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He looked at me, and I wasn’t sure if he was surprised that I’d confessed.
“With that said, it is unusual that you weren’t interviewed considering you’re the victim in this case,” Ms. Johnson finished, with an annoyed look toward Mr. Brown.
“I’m no victim,” Hunter growled.
“Perhaps we could talk to you now,” Ms. Johnson said.
Mr. Brown slapped his hand down on the table. “The evidence was there without his testimony. And I’ll add, he’s not a reliable witness. He’s volatile and likely to perjure himself to protect Ms. Reynolds.”
“He’s not a liar,” I spoke up for Hunter. He was many things, but I believed he always told the truth.
“Perhaps there’s someone else we need to look into,” another member of the board said with a look to Mr. Brown. “We’ll have a lawsuit on our hands if we’re suspending and revoking licenses without full investigations.”
Mr. Brown stiffened. “I assure you; all my investigations are full.”
“Not this one, apparently,” the man said.
“We can deal with that later,” Ms. Johnson said. “Can you please tell me your name?”
“Hunter Raven,” he said, taking a seat next to me. “Can I just talk and then answer questions?”
She nodded at him.
“First counseling wasn’t my idea, and I never intended to take it seriously.” He gave me a sheepish smile, but it wasn’t anything new. He’d said as much before. He turned back to the board. “I would have refused altogether, except when I met Gr—Ms. Reynolds, I was immediately attracted to her. So, for me, it wasn’t counseling. It was a hoop to jump through to try and get a date.”
“Your reputation for the ladies is well known,” Mr. Brown said with disdain.
Hunter tensed next to me. “That may be, but when I failed to get a date during the first session, I wanted a second try and a third. The point is, there was something different about her, and so I pushed.”
“She vowed to abide by a code of ethics,” Ms. Johnson said.
“She tried. She told me it was wrong. I didn’t give a fu—I didn’t care. At the time, I didn’t understand it, but I was falling for her.”
The other man, whose name plate read “Mr. Peters,” said, “There is a situation that can occur in counseling called transference—”
“Yeah, yeah, she told me all about that when she told me to take a hike. That’s not what this is. She’s not taking advantage of me, and I don’t see her as my savior or whatever you’re worried about. I wanted her from the minute I saw her, before I knew she was a therapist. And she wanted me.” He looked at me like he was afraid he’d said something wrong. I gave him a small smile.
“She ended our professional relationship, and we’d be living happily ever after if it weren’t for Mr. Brown there.”
Happily ever after?
“But you did have one encounter while she was your therapist?” Ms. Johnson asked.
“Ah…not during a session. It was at my brother’s club.”
I closed my eyes as embarrassment washed over me again.
“Sorry,” I heard him say. “TMI. Anyway, it was after hours. She wasn’t counseling me at the time. And she ended the professional relationship right after that.”
When I opened my eyes, I could see some members found Hunter amusing, while Mr. Brown was seething. “Whether the encounter was during a session or not is irrelevant.”
“I agree,” Ms. Johnson said. I did too.
“Does it matter that the person who reported this was out to hurt Ms. Reynolds?” Hunter asked.
I looked at Hunter. Did he know who the reporter was? And why didn’t he tell me before?
“Only if the report was untrue.”
His jaw ticked. “Are you really going to punish her for this? You’re all therapists, right? Aren’t you supposed to uplift people? We’d be perfectly happy. Instead, you’re going to let the act of a jealous woman hurt someone I care about and who’s a tremendous therapist. What does it say about you and your understanding of human behavior that you’d side with a vengeful woman against a good and decent one?”
Ms. Johnson’s eyes softened. “I appreciate your passion and your candor, Mr. Raven. I can see that you truly care for Ms. Reynolds. But the fact remains that she did violate the code of ethics. While it may not have hurt you, it is there for a reason.”
My heart lurched into my throat as I realized I was about to get my punishment.
“Mr. Brown recommended a two-year suspension of your license, after which time, you could reapply.”
“Two years!” Hunter shot up, knocking his chair back.
“Hunter, sit down,” I begged, yanking on his arm.
The woman’s brow arched. “However, taking Mr. Raven’s information into account, I’m going to suggest a six-month suspension, and one-year probation.”
“That’s outrageous,” Mr. Brown said. “If she ends up violating the code again, we could be liable for not taking adequate action.”
