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“Oh, please,” said Cheryl, crumpling up her napkin. “Get aroom.”
Angie stood, still taking an obnoxiously long time to fasten that button. “He can call me anytime he wants one,” she said, sashaying back toward her llama across theroom.
“Was that sexual harassment?” DeShawn asked, his face as stricken as if he’d seen aghost.
Nolan opened his mouth and then shut it. “I… I don’tknow.”
Cheryl cocked her head. “Did it make youuncomfortable?”
“Well,” said DeShawn, tugging at the Tildy Scout scarf around his neck, “yes, but probably not in the way you’reasking…”
“Does she have a position of power over you?” continued Cheryl. “Like, could she get you fired if you saidno?”
“No,” said DeShawn, “but she couldif—”
Cheryl held up a finger. “Don’t say she could if she made up the fact that you did something to her when you didn’t. I’m positive it happens, but not as often as men seem to think.” She stood, turning to Nolan this time. “I’m glad you helped out. I didn’t realize you wereseeingher on top of everythingelse—”
“But that’s not why,” Nolan said. “Not theonlyreason why,anyway.”
“I know,” said Cheryl. “But you’d be surprised how much farther a man’s account can oftengo.”
“But HR is pretty much eighty percent women,” said DeShawn. “I’m callingb.s.”
“And I’m telling you how it is.” She tsked. “What are they teaching you boys in school, Iwonder?”
“Definitely not Sexual Harassment 101,” saidDeShawn.
Yet so many guys seemed to pick that up anyway, thoughtNolan.
“Heading to the ladies’,” said Cheryl. “See youaround.”
Nolan nodded, his eyes back on his vibrating phone. A new message had just poppedup.
“It’s enough to almost make a man vow to be celibate,” said DeShawn, letting out a deep breath. “Hey, five minutes, okay? Then you suitup.”
Nolan grabbed DeShawn’s arm as he stood, stopping him inplace.
“Lilac’s in trouble,” he said. “I know you said fiveminutes…”
His lips pinched, DeShawn nodded as he shrugged himself free of Nolan’s grasp. “Go,” he said, but this time he grabbed Nolan’s arm. “But you oweme.”
Nolan ran toward the table where Silly’s head rested beside the rest of the suit and grabbed it, shoving it at his Tildy Scout caretaker for the day. “Keep it prepped and ready,” he said. “I’ll be here as soon as Ican.”
If I still have a job when it’s all over, he didn’t sayaloud.
* * *
It took far too longfor Nolan to get to the parking lot, where Lilac had told him she was texting from inside hercar.
I’ve been told to go home early, she’d written.Earl is being let go and they figure it’s better if I’m not on site when he has to clear hisoffice.
Then…He’s here, the text wrote.He’s in the parking lot. He sawme.
Lilac apparently had had the misfortune of parking just two cars down from Earl, Nolan could see as he approached. The man’s trunk was open, a box half sticking out, but he was over at Lilac’s sleek new hybrid, his face red, his hands flailing as he walked back and forth behind hercar.
Basically, it looked as if he weredaringher to run him over to try toescape.
“Hey!” shouted Nolan, bolting into a run. “What the hell is your problem?” He held his phone up to the man as he came up beside him. “I’m going to call thecops.”
