“They named the conference room after Lawrence,” he says. “I wanted to see it. It’s been a year since he’s been gone.”
“Oh, I had no idea.” Alice knows that Charles thought of Lawrence Thompson as a brother. “That’s nice of you, honoring him like that.”
“Not as nice as a conference room at the office.” Charles shrugs. “But Bobby didn’t think it was the best time to be honoring old, white men. Like any of us have a say in our gender.”
“Bobby must have a lot on his mind right now,” Alice says. She still hasn’t spoken to Charles about the allegations, but she knows where he stands. She’s heard Nick and Bobby arguing about Charles trying to get Bobby to step down as CEO. “Nick said that sales were down by four percent.” Alice had studied the reports Nick had brought home. If her projections are correct—and she’s confident they are: she’s good at math and has always had a knack for spotting the big picture—they’ll keep declining for at least another quarter.
“Lowest in five years.” He presses his lips together.
“I’m sorry. I know the company is your legacy.”
“I appreciate that, my dear. It’s never easy, sitting back and letting someone else take the wheel. Even when that someone else is your child. At least Nick has a good head on his shoulders.”
“It’s too bad he’s not CEO.” A bold move, but not a risky one. Charles isn’t in favor of selling, but Nick is his favorite. Besides, he might be open to a merger now that Alma Boots is losing market share. Better to own 15% piece of a watermelon than 25% of a rotting apple.
“You never know,” Charles says. And then he winks at her. Actually winks.
Alice feels her spirits soar. Her instincts were right: she has an ally in Charles.
She is about to say something else when Antoinette shows up. Justin is trailing behind her like a horse who lost its rider.
“That was so great.” She beams. “Thank you so much for this.”
“Antoinette, this is Charles Dewar,” Alice says. “My father-in-law.”
“Lovely to meet you.” Antoinette extends her hand.
Charles picks it up and kisses it. Alice resists the urge to giggle. Charles is such a smooth operator.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Charles offers. “I hope you’re enjoying the tour.”
Charles is filling Antoinette in on the new conference room—it really is very touching how much he misses his friend—when a burly man in an ill-fitted jacket calls out to him from the floor below them.
“Ah, I’m afraid duty calls,” he announces.
They say their goodbyes.
“So that was the famous Charles Dewar,” Antoinette notes. “He looks a little like Bobby, but also not. Do you know what I mean?”
Antoinette has met Bobby, albeit briefly. She’d stopped by for coffee a few days ago. She had been walking out the door right when Bobby had been arriving from work.
“He’s a lot more charismatic than Bobby,” Alice offers. The consensus around town is that Charles had been the most good-looking of all the Dewar men. Alice doesn’t disagree—she’s seen pictures of him in his youth.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you: did they get back together? Bobby and Gina?”
“He’s still living with us.”
“I saw him going in his house last Thursday when Gina was home. I figured maybe she took him back after the statement came out in his favor.”
Hum. Alice hadn’t known that Bobby had paid Gina a visit. She makes a mental note to ask Gina about it. Alice is planning on dropping by her house later on to give her a copy of Chasing Hillary by Amy Chosick. It’ll be the fifth book Alice has spontaneously given Gina. They’re ironic gifts: Alice knows there’s no chance of her sister-in-law reading any of them. But maybe just being around them will be educational.
“It didn’t really come out in his favor,” she points out.
The memo did show that Bobby’s email account had been hacked. But that’s all. It didn’t claim that the Blow Job Email was planted—Alice hadn’t coined that particular name, but it infuriates Bobby, which is why she likes it. In fact, it’s entirely possible that Bobby orchestrated the hack in an attempt to paint himself the victim of a cybercrime. She says as much to Antoinette now.
“It’s all over social media,” Alice continues. “People are saying he knew a reckoning was coming with #MeToo so he did this to get off unscathed.”
“Do you think he’d do that?” Antoinette asks. “It sounds a little… extreme.”
“You know better than that.” Alice narrows her eyes at Antoinette. “Bobby is a man with power and privilege. He’d do anything to keep it.”
“I don’t disagree, but keeping an open mind comes with the job. There are two sides to every story.”
“I appreciate that.” It’s true: Alice understands the rules of journalism. She admires Antoinette’s attempts at impartiality. “But you wouldn’t worry about accurately portraying both sides of a case involving racism, for example.”
“That’s different.”
“Is it?” Alice asks. Her eyes scan the factory. “Look around you. How many women do you see?” A pause. “Why should sexism be more palatable than racism?”
Antoinette’s surveys the workers on the floor. “I’m sure this is the case for most factories.”
“That only makes it worse, don’t you think?” Alice doesn’t add that it’s the same at the Alma Boots offices. Alice thinks back to the full report that Jessie’s firm had prepared. The numbers are a show of chauvinism. The only reason why Alice hasn’t shared the report with Antoinette is because she’s afraid it’ll negatively impact Souliers’ interest in Alma Boots.
“And isn’t it up to us to change that?” Alice continues. “Take ThirdLove, for example. Their factories are women-owned and women-dominated. And that’s in Asia. And they have great continuing-education programs, as well as ones to support expecting mothers and their kids during the school holidays. Women aren’t just better leaders, they’re
