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Chapter One
Stacy stood outside the door and wondered if she could go inside. The door looked just like any other in the hallway, but for the writing on the milky surface, and the strange sense of foreboding that seemed to emanate from it.
BSC
By appointment only.
Please ring the bell for service.
Lifting her finger to press the small button to the right of the door, she froze. She didn’t even know what the initials stood for. She wasn’t sure if she should trust the strange woman she’d met at the bar a few nights before.
She hadn’t known what to do when she found proof that her husband of nine years was cheating on her, but she knew that the underwear she’d found when doing his laundry certainly did not belong to her. Considering she never wore thongs, she was positive they weren’t supposed to have been a surprise gift.
Though she may have had her head in the sand and allowed herself to be naïve about certain things, her eyes were now wide open. Like the way he’d been going to hang out with the guys more and more often lately. And the oddly frequent business trips that only used to happen once in a blue moon. After a very stressful visit to a divorce attorney, she couldn’t stand the thought of going home immediately, especially after learning she had no real options until she was able to move out on her own. Or at least, that’s all she could do without solid proof. So she’d gone to a random bar, ordered a drink and did the preverbal crying into it. Though instead of beer, she’d chosen to cry in her favorite drink: an Alabama Slammer.
Three drinks later, some guy approached her. She couldn’t seem to help spilling the entire story while he was trying to hit on her. She hadn’t even cared when he walked away halfway through it. But the woman sitting next to her seemed interested, and she’d needed to tell someone, to get it all out. When her story was over and her tears had finally slowed down, the stranger nodded. Reaching into her bag, the woman pulled out a plain white business card with the initials ‘BSC’ and a phone number. All the woman would say was “Call that number when you’re ready to settle the score.”
Stacy kept the card in her pocket. She told herself that she wouldn’t bother calling. Though she appreciated the woman listening to her sob story, she wasn’t sure what she meant. After a few days, curiosity had gotten the best of her, and she called. A pleasant voice answered the phone and set an appointment for her to come in to the office.
Now it was almost time for her appointment, and she was seriously thinking about retreating. No one knew she was standing outside the door. She could walk away, and no one had to be the wiser.
Her decision made, she had taken only a step away from the door when she heard it open behind her.
“Stacy Jones?”
Her eyes closed at the sound of the pleasant voice behind her. She almost groaned. Slowly turning to face the woman who had spoken, she plastered a smile on her face. “Hi.”
“You’re right on time. Please come in. Ms. Pope will see you in a just a moment.”
Feeling trapped, she entered the door that was being held open for her. She wasn’t sure what to expect once she was inside the office, but the chocolate covered walls and suede furniture were nowhere near the top of her list. On the opposite side of the office was a rather simplistic looking door. It looked like something she would find inside of someone’s home rather than a business.
“Your office is so...” She wasn’t sure what to say. What could she say without sounding pompous?
“We like to keep it homey. We want to take the stress off of anyone who has the courage to call.” The woman sat down behind a desk. There was a brass name plate that proudly told all that the secretary’s name was Tina Reynolds.
“What does BSC stand for, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“It means—” Her answer was interrupted by a buzz. Tina picked up the phone. “Yes, Ms. Pope? I’ll send her straight in.” Hanging up, she gave a sad smile. “Ms. Pope will see you now. Just go straight through that door and it’s the second office on your left.”
Stacy stood up and approached the suddenly formidable door, though nothing about it had changed.
