The Price of the Verdict by John Bae

Author:John Bae
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2022-10-05T11:36:28+00:00

32.

They stepped out into the bright sun. Jack walked up to Bob and Henry. “I would like to speak with you both when we get back to the hotel. Meet me in the conference room.”

They both nodded and got in the car. The limousine pulled up to the hotel. Jack stepped out and marched inside. Bob and Henry quickened their pace to keep up.

“Close the door,” said Jack as he entered the conference room.

Bob and Henry sat next to each other. Jack sat across from them.

“What happened?” asked Jack.

“I’m sorry I was late,” said Henry, looking down.

“It was my fault,” said Bob. “I shouldn’t have kept him out so late.”

Jack stared at Henry. “I don’t have a problem with you enjoying yourself, but we are here to work. You should know better than to show up late for a meeting in your condition. We can’t send a message that we are here on a client-paid vacation.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” said Henry.

“I don’t want to see this happen again,” said Jack. “I have patience for a lot of things. This is not one of them. Go and sleep it off.”

“I feel OK. I can work,” said Henry.

“You won’t do us or yourself any favors by trying to work now. Get some rest and we can meet back up later in the afternoon,” said Jack.

Henry nodded and then walked out of the conference room.

Jack looked at Bob. “Has he said anything to you?”

“About what?”

“He doesn’t seem right—to show up at a client meeting drunk.”

Bob shook his head. “I think he’s fine. I shouldn’t have taken him to a club.”

“No, he’s not a kid. He should know better than to drink himself silly. I wonder if everything’s OK at home.”

“I’ll speak with him,” said Bob.

“Alright. Let him sleep it off first. Grab Shelly and Tessa and let’s meet back after lunch. We’ve got to get to work,” said Jack as he stood to pour a cup of coffee.

“Jack, I need to talk to you about something other than Pearl-Line,” said Bob.

Jack turned. “What?”

“It’s about Tessa.”

Jack stared at Bob. “What about Tessa?”

Bob put on a smile. “I was talking to Shelly on the beach yesterday. She thinks Tessa may have a thing for you.”

Jack turned away and laughed. “I don’t think so, Bob,” said Jack as he stared off for a second. “That’s the furthest thing from my mind. Angela called me.”

“And?”

“We are going to go our separate ways. We’ll work out the details when I’m back in New York.”

“I’m sorry, man,” said Bob. “Well, at least now you have some clarity. That can’t be a bad thing.”

Jack nodded. “I can’t say I’m happy. But I now feel like I can move forward. I feel accepting my failure is better than wondering whether I had failed, or even holding onto a glimmer of hope. Life is short. I have to live it based on reality. I can try and exist on hopes and dreams. But, that means I’ll be standing still, with no control over my life.

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