesn't seem to like anyone at our company. It isn't just you.”

“Why wasn’t I told about the meetings?” Lynn asked.

“He insisted he would not deal with any women working on this contract,” Steve replied. “I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“But I was included in the meeting today,” Lynn stated.

“Bruce insisted,” Steve shared. “Paul did not know any women were going to be there. Perhaps that is why he was so hostile.”

Lynn's head was spinning from all Steve just shared. Paul had been in San Francisco for a week. In her building. Meeting with her friends and co-workers. Talking about her contract. And he had not even attempted to see her. He had not called. He had ignored that she existed. He had even insisted that no women be allowed in the meetings, knowing that she would be the woman in attendance.

“Oh, Lord,” she said aloud. She really had seen him that day getting into the elevator. And the day at the restaurant. He had been in San Francisco the day she had called his office. Sandra had known where he was. What kind of a sick game was he playing? What had happened to the loving Christian man she had met in Auckland? The one she had shared Melbourne with. The man she had spent the most romantic evening of her life with in Canberra.

Instinctively her hand went to the pendant he had given her on Valentine’s day. She felt that the Lord had told her to continue to wear it as a symbol of her trust in Him and in His ability to do the impossible. She had not taken it off since the day Paul had placed the token of love around her neck, just as promised.

Could the Lord still work even this for her good? She was confused. She just wanted to go home and cry herself to sleep.

Steve watched her reactions curiously. She obviously was upset, and he had been the cause.

'How stupid,' he thought to himself. 'Why did you have to bring up the meeting?' He knew Lynn would be worrying that she had not done her job well. Feeling she had failed.