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“Leave it to you to think sex is the only reason I would want to do the right thing.”
Sawyer takes a long breath to vent his frustration. “Dixon. Where the fuck was the signage?”
He rolls his eyes. “It was not in place. Yes, there’s footage of that. But none of that matters, Sawyer. Your little brother is trying to give away your family’s fortune to some low life who is trying to rip you off! He’s gone off the rails because of some sob story about the guy’s dad! It’s pathetic!”
“His dad?”
I explain, “The head injury cost him the memories of his dead father’s face. I don’t know what else he’s missing, but there was medically documented brain damage that our foreman caused by not putting the signage in the right place. I’ve never met the man before, but it’s plain that he’s had some kind of brain trauma. The way he speaks and moves—
“It’s an act!” Dixon snaps. “You’re a sucker, Rowan. Always been a sucker for a pretty face or a sad story, and now, it’s costing the family.”
“Is that right?” Sawyer asks Dixon.
“Yes. Remember when Keith’s secretary said she had a hard labor and couldn’t come back to work for an extra month? Our secretaries had to do another month of extra work to cover for her, and Rowan was the one who approved her extra time off,paid.”
Sawyer notes, “The other office assistants were compensated for the additional work, if I recall correctly.”
Dixon nods. “Exactly. More cost, thanks to Rowan. He’s always falling for bullshit like that. Only now, it’sreallycosting us. If he keeps this up with settlements, we will become synonymous with an easy target. That’s all anyone will think about when they hear the family name.”
“I see,” my older brother says. “Rowan, thoughts?”
“Dixon’s a cheap bastard who oversteps into our family business and doesn’t understand how to be a decent human being.”
Sawyer fights a smirk. “Rowan—
“Look, I get what he’s saying, and I am not suggesting that we should pay out every time someone stubs their toe. I’m saying that if I were feeling as generous as he says I am, then I would have doubled their settlement—“
Dixon scoffs a laugh and points to me, while asking Sawyer, “See? You see how he is?”
“But I didn’t double their settlement, because I didn’t want to bother you with all of this, Sawyer. I would have needed your approval for the total amount. You were getting ready for your wedding, you were under enough stress. I didn’t think you needed to come down here to handle what should have been a straightforward case for Dixon to handle.”
Sawyer sits back. “So you think we should pay, even though we could possibly win this?”
“It’s the right thing to do. The man lost a part of his mind because of our foreman. Can you imagine what that must be like?” My stomach turns at the thought. “It’s a nightmare. A nightmare we are responsible for, and I will not let Dixon try to deny our responsibility. Not in here, not in a courtroom. We did this. We have to fix it.”
“There was nothing to be fixed, but Rowan made it into a problem,” Dixon says dismissively.
Sawyer takes a beat, looking at Dixon. “You’re right.”
Dixon laughs at me, and I glare at Sawyer. “You cannot be serious.”
“Let me be clearer,” Sawyer says, “Rowanis right. We should pay Garrison what he asked. Make the arrangements, Dixon.”
“Oh, bullshit!” Dixon snaps and jumps to his feet, leaning on the table. “This is ridiculous!”
Sawyer’s calm demeanor betrays the storm in his eyes. “You’re a smart man, Dixon, so I know I don’t need to remind you who signs your paychecks.”
“Sawyer, it’s too much money!”
“Tell me the price you place on the memory of your loved ones, Dixon. I want to hear a number you feel is appropriate to cover the loss of those memories.”
He just stands there, and I cannot tell if he’s doing the math or if he’s not sure what to say.
But I offer, “That’s not a fair request, Sawyer.”
“Why not? I’m curious to know what he thinks is the right dollar amount for it.”
“Yes, but, I mean, it’s Dixon. I don’t think he has loved ones.”
