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Quietly, I creep out of the bed and pull on a pair of sweatpants. I took the liberty of ordering breakfast in this morning, too tired from the last two weeks of joining the whole group to eat out on the patio or in the dining area. I settle in on the couch, pull out my laptop, and catch up on some emails so I won’t be swamped once we’re back in the city.
A soft sound draws my attention. Mel stands in the doorway of the living area, chin tucked down, eyes a little red. She’s chewing on her lip; a nervous habit.
“Are you okay?” I ask before I can stop myself. It isn’t my business.
“Yes. Just…tired.”
I nod. “It’s almost over. Here, at least. Just one more day.” I try to make the words reassuring. Mel takes a deep breath and returns the nod. Her face softens and for a moment, I regret pulling her into this mess. She deserves better.
* * *
A few hours later,after a casual hike with Dave and Roy, and Mel spending time at the spa, we meet up at the room again. Lunch is in half an hour and my stomach is already rumbling. I’d barely picked at breakfast, distracted by the emails and my worry about Mel.
“Everything okay?” she asks, curling up on the chair across from me. I’m pulling off my hiking boots, stretching my feet.
“Yeah. Just trying to decompress.”
“Decompress, hmm? Isn’t that what a company retreat is for?”
I give her a slightly flat, sardonic smile. “Work never stops. Especially on a company retreat.”
As if to make my point, my cell buzzes and vibrates across the coffee table. I glance at the screen and then snatch it up, reading the text over again.
It’s from Michelle, the head of HR, who stayed behind to catch us up on hiring.
“Shit.”
Leaning forward, I grab my laptop and flip it open. “I have to take this,” I explain to Mel, eyes locked on hers to impart that this is serious—I need her to stay quiet if she’s going to be in the room. “Zoom call.” Ignoring the fact that I’m still wearing a sweaty T-shirt, I connect to Michelle’s invite and her grim face appears.
“Thanks for getting on so quickly, Jenson.”
“Of course. Fill me in.”
“The report came in yesterday, but I didn’t want to reach out until I had a little more information. And corroboration.”
“So there’s a chance it’s true, then?” Not that I doubted it for a moment, given who the instigator in this situation is. Mel is watching, chin tucked up against her knee, brows raised.
“Yes. There were two other witnesses at the time. The person who reported it was hesitant. For obvious reasons.” Michelle’s voice has a sharp edge to it. Neither of us like Zach Dupont, and now we have even less reason to.
“Did he touch her, or was it verbal?”
“It sounds like there was some light inappropriate touching going on. No groping. I’m assuming when we speak to him, he’ll try to pass it off as standing a little too close.”
I grunt, my lip curling. “Did you already contact legal?”
“Of course. Jenson, I hate to ask this, but I have to—you’re sure you want to be involved in pursuing this? You are negotiating with his stepfather right now…”
“Of course I do,” I bite out. How can she even…? “If there’s even a chance this is true, that’s more reason for me to pull Dupont Analytics out of his hands, Michelle. We can’t have a man like that in control. If he’s comfortable sexually harassing the employees now, imagine what he’ll do when he’s the owner of the company.”
“You’re right, and I’m glad to hear you’re on board. You’re back when?”
“The day after tomorrow. But I can leave today if you need me.”
“No, no. Finish out the trip. I’ll have legal start writing up the paperwork. It’ll be a long battle and I want to make sure this woman is prepared for that. The uncomfortable questions, the attitude he’ll have.”
I have to breathe through my nose slowly to fight back the rage. Michelle and I work out the details and I finally close out the call, shutting my laptop and falling back against the couch.
“What was all that about?” Mel asks, voice timid but curious.
