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The place he’d chosen wasn’t my usual haunt. The mahogany bar ran the entire length of the open room and held rows of glittering bottles filled with liquor. To one side, they had installed a stage for live music.
“Mr. Coleman, I’m sorry I’m late.” Just needed a few minutes to vent.
“Griffin.” He rose to his feet and held out a hand to me. “Don’t worry about it. My driver dropped me off a few minutes ago. I wondered if you had changed your mind, though. I’m glad you didn’t. Please sit.”
I couldn’t afford to change my mind. If my criminal record couldn’t make muster, I would have to earn enough at a legitimate job to let others see I wasn’t the same man I’d been.
“Okay. Thanks.”
“I hope you don’t mind meeting at a bar.” Coleman signaled a server over, and we ordered drinks—he a scotch and I a beer. When the server left, he returned his attention to me. “I find people are more themselves in a familiar setting. Though I should’ve asked if you had a problem meeting here.”
“No problem at all.”
“Good. I made a mistake once in having an alcoholic meet me in a bar for a meeting. The least I could do was pay for their bill to get them detoxed. Since then, I’ve always asked.”
“Damn, that must have been tough. No alcoholic here, though. Can’t really do alcohol when you don’t have access. Sure, there’s contraband, but I was appealing my case. Couldn’t get mixed up with prison schemes.”
“Ah, your time in prison.”
“Exactly.” I held my breath, waiting for him to change his mind too. Why had I brought up my sentencing? Dammit, I wanted the job.
Coleman’s face remained impassive as he studied me across the table. His gray eyes gave nothing away. The server returned with our drinks, and I was glad for something to do, even if it was guzzling down half the bottle. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
“Should I go?” I finally asked, unable to take the silence any longer. I should have known everything lately was happening way too smoothly for something not to go wrong. First losing the house and now blowing this job opportunity. My case worker had prepared me for what I would face after leaving prison, but hearing about it and experiencing it were two different things.
What was the sense of being out if I couldn’t get a decent job or even a roof over my head?
“That’s up to you,” Coleman said. “But I’d prefer if you stayed.”
He would? I leaned back in my chair. If he was giving me false hope…
“Would you consider yourself a hardworking man?”
“Yes,” I said without pause. Whether good or bad, once I was committed to a task, I gave it my all. Just the way I was with Scottie.
“I sensed that about you the way we first met.” He folded his hands on the table. “Let me be frank with you, Griffin. That day, I might have been impulsive when I offered to make you a supervisor.”
My stomach dropped. I knew it. I was losing everything one by one. Was Scottie next?
“But”—Coleman’s gray eyes bored into mine—“I did further research into your background and found you’re experienced and knowledgeable about the construction business, so I don’t regret making the proposal.”
“What about my past? If you researched me, you must know what I was in for.”
Would you shut up about your damn past already?
But I needed to know that if I got this job, he wouldn’t yank it out from under me later.
“As far as I am concerned, everyone deserves a second shot. I don’t think you’d do anything to ruin this new opportunity you have. Am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not. I’ve learned from the past.” A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it down painfully. “I can’t fix what I did, but I can make better choices from now on.”
“The way you stood up to Karl at that construction site says everything about you. You show initiative, and you’re not afraid to take action. The life you took may haunt you, but you saved lives that day, Griff, so I hope knowing that helps you to sleep at night. Karl’s mistake would have been devastating if you hadn’t reacted.”
I inhaled deeply. I never thought about that—that I’d saved the lives of those men. Nothing could ever bring back the person I’d killed, but I could ensure my life wasn’t wasted.
“Thank you. That helps.”
“No, thank you. I spoke to management, and they would like to show you their gratitude.” He opened his jacket, removed an envelope, and placed it on the table. “This isn’t contingent upon you accepting our offer. It’s yours, even if you say no.”
