At the airport, Eloise sat near the window, watching planes take off. Her phone buzzed again. This time it was Mandy.
“Mandy,” she answered.
“Boss? Are you okay?”
“I’m coming back. Meet me at the office tomorrow. I’ll hand over the contract.”
“So soon?” Mandy asked.
“No need to wait.”
Mandy paused for a second. “Pamela came by the office while you were gone. Said Richard’s sick. Asked if you’d donate.”
“I know,” Eloise said coldly.
“I just thought you should know.”
Eloise smiled faintly. “Thanks, Mandy. I mean it.”
She ended the call and stared out at the tarmac. The clouds were dark. The sky felt heavy. But for the first time in a long while, Eloise wasn’t afraid of the storm.
She was the storm now. And Pamela? She’d just been caught in the eye of it.
********
The city was so
