Page 63 of Must Love Dogs… and Hockey

“It was an accident. A motor vehicle accident.”

“Oh. That’s so tragic.”

His face tightens even more, if that’s possible. “Yeah. And my mom didn’t handle it very well. She kind of had a breakdown.”

“Oh my God.” I gaze at him with my heart in my mouth, sorrow and sympathy flooding through me.

“She was in the hospital for a while, now she lives in a care home. She’s had…treatment. But she’s still not the same. She takes a lot of medication and…she’s not really with it.”

“That’s so sad.”

He shrugs. “It is what it is. I go see her at Christmas and in the summers, and I make sure she’s looked after. My Aunt Kathy—her sister—keeps me posted about how she’s doing.”

I reach out and curl my fingers around his big hand to squeeze it.

“What about your family? You mentioned your dad called the other day.”

I let him change the subject. “Yeah. From the Philippines. That’s where he is now.”

“Wow. He lives there?”

“No, he’s just traveling around. He’s having a midlife crisis.” I roll my eyes. “I guess that’s what it is anyway. He’s doing all the things he wanted to but never could.”

“Are your parents divorced?”

“Nope.” I shake my head and cut another piece of waffle. “He just left. They’re still married. Mom thinks he’ll come home to her when he’s got it out of his system. She’s just patiently waiting. Meanwhile, she’s stuck with the house and all the bills and a daughter who can’t support herself.” I laugh lightly.

“You’re working on that.”

“I am. But she doesn’t get that either. She’s the practical one in the family.”

“No brothers or sisters?”

“No.” I make a face. “Spoiled only child.”

“You’re not spoiled.”

“Oh, I am. Or was.” I let out a gusty sigh. “I didn’t realize how much until I was out of work. My family wasn’t wealthy, but we were comfortable. I had a part-time job as a teenager, and I used it for expensive makeup and cellphones and designer clothes. I got a good job right out of college and I kept spending money on those things. I didn’t have much saved up when I lost my job, and I thought I’d find something right away. I didn’t realize what a mess I was creating for myself with the lawsuit, and I was pretty bitter that I couldn’t buy new shoes and go out to clubs and spend fifteen bucks on a cocktail.” I keep my tone light, but I’m not proud of the way I was. I don’t even like talking about it, but he told me about his sad story, so what the hell. We’ve seen each other naked, might as well bare everything. “I learned some hard lessons, but it took a while.”

He’s watching me, his face relaxed again, his mouth soft. “At least you learned.”

I nod, his support bringing on a rush of warmth in my chest.

“Why did you decide to sue? What did they do that was so bad anyway?”

“Ugh. The company I worked for is a big chain of resorts and time-share properties. Lexington Resorts. They have operations all over the world. I got to travel a lot to some really gorgeous places. Anyway, they sell a lot of time-share to seniors, and when I got more involved in that side of the business, I started to see that they were using some very unethical practices. Reps were preying on older time-share owners to get them to increase their holdings and told them that the company would buy back their ownership stakes if they didn’t want them anymore. They opened credit card accounts for buyers without their knowledge or approval. They verbally told them all kinds of things that were totally different than what was in contracts, and the seniors believed everything they were told and handed over their money.” I close my eyes, remembering the devastation and heartbreak of some of those seniors. “The company set sales goals that were impossible to meet if reps were actually following policies and regulations. They were breaking laws.” I pause, that anger flaring again inside me.

“Wow.” Easton tilts his head. “That’s shitty.”

“It was awful. I saw the lives they were ruining by taking those poor seniors’ life savings, knowing they’d never see that money again.” I pause, then say regretfully, “My own grandma got sucked into it. I felt horrible. I wanted to do something about it. Only I didn’t realize how high up the corruption went. When I first approached my boss about my concerns, he brushed me off. He knew what was going on. They wanted more business and they didn’t care how they did it. Then I complained higher. And they started to retaliate against me. They said I wasn’t supporting their agenda, not being a team player.” Bitterness edges my tone.

“Shit.”

I nod. “Then I got fired.”

“Bastards.”

A quick smile pulls at my lips. “Yeah. I was pissed. At first three of my colleagues joined me in my lawsuit. But then the company settled with them and they dropped out. I was the only one left, and when they offered me a settlement, I told them I’d only take it if they changed their policies to help protect customers. They refused.”

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