Chapter 11 #2
Bronwyn shrugged. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m not going to be able to be in that room for even a second if I’m being watched. What if someone saw me last night? Could they have seen the email I sent to you?”
The question was directed at Cal, but Gray answered.
“No. It’s pointed straight at your desk.
No line of sight to the screen. My guess is they wanted to combine the visual with the audio.
Maybe they plan to record a meeting in your office in the future.
They could be trying to set you up. Get you to say something incriminating so they can oust you. ”
“If they showed up to a board meeting with illegally recorded video from my office, I can assure you that would not go over well.”
“Blackmail.” Mo’s statement dropped like a bomb in the room.
He waited until things calmed down before he continued.
“We all know Bronwyn isn’t doing anything illegal, immoral, or against the best interests of The Haven or the community.
But I’m not sure her family realizes she isn’t like them.
They may think they can catch her in the act of doing something, then blackmail her into supporting what they want done at The Haven. ”
Somber nods in the room showed everyone’s agreement, except Bronwyn. She looked gobsmacked.
He didn’t have time to process why that might be.
“I’m not convinced they want Bronwyn out of office.
She’s done amazing things for The Haven.
It’s more profitable than ever. And she works more than any Pierce has ever worked, and that includes her grandfather and great-uncles, who, despite the family feud, worked hard to make The Haven what it is today. ”
“He has a point,” Meredith spoke to Bronwyn. “Your cousins are lazy bums. Nathan’s the only one with any gumption, and he’s still not much to talk about. A few may want you gone, but it’s more likely they want you to stay in your position but be under their control.”
Bronwyn still looked like she couldn’t comprehend what they were saying. “What could they think they’ll catch me doing?”
“Not to bring up old wounds, but my guess is they’d love to catch you doing drugs, drinking on the job, or hooking up with a guest.” Landry’s words were soft but cut Mo like a torch slicing through metal.
“As Mo has already stated, we”—she waved her hands to indicate all the people present—“know none of that’s possible, but I’m not sure your family understands grace or redemption. ”
If her first statement had the power to cut through metal, her second statement was a blowtorch to Mo’s soul. Had he treated Bronwyn the same way her family had? Always assuming the worst? Always believing she would fall, fail, or flee?
He’d been behaving like a Pierce. If Granny found out, she’d string him up by his ankles and beat him with a broom.
And he’d let her because he deserved it.
“True that.” Meredith held out her hand and bumped Landry’s fist. “Let’s switch gears though. I have a better way to remove the devices. One that doesn’t involve sending Cassie in there to wreak havoc.”
Gray squeezed her close to him. “Let’s hear it.”
Meredith grinned. “I do believe it’s time to redecorate.”
Her declaration was met with a collective groan, then laughter, then nods.
“It’s brilliant, Mer.” Mo gave her a thumbs-up.
“I know, right?” Meredith bounced on her toes and turned to Bronwyn.
“Your office needs a fresh coat of paint. That will require us to take everything off the walls. And while we’re at it, we might need to remove everything from the office.
As soon as we take the offending picture off the wall, Mo can work his magic on the computer, and we can take the rest of the devices out by removing everything and putting it all in storage.
You, of course, will have to work from home for a few days. So sorry.”
“It’s not a bad idea.” Cal looked at Mo, and Mo gave him a nod.
“I’m sure Meredith can find a reason for me to be there while she’s doing her thing,” Mo added. “She and Bronwyn can talk while I clone the hard drive.”
Meredith clapped her hands. “We have a plan. No, wait. We don’t have a plan. When are we doing this? I have patients tomorrow. But I’m done by early afternoon. Can we empty the office tomorrow?”
Bronwyn shook her head. “I want the office cleared out as soon as possible, but how will we justify it? We aren’t ready for that stage. We have no idea what we’re doing. We haven’t picked out paint or anything!”
“Sure we have.” Meredith smirked. “I have a Pinterest board already done for you. I’m thinking we go with this gorgeous pale blue for the walls, ceiling, and trim.
There’s something very luxe about having everything the same color, just using different finishes.
So a flat on the ceiling, a gloss on the trim, and then maybe an eggshell on the walls? ”
“You . . . what?”
“Your office is too masculine. You inherited it, and you’ve improved it, but it’s time for a total refresh.
