“Bronwyn has hired me. Sort of. But not really. There’s no contract. And as CEO of The Haven she can’t enter into a contract with me without making it clear to everyone there that I’m working on the systems.”
“Which we don’t want to do. At least, not yet.” Meredith twisted in her seat to face him. “Why is the contract important?”
“Because one thing The Haven prides itself on is the privacy and security of its guests and their personal information. Even though I would never do anything with that data, if I remove it from the premises, even if it’s later proven that I did it for the benefit of The Haven, the board could use it to force her out.”
“How?”
“It could be considered a breach of her contract. I’ll confirm it this afternoon when I look. This isn’t about whether or not she would do anything inappropriate with the data, or even if I would. This is about the letter of the law or, in this case, the letter of the contract. If she’s in breach, they could remove her. I won’t save her job for her to lose it over a technicality.”
“So what’s the solution?”
“The solution is for me to use only computers that are the property of The Haven and that are located on-site. I can duplicate her hard drive in her office, then work from her laptop in her home.”
“Would that be sufficient?”
“I think so.”
Meredith was quiet for a few moments, then she squeezed hisarm. “Is it possible you’re making this up so you have an excuse to stay with her?”
Yes? No? He had no idea. No. Definitely not. “Does it matter?”
Meredith sighed. “I don’t guess it does.”
“The alternative is to see if she can come up with a reason for me to work from her office. But, given the current climate, I don’t think that’s wise. Not yet.”
“I agree.”
“So you’ll explain it to her?” Mo asked.
“No.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’m tired of playing the go-between. Talk to her yourself.”
“You know I can’t.” The words were gritted out. “I’m not the problem here.”
“I’m not sure I’d go that far.” Meredith made a sound in the back of her throat that was disturbingly growl-like. “Fine. I’ll talk to her. But, Mo—”
“The ball’s in her court. It’s her move. I’ve opened the door. I’ve cleared the decks. If you can think of a way to describe it, I’ve done it.”
“I wonder what her problem is?”
“She’s scared.” Mo hadn’t realized that truth until he said it out loud. But with the verbalization came a sense of rightness. Before he could elaborate, Meredith’s phone rang, and she answered it on speaker.
“Hey, babe.” Gray’s voice came through loud and clear.
Mo pretended to gag.
Meredith took the phone off speaker and put it to her ear. “Yeah. Almost to the office.” A pause. “I have a change of clothes.” Another pause. “Okay. See you soon.” A longer pause. And then a breathy, “I love you too.”
She placed her phone in her lap. “I won’t apologize for telling my fiancé I love him.”
“Could you be less gross about it?”
“Nope.”
He parked in front of her dental office, where Gray was waiting by the front door. “See you in a little while.”
