Celia woke the next morning to find Carter already in the shower. Disappointed, she slid out of the California King bed and stretched. As she walked into the bathroom, the shower stopped, and the glass door opened. Carter reached out for a towel and smiled as he saw her.
"Hope I didn't wake you. I got a call and have to be at the office in half an hour. I've got an escrow closing that got moved up. Jump in, I'll get us some coffee. It'll be ready when you get downstairs." As he passed, he stopped to kiss her.
"Sorry about this. I have to be there."
"No prob. We're all grownups."
Celia showered, dressed, and took her bag downstairs. She began the mental adjustment that moved her from a sexually satisfied woman to a corporate manager.
Carter set down a steaming coffee cup and kissed her forehead. "Any thoughts on when we might see each other again?" he asked. Celia sipped her hot coffee and smiled. "Not really sure. I'm pretty tied up next weekend. I don't know after that." Garrett Tyler and her trip to New Orleans this coming Friday popped to mind. She saw no need to share that with Carter.
Carter smirked. "Hey, when it happens, it happens, right?" A sad smile crossed Celia's face. "It's gotta be this way for now." Carter leaned over and kissed her again. "I understand." Ten minutes later, after a sweet goodbye kiss, they were out the door. Celia drove off—next stop: the TDLR and Dog Spaulding's wreck of an office.
As Celia navigated the all-too-familiar streets, an ominous sense of apprehension grew within her. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel as the building came into view. Ingrained resentment bubbled to the surface as she recalled the seven long years of drudgery in the service of Dog Spaulding. The desire to run away and just forget the whole thing forced her to slow down. Her hands began to spin the wheel to execute a U-turn. She could explain to Clifford that she came down with the flu and had to stay close to a bathroom.
Damn it.
If there had been an inkling of a chance she could have gotten away with that, she would have bolted. But at the end of the day, she was responsible for the entire trip and had no choice but to do her job.
The yellow Z pulled into the guest parking spot right by the front entrance. As she stepped out of the car, she hit the fob, and without hesitation, the car locked.
Quite a difference from last time I was here.
Turning toward the building, she was greeted once again by the company motto:
Helping Small Business and Consumers Since 1909.
She shivered.
Maybe I do have a bit of PTSD.
A chuckle escaped.
Despite her outward composure, anxiety fluttered in her chest. Facing Dog Spaulding would be a true test of her resolve, and she knew the coming confrontation would demand every ounce of her confidence.
Don't anticipate disaster. Stay positive. Let him be the asshole. Manage expectations! You got this.
The team had already arrived when she entered the conference room.
"Okay, before we call in the locals, as most of you know, I used to work in this department. I know what to expect. The director, Dog Spaulding, is a tough guy to deal with. Leave him to me. We know what we have to do, and I won't let him stop us. Any questions?"
The team looked at each other, and she could see the confidence and determination in their eyes.
"Okay, then. Benji, could you please let them know that we are ready for them?"
Benji jumped up and opened the door. As he leaned out, Celia heard him say, "We're ready for you now."
Dog Spaulding came through the door first, the consummate politician, suit impeccable, hair still frozen in place, with a sickening faux smile on his face. He was followed by his new assistant, Celia's replacement, whom he neither acknowledged nor introduced.
Celia looked at the new girl and knew exactly what she brought to Dog's table.
A younger, bustier version of me!
This young lady, probably in her late 20s, had long strawberry-blonde hair, a healthy bust line, a thin waist, and full lips, accented by tiny wire-rimmed glasses.
I wonder what Mrs. Spaulding thinks about her? I wonder what she first
thought about me?
Dog's gaze swept across the room, his veteran eye searching for the most dangerous person. The air around him bristled with his trademark arrogance, every word and gesture radiating an unspoken superiority. His practiced diplomacy made its appearance. Celia had seen this many times. Disarm and attack- that had always been his favorite approach.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Dog Spaulding, and I'm the director here. I understand that you are here to adjust some of our procedures. Well, we are always looking for ways to improve, although I'm not sure where you will find any deficiencies in our work or our procedures. How can we help y'all?"
As he talked, he walked around the room, staring at each person, the sheer power of his personality intimidating most. He stopped in front of Celia and almost walked past her before he recognized her.
"Valerie? What are you doing here?" a stunned Dog blurted out.
Max and Benji exchanged a confused look. Benji whispered, "Valerie?"
Celia didn't blink. "I bet this is a surprise. It occurred to me that the memo would have used my new name. My name is now Celia Barlow, Ms. Barlow, if it's all the same to you. I'll be leading this review, and I'd like to get started immediately."
Looking at his new assistant, she said, "Would you please call in the rest of the team? We have a lot to cover."
Flabbergasted that Celia had given an order in his domain, he started to object, but Celia cut him off.
"Mr. Spaulding," she said in a purposely condescending tone, "I know how difficult this may be for you, but let's skip over the righteous indignation and get to work, shall we? We have a job to do, and we can't let you get in the way of us accomplishing that job. If you have any complaints, you can file a formal protest with Austin. If that's what you want, so be it." She looked at the assistant again and said, "Bring in the rest of the staff, please?"
