All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris

Author:Wanda M. Morris
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2021-08-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

The smoky aroma of grilled steak floated from the doorway of the executive dining room, a room on the twentieth floor flanked by floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. White linen tablecloths, the soft tinkle of crystal glasses, and Wedgewood china gave the room a light airy atmosphere despite the cold wind and rain that battered the Atlanta skyline. The hostess, a thick, well-dressed woman with an accent that reminded me of steel drums and warm, white sand greeted me at the door.

“Good afternoon, pretty lady. May I help you?”

“Hi. I’m scheduled to have lunch with Mr. Ashe.”

“Ah yes . . . Mr. Ashe’s table is just this way. And congratulations on your promotion.” She gave me a wink. “Very nice to see someone who looks like me on this floor.”

My tribe. “Thank you.” I smiled and winked back.

I followed the woman as she meandered through a sea of tables. I recognized most of the managers sitting in this room. Several of them turned and watched me walk through the dining room with leering eyes. No smiles. The same vibe from Nate’s party. I ignored them.

I had asked Nate if we could have lunch. The information from Hardy, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t find a scrap of paper related to Libertad, gave me a lot of concern. The American Bar Association rules on attorney ethics required me to raise any concerns with the CEO. Maybe if I could talk to Nate alone, I could get to the bottom of this Libertad mess, maybe even launch an independent investigation.

We finally came to a stop at Nate’s table in the far corner of the dining room. He was checking emails on his phone but promptly jumped up from his seat. “Hey! There’s my favorite lawyer!”

“Today’s special is southern-style chicken and dumplings,” the woman said in her lilting accent as I took the seat across from Nate.

“That sounds great. Ellice, you’re okay with chicken and dumplings, right?” Nate asked.

“No. Actually, just a garden salad with grilled chicken, please.”

Nate gave me a quizzical smile. “Bring the lady what she wants. I’ll have the chicken and dumplings and heavy on the dumplings.”

“Of course, Mr. Ashe.”

“Not a fan of chicken and dumplings, huh?” Nate chuckled.

I gave a weak smile, suddenly embarrassed by my overreaction. “Never liked them, even as a kid.”

“So how are things coming along in Legal?” Nate popped a chunk of corn muffin in his mouth.

“Nate, I asked to have lunch together because I wanted to talk to you privately about the Libertad deal.”

“Libertad?”

“Yes. The deal Jonathan was working on with Michael before he was killed?”

Nate stared down at his corn muffin for a beat. “Oh yes. Now I remember. Is something wrong?”

“Well, I’m not sure. I can’t find any information on the deal and, if it’s as big a deal as you say, there should be a paper trail. A memorandum or MOU, a contract, something.” Nate set the half-eaten muffin down and swabbed at the corners of his mouth with his napkin.

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