I’ve been considering it for a while. We can use the paint as an excuse to take the unwanted items out.
Then we’ll go shopping. Once the painting is finished, we can tackle the rest of it a few pieces at a time. ”
Bronwyn shook her head. Mo pulled Meredith away from Gray and gave her a hug. “Brilliant. I love it.”
The room filled with chatter until Cal let out a sharp whistle.
“Okay. Here’s the plan. Meredith drags Mo back to the office tomorrow afternoon.
She has paint samples for Bronwyn to see.
They remove everything from the walls and paint some swatches in places where we can cover them up with paintings that are safe.
While they’re doing that, Mo gets the hard drive and Bronwyn gets to have some say in her office renovation.
I don’t know if I can have a crew available this week, but we should be able to start next Monday. ”
“How?” Bronwyn asked.
“I have a crew that’s supposed to be on another job.
But it won’t take long to paint your office.
I’ll pull a couple of guys, and they can knock it out in a few hours.
But that means we need to take everything out of your office and store it somewhere.
To be clear, we don’t actually need everything moved out.
We could shove it all to the middle and cover it up.
But since we’re trying to get it all jostled and moved and switched around, we’ll say we need it out. ”
“It does need to go.” Meredith gave Bronwyn a somewhat apologetic smile. “It’s bad, sweetie. It’s time to say hello to new and fresh and modern. We’ll give you a space that’s all yours, free of bugs and cameras, and put some new locks on those doors.”
“That sounds wonderful, actually.” Bronwyn’s eyes had a suspicious shimmer, but it disappeared after a few rapid blinks. “I think this is all a great idea.”
Cal looked at Mo. “You have other jobs in the works. How does this fit into your schedule?”
Why was Cal asking him such a stupid question? “I’ll make it fit.” He turned his focus to Gray. “How are we going to protect her? I’m not comfortable leaving her here alone.”
“We worked that out already.” Meredith gave him a beatific smile. “I’m going to spend the night tonight.”
“You are?” Bronwyn and Gray asked at the same time with almost identical levels of incredulity.
“Yes, I am. This is, of course, how we’re going to sell the quick nature of the office renovation.
I was here, we started talking, and let’s face it, everyone knows how much I like to decorate.
It will be completely believable. I’ll run to the hardware store in the morning and order the paint.
I’m done with patients by two p.m. So that’s when Mo and I will come back over, take pictures off the walls, and remove the creepy camera, then Mo will copy the hard drive. ”
“Thanks for letting me in on the plan.” Mo wasn’t angry. It was a solid plan. But Meredith did have a tendency to run off and expect everyone to jump on board.
“I just did. And you’re welcome.”
“It sounds to me like you’ve covered tonight and tomorrow afternoon. What about tomorrow morning?” Gray asked.
Meredith held out her hand toward Landry. “I’ll let Landry do the honors on that one.”
“Why, thank you.” Landry gave a slight bow.
“Bronwyn, the silly goose, failed to put it on her calendar, but she has a planning session with me tomorrow morning. We will discuss my plans for new workshops, and she will be my guinea pig for a new class. If she likes it, we may add it to the list of options for our guests in the fall.”
It was Bronwyn’s turn to say, “Thanks for letting me in on the plan.” And she said it with the same sarcasm Mo had.
“You’re so welcome,” Landry continued in mock sincerity. “I knew you’d want to drop everything for me, what with me being with child and all.”
Bronwyn’s eye roll was spectacular.
Everyone in the room laughed, but the laughter held the tension of what they’d learned tonight.
“I don’t love the idea of either of you staying here, but I doubt anyone will try anything unless Bronwyn is alone,” Gray said. “I’ll have extra patrols nearby overnight.”
Meredith gave a theatrical sigh. “You’re such a romantic. Some men send flowers. My man sends extra patrols.”
“And some men do both.” Gray pulled her against his chest and returned his attention to Mo. “Maybe you can prioritize checking out the security guards here. Let’s see if we have any bad apples. I want to secure Bronwyn here before we rock the boat too hard.”
“I can do that. It would help if I had a list of names and basic contact info.”
“I’ll make one and send it over tonight,” Bronwyn said, her voice thick with emotion. “Thank you all. I’m still frustrated, but I’m not scared anymore.”
Mo was glad she wasn’t afraid.
He was afraid enough for both of them.