The trembling girl looked to Dog and got no response. Celia threw a contemptuous glare at her, and she left the room.
"Well, well, well. Look at you. Looks like you've been busy since you walked out of here. I did get the office edict that you all were coming, and you're right, I didn't see your name on the list. You changed it to what, now?" He beamed his sickening smile.
Celia stood tall and stared him down. "Ms. Barlow to you. I know that, as in all things, you will respect this change."
Dog's smile never wavered; his passive aggression ever present. "Of course, I'm nothing if not respectful. How can we be of service?"
She handed Dog a list of the procedures that would be addressed over the next two days.
"Here are the procedures that we will be addressing. We have condensed and trimmed some, expanded others. Please, take a look and let me know if you have any questions."
Dog examined the list, and Celia could see him losing his temper. Many of the changes about to be made were a direct reversal of procedures he had personally been responsible for. He looked up at Celia with disbelief.
"Ms. Barlow, this is quite a list. Totally unnecessary, and it seems to me a waste of valuable company time. I'll need to talk to Austin before you attempt to implement any of them."
Celia gave him back one of his fake smiles. "If you wish. However, my directive is clear. We will begin to implement these changes immediately. If you want to call Austin, that's your prerogative. A waste of time for you, but knock yourself out. Ask for Sage Reynolds, VP of HR. She'll be glad to answer any of your concerns."
She could see his mind working, trying to find the most appropriate way to tell her to fuck off. He said nothing.
There is nothing worse for a man like Dog than to be dictated to by a woman. In his mind, she belonged in the kitchen, not the office.
Dog's assistant walked back through the door, followed by an entourage of six people. Their arrival diffused the smoldering Dog. The six team members handled all of the licensing for the department. As each took a seat, they shared a moment of recognition at seeing Celia; she was, after all, a legend of office lore.
"Hello, everyone. Good to see you again." She gave them a genuine smile. "Before we start, I've made a few changes in my life. My name is now Celia Barlow. I'm the Supervising Payroll Analyst at CAPPS HR and the lead for this review."
Dog couldn't control himself. He stepped in front of Celia and said, "As you can see, we have one of our own returning to us today. Please give her your full attention. Just let me say that most of the changes she is about to implement will be reversed shortly, so don't get too used to these ideas." Dog left the room.
Celia and Max exchanged a look, and then Celia said, "Let's get started, shall we?" Several of the employees applauded.
The meeting continued for the next several hours and, after a quick lunch break, resumed until the end of the day.
"Okay, there we have it. Tomorrow, we'll begin implementing these changes in real time. If you have any questions or suggestions, we can address them all tomorrow. Thanks, everyone, for a great day. Enjoy your evening. See you in the morning." As Celia dismissed the meeting, several of her old co-workers offered their appreciation as they left. They had been very receptive to the changes.
No sooner had the meeting broken up than Dog returned. His expression said it all.
"I spoke with Austin. And it seems that you have the full authority to come in here and change my department. I want you to know that I am not happy about this. You never had any of these ideas when you were here; if you had, it would have given me a chance to fix things before it got this far. That wasn't very sporty of you."
Celia's eye opened a bit wider at the audacity of Dog Spaulding, but what did she expect?
"Mr. Spaulding, not only did I offer you each and every one of these ideas, but I did it several times. Each time, you essentially told me to 'stay in my lane,' to 'remember my station,' and to 'not speak unless asked for my opinion.' Well, guess what? Austin did ask for my opinion, and here we are." Celia and her crew gathered their things.
As they left, Celia turned to Dog and said, "Have a pleasant evening. We'll see you tomorrow."
Just then, Dog's assistant walked into the room, carrying her tablet. She assumed her position behind him. Celia watched this with a smirk.
Addressing the girl directly, she said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Spaulding failed to introduce you. I'm Celia Barlow, and you are?"
The woman smiled in the demurest fashion and replied, "Uhm, I'm Claudia Williams."
Celia nodded. "Hello, Claudia." Looking at Dog, she said, "Not exactly family-friendly, is she?"
She turned and walked out.
In the front lobby, Celia caught up with the rest of her team. Maxine took a deep breath and exhaled. "What a relief. I thought it went pretty well. Wow, Dog's a pain in the ass. Is passive-aggressive his middle name?"
Benji chimed in with a mischievous tone. "So, Ms. Barlow," Benji rolled his eyes as though he had a secret to tell. "I talked with a few of the team members at lunch. Got some good dirt on you!" he teased.
A smile shot across Celia's face. She shook her head and waited for what she knew was coming.
Benji's eyes flared as he continued, "Is it true? Are you the mystery mooner?"
Celia blushed and shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? It was a spur-of-the-moment response."
Maxine gasped and laughed. "Shut up! Oh, I gotta hear this. Let's take this revolutionary out for a drink. I bet this is a great story."
Celia chuckled and said, "Okay, okay. I knew it'd get out eventually. Follow me, I know just where to go."