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Everyone looked at him. Lilac hadn’t told him what had happened—she’d barely explained any of it to him, but she had said that she had an investigation pending and that she and HR had agreed she’d work down in Gyu-ri’s office and focus on that big crossover event until the investigation wasover.
Brad in HR had even asked her ifshe’dwanted to quit instead, but her lawyer had apparently jumped all over them for that and they’d gone out of their way to accommodate herwishes.
“She’s in Gyu-ri’s office,” said Nolan. “At theBallroom.”
Everyone grew thoughtful then, quiet a moment, until Eddie opened his big mouth again. “Okay, he’s a creep. But I’ve never seen him do anythingillegal.”
“Like he’s going to hit on someone in front of you,” said Cheryl, shaking herhead.
Nolan stepped out of his costume fully then. “I saw him do something,” he said. “Lilac was on the ground, picking up some things that had fallen, and he was brazenly checking out herass—”
“Likeyouwouldn’t,” said Eddie then, just as he freed one of Jo’s legs. She kicked his shoulder with it, causing him to rub his otherarm.
Nolan ignored that—it was more true than Eddie could know. Because he sure as shit hadn’t told any of them about his night with Lilac. “He also made a comment. Something about having her on her hands and knees as he stared right at her butt—and she saw it. We bothdid.”
Cheryl frowned. “Did you tellHR?”
“No…” It was like she’d slapped him. Why hadn’t he? Why had he let that asshole get away with it? “Lilac didn’t seem to want meto.”
“See?” said Eddie. “It was no big dealthen.”
Free of her costume, Jo finally walked away and Eddie ran after her, calling out multiple terms of affection, but Jo’s lips were pinched and she stomped right into the women’sbathroom.
DeShawn snickered. “Boy’s about to get an education or lose some tail,” he said. Cheryl glowered at him then and he chuckled nervously, almost as if he’d forgotten she was there. There was an “off button” to most guys’ dirty talk when women were around, something Earl never seemed to grasp. “Anyway, I should, um, check those… Half an hour left,” he said to Nolan, referring to when their lunch break would beover.
Cheryl watched him go and shook her head. “DeShawn’s so sweet,” she said. “But even he can’t get his mind out of the gutter.” She turned back to Nolan. “Whenever Lilac told you not to bother reporting Earl? That was then. Maybe she was still struggling to hold on to her composure, to ignore it all. Maybe he hadn’t done whatever it was he did yet.” She jutted her chin forward as if to study him and then nodded. “I bet she’d want you to come forward now. It would certainly help hercase.”
Nolan stood there thinking and for the briefest of selfish but practical moments, he thought of what would happen if HR sided with Earl. Would they accuse Nolan of lying—or would Earl settle for making his life hell? Either way, he couldn’t afford to lose thisjob.
Fuck the job.Landon would be in school in a few months and there were other jobs, other places to work if needbe.
Lilac hadn’t told him what had happened, but he remembered her sorrow the day he’d found her at Thommy’s. He remembered the pain that seemed to exist there just below the surface during their nighttogether.
“Okay,” he said. “But maybe I should ask herfirst.”
He headed to the locker room to grab his phone and bring it back into the fan-cooled break room to do justthat.
Chapter Seventeen
“Areyou sure you don’t mind? I can ask Tanya to stop by later—or take it over myself.” Cradling her office phone between her cheek and shoulder, Gyu-ri looked up at Lilac, who stood in the office doorway and used her knee to shift up the big box of pamphlets shecarried.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Tildy’s Tots isn’t that near the management offices and whatever they think, HR at least ordered both of us to walk the other direction should we bump into eachother.”
“And you expectEarlto do that?” asked Gyu-ri, the skepticism clear as day on herface.
“I expect tail-between-his-legs, scared-shitless Earl to do that, yeah,” said Lilac, grinning. She couldn’t help it. None of this was funny, but it sure was less scary thesedays.
“Well, if you’re sure—hi, this is the Ballroom management office,” Gyu-ri said, obviously getting off hold and beginning hercall.
Lilac squared her shoulders back and headed toward the Ballroom entryway. The door out to the area where guests arrived was like a delineation in the sand. On one side of the colorful door were the plain, compact offices—the most decorative bit of design an occasional framed cel of Tildy or one of her animated friends on the wall. On the other side was light and color and magic, but Lilac knew it’d ruin the illusion to have a businesswoman with a box just stand there gaping, so she passed through quickly, smiling to herself when a little girl shrieked in delight and started twirling right there in theentryway.
She remembered feeling like that once. And truth be told, a tiny part of her was rekindling, reminding her that shecouldfeel that wayagain.
It had been scary telling her aunt and asking for the lawyer. First and foremost because that meant she’d had to tell her parents—and of course that meant they’d tell her grandparents—and Grandma Violet had flown in for a few days to help her and Frankie get it allsorted.
Even though Grandma Violet had stayed in a hotel, the two women had hardly been able to spend more than a minute together without sniping at one another. But they’d put their differences aside when it came to helpingLilac.
“I don’t know why you just don’t leave this dreadful place,” said Grandma Violet as she kissed Lilac’s cheek goodbye at the airport the previous Friday. “The lawyer will let you know when or if you need to come in to testify or interview or whatever it is they might need youfor—”
