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“Let her try. I didn’t touch her. Did I?” he asked his friends.
None of them wanted to answer him, every one of them looking anywhere but at the man. So Zack repeated, “You grabbed her ass. I saw the whole thing.”
“Your word against mine. Where’s the damn manager? And who the hell are you? This isn’t your business.”
Zack wished he still carried his card with him, but since inheriting Devil’s Rock airport, he had cut his practice way back, so he no longer bothered. “I’m her lawyer.” He wasn’t, but this jerk didn’t know that.
The guy looked a little disconcerted but not for long. The manager, Todd Flemming, showed up with Laurel behind him with a stony expression on her face. Zack saw why when the man fell all over himself trying to placate the customer. Jalisco’s had been sold not too long ago, and now they were under new and unimproved management.
“Of course we’ll take care of your bill, Mr. Oliver,” Flemming said.
“You’d better. What about her?” He gestured to Laurel.
“She will apologize and appropriate steps will be taken.” The manager looked at Laurel who hadn’t said a word and still looked grim. “Laurel, don’t you have something to say?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact.” She turned to face the groper. “I hope the next woman whose butt you grab does worse than dump a pitcher of water on you.”
Zack burst out laughing. The guy turned red and began cursing. The manager yelled at Laurel and tried to calm down the jerk. By this time the entire restaurant was staring and a few people shouted encouragement. To Laurel, Zack noticed. Which didn’t surprise him since she’d lived in Whiskey River almost her entire life and probably knew at least three-fourths of the customers. Not to mention, he probably wasn’t the only one who’d seen what went down.
“Go wait in my office,” the manager snapped at Laurel.
She turned on her heel and left. Zack tried to talk to the manager, but it was hopeless. He decided he’d do well to leave it alone for now.
Besides, it wouldn’t be a good idea for Laurel’s supposed legal counsel to punch her harasser in the face.
*
She’d done itthis time. Laurel had no illusions about what would happen once Todd caught up with her. Why had she lost it now when similar things had happened to her before? Because she was exhausted? Because it had been the final straw? She’d debated about taking this job in the first place, but even the small amount of extra cash had been welcome. She’d been saving up to move to a different apartment complex and her salary from her full-time job wasn’t enough to cover her monthly expenses plus a more expensive apartment.
The door to the office opened and she looked up, expecting to see the manager. Instead, Zack walked in. “What are you doing here?”
“Giving you some support.” He closed the door behind him and walked over to her. “Are you okay?”
She laughed without humor. “Oh, I’m great. Just waiting to be fired.”
“You really think he’s going to fire you?”
“I know he is. He’s been looking for an excuse to get rid of me since the restaurant changed hands. He wants to put a family member in my place.”
“Why didn’t he fire you before this, then?”
“I’m not sure. I think the new owner made a deal with the previous owner to keep the employees on. So he’d need a good reason to fire me. And I just gave him the perfect excuse.”
“Your reaction was a bit drastic, but totally understandable.”
“Todd won’t see it that way. I told him the guy had tried twice tonight to grab me. You know what he said?”
“No. What did he say?”
“Deal with it. He’s part of a large group and we need the business.”
“Well, you dealt with it.”
“I don’t think that was what Todd had in mind.”
“I’d be happy to talk to your manager if you want.”
“Why? There’s nothing you can do.”
