Relieved to have the meeting over with, Ruby stood up hastily and shook each one of the boys’ hand as they headed for the door. A couple of them gave her a hug and she returned it enthusiastically. Grant stopped beside her, giving her a that went well look, but before she could head out with him Sam asked her to stay behind in a voice that brooked no argument.
Glancing back, Ruby found that Sam was scrawling notes in a file and not even looking at her. Grant raised a brow at her in question. Sam’s directive had come across more like a command but the last thing she wanted to do was extend the meeting. Her nerves were shot.
‘Actually, I have another meeting I need to prepare for,’ she said politely. ‘Can it wait?’
Sam frowned as he glanced up at her. ‘No. It can’t.’
Ruby moistened her lips. ‘Perhaps an email, then?’
Grant coughed into his hand and quickly gathered up his laptop and file notes as he caught Sam’s darkening expression. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
Aware that she had probably overstepped the lines of professional decorum with that last suggestion, she stood tensely waiting for Sam to finish making his notes.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally he leaned back in his chair and looked at her, his long, thick lashes concealing his expression from her. ‘Mind telling me what that was all about?’
‘What?’ she asked, stalling for time.
‘Your desire to scramble out of here as quickly as possible.’
‘I don’t scramble,’ she said indignantly.
‘You also don’t have a meeting to get to. I checked with your secretary earlier because I wanted you to stay back and go over a few key points with me.’
Irritated at his high-handedness, Ruby bristled. ‘How dare you go over my head and ask Veronica about my movements? If you want to know my schedule you can ask me.’
‘I didn’t go over your head. You were busy talking and I saw no point in interrupting you for something so small.’
His raised brow told her she was overreacting—and not only that but it was also a reminder that he was her boss and could do what he damned well pleased—so she sucked in a deep breath and forced her lips to curve upwards. ‘Fine. What key points?’
‘Thabo and Jeremiah were particularly nervous today and their stories didn’t seem to stack up with their original depositions. Why is that?’
‘Jeremiah has a minor learning disability. It’s one of the reasons he was ridiculed in the workplace. He’s been on medication ever since to manage his anxiety and I think it messes with his memory.’
‘We should strike him from the client list, then.’
‘We can’t. He deserves to be heard as much as anyone else.’
‘I didn’t say he didn’t. But we have to be practical. He’ll get compensation like the others, but he shouldn’t be subjected to the witness box if this goes to court. It could make his health worse.’
‘If?’
‘Don’t get your back up again. I very much doubt Carter Jones will let it go all the way.’
‘But it has to. How else will our clients receive full validation for how they were mistreated?’
‘Money will go some way to appease them.’
‘That’s not true,’ she fumed. ‘You know they’re not motivated by money. They want justice.’
‘They’ll get justice. Now tell me about Thabo.’
‘I have a feeling Thabo is standing in for someone else who doesn’t want to come forward.’ She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and noticed his eyes follow the movement. ‘I think it might be a woman. If you haven’t noticed there are no women on the case because they’re too frightened to come forward. I think that’s why Thabo is defensive.’
‘Which also makes him a weak link.’ Sam frowned. ‘But the women need to be as equally compensated as the men. Can you find out if we can get any of them to come on board?’
‘Of course.’ She cleared her throat, suddenly aware that she’d moved closer to him during their discussion. ‘Is that all?’
‘You tell me?’ His rough tone did nothing to placate her frazzled nerves.