Love After Layoffs novel · Chapter 10 of 24

Chapter 10: The Photograph

The Chairman had the blog post printed on heavy paper and laid flat on his desk.

It looked like evidence at a trial.

Three people stood in the office with him when we walked in.

One was his assistant, with a tablet.

One was a heavy man in his sixties with silver hair and a gold pin on his lapel.

He sat in the good chair.

The third was the finance chief, who nodded to me and turned toward the window.

"Savannah Scaife's father sits on our board for the Scaife family," Alvin said. "He asked to be here."

Her father did not stand.

"Brooks," he said. "This is a disaster."

"It's a photograph of a woman falling asleep on my shoulder," Brooks said.

"In a hotel."

"In public."

"In the same week you refuse my daughter in front of your grandfather."

His voice was smooth as butter.

"The press will say you were already involved with someone married."

"Our shareholders will say worse."

"Your daughter and I have never been involved."

"That's a matter of record, yes."

"Which is why the announcement must happen at the gala."

Her father looked at me for the first time, a long, slow look from my boots to my bob.

"A clean announcement."

"A proper bride."

"The photograph disappears, and Ketterman's name is protected."

"No," Brooks said.

"Brooks."

"No."

The old man tapped his cane on the carpet, once.

"Sit," he said.

We sat.

Alvin turned the blog post toward me.

"Miss Weller," he said. "Tell this room what that photograph shows. All of it. Do not leave anything out for his sake."

I took a breath.

"I kissed your grandson in a bar, and he stopped me," I said.

"The picture shows the one minute in that lobby where I leaned on him."

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