A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,124
next to the couch while he explained.
“So it wasn’t Ethan,” Seth said when he was done.
“No, but if he hadn’t loaded that video onto the internet, none of this would’ve happened. So I don’t feel bad that he’s the one paying the price.”
Seth grimaced. “I hate that the cowboy is going to get away with what he did.”
Dallas did, too, but they didn’t live in a perfect world, and he felt damn lucky to have achieved this much justice for Emery. “There’s always karma. It’ll come around and smack him down one day. And if I ever find out who he is, I’ll smack him myself. At least Emery will get a sizable settlement. It’ll ease a lot of the pressure she’s under and will enable her to help the people she loves.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“I’m happy it’s over.”
“Mom called last night,” Seth announced. “Forgot to tell you.”
“How’s the honeymoon?”
“Sounds like it’s going great. She said she’s happier than she’s ever been. But when I told her what you were up to, she started to worry. You should give her a call.”
“It’s too early—I’ll text instead, in case she’s asleep. Will she and Cal still be coming home Christmas Eve?” Dallas asked as he gathered what was left of his strength and stood.
“She wouldn’t miss Christmas. Not with us here.”
“True.” He covered another yawn. “Well, I’m going to bed before you start in on Emery again.”
“Start in?” Seth repeated with a shocked laugh. “I’ve hardly said anything!”
Dallas gave him a dubious look. “But I know how you feel. You’ve made that clear.”
“I think it’s how you feel that’s got you worried,” he said, and Dallas hated that he couldn’t deny it.
* * *
Emery’s lawyer was ecstatic when she called him around noon her time to tell him that Ethan had agreed to confess.
“This case will be a slam dunk,” he said. “I bet they’ll settle out of court as soon as possible.”
“How much do you think we can get?”
“Wrongful firing settlements usually fall anywhere in the range of five thousand to eighty thousand dollars, but your reputation was ruined as well, which takes this to an entirely new level. I know of one client who was fired for testifying on behalf of another employee in a sexual harassment suit who received more than a million dollars.”
“You’re not saying I could wind up with that much!”
“You could,” he said. “You never know. It’s all a matter of negotiation now.”
Emery felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. And she had Dallas to thank for it. “It’s going to be a nice Christmas, after all.”
“Oh, the money won’t come that quickly. The holidays will actually slow the process. You’re still looking at a month or more.”
“I can last a few months. I’m just saying that the pressure is off. Now I know I’ll be able to take care of my mother and grandmother.”
“You’ll be able to do that and have plenty left over.”
She thanked him and, just as she hung up, her mother knocked on her bedroom door. “You awake?”
Emery propped her pillows up and sat against the headboard. “Yeah. Come on in.”
Connie slipped inside the room and perched on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been trying not to wake you. I know you’re on California time, but I’m so excited you’re here I could hardly wait to see you. Thank you for coming.”
Emery reached for her mother’s hand. “I’m glad I’m here, too. And I want you to know that you’re not going to have to worry about anything, not as far as money is concerned.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to win the lawsuit. Ethan has confessed.”
Her mother’s lips curved into a smile, but she started to blink quickly—an obvious attempt to avoid tears. She was hurting so badly that any kindness made her cry. “Thank you, honey. I’m so glad I have you. I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I receive my divorce settlement.”
“I’m not worried about that. This will buy you the time you need to make sure it’s a fair one.”
“Thank you,” she said again.
Emery pulled her into an embrace. “We’re both going to make it through this.”
Thursday, December 24
Over the next few days, Dallas felt his mood grow steadily worse. He’d tried calling Emery a number of times, but his calls went straight to voice mail; there wasn’t even any ringing. He’d left her several messages, but she never called him back. It was as if she’d disappeared