We get in the car and Pancho starts driving toward Katherine’s.
“How long have you been outside?” I ask.
“About a half hour. Katherine said she didn’t know what time you left your apartment but she wanted to make sure I caught you so she had me start waiting earlier than she figured you’d leave,” he says. “Saw your boyfriend though,” he says, smirking at me in the rearview mirror.
“Soon-to-be fiancé,” I say, not wanting him to think I’m a hussy.
“Fiancé!” Pancho says. “Way to go, Lucy.”
“Thanks, Pancho.”
“Marriage can be pretty cool,” he says, looking at me again in the mirror.
“Are you married?” I ask him, realizing that I know absolutely nothing about Pancho. Shame on me.
“Seriously? I’ve been married for sixteen years. Three kids, too. My oldest one just got into Bronx Science for the fall,” he says beaming. “It’s one of the best high schools in the city, you know.”
“That’s amazing, Pancho. Congratulations!”
We talk a little more about his kids and his wife but soon we’re pulling up to Katherine’s. I walk inside and Cute Doorman (does he ever sleep?) tells me they called down already. That they’re expecting me.
When I get off the elevator at Katherine’s floor, Theo’s waiting for me, holding the door open to their apartment. I haven’t even had a second to think about what this could be about, my being summonsed to Katherine the Great’s apartment, because I was talking to Pancho the whole time in the car. But now, as I stand on the threshold of the apartment, I feel a bit panicked.
“Morning, slugger. Come on in. Coffee?”
“Will I need it?” I ask Theo, giving him a scared look.
He laughs. “Coffee can never hurt.” I wait in the foyer while he pops his head into the kitchen, and I hear him ask the housekeeper to bring the coffee into the library. He nods toward me, and I follow him into the library where Katherine is sitting on the couch. She definitely looks more presentable than yesterday. She’s still wearing sweatpants and a cashmere sweater, which I realize now is her lounging-around-the-apartment outfit, but it’s a different set than yesterday’s. I smile when I consider my own lounging-around-the-apartment outfit, which is considerably more casual: flannel pajama pants and a ratty old Pearl Jam T-shirt that I stole from one of my brothers.
“Hey, Lucy,” Katherine says, and I’m not sure if she sounds contrite or irritated.
“Hey,” I say softly, taking my assigned seat from yesterday on the bench across the coffee table from where Katherine is sitting. The pistachios in the crystal dish have been replaced by individually wrapped Godiva chocolates. Theo sits down on the couch next to Katherine.
The housekeeper walks into the library balancing a silver tray. She sets it down on the coffee table. On it are two giant mugs (for Theo and me, I gather when I see Katherine sipping tea), a silver coffee pot, a small glass pitcher filled with steamed milk, and another crystal dish filled with sugar. We’re all silent as Theo pours the coffee. I thank him and then add milk and sugar. I take a sip and look up. The prisoner is ready for the execution.
“Thanks for coming,” Katherine says.
“Sure,” I say. As if I had a choice. As if I wasn’t just abducted by your driver.
“You know Lucy, when I found out yesterday that it was you,” Katherine says starting off slowly, calmly, “I felt like someone had shot me in the stomach. I really couldn’t believe it. I never would have guessed in a million years that you were, as you said yesterday, capable of something like that. And I was going to cut all ties with you. I didn’t want to ever see or talk to you again. But Theo had more faith in you. He convinced me to let you tell your side of the story. That’s why we asked you over yesterday.”
She stops and takes a sip of her tea. I take another sip of my coffee, unsure of what I’m supposed to do or say in this scenario.
Katherine continues, “And I’m glad he convinced me to do that. I couldn’t think of any reasonable explanation for what you did. How you could have been so malicious. What could have possibly been your motivation to expose me like that. But now I understand. And you’re right. I did something awful to you. I was selfish. I lied to you, and I did tell Ash not to hire you. Because I couldn’t fathom how I could possibly do my job, do my life for that matter, without you. And I can understand how you could have seen that from your perspective. I owe you an apology, Lucy.”
