Love Proof

Chapter 2

2

“Hello, Mrs. Franklin, thank you for coming in today,” Sarah began. “My name is Sarah Henley. I’m the attorney for Mason Manufacturing. They provided the heating element for the Atheena hair iron you purchased.”

Darlene Franklin folded her arms over her chest and glared at Sarah.

“Speaking personally,” Sarah continued, “I’m very sorry for what you went through. I’m sure that had to be horrible.”

She could see the woman soften. Just a little.

“Is that official?” Joe asked.

“As I said,” Sarah repeated without looking at him, “I was speaking personally, woman to woman. Now, Mrs. Franklin,” she went on before Joe could make any more of that statement—which really was just a tactic to make his client feel more comfortable and hopefully less hostile—“I only have a few questions for you, then we can let you be on your way.”

She smiled, but Mrs. Franklin did not smile back. That was fine.

Sarah asked her few simple questions—fewer than ten of them—then smiled again at Joe’s client and thanked her for her time.

The court reporter waited for Joe, to see if he had any questions of his own.

“We’re done,” he said. “Thank you.” He took a few minutes to escort his client from the room, then returned, checking his watch. “Next one’s at one o’clock, then I assume we’re all on the same five-thirty flight. Think you can condense some of your questions, Paul, so we can make it?”

“I’ll take as much time as I need,” Chapman answered.

“Of course.” Joe looked at Sarah, obviously expecting her to signal in some way that she, too, thought Chapman was an i***t. Instead she resumed typing her notes from the deposition.

“How about you, Sarah?” Joe asked. “Are you on the five-thirty?”

“I don’t know,” she said without looking up, “probably.” Although she knew very well she had chosen that flight instead of the one two hours later. She hoped to have a light dinner somewhere cheap, then go to bed at a decent hour so she could wake up early enough to work out before the next morning’s deposition. But none of that was Joe’s business.

The court reporter finished putting away her equipment. Sarah looked up and smiled. “Thank you, Marcela. We appreciate your work.”

“You’ll see me again,” Marcela said. “Our company got the contract for all of the west coast depositions. I’ll be at some of them next week.”

“See you then,” Sarah said. She accidentally caught Joe’s eye, and quickly looked back at her laptop screen.

“Sarah, can I talk to you for a minute?” Joe asked.

“Not right now,” she said. She typed a few more lines, just as cover.

“Sarah?”

“What?” she answered, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

“Can I interest you in lunch?”

“No, thank you.”

“You buying?” Paul Chapman asked him.

“No,” Joe said. “I was going to make Sarah pay.”

Funny, she thought, looking him straight in the eye, I was thinking the same thing about you.