Ben would rather have a root canal than spend one more minute waiting in the lobby with Nora and Vince Palermo. The city council meeting should have been over an hour ago. He’d never been a patient man, but he’d always managed to keep a professional demeanor with his clients.
But he’d never had clients that he personally disliked as much as these two clowns. In the past couple hours, they’d gone from squabbling over everything from where they’d parked the car to long spans of silence so awkward that Ben had been forced to walk away.
Vince picked up on Ben’s foul mood. “Give your pacing a rest. The longer they’re in there the better it is for us. Isn’t that what you said an hour ago?”
Was he pacing? That was something Jenna did. But he could see the appeal. There was a sick kind of nervous energy running through him that he had to get out of his system and it had nothing to do with whether or not he won this case. He didn’t give a rat’s ass if they were voting yes or no in there. The only thing in that room he cared about was Jenna.
“I also said that in all probability we won’t get a resolution today. According to my information, the council members have been tied three to three on this offer and I don’t see any of them changing their minds. Most likely, this won’t be settled until we take it to court.”
That little speech shut Vince up quick.
God, he really hoped this thing didn’t go to court. That would mean at the very least another year of having to deal with Vince. Maybe when he got to Miami he’d tell old man Martinez he wanted to slow down. Or start doing some pro bono work.
When was the last time he felt really passionate about a case?
He couldn’t remember.
Even the money didn’t matter anymore.
Nothing mattered really. Except Rachel. And Jenna. His mom had found her own happiness but he’d been standing in her way. He’d have to fix that.
Ben sat down as far away from his clients as it was politely possible then pulled out his phone. He’d check his emails. Anything to keep his mind off what was really bothering him.
Steve Pappas and Zeke Grant were the first to walk out. Neither man stopped to speak, but Zeke, he noticed, gave him a look that made Ben’s spine stiffen. The look wasn’t unfriendly, it was more like an unspoken warning.
Another thirty minutes went by before the door opened again and Larry Jefferson came out, grinning like a madman. He slapped Ben on the back. “You won!”
Vince jumped up from his chair. “You mean the city council voted to accept the offer?”
“They did indeed!”
Vince grabbed Nora and gave her a swift hug that she half-heartedly returned. “We did it, baby!” Then he ran over and shook Ben’s hand. “I knew you were the right man for the job! Whatever you said in there must have convinced them to take the offer!”
Ben nodded in acknowledgment, but this didn’t make sense. For the city council to approve the offer meant that someone had to have changed their vote in his favor. He couldn’t see Pilar changing his vote. Which left—
Gus was the next one to come out. Gone was the friendliness they’d shared at the football party. Instead he gave Ben the same look he’d given him the first time they’d met at The Bistro. With an air of distrust, he walked right by without saying a
word. Gus had been firmly in the no column. Could he be so disappointed with the end vote that he’d take it out on Ben?
If Pilar and Gus had stuck to their no votes, then in order for him to win it must mean that Jenna had been the one to change her vote. But he didn’t see that happening.
A few seconds later, Denise Holbert made her way out to the lobby. Like Gus, she, too, didn’t look particularly happy but she did take the time to stop to talk to him. “You should be ashamed of yourself!”
He had absolutely no idea what to say to that, so he just shrugged. She gave him a look that would freeze hell over and back, then stomped away.
By the time Mimi and Pilar emerged from the conference room he’d been ready to storm the door. Mimi’s smile was strained. “Congratulations, Mr. Harrison,” she said tightly. “The city of Whispering Bay is happy to inform you and your clients that we accept your offer in exchange for dropping the lawsuit you have against Earl Handy’s estate.”
“You’ll have it all in writing by Monday morning,” snapped Pilar. Then she added sarcastically for good measure, “Well done, as usual.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled. But he didn’t care about the verdict. “Where’s Jenna?”
“Aren’t you curious about how you won the vote?” Pilar asked, her brown eyes gleaming with animosity.
“I assume that Jenna changed her vote.” It was the only thing that made sense.
“Oh, she didn’t change her vote. She recused herself from the vote, which made it a three to two win in your favor.”
He stood perfectly still. “On what grounds did she recuse herself?”