Chapter 3 - THE MAN MY BROTHER WANTED FIRED
I called Grant from the parking lot.
Rain hammered against the windshield of my SUV.
Lucy sat in the back seat beside Noah, who had been allowed to wait with us while Cal finished speaking to Dennis.
Cal stood beneath the diner awning.
He looked exhausted.
But he wasn't leaving.
Grant answered on the fourth ring.
“Hannah?”
“Why is your signature on a work order for Miller's Corner?”
A pause.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
He sighed.
“Are you seriously calling about a diner renovation?”
“There's a safety issue.”
Another pause.
“Who told you that?”
I looked through the windshield.
“Cal Bennett.”
Silence.
Then Grant said:
“Stay away from him.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“He's trouble.”
“What kind?”
“Disgruntled subcontractor.”
“Did he report a structural problem?”
Grant exhaled sharply.
“Hannah, you don't understand construction.”
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The same sentence I'd heard since childhood.
When I asked questions at the family business.
When I suggested improvements.
When I wanted to work in operations instead of marketing.
I didn't understand.
Because I was the daughter.
Not the son.
“Then explain it,” I said.
Grant hesitated.
“The guy refused to follow instructions.”
“What instructions?”
“Finish the work.”
“Was it safe?”
“Hannah.”
“Was it safe?”
He didn't answer.
My heart began pounding.
“Grant, did you fire him?”
A long silence.
Then:
“He was removed from the project.”
I stared through the rain.
“Why?”
“Because he was costing us money.”
I looked at Cal.
He was helping an elderly customer step around a puddle near the entrance.
I swallowed.
“Did he refuse to sign off on unsafe work?”
Grant's voice hardened.
“Don't get involved.”
May you like
I closed my eyes.
“Too late.”
