Page 87 of At Her Will

“No.” Rev gestured with the cleaner. “You my friend. You say what’s on your mind. I appreciate it, Beau. I really do. It’s okay. I done here. I’m going to go fix that bent locker handle on Hall C.”

He paused, though, looking at the “nerd” awards. “You know, when people hear someone talk smart, they figure they worked hard to get smart. That someone who don’t talk smart wasn’t smart enough to do good in school, or was too lazy. They don’t dig into who a person is. She’s not like that, Beau.”

Beau met his gaze and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. If she sees you the way we see you, then she’s prettyandsmart. In the right ways. And I hope the best for both of you.”

“Me too. God gives us plenty of gifts, but most of them come with a time limit. It’s why we gotta value them. Can you take the cleaning stuff back to the storeroom? All I need is the toolbox.”

“Sure.” Watching him go, Beau really wished he hadn’t said a thing. Witford had stopped by on Rev’s day off and expressed some worries. He’d noted how much he wanted the best for his cousin and appreciated Beau looking after him, since Rev respected his counsel.

Normally Beau would have dismissed Witford’s concerns, because Rev was a grown man, and Beau had seen plenty of evidence of Rev’s common sense. But falling in love with a woman could mess with any man’s compass, and he was pretty sure that was what Rev was doing. It didn’t hurt for Beau to throw it out there.

Though it somehow felt it had.

Rev would have reassured him if he could, but he did have some chewing to do on it. Noting the time though, he quickened his step. He wanted to get the locker repaired before the next bell. It was a narrow hall, and he’d be an obstruction as the students flooded the space, headed for lunch in their usual exuberant fashion.

Watching the kids be kids always lifted his day. Even as he used the bell changes to take a closer look at those he knew had more trouble being happy. He liked to get a sense of how their day was going and give their next period teacher a heads up if they needed a boost in attention.

He tried to keep an eye on all of them, even the ones who seemed to do fine, because a bad day was a bad day, and every person had them. But some days he missed the warning signs.

This was going to be one of those days.

He’d turned up Hall C when he heard the first shot.

“So should we skip this bullshit, and I’ll clean out my desk?”

Vera looked up to see Watt Bellini filling her doorway with wide shoulders, a belligerent attitude and weary frustration. He wore pressed slacks and a plum-colored dress shirt that complimented his thick dark hair, keen brown eyes and a jaw that tended toward a five o’clock shadow, no matter how clean shaven he started his day. He had a strong but amiable personality and, according to Cyn, was a consistently excellent account manager.

“I see you have an idea of why I requested the meeting.” With a cool look, Vera gestured to her guest chair. “Close the door and sit down. And please keep the profanity where it belongs. Not here.”

Watt’s jaw tightened, but he complied. He sat in the guest chair with a straight back and braced legs. “Sorry. I’ll turn in my notice and work my two weeks from home to transition my replacement. I guess I can forget a referral, but that’ll give me time to get some ducks in a row.”

His fingers tightened on the arm, the ruby in his University of Georgia class ring catching the sunlight from her window. “I screwed myself on this one. I should have come to you up front, but I figured you wouldn’t believe me, and I let her get out ahead of it. So the bi—she wins.”

Vera sat back, crossing her legs. “Watt, no decisions have been made. You’re here so Icanhear your side of the story.”

She’d effectively thrust a stick into the spokes of the bicycle he’d been pedaling so hard. “What?”

She tapped the arm of her chair. “There are many abominable instances of women being sexually harassed. But every situation has to be thoroughly investigated, without bias, because a man is just as vulnerable to being harassed,orfalsely accused. Power can be political or emotional, not just in accordance with company hierarchy. Abuse of the power is the driving factor, not gender.”

She put that frost in her tone again. “Whoever is at fault, whether you or Henrietta, will be shown the door. Any employer seeking a reference from us will not get it, and they will be told that history. But first we will determine who deserves that treatment and who doesn’t.”

Vera nodded to Watt. “I’m listening. Take a few moments to lose the attitude and change gears. When you’re ready, don’t embellish, and be honest, even if it doesn’t reflect well on you. I’m seeking the truth, and I’m very good at recognizing lies.”

“Okay.” Watt pressed his lips together. Took a deep breath. “Henrietta and I had a reciprocal interest a few months ago. We went out for a couple of dates. Ended up in bed together. Three times.”

He cleared his throat, shifted. Vera said nothing.

“Then my mom got sick, and Henrietta felt neglected. She didn’t get how important my family was to me. I told her Ineeded to focus on that, to help my dad. She didn’t take it well at first, but then she started to approach me at work…”

He looked out the window at the live oaks framed there. “I hate this,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s no one’s business and she made it into…this.”

“I know this is embarrassing and difficult, Watt,” Vera said quietly. “It’s why these details go no further than this room, unless it becomes necessary.”

“I guess I have to trust you on that one. You haven’t ever given me a reason not to.” He laced his hands between his spread knees. “She’d rub against me when I was getting coffee. Try to talk me into hooking up after work. Jesus…” He shook his head. “I don’t think I meant all that much to her. She just doesn’t like to be the one toldno. That kind of attitude makes her an aggressive account manager, good at securing the deal.”

It was an accurate assessment, since that quality had gotten her hired. The company was full of strong women, including those who ran it. Ros didn’t like to lose. Neither did Cyn. But they both knew where the line was in a situation like what he was describing.

Watt sent Vera a tired look. “My mom is doing really harsh chemo. Dad doesn’t drive. I’ve been trying to keep all the balls in the air. When I come into work and pour that first cup of coffee… I know it sounds idiotic, but that’s become an important five minutes to me, Vera. It’s like my reset button. Up until the day that landed us here, I’d been brushing her off, handling her. But that morning, I didn’t react well. I told her I couldn’t be her little fuck-toy right now and piss off. I tried to apologize later.”

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