Once Dormant

Riley’s mouth dropped open.

What does he mean? she wondered.

CHAPTER SEVEN

As Riley sat there staring at him, Ryan said the words again …

“I’m ruined. My whole life is ruined.”

Riley was stunned. She couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken in such a despondent tone. Arrogance and self-confidence were more his style.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He heaved a long, miserable sigh and said, “Paul and Barrett—they’re forcing me out of the firm.”

Riley could hardly believe her ears.

Paul Vernasco and Barrett Gaynor had been Ryan’s law partners ever since the three of them had founded the firm together. More than that, they’d been Ryan’s most supportive friends.

She asked, “What on earth happened?”

Ryan shrugged and said in a reticent voice, “Something to do with my being a liability to the firm … I don’t know.”

But Riley could tell by his caginess that he knew exactly why he was being forced out.

And it only took a moment for her to guess the reason.

“Sexual harassment,” she said.

Ryan winced at the words.

“Look, it was all a misunderstanding,” he said.

Riley almost had to bite her tongue to keep from saying …

“Yeah, I’ll bet it was.”

Avoiding Riley’s eyes, Ryan continued, “Her name is Kyanne, and she’s an associate, and she’s young …”

As his voice trailed off for a moment, Riley thought …

Of course she’s young.

They’re always young.

Ryan said, “And I thought everything was mutual. I really did. It started off with some flirtation—on both of our parts, believe me. Then it escalated from there until … well, she went to Paul and Barrett complaining about a toxic work environment. They tried to handle it with a nondisclosure agreement, but she wouldn’t settle. Nothing would do, I guess, except for me to go.”

He fell quiet again, and Riley tried to grasp all that he was leaving unsaid. It wasn’t hard to put together a possible scenario. Ryan had gotten enthralled with a pretty and vivacious associate, maybe an ambitious young woman with her eye on an eventual partnership.

How far did Ryan go? she wondered.

She doubted that he would have held a promotion over her head in exchange for sexual favors …

He’s not that kind of a creep, she thought.

And maybe Ryan was also telling the truth about the attraction being mutual, at least at the start. Maybe they’d even had a consensual affair. But at some point things had soured, and the woman, Kyanne, hadn’t liked what was happening between them.

Probably with good reason, Riley figured.

How could Kyanne have helped thinking that her future with the firm was somehow linked to her relationship with Ryan? He was a full partner, after all. He wielded the power in their relationship.

Still, something didn’t add up for Riley …

She said, “So Paul and Barrett are forcing you out? That’s their solution?”

Ryan nodded, and Riley shook her head with disbelief.

Paul and Barrett weren’t exactly Boy Scouts themselves, and Riley had overheard some pretty salacious talk among all three of the partners over the years. She was sure that their behavior had been no better than Ryan’s—possibly considerably worse.

She said, “Ryan, you said she wouldn’t sign an NDA.”

Ryan nodded and took a sip of his drink.

Very cautiously she asked, “How many sexual harassment NDAs have you worked out over the years?”

Ryan winced again, and Riley knew she’d hit upon the truth.

She added, “And Paul and Barrett—how many NDAs have they had to negotiate for themselves?”

Ryan began, “Riley, I’d rather not get into—”

“No, of course you wouldn’t,” Riley interrupted. “Ryan, you’re being scapegoated. You know that, don’t you? Paul and Barrett are trying to clean up the firm’s image, make it look like they’ve got some kind of zero-tolerance policy toward harassment. Getting rid of you is their way of doing that.”

Ryan shrugged and said, “I know. But what can I do?”

Riley certainly didn’t know what to tell him. She didn’t want to sympathize with him. He’d been digging this hole for himself for years. Even so, she hated the trick his partners had played on him.

But she knew there was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, something else was worrying her.

Nodding toward the bags, she asked, “What are these for?”

Ryan looked at the bags for a moment.

Then he said in a choked voice, “Riley, I can’t go home.”

Riley gasped aloud.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “Did you lose the house?”