The next Monday morning, Lorraine found herself sitting next to Griffin, who sat at the head of a long, conference table in the Phoenix Enterprises’ offices. Lorraine sat at his right side, a power move on Griffin’s part that seemed lost on nobody in the room, not even her. He was making a statement about his commitment to her, about her place in that room, in his business, in his life.

And that place was not to be questioned. But, as Lorraine watched the various board members trade silent glances, she realized that it was merely not to be questioned openly. Behind closed doors, it would be another matter entirely.

Griffin got up and paced around the room, introducing the various board members and their functions, but to commit it all to memory was more than Lorraine could expect of herself. Some of them made stronger impressions than others.

“And this is Ki Fong,” Griffin said, arriving behind a stern-faced young Asian man, whom Lorraine took by his name to be Chinese. “Head of development, new projects.”

“Sounds like you’re the man I’ll be working with,” Lorraine said.

“Normally, yes,” Griffin said. “But in this case, I’m going to have you work directly with Ms. Gallagher. You’ve met Jeannie, of course.”

“Of course,” Lorraine said, “I wish you’d come to the parties more often. Though, I guess we’ve been having less of them since Kayla’s come around.”

Jeannie Gallagher smiled, a sculpted face beneath a rolling mane of chestnut hair, long and wavy and flowing over her shoulders. “How is your lovely little daughter,” she asked?

“She’s … amazing, thank you.”

Griffin smiled. “I’m sure you two will work well together. Jeannie, you’ll see that Lorraine gets everything she needs. First thing, what kind of property do we hold in the boroughs?”

Jeannie flinched just a bit, but didn’t lose her professional smile. “Off-hand, I’m not exactly sure. There should be some, but, I don’t know, we had a pretty big sell-off before the bubble burst.”

“But we did 1031s,” Griffin said, adding, “of course.”

“Oh, of course, of course,” Jeannie said. “I just have to go through the files, see what we’ve got.”

“Make it job one,” Griffin said, checking his watch. “I’ve got an eleven o’clock with Douglass down in accounting. Okay,” he added with a knowing smile, “be careful out there.” He stepped toward the door, sharing a smile with Lorraine before she is turning back to discuss matters with Jeannie as Griffin slips out of the conference room and down the hall.

Lorraine went on chatting with Jeannie, but she couldn’t ignore the feeling that her new colleague, Ki Fong, was staring at her from behind, negative energy seething out of him before his own quick and quiet exit. Lorraine glanced to see him go, posture rigid, stride fast and certain. He was a man with somewhere to go and something to do. What that was, Lorraine wasn’t sure, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

“So,” Jeannie said, commanding Lorraine’s attention, “learning centers, eh? Let’s talk about it over lunch.”

* * *

Del Frisco’s Grille was just off Rockefeller Plaza, with a sweeping bar elegant fixtures. The kale and brussel sprout salad was cool and crisp, flavorful and peppery with just a splash of fresh lemon. It went perfectly with a cup of hot Earl Grey tea.

Jeannie leaned slightly forward over her own steakhouse salad, strips of red meat draped over a bed of lettuce and other fresh, colorful vegetables. “So, you’ve finally decided you've been cooped up too long?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way. We've managed to do some traveling, even with Kayla. Our manny is such a blessing. And I love spending time at home, raising the kids, watching Ashe come out of his shell.”

“I have to say, you have done wonders for that family. When I think about Ashe, three years ago he wouldn’t even talk. What happened, it was … I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, because I know you almost died and everything, but … it was kind of a miracle, don’t you think?”

“I suppose I do. You’re religious?”

“No, I didn’t mean miracle in a religious sense. I just meant, it was … it was just amazing, that’s what I meant. And it’s because of you, Lorraine, make no mistake. Only one person could have turned those two around, believe me.”

Lorraine paused, but didn’t wait long enough. “You mean, because you tried, too?”

After a stunned moment, Jeannie let out an exasperated chuckle. “No, Lorraine, no way, that’s not what I mean at all.” Lorraine just sat there, slowly chewing her salad and letting Jeannie go on. She knew she was the new kid on the company block, but she had to let them know she wouldn’t be intimidated or played for a fool, even if she was one. “I don’t drink from the company well, if you know what I mean. It never works out, and sometimes it can be absolutely disastrous.”

“You’ve done it before?”

“No, that’s … I mean, I’ve seen it happen, with colleagues and friends. But you, you’re above all that. You’re married to the CEO, owner and president. That’s his name on the door, and on you!”

Lorraine couldn’t deny that there was some truth in what Jeannie was saying, even if there was no truth in what she was insinuating. “I know I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Griffin,” Lorraine said, “that’s for sure. But I do plan to do some good, and this was my idea. So I hope nobody has the wrong impression of me being here just playing house.”

“No, Lorraine, of course not, nobody thinks that.”

Hhhhmmmm, Lorraine had to wonder, how many lies is that just this morning? Not the first, that’s for sure; definitely won’t be the last.

“Anyway, we’ll get you all set up. Griffin’s taking a meeting with Dennis Douglass, he’s the head of our accounting department. He’ll be able to tell us how much money we can get our hands on, how soon, and I’ll set up the accounts, take care of the paperwork.”

“Wow, that’s … that’s incredible, Jeannie, thank you.”

Jeannie waved her off. “No need to thank me, this is my job. I put projects together like this for Griffin all the time; shell corporations, shadow companies, buying and selling things, it’s all part of what I do.”

“Head of operations,” Lorraine said, “that’s a lot of territory. Are you sure your plate’s not too full as it is?”

Jeannie shrugged. “Griffin wants me to do it, I’ll do it. I don’t question him. Anyway, it’ll be fun, and I want to make sure it gets done right.”

Lorraine knew why Jeannie felt that way, she didn’t need to clarify. It wasn’t Jeannie’s commitment to the idea of the learning centers. Jeannie must have known that to serve Mrs. Phoenix successfully, would be to serve Mr. Phoenix successfully, and that was her true purpose. Lorraine would be a means to that end, but she didn’t mind. She’d be using the eager Jeannie Gallagher to the maximum of her professional abilities, that was what mattered. That’s what would get the job done.

But Jeannie was also right about something else; Lorraine was privy to Griffin’s ear the way Jeannie simply wasn’t, not to mention the rest of him.