“An audit will come up empty, and in the end, this will be his word against yours,” Dameon told her. “I bet if we look into this Sokolov guy, we’d find something dirty on him.”
“This is all such a joke,” Grace said. “I can’t believe one accusation and I’m out of a job.”
“Paid leave isn’t the same as being fired,” Matt told her.
“Might as well be. By this time tomorrow, everyone in the office will know what’s going on. Who knows how many people are going to believe it? It was mortifying walking out of there.”
“Well, you can’t quit. That makes you look guilty,” her dad said.
“He can’t prove what didn’t happen,” Grace said.
“He may not have to. If there is any doubt, at all, the city will settle before going to court. Which is something this guy probably knows,” Colin said. “It’s why he is saying the city is responsible, not you.”
“He’s going after the deeper pockets,” Dameon added.
“If you get hit by the city bus, you sue the city, not the driver.”
“I have done nothing wrong.” Grace started to feel some of the hurt going away and the anger set in.
“We know that, Gracie,” her dad told her.
“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to consult your own attorney.”
Grace turned to Dameon. “Why?”
“You said you felt like you were on the witness stand when they called you into the office. The city lawyers have to protect the city. A part of that is you, but you’re dispensable.”
Grace hated to hear her fears vocalized by someone else.
“He has a point,” Erin said. “If you have your own lawyer only fighting for you . . .”
“I don’t have that kind of money.”
Erin and Dameon both spoke at the same time. “I do.”
Grace looked between both of them. “I can’t ask that of either of you. And besides, how would it look if my client with the city pays for legal counsel on my behalf? Next thing you know they’ll be investigating you.”
“Eventually someone is going to realize that you two are a thing,” Parker said while she set the table.
“You’re going to have to explain the necklace,” Erin chimed in.
“And that’s going to look bad,” Grace said.
“Last time I looked, we’re both adults who can date whoever we want. And since there hasn’t been one permit signed or approval for anything, no one can claim special treatment,” Dameon told her.
“This whole thing is going to set you back.” And after spending time with him, she had come to realize how important the project was to his overall success.
“The last thing you need to do is worry about me. Construction always has delays. And on a project of this scale, they are months and years, not days and weeks.”
Her mom pulled the last dish out of the oven. “Okay, guys. Let’s eat.”
Grace wasn’t hungry, but she took her place at the table anyway.
The food was passed around, and slowly the conversation started to shift.
Her dad asked Dameon what he was painting, and he went on to talk about the house and project up in the canyon.
Parker chimed in about how the area felt like an outpost when she drove through it.
With her family chatting about other things, Grace’s mind took a break from the problem at hand. Her mom’s chicken casserole and buttermilk biscuits always cheered her up. She found herself eating, despite her lack of appetite.
She loved her family.
The minute she’d shown up at her parents’ door, her mom called everyone in for support. It was as if her getting put on leave was some kind of tragedy. It wasn’t. Not really. But having them there offering advice when she couldn’t think for herself was uplifting.
By the time dinner was done, and the dishes were cleared, Grace felt her backbone start to return. She’d found paper and a pen and started to work on describing what had happened the night Sokolov claimed she suggested a bribe.
“When did they say they wanted this?” Dameon sat by her side, watching her work.
“Tomorrow.”
“I’ll have my attorney come over in the morning to go over it with you before you deliver it.”
“Dameon, that isn’t necessary.”
“Gracie?” her dad called to her from the living room where he sat with her brothers. “You listen to him. What did I tell you to do if you ever got in trouble with the law?”
“This isn’t the same, Dad.”
“Taking a bribe, offering a bribe . . . both are a crime.”