Christmas Construction

Chapter 1: Get Out

Audrey

"Fine, fine, you'll have it tomorrow. Thank you. Yes—thank you. Bye." Audrey hung up the phone and flung it into the chair across from her desk. "Ugh!" she groaned to herself.

"What was that about?" asked her assistant, Holly, as she walked in carrying a tablet and a stack of files.

"Oh, nothing, just another so-called 'upgrade' the board is demanding for the new lobby," Audrey grumbled. "Can't they see that a shiny new lobby isn't going to help? I swear, we need to get some board members that are smart enough that you can't just throw money at the problem and expect it to go away."

"Especially if the problem is financial?" Holly asked knowingly, with a sympathetic smile.

Audrey pointed at her. "Exactly. See? You get it. You should be on the board!"

Holly laughed. "I only get it because you tell me about it every day."

Audrey gimaced. "Sorry. I can't help it."

"It's fine, I feel the same way you do," Holly said. Walking over, she picked Audrey's phone up off the chair and placed it on the desk before sitting down. "Here are the files you asked for."

"Thanks, I'll look at them now," Audrey said, already flipping the top one open, marked "C-suite Construction Budget."

"Um, aren't you forgetting something?" Holly asked.

Glancing up, Audrey raised her eyebrows. "Am I?"

"Tonight...the holiday party?" Holly reminded her, seeing the blank look on her boss's face.

Audrey smacked her forehead, and her dark curls bounced around her face at the action. "That's tonight?"

"Yes, at six."

"I don't really have to go, do I?"

"Well, you're the CEO, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to skip it."

Audrey sighed. "I know it's a good idea to go, but honestly, my time would be better spent trying to fix our budget for the new year."

Holly offered a sad smile. "Isn't that Jason's job?"

"You and I both know a budget lies outside Jason's area of expertise," Audrey said through gritted teeth. Jason was the president's son, and was a complete i***t. Unfortunately, his father was blind to that fact, and he had several board members in his back pocket, so they were stuck with him.

"Still, you shouldn't let him take credit for all the hard work you put in," Holly pointed out reasonably.

Audrey sighed. While what Holly said made sense, it unfortunately couldn't be applied to her current situation. When she was hired six months ago as CEO of Grant Enterprises, she could hardly believe her luck. She was the youngest female CEO of a mid-sized company at twenty-eight, and it was an opportunity unheard of. Or so she thought. The reality of the situation was that the president, Holden Grant, had half the board in his pocket, and had only hired her as a figurehead to make the company look good. And the other half of the board was busy brown-nosing his son Jason, a money-wasting CFO and successor of the company. Like it or not, Audrey was the new head of a company full of corruption, with very, very little room to maneuver. Quite frankly, it was a wonder the company wasn't already down the toilet.

"That's sweet of you to say. But be careful," Audrey cautioned. It wouldn't do for someone to overhear them badmouthing the president's son.

Holly nodded reluctantly, then stood up to leave. "Right. Don't work too late, or you'll miss the party. Do you want me to pull those other budget files for you before I leave?"

Audrey waved her off. "No, go on and call it a day. Get ready for tonight."

Holly brightened. "Thanks boss!"

"It's Audrey!" Audrey called out as the door closed behind her assistant, who studiously ignored her last comment. She sighed again. She and Holly got along very well, and were even friends now, but she never could get her to stop calling her 'boss.'

Audrey turned back to the files Holly had given her. Beneath the budget for the C-suite renovation was one for the lobby. Both disgustingly useless expenditures that wouldn't help the company in any way. Jason's habit of wasting money on appearances was still present, so it seemed. What they really needed as a company were new computers for several departments, and better benefits and programs for the employees. Grand Enterprises was starting to suffer from within, and at the rate things were going it was only a matter of time before their reputation took a serious hit.

Flipping the pages, Audrey tutted. It was true, she shouldn't be doing this. But Larry couldn't be trusted with the budget by himself. It was up to her to do his job behind his back and try to curb his excessive spending, but these projects had been approved before she was hired. Still, maybe there was a chance the C-suite reno could be canceled because it hadn't been started yet. Also, though she hated to admit it, she had other, more personal reasons for working so hard this time of year...

2 years ago

Audrey all but ran off the subway in excitement. It was without a doubt the best Christmas Eve of her entire life. She finally got the promotion she'd worked so hard for, and was now a managing director. They even gave her the rest of the day off to celebrate. She hurried to a grocery store that was still open and bought ingredients to make a special dinner for her fiancé, Will. "He'll be so surprised," Audrey murmured to herself as she briskly walked the few blocks remaining to her Chicago apartment building, a brown bag of groceries tucked under her arm. Will was a freelance journalist, and was out chasing a story for the afternoon and wouldn't be home until late. The surprise would be perfect.

It wasn't until she walked into the living room of her apartment that she sensed something was amiss. Will's shoes were strewn haphazardly on the floor, when normally they'd be lined up neatly by the entryway. The pit in her stomach only sank further when she saw another pair of shoes nearby. Women's shoes...not hers.

Audrey quietly set the groceries down on the counter. Once she was free of the crinkly paper bag, she could hear other noises. Voices. Noises Will should not be making without her. Voices from two people.

Advancing toward the bedroom, Audrey heard the sounds more clearly. Will was grunting, while a woman was moaning, the bed-springs creaking in an all too familiar rhythm. Standing before the closed bedroom door, Audrey closed her eyes, and a single tear rolled down her face, her body already mourning the situation her brain was still putting together. She took a deep breath, then opened the door wide.

"Audrey!" Will cried out, scrambling off some skanky blonde and yanking the bedspread over his naked body. "Look, this was just a one-time—"

"No it's not, I told you to tell her about us!" the blonde shrieked, not bothering to cover herself. "You're never around, so he went and found someone who can give him what he needs!"

Audrey put her hand up, and the excuses and accusations ceased. "Get out," she ordered quietly. The blonde, after her previous bravado, was quick to comply, snatching up her clothes and brushing past her. A minute later, the front door slammed.

"Audrey, I'm sorry," Will said, pulling his robe on and approaching, rubbing her arm like he always did. Only this time, it made her shudder instead of feeling comforted. "I made a mistake. I promise it will never happen again. Do you forgive me?"

At once, the myriad of thoughts and emotions snapped into focus. "No," she said coldly, shoving his hand away. "It's over. Get out."

...

Audrey massaged her temples. It would do her no good to think of the past. It was best to focus on work. That part of her life was over. And now, this season that used to be full of excitement and joy? She couldn't wait for it to be over.