Page 50 of Nothing But the Truth

“Lucy, the company will not permit any form of retaliation for having made a complaint, and we ask that you immediately report anything of the sort should you experience it,” Amanda chimed in.

Sure, she thought. They could handle retaliation on paper, but what could they do about Jonathan trashing her name? He had a hundred times the network reach she did.

“What’s going to happen now?” she asked.

Mr. Ericsson flipped his manila folder shut. “Well, if you’re finished sharing all the information you have, we will compile it with what else we’ve obtained and continue with our investigation.”

Lucy chewed her lip, worried it was all in vain. “And then?”

Mr. Ericsson cast his eyes toward Amanda.

“Disciplinary measures are considered confidential, but we will take appropriate action pending the outcome of the investigation,” Amanda said.

“That’s an annoyingly vague answer,” Lucy blurted. “I think you should fire him.”

Mr. Ericsson quietly laughed and tried to cover it with a cough. Amanda’s lips twitched at the corners, and Lucy had to imagine she thought the same thing.

“Such a decision would ultimately lie with J&J’s board of directors, but you should know that in the state of California, supervisors who harass employees can be held personally liable in addition to the employer’s legal responsibility for the misconduct.” Amanda left the words hanging like a hint.

Lucy made a mental note to Google how to sue your boss for harassment when she got back to her desk. If things went the way she expected and Jonathan only got a slap on the wrist, at least she could gouge out a chunk of his retirement before it was all said and done.

“And what about me? And Annie?”

Amanda frowned like she’d tasted something bitter. “Annie has already decided to make her experience public, but as Mr. Ericsson said, we will do our best to keep what you’ve shared confidential to the extent possible during the investigation, though we cannot guarantee it.”

Lucy couldn’t help noticing that she said nothing about her keeping things confidential. Whether it was oversight or another hint, Lucy wasn’t sure, but she felt a very bold idea take root and sprout blossoms in her head.

When she’d read I have to go public in Annie’s email, she’d worried what it meant, but it was clear she meant public within the company.

Well. Lucy could do way better than that.

She was a rising star at the biggest publicity firm in Hollywood. She had contacts at every major entertainment news outlet, and they’d kill for an exclusive story sure to rock the industry.

She suddenly knew what she had to do.

“Are we done here?” she asked.

“If you have shared all the information you have, yes. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” Mr. Ericsson said.

“Sure,” she said, and stood. She smoothed her skirt and caught Amanda’s eye. “I’ll be in touch too.”

She felt their gazes follow her out of the room. In the hall, every door was closed. She wondered what Chase had told HR and if he’d be willing to join her coup.

But first, she needed a key player on her side.

She pulled out her phone and saw a text from Oliver.

Come to the kitchen when you’re done.

Curious, she obeyed. She held her head high from one end of the office to the other despite the stares and whispers. But does it really matter what people assume? she wondered. To the extent that they pitied her for atrocities that never occurred, maybe. But otherwise the key takeaway was that Jonathan’s behavior was unacceptable, and he needed to go.

She risked a glance at each J’s door; both were still shut. She wouldn’t be surprised if Jonathan had left the building.

When she rounded into the kitchen, a sunny oblong room with windows overlooking a courtyard with palms, what she found made her smile and want to cry at the same time.

“Happy birthday!” Oliver softly sang. He stood with Annie and Mikayla behind the kitchen island where a sheet cake sat, decorated in curly script and frosting flowers. A bundle of pastel balloons was tied to a communal fruit basket, and the three of them wore little party hats.

“This is the saddest party I’ve ever seen,” she said with a laugh, because it was true. “But thanks.”

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