“So what do you think?”
“About us ending up in bed?”
“No, but yes, that will happen. However, I meant about telling the others, and coming up with a plan to bring that that limp dick to his knees.”
The flash of excitement at the prospect told Hope she wanted that. Before now, she’d just been numb, but today, talking with Buster, and now Newman, she realized that she did want justice.
“I don’t think we can get him.”
“Surely with your reputation your boss knew what you were capable of, Hope? You’d been with Wildlife longer than Jay. You should talk to her, your boss, now the dust has settled and explain your side of the story.”
“There’s this thing between me and my boss.” Hope looked straight ahead, but felt his eyes on her. “Her opinion of me was never very high.”
“What?”
“What?” she said right back, to buy herself time.
“You and your boss. What’s the deal?”
“I may have accused her of incompetency… maybe.”
He laughed. “And was she incompetent?”
“She is the wealthy daughter of some business mogul who thinks she’s right at everything. I didn’t always happen to agree with her. I also think she had a thing for Jay.”
“Not an ideal situation. Are you open to at least discussing it with the others?”
Was she? It was humiliating, and Hope was usually a solitary person. Could she open herself up to others knowing what Jay had done to her?
“You can’t let him get away with this, Hope, because he’s not going to stop with you. You know that, don’t you? People like him don’t stop until they get to the top, and they don’t care who they stomp on to achieve that.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t see through him.” Hope said the words that had been riding her since her world had imploded. She’d never voiced them, only thought them, because she’d not confided in anyone until now.
“Why would you? He sounds like he worked hard at getting you where he wanted you, all the while behind your back he was setting up another play.”
“I should have realized.”
“Shit happens to all of us sometime in life.”
“Did it happen to you?”
He was silent as they came out of the trail and headed back into town. He took her fingers in his and swung them a few times, and the surprise was, she let him. It felt strangely good to be connected to this man.
“My dad.”
Just two words, but they told her that there was a lot more that he was dealing with in relation to his father. Hope didn’t ask what. Something told her this was a touchy subject for Newman.
“You should try being raised by my mom.”
He snorted. “No, thanks. One demanding parent was enough.”
“She was actually a good mom. I mean, we had everything and she made us independent, even though she comes across like this bitching hardass. I spent my childhood trying to get her approval,” Hope said softly. Now she’d started talking, it seemed she had a ton of stuff she wanted to say. As if years of silence had built up and needed release. “She was like this straight-A student, who excelled at everything.”
“My father was the opposite, but I didn’t realize that until I was older. He always wanted me to do more, be more. I was never enough.”
“I never knew that. I mean, I thought you were like the poster for the family to be.
“Not so much.”
