Beau put out a hand and nodded. “Pleased to meet you, Bea,” he said.

“I think I’m interrupting...”

“Not at all. Beau is ready to quit for dinner. Let me wash my hands and let’s have a glass of wine,” Lauren said. “You’ve never been to my house. Well, my rental. But I’m kind of proud of it—my first house of my own.”

“I don’t want to take up too much of your time and I can see...”

“I’m on my way out to get us something for dinner,” Beau said. “Will you join us?”

“No, but thank you. I just need a few minutes.”

Lauren was washing her hands vigorously. “This must be something important. This is the first time you’ve ever called on me on a weekend to discuss company business. I’ve been there over a dozen years...”

Bea was looking at the greenery lined up on the countertops—centerpieces of all sizes, a few wreaths leaning against the cupboards. “These are beautiful. You’re such a talent.”

Beau dried his hands and came to Lauren’s side, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll bring you something you like. I’ll take my time.”

“Thank you,” she said. As Beau left, Lauren continued chatting with Bea. “Since I still don’t have access to anything in my house, I have no Christmas decorations. So I set about creating some from scraps. My daughter and her boyfriend are coming for the holidays and I’d like it to be—”

“Lauren, I’d like you to know I’m going against direct instructions and against policy in coming to your home, but this is important. And it’s not good news.”

“What’s wrong? What in the world...”

“I’ve been informed that you will be terminated next Friday.”

Lauren let a short, confused huff of laughter escape. “The Friday before the holidays? Why?”

“Human Resources will handle that and I can’t wait to hear what they come up with since every ounce of documentation from me shows exemplary performance. Here’s what little I know—the decision came from very high in the company and they’ve decided to eliminate your position for budget reasons. Someone, somewhere has decided it won’t take a director to run your department but they are not offering you a chance to stay on as a supervisor. And they don’t have another director’s position open for you.” She shook her head. “It’s insane. Can you think of anything? Any reason? Any connection?”

Lauren was stunned and shook her head. She had to lean on the counter in the kitchen and take a few deep breaths. Then she went to the living room couch and sat down. “Why?” she asked.

Bea just shrugged. “I smell a rat,” she said.

“Does someone at the company have a grudge?” Lauren asked. “Do I have an enemy somewhere I don’t know about?”

“Not in our department,” Bea said. “I may not be the most powerful senior director on record but I raised four children. I have a sharp eye and good instincts. Lauren, could your husband have anything to do with this?”

“I don’t see how,” she said. “He’s not even friendly with my coworkers. No one in our department is important enough to do him any good.”

“But is this something he would do if he could? Cost you your job?”

“I don’t know. I don’t see how.” She blinked a few times. “What should I do?”

“Well, I’ll do what I can, but I don’t have much influence. Right now, before it actually comes to pass, I have zero power and could lose my job just for defying direct instructions not to tell you. So for now, we’re both going to have to be clandestine as all hell and keep a good poker face. I don’t know who knows. I got my instructions from the VP of marketing. He doesn’t know any particulars. I argued this was insane, that of everyone in product development you were probably the least likely to be terminated. You’re going to have to be so stoic this week.”

“Maybe I should call in sick...”

“Take a couple of short days if you want to—no one would notice. Everyone is sneaking out to see their kids’ holiday activities from classroom parties to Christmas concerts. You should contact a lawyer and think, Lauren. Think if you can connect the dots. Somebody has a personal vendetta. I might be crazy but I don’t know anyone in our division with that kind of influence. When it happens, you should be ready to fight it.”

“Just what I need,” she said. “Another lawyer.”

“When I think of someone losing her job right before Christmas, I think this is personal and vengeful. Don’t you?”

“If I worked in the medical field, he could probably easily sabotage my employment. But the food industry? It’s not like he socializes with—Okay, this is crazy. Didn’t Sylvie Emerson sit on our board of directors about five or six years ago?”