I finally get the courage to look into her eyes. I’m so pleasantly surprised that she’s owning up to what she did.
“I’m really sorry, Lucy. I’m sorry that I sabotaged your chance at getting the job you wanted. It was selfish, and I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for saying that,” I say.
“Can you forgive me?” she asks.
“I can. And I do.” And I absolutely mean it. If I want Katherine to forgive me, if I want her to believe that what I did was out of character and wrong, then I feel I owe it to her to forgive her. And I think we both learned something valuable from our terrible actions. So, yes, I do forgive Katherine. I will move on.
“I’m glad to hear that. Theo and I have been talking about all of this, a lot. For hours and hours, we have been talking about this,” she laughs softly. “I have analyzed it from every angle and at some point late last night, I had a complete attitude shift about the whole thing. I realized, and this is insane considering how mad at you I was yesterday, I realized, Lucy, that you did me a favor.”
Suddenly Katherine is sounding insane, but I’m willing to hear her out as it appears that my star might be on the rise.
“Despite the very public beating that I received, at the end of it all, I’m better off for it. I guess in a way, and this is absolutely insane and I realize that, I guess I should be thanking you.”
“You can do that,” I smile weakly.
“I should thank you because if it weren’t for you, I would still be in my job and my life would still be falling apart. But because of you and your crappy little tête-à-tête with the Post, I had to give that Today interview, which led me to listen to that Elaine Winters, which led me to give that speech at the Ellevate dinner. And that speech totally liberated me. I’m free of the lies. And I’m free to live my life more authentically and in a way that’s better for me. And for my family.” She looks at Theo and puts her hand in his. “And for our marriage.”
Katherine has gone from yesterday’s curled-up crumple of a distraught woman to, well, Katherine. She takes a sip of her tea and smiles at me. I’m trying to take this all in.
“Do you remember when I asked you that day in your office why you don’t come clean?” I ask Katherine.
“Yes,” she says.
“And you said something like you could never reveal yourself like that?”
“Yes.”
“I sensed in your voice that day that you wished someone would do it for you.”
“Really?”
“Really. I may have just imagined it. And I may have hoped it was true so I could justify what I later did, but despite all the bad stuff that has happened in the last few days, I hope I’m not crossing any lines to say that it all seems to have turned out for the best.”
“In some ways, I guess, yes,” Katherine says and raises her eyebrows. “There’s a lot of fallout from this though, Lucy. A lot of details left to be figured out.”
“I imagine there are, Katherine. And again I’m so sorry. What I did was awful and I had no right to play with your life like that.”
“Thank you, Lucy. I appreciate the apology. I will never know what would have happened, how long I could have lasted in the state I was in had you not given that information to the Post, but something tells me that I would have eventually ended up where I am right now.”
“So what are you going to do?” I ask, taking a sip of coffee, suddenly feeling very relieved.
“I’m not sure. I imagine there are going to be a lot of media interviews once the
press release comes out later this morning. So that will keep me busy for a while. And then I don’t know. Maybe I’ll do some consulting for Green Goddess. Or maybe I’ll find a board or two to sit on. I might not be welcomed everywhere with open arms, but America loves a good redemption story. Look at Bill Clinton. I will work in some capacity. Sure, I want to spend more time with the girls, but I know I would be a terrible stay-at-home mom. Plus, the new nanny is starting later this week so we’re in a better place with help. But for now, I’m just going to see what develops.”
“And what’s going to happen with my job?” I ask.
“Well, I’m fully prepared to call Ash when we’re done with this conversation. I will give you a glowing recommendation and ask him to seriously consider you for the job.”
“Really?” I’m completely shocked. “Thank you, Katherine. Thank you so much. Are you going to tell him that I found out that you told him not to hire me?”
