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Closing my eyes, I recalled Dennis’s technique and took a deep breath in followed by a slow deep breath out. How would I handle this work situation? Deep breath in, deep breath out.How do I handle it?Deep breath in, deep breath out.
When it came to me, I opened my eyes and stood, refreshed and relaxed—another Dennis Benson benefit. The coffee machine beckoned, and that was an urge I didn’t need to put off.
When I turned the corner to the coffee room, there he was. We were on the same wavelength coffee-wise.
“Good morning, Mr. Benson.”
He turned with a creased brow. “What did I do to go back to Mr. Benson?” The hint of a grin escaped to tell me he was messing with me.
“Sorry, boss. Good morning, Dennis.” The room was empty save us, but that could change at a moment’s notice, so I didn’t add anything about the weekend.
His grin increased as his eyes traveled over me.
I couldn’t hold back my return smile at his appreciation of what he saw. “We should talk.”
His smile disappeared. His words came out curt and business-like. “I can’t fit you in until the end of the day.”
I nodded. I’d meant now, but I’d been put in my place, and coldly, officially. This was work, and here he was king.
As he passed, I turned to find Larry behind me. I hadn’t heard him approach. I moved to the machine, and it started concocting my java as soon as I punched it in.
Larry came up to the counter and rinsed out his cup. “Exciting night at the museum, huh?”
I watched the coffee pour. “I could have done without the swim.”
He sucked in a breath. “She’s a real piece of work.”
I was tempted to correct him topiece of shit, but this was the office. “That’s one way of putting it. What is her deal, anyway? I didn’t do anything to deserve that.”
Larry might know some of the history that Dennis hadn’t been willing to share.
“You know that sayinghell hath no fury? It was written with her in mind.”
“But how dare she? We only met once.”
“Who knows? I’d be careful around her. She’s capable of pretty much anything.”
He made her sound like a complete psycho.
I pulled my steaming cup from under the spout. “What happened between them?”
He put his empty where mine had been. “Dennis married her in sort of a hurry. I warned him, but his father was pressuring him. This was while he was at his dad’s company, and his father had the idea that Dennis wouldn’t be mature enough to follow in his footsteps until he was a family man, so to speak.” He put air quotes around that last part. “Dennis has never been good at reading women, and he fell for Melissa’s act.” Larry punched in his coffee preference.
I waited for more.
“She’s a social climber, wanted Dennis’s name and money, and when he put his foot down on the spending side, she threatened divorce. I guess she didn’t expect him to take her up on it. You notice she didn’t go back to her maiden name, Melissa Kaltehande.”
I joined him in a chuckle at the name, which sounded like German for cold hands. Cold heart was more like it.
“If they dislike each other so much, why is she still on the board?”
I’d chickened out on asking Dennis this directly. Letting her stay on the board only gave her another way to cause trouble for him.
“Part of the divorce. It was a trade-off for him to retain more shares, and she doesn’t have enough support on the board to cause any serious problems. I wouldn’t have done it, but it was his call.”
I sipped from my cup and waited, hoping for the next juicy detail.
“She’s been hassling him ever since with the courts, demanding a redo on the divorce settlement. She’ll never be satisfied, if you ask me.”