Bea was shaking her head. “Lauren, I haven’t kept track of board members. I’m not high enough in the food chain to pay attention. What would that have to do with anything?”

“Brad thinks of himself as a friend to Andy Emerson. But I honestly can’t imagine either Andy or Sylvie...” She shook her head. “That just doesn’t come together in my head. They’re good people. When I told Sylvie about the divorce, she was very frank. Brad never fooled her. She isn’t fond of him. She wouldn’t do him a favor. Especially a favor like this.”

“Maybe you should talk to her,” Bea said. “Just keep your source out of it for now.”

“I can do that. Now that I’m separated, Sylvie and I see each other regularly.” She stood. “I think we’d better have that wine.”

“I don’t know,” Bea said. “I should get out of here before that young man brings you dinner.”

“Don’t leave on account of Beau,” Lauren said. “I’ve known him quite a while but we started seeing each other recently. He’s nothing like Brad. Let’s have a glass of wine and see if the grape brings any ideas to the surface.”

“Just a small one,” Bea said. “I’ve been racking my brain...”

“I’m not going to let Merriweather toss me on the trash heap,” Lauren said. “I’ve never had a bad report or been disciplined in over a dozen years. I’ve been a loyal and trustworthy employee.”

“I vouch for that,” Bea said, sitting up on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. “I’m sorry this is happening, Lauren. Divorce can get so ugly.”

“I’m learning that.”

When Bea was leaving about forty minutes later, Lauren handed her a centerpiece. “Merry Christmas,” she said. “I had intended to bring you one this week.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll treasure it. I’m devastated. After all these years of knowing each other, our friendship came so recently. I can’t bear this.”

“No matter what happens this week, we will stay friends. And now you know how to find my house.”

* * *

Going to work every day was a terrible strain, but Lauren managed to keep from letting on that she knew. If she had not had Beau to talk to, to sleep with, it would have been so much harder. On Thursday afternoon she left early and went by a local flower shop and bought their greenery scraps for a pittance. She made a long thin centerpiece that would fit on Sylvie’s dining table. She texted her, not knowing what Sylvie’s holiday schedule might be, and said that she thought she might have Friday afternoon free and wondered if she could stop by.

Sylvie Emerson returned the text and asked Lauren to please stop by.

And right on schedule, as promised, the head of Human Resources came to her office with a couple of assistants and explained that for budget considerations, Lauren’s position was being terminated. When Lauren asked, she was told no severance package was being offered, but she was entitled to unemployment insurance.

“You’re terminating me, without cause, and offering no severance or benefit package?” she asked.

“I’m very sorry,” the HR director said. “I’m just following instructions. If you plan to appeal, here are the steps you should consider taking.” And with an obvious nervous tremor, she handed Lauren a sheet of paper.

Lauren looked at the page with a list of suggestions, then looked at the director. Termination, no severance, no exit package, no benefits. This was somehow related to her divorce, it had to be.

“I’ll certainly take this into consideration. Thank you. Can you get me a cart to help me get my belongings to the car?”

“Absolutely,” the director said, relieved. “And my assistants will help you.”

Lauren sat in the parking lot of Merriweather Foods and called Beau. “It happened,” she said. “It really happened. No severance, no nothing. I was expecting it and yet I’m still stunned.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he said. “I’ve been researching and looking for good attorneys. Are you going home now?”

“No. I’m going to Sylvie’s house to give her a centerpiece. I was planning to do this anyway and now I’m going to ask her advice. She must know Merriweather, she once sat on their board of directors. Will I see you later?”

“Of course. Would you like to go out? Stay in?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’d like to cry but for some reason I can’t. Let me call you after talking to my friend.”

When Sylvie answered the door the first thing she said was, “Oh, how perfectly amazing!” referring to the greenery. When she heard what had happened to Lauren she said, “That’s just impossible! That was not how Merriweather treated employees! If it was, I would never have served on their board!” And finally she said, “Something is very wrong and I’m going to help you get to the bottom of this.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN