Page 22 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04 (Modern Mail Order Brides #19)

“I'm on my own in a new place and kind of scared, he's weird, and we're sort of stuck together, so it works.

He's nice and kind, and it helps to have someone to talk to, even if the majority of a conversation is about porcupines, but who knew a spiky pig could be so interesting,” she said with her eyes wide.

This made Mae laugh. She hugged the woman again as Thom shooed everyone out of his home. They all needed to leave.

He was quiet as he drove Mae to the train station. There were things to say, but he didn't have the courage to say any of it just yet. All she needed right now was his strength.

“No matter what you decide, I shall support your decision,” he told her.

“Thank you for everything,” she said. “I will call when I get in.”

“Have an amazing week,” he said, wanting to say more, but he didn't. He gave a solid hug and a kiss on her cheek and watched her board. She had several hours on the train to clear her head to decide her path forward. Tomorrow morning in the office, she would either dig in or peace out.

Thom could only wait to find out.

*****

M ONDAY MORNING ARRIVED with Mae Weston dressed in her best power suit, her favorite pair of kick ass heels, and a Christian Louboutin Women's Cabata Large Grained Leather Tote Bag.

She exited the elevator, walking through the bullpen and calling good morning to her team.

Only one voice responded. It didn't matter.

She closed her office door and removed the degrees in frames from the walls.

From the shelf, she removed her two favorite train engines and placed them in her shopper, along with her nameplate and one plant.

It surprised her how little she had in her office, meaning mentally, she’d never planned to stay long term.

A tap came to her door as her assistant knocked, then entered.

“Ms. Weston, there are several meetings on your calendar today, including Mr. Walker, who wants to see you right away,” Rosemary, her assistant, stated.

“I'm on my way to see Mr. Walker now; the other meetings, please cancel,” she said.

“When would you like to reschedule them?”

“Hold off for now,” she said, collecting her bag. Rosemary noticed the images were gone from the walls. She also noticed the nameplate no longer on Mae's desk. She opened her mouth, but Mae walked past her into the bullpen.

“Good morning, everyone,” Mae stated loudly.

A groan came from the back of the room, and she actually spotted Holly Chambers rolling her eyes.

This only solidified her decision. “It has been my distinct honor and pleasure working with you these past few years.

Each of you, I hand-selected and trained to be a part of this team, and I am very proud of the work we have done, the schools we have helped, and the communities where we've made a difference.

I hope that you show my replacement the support and loyalty you've shown me, especially over these past few weeks. I wish nothing but the best for each of you. Again, thank you for your hard work and dedication.”

She said no more as questions flew.

“You're quitting?”

“Where is she going?”

“Did she get another job?”

“Did she get fired?”

“What is happening?”

Before the scuttlebutt could begin flying, she walked down the hall to the corner office of the Chief Financial Officer, Clyde Walker. She tapped on the door, being bade to enter to find a woman sitting in his office with a smug look on her face.

“Ah, Ms. Weston, just the person I wanted to see this morning,” Clyde said.

“Well, before you go any further, let me give you this,” she said, passing him the letter, her office keys, and the company credit card. “It is my letter of resignation, effective immediately.”

The look on the woman's face showed visible shock. Her plans, whatever they may have been, just went down the drain, and Mae began to smile. Mae's shoulders were back as she stood tall.

“Mr. Walker, the past five years have been the most challenging and rewarding time of my life. The commitment to the brand, the long hours, and sacrifices made to build the corporate giving department to where it is today makes me proud to know I am leaving you in excellent standing. Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to seeing what the company champions next,” Mae told him.

“Wait a decimal point, Ms. Weston. You're quitting, no notice, just walking out on us?” he asked in shock.

“Sir, the past six months have taken a toll on me, and my heart is no longer in it. I prefer to walk away in honesty, knowing I gave you my best, than to hang on, giving you my least,” she reached for his hand, offering a shake.

“I find this to be unacceptable,” he said, trying to pass back the envelope.

“Sir, it's a job. There are other people who will eagerly take it,” she told him. “Thank you again.”

The woman she didn't acknowledge as she turned and walked out. She made it to the elevator and didn't look back. Clyde Walker knew because he watched her leave.

After five years, he knew a few things about Mae Weston.

She was a straight shooter who treated everyone fairly.

He'd dropped the ball. In her words, she gave him a timeline.

Six months. Six months have taken a toll .

Something was afoul and he had missed it.

He looked at the woman in his office who'd come to register a complaint against Ms. Weston, who didn't bother to offer a greeting to the lady in his office.

Clyde knew Mae Weston professionally, like the back of his hand.

Based on her reaction to the lady in his office, Ms. Weston didn't know the woman. If she had known her, she would have greeted her by name. Not only did Ms. Weston not greet the woman, she didn’t acknowledge her being in the room, which was a high-flying red flag with a white dot in the center of a target.

Therefore, Clyde concluded, the woman in his office was there to bear false witness against Ms. Weston.

He walked to the bullpen where Mae's team worked. His voice bellowed through the group.

“What in the ledger paper is happening in this department?” Clyde shouted.

“Ms. Weston quit,” Rosemary said, looking forlorn.

“Can anyone give me a reason as to what has been happening in this department with a team that Ms. Weston hand-selected, trained, and fought for your cushy salaries?” he asked.

No one would make eye contact with him. That was red flag number two. Rosemary, her assistant, seemed to be the only person emotionally invested in Mae's departure.

“Fine,” he said. “This afternoon, I will work on moving you all back to the accounting pool. Your responsibilities can be handled from there.”

“What?” Holly Chambers called out, “She quit, not us!”

“I'm sure her leaving had nothing to do with the way you've treated her over the past six months,” he said. He didn't get a chance to say anything more as the CEO and COO barreled into the department.

The CEO spoke first. “I heard Ms. Weston quit!”

The COO asked, “Is it true? Did she quit? No notice? What is going on down here?”

Clyde Walker wanted to know the same thing. He looked around the room at the team that had changed the image of the railroad's commitment to the community. These people were up to something, and he didn't like it.

Clyde said the obvious, “Ms. Weston was being bullied and we missed all the clues. This team, who should have had her back, dog piled on her, and now we've lost her.”

The CEO turned to look at Rosemary. “Is this true?”

“Pretty much,” Rosemary said. “Someone even scratched up her car.”

Clyde's anger grew. “Rosemary, get security up here. I want all the footage from that time frame of the parking deck, and when we find who did it, I want them gone.”

The COO, obviously flustered, asked, “Can we get her back?”

“Back to what? This team? These people? I wouldn't want to come back here,” Clyde said. “How I’m feeling right now...I don’t even want these people on my team. My disappointment right now is just...”

The CEO spoke, “Gentlemen, my office now.”

The three men walked past Laura Fishburn, who'd followed Clyde from his office. He pointed at the woman, “You! What do you do here?”

“I work in marketing,” she stuttered.

“Go back to doing that and don't come back to this floor again with your nonsense,” Clyde told her in front of everyone.

Mae Weston was far more respected by the people who ran the company than her team realized.

At the end of the day, each member of her team was reassigned to the accounting department.

The cushy exclusive access they’d had on the upper-level floors was no more, and they were relegated to return to the accounting pool.

Many failed to understand what had happened and blamed the shifts in their statuses on Mae, refusing to take accountability for how they treated their team leader and boss.

In the meantime, Mae sat on her couch, looking at her plants.

A smile came to her face when she went to her closet, took out her biggest suitcase, and packed her casual clothes and two date night dresses.

In boxes, she loaded up her plants and took them to her car.

By eleven a.m., she was on the road and would be in Alton at least by four.

The idea of breaking into Thom's house to make him dinner made her laugh. In a few days, she would call her parents, but right now, she was content. It felt good to leave that job. A weightlessness filled her spirit as she pointed the nose of the Audi and began to drive south.