“No. I don’t see how that will serve anyone well. I’ll tell him that now that I’m otherwise disposed, you are available for your true calling and that he should snatch you up while he still has a chance. He doesn’t have to know that you ever knew about my first conversation with him. And then I’ll be sure to tell him that he better treat you well and never betray you,” Katherine adds.
I give her a look.
“Kidding, kidding,” she says and bangs her hand down on the couch, laughing and shaking her head. “What is happening to my life?” She asks no one in particular.
Theo and I give each other a look.
Theo rubs her shoulder and tells her everything is going to be okay. The girls run into the library and jump all over me, excited to tell me what they’re going to do today. I am laughing and talking and trying to keep up when I look over at Katherine and Theo on the couch. He’s rubbing her face gently with his finger and again I hear him say, “Everything’s going to be okay.”
A little while later, after the girls have told me their latest news, Katherine walks me to the door.
“Oh, Brooke might be in touch with you later this morning to go over how to handle phone calls that come in. Thanks for agreeing to stay in your job for a couple weeks while this whole transition gets sorted out.”
“Of course. But I’m not sure how happy Brooke’s going to be to talk to me,” I say reaching for the door handle.
“What do you mean?” Katherine asks, looking at me with a perplexed expression.
“Isn’t she the one who found out from the Post that it was me?” I ask.
“No.”
“Then who told you?” I ask.
“Maggie Stern.”
“Maggie? Seriously? How did she find out?”
“Her husband is some high-up executive at News Corp. News Corp. owns the Post. She had heard through the Green Goddess office grapevine that I thought it was her who talked to the Post so she wanted to find out who it really was so I wouldn’t put her job in jeopardy in any way. Maggie Stern did not like being falsely accused. Just before I left the office yesterday afternoon, Maggie called me on my cell and told me that her husband found out through his own contacts that it was you. I don’t know how he did it since journalists aren’t supposed to reveal their sources but I guess he had his ways. I didn’t believe her right away but she had a very convincing story. I half expected you to deny it when you came over yesterday and then my hunch about Maggie lying would have been true. But you admitted it, so I knew she was telling the truth.”
“Maggie didn’t deserve to be blamed. I probably owe her an apology for letting that go on as long as it did.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Maggie. She’ll be fine,” Katherine says as I open the door.
“Oh, Katherine, do you know when you’ll have a chance to call Ash? I want to talk to him today but I want to wait until you’ve spoken to him.”
“I’ll call him right now.”
“Thanks. And sorry, again,” I say.
“Me, too, Lucy,” she says.
“Keep me posted about what you’re going to do.”
“I will. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
I had no idea at that moment how true that was.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It doesn’t take me long to get to the office from Katherine’s and when I arrive, I settle myself in and start dealing with all her voice mails and e-mails. I also call Sera to see if Ash has filled Kyle’s position yet. I am pleasantly surprised when she tells me he hasn’t, that Ash has interviewed a couple people but things have been moving slowly because he’s been really busy with other projects. While I’m on the phone with Sera, I watch the office manager Sal move boxes out of Katherine’s office. He stacks them on a wheeled cart, heads down the hall to the mail room, returns with an empty cart, and begins again.
Brooke calls and spends fifteen minutes carefully giving me the lowdown on how I should handle everything. As we’re about to get off the phone, she surprises me.
“I knew it was you the whole time, Lucy,” Brooke says. I had suspected Katherine told her what Maggie’s husband had found out, but I wasn’t sure.
“How?”
“It’s always the person you least suspect. I watch a lot of CSI.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I did. I told Katherine right away it was you, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Have you talked to Katherine today?”
“Yes, I was on the phone with her right before I called you. She told me about your explanation. I guess you two are even now, huh?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, I don’t hold grudges, darlin’. That would be impossible in this business,” she says with a snorting laugh. “Anyway, do what I told you with Katherine’s e-mails and voice mails, and we’ll all move on from this little clusterfuck.”
