Chapter 1

June Foster - Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

Things had been settling back into routine until Carmen strode through the office doors. “Morning June!”

“It’s July,” I joked, as I always did. I’d let it die by August.

“Is that a new top? You look cute,” She went from cheerful to excited.

“Yeah, newish. I hadn’t worn it to work yet,” I smiled, “You look like you hit the salon. I love your hair.”

“Oh I did and thank you,” She grinned, “Today’s a big day.”

“I wish I had your attitude.”

“I’ve got just the thing to perk you up coming by in a bit,” She smiled and glanced over her shoulder from the back offices, “Just you wait.”

“On pins and needles,” I said cheerfully. I turned back to my double triple. Caffeine and sugar were my gods. The morning crawled onward. Our office work was mostly calling investors. Carmen was liquid silk on a phone and pure charm in person. I had other duties. I worked mostly reception but I did some of the general question and answer stuff for people looking into the charity. I had been hired to work the website but we had outsourced that some time ago and I was stuck playing girl Friday to everyone and especially to Gabrielle. My morning was dull that day. I troubleshooted an aunt through the web forms to get her niece signed up for consideration, but the truth was, we were mostly done allocating for the 2015-2016 school year. If we gave out more than a couple of $500 dollar grants, I’d be surprised. I was mostly through the Herald crossword when the phone rang.

“You’ve reached The Forefront Foundation. My name is June. How may I direct your call?” I manifested my falsest perk.

“Hi, Ms Foster, it’s Thomas Welles, calling for the dragon lady.” My day was feeling brighter. I hadn’t got to talk to our charming PI since Gabrielle’s last chewing out by legal.

“Tom, hi, yeah, about that,” I smiled wanly, “You know that our lawyers asked you to go through them.”

“I know, it’s just, that, well, I’ve did some digging into that lawyer that took over for Mrs Faraday. I don’t like him.” No one liked him. Dalton was braindead. I couldn’t imagine him being more of an errand boy, except that his name was right in the law firm. Dalton West. When there’s trouble, you call D W. They didn’t use that slogan, but I heard it every time.

“Oh why not sugar?”

“I saw some bruises on that attaché of his. Ms Donaldson.”

“Nadine?” I hadn’t seen her back since the whole dead pedophile benefactor thing. I was almost afraid that Forefront was a front but Tom had said there was no evidence that Gabrielle’s dad touched anything at the charity. Good thing too. There were all kinds of teens and young women coming through here. And since when did she work with Dalton. I thought his paralegal was a cute Chinese girl. “That’s where she got off to?”

“Yes. She used to work with Forefront.”

“Well sure, after Dragon Daddy passed away a couple of the girls here fell off the radar.” I missed Lucy, she was a laugh, “Nadine used to be our Vice President of Operations. We’ve been running ragged without her.”

“I see ... The other women he has attending him. Maxine Gaye, Lucy Kobayashi, Bryn Valparine and Florence Rutger. Any of those familiar?”

“Lucy for certain. I don’t know the other names,” I considered, “No word on Wanda Eckles maybe?”

“No, she left Halifax months ago,” He replied. I could hear the keys of computer, he was typing or searching something as we spoke. I never knew him not to put his full purpose into a conversation, “I was expecting Ms Valparine to raise red flags as well.”

“Sorry sweetheart. I don’t know the name,” I made a note to ask Ms Collins ... No, Carmen about Maxine, Bryn and Florence. She’d know and I’d pass the info back to Tom.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t look like things are above board with our Mr Cooke,” He explained. Cooke was one of the co-council that had visited when we were still working directly with Rickie Faraday. I had to have a head for names, “I should talk to Gabriel face to face, but discreetly. Can you have her meet me?”

“Yes, if you’re curious about a good meeting place, Ms Collins has had a weird obsession with Flynn’s down on Dresden Row,” I suggested, “We had breakfast there a couple of weeks ago. The potato pancakes. My God.”

“Uh, no, and she’ll know why,” He seemed impatient with me and that could’ve ruined my day. Except, I had just decided on where I was going for lunch, “We’ll meet at the Starbucks a few doors down. I’ll be there running through documents until seven.”

“Long day.” I sympathized.

“They always are. Bye bye, Junebug.” And my grin was back. No one called me Junebug but a couple of ex-boyfriends. I put a stop to that pretty quickly, most of the time.

“Thank you for calling Forefront,” I had to say for my job. For me, I followed up with, “Bye bye Tim.”

I wasn’t in a hurry to rush this information to Gabrielle. I’d rather walk it to her office than page her. She would move quicker on it that way. I’d made it my duty to discover all the ways to get her out of the office. I stood up from my chair. I had a bounce in my step as I moved toward Gabrielle’s office. Carmen was hanging out against the jamb into the back of the office. Whitney zipped by to washroom.

“You’re not leaving are you June?” She smiled, “Matthew was coming by and I was hoping to introduce you.”

“No just got to talk to the boss lady,” I smirked, “And maybe I should dodge this Matthew again. I don’t want to end up a mopey mess like Whitney.”

“She’ll be happy when she sees him again,” Her eyes had a frightening sincerity to them, “We all will be.”

“Sounds like a cult leader or something,” I stepped past her, “Oh well, I’ll be sure to say hi.”

“Hi to whom?” Gabrielle demanded, dragging out the m in whom to prove her snootiness. Her office door was open and she probably started listening in when I had said “Boss lady.” “And shouldn’t you be at the front desk? You can page me on the phone.”

“It’s Matthew,” Carmen bubbled, “I’ve set up a meet for a couple of girls he suggested.”

“Oh, and Whitney OK’ed them?” I asked knowing just how long the drawn out process could take. Gabrielle was storming past me and she had my elbow before I had my answer.

“Get your purse. We’re leaving.”

Whitney St Jean - Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

I was livid with Carmen. I was wearing a light sleeveless white top and a boring slate skirt. I was here to work. She could have told me Matthew had returned. That Matthew was coming! I would have dressed better. I would have done more to my hair that shove it through an elastic. Bitch!

I couldn’t do much in the washroom with it. There was a change of clothes in my office but it was to look more professional not more flirty. Goddammit. At least I had worn my fuck me shoes. I had been favoring heels since I had met him. I pulled out my hair and did what I could but I wasn’t prepared. What the hell was wrong with me?

“What’s going on?” I asked. The office had deserted during my little foray into the washroom.

“Gabrielle panicked again. Dragged June off and--”

We turned when we heard the glass door open. There he was. He swaggered into the offices like owned the place. I hated him. I had never felt so happy. He looked good. I like tall guys. His hair was nice. He was freshly shaved unlike last time. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. He had on a pair of loafers. He looked good, but he had something I wasn’t thrilled about.

He had three vapid looking girls following him. Two blondes and a brunette. Tiny girls, teenagers. All gorgeous.

“Which one’s the sister?” I asked Carmen wondering how to safely direct my scowl.

“None, the brunette is Tiffany Luck, the short blonde is--”

“Matth--Mr Reid, you’re back,” I spoke excitedly over Carmen as he approached us.

“Hello Wendy,” He smiled and he opened his arms. I stepped into the hug.

“Whitney,” I murmured. I was hurt. Like grade 8 seeing my best friend making out with the boy I liked but had never talked to hurt.

“You look great,” He smiled as two of his teen girls walked up on either side of him. Was he fucking everything? He had, we had, I had fucked that little Alice girl last time he was here. That was bad. I almost resigned over that. Olive talked me down. He turned to the short blonde, “Doesn’t she look good, Raena?”