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“We’re certain this is the only mask that escaped notice?”
“Positive.” Susan nodded, perching on the edge of the desk. “Grady checked and rechecked the serial numbers.”
“Then we’ll proceed as originally directed.”
“But...” Susan stood, staring down at her boss. “We know the mask was faulty,” she said, trying very hard not to raise her voice. “We know the boy would’ve been hurt no matter what ball hit him. It’s only a technicality that he happened to be playing soccer instead of softball.”
“And court cases are won on technicalities all the time.”
“You realize that if this information is made known, your chances of winning will drop considerably.”
Tricia’s eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me?”
“Of course not!” Susan backed away from the desk. “I’ve been with Halliday Headgear since college, Tricia. I’ve always, always seen to the best interests of the company.”
Head bowed, Tricia said, “I’m sorry, Susan. Of course I’m fully aware of how much you’ve done for us, how lucky we are to have you.” She looked up and Susan saw the sincerity in the other woman’s eyes.
“Thank you.”
“Now, was that all you needed to see me about?”
Just like that, Tricia expected this to go away. “I can’t rest the case yet, Tricia. An eight-year-old boy may never walk again.”
Shrugging, Tricia pulled a pile of papers toward her. “I pay you to be thorough, Susan. Keep searching if you feel you must to protect the company, but unless you’ve got something new to tell me, I don’t need to hear about this case again.”
Too furious to do anything else, Susan turned and left the office.
CHAPTER FOUR
IF HE DIDN’T make her pregnant, someone else would.
No matter how many different ways Michael looked at the situation, he always ended up back in the very same place. Susan wanted him to impregnate her, but if he said no, she wasn’t going to give up on this crazy idea. He’d be sending her directly into the bedroom of another man.
By Thursday afternoon he had one hell of a headache. And still no answers. In desperation he turned to the only other person he could possibly call. His ex-brother-in-law, Seth—and, next to Susan, his closest friend.
“What’s up?” Seth asked as soon they’d assured each other they were fine and that both of them had absolutely nothing to do next Sunday but watch the Super Bowl.
“I’m sure you can guess.” Michael was finding it a little difficult to say the words. He was that opposed to the whole idea. Picking up a pencil, he started to sketch a couple of cartoon characters, a man and a woman, jumping out of an airplane without parachutes.
“Susan told me she asked you about the baby.”
“And she told me you think she’s insane.?
?? He dropped his pencil.
“I never said that!”
“No.” Michael remembered the tears in Susan’s eyes. “You told her you didn’t think she’d make a good mother.”
Sounding unusually defensive, Seth said, “And you think she would?”
Swiveling his chair away from his desk, Michael looked out the window behind him. He gained no inspiration at all from the barren tree limbs outside.
“She did all right by you and Sean and Spencer.”
“She didn’t have a career then.”
“She has a career now and she still looks out for you.”