“To be honest, Brooke, I’m surprised it took as long as it did for someone to find me out. I thought for sure you were going to go all commando on the Post and find out on day one.”
“Commando is an understatement. I went batshit on the Post. But that little cocksucker Daniel whatshisname who wrote the article didn’t crack. I gotta give it to the guy. He held on pretty impressively. I have no idea what tactics Maggie Stern’s husband used, but I’m going to have to find out because I am impressed with his moves.”
I laugh. “Sorry about all this, Brooke. I know that I made your life a living hell, too.”
“That’s okay, Lucy. I will find a way for you to make it up to me. In the meantime, I’ve got to go find myself a new high-profile client. My current one has officially left the building.”
We say our good-byes and then I pay a visit to Ash.
“Hey Lucy, c’mon in,” he says when he sees me at the door to his office. As I walk in, I hear Sera push her chair back to listen in.
There’s no reason to discuss with Ash any of the preceding drama that went on behind the scenes with me and this job. As Katherine and I discussed earlier, Ash doesn’t need to know that I know about the nature of his first conversation with her.
“I’m just checking in on Kyle’s position. I know Katherine called you this morning to put in another good word for me. Are you still interviewing candidates?”
“Yes, I am still interviewing, and I’d like to make an appointment for you to come talk to me about the job. Sorry that’s only happening now. The process was delayed a bit,” he says holding his hands up in front of him. “But we’re full steam ahead again, and I look forward to talking to you about the job. I can’t guarantee what’s going to happen, but Katherine has put in an awfully good recommendation for you,” he says, smiling.
“Great. That’s great, Ash,” I say.
“I do have to be honest with you, Lucy,” he says, becoming a little more serious, a little less friendly. “There are a lot of applicants for this position, and we are going to run a fair process to make sure the most-qualified person gets the job.”
“I totally understand.
I would expect no less.”
As I walk out of his office, Sera stops me.
“Lucy, I don’t know what’s going on, but right after you called me this morning to ask whether the position had been filled, Katherine called Ash. I put the call through and after he hung up, he called me into his office and told me to set up a time for you to talk to him about Kyle’s job.”
“That’s great. Thanks, Sera.”
“I guess that means you’re pretty happy that Katherine’s leaving the company.”
“No, not happy. But if the reality is that she is leaving, then I’m happy it means I can move on with my future as well.”
When I get back to my desk, I walk into Katherine’s office and see Sal stack the last box onto his cart. A couple of maintenance guys come in and Sal tells them to start moving the furniture out.
“Why are you moving all the furniture out?” I ask Sal.
“Because the new lady wants her own stuff.”
“What new lady?” I ask, taken aback. Completely surprised that there’s already a new lady.
“Don’t know,” Sal says. “I’m on a need-to-know basis.”
And I guess I am, too.
Later in the day, Maggie Stern comes by. She takes a quick peak into Katherine’s office and then stands in front of my desk. This is one interaction I have not been looking forward to.
“Hi, Lucy.”
“Hey, Maggie.”
“I have no idea why you did it but you must have had a really good reason.”
“It’s a long story, but let’s just say I had my justification, and Katherine and I are okay.”
“I was shocked when I found out it was you,” she says with a look I interpret to mean that she didn’t think I had it in me.
“Seems to be the prevailing opinion,” I say, smiling.
“Sorry I had to throw you under the bus like that,” Maggie says, with a pained expression.
“Water under the bridge. I understand why you had to do it.”
“Yeah, I kept hearing around here that everyone thought I was the source. Like I’ve had any time to call up the New York Post and feed them information. Plus, everyone should have known it wasn’t me right away because if I had decided to speak badly about Katherine, I certainly wouldn’t have wasted my time with the New York Post. Forbes or The Atlantic, perhaps, but not the New York Post.” She shakes her head and chuckles to herself.
The Balance Project Page 23
