We finally came to a stop at Nate’s table in the far corner of the dining room. He was checking emails on his phone but promptly jumped up from his seat. “Hey! There’s my favorite lawyer!”
“Today’s special is southern-style chicken and dumplings,” the woman said in her lilting accent as I took the seat across from Nate.
“That sounds great. Ellice, you’re okay with chicken and dumplings, right?” Nate asked.
“No. Actually, just a garden salad with grilled chicken, please.”
Nate gave me a quizzical smile. “Bring the lady what she wants. I’ll have the chicken and dumplings and heavy on the dumplings.”
“Of course, Mr. Ashe.”
“Not a fan of chicken and dumplings, huh?” Nate chuckled.
I gave a weak smile, suddenly embarrassed by my overreaction. “Never liked them, even as a kid.”
“So how are things coming along in Legal?” Nate popped a chunk of corn muffin in his mouth.
“Nate, I asked to have lunch together because I wanted to talk to you privately about the Libertad deal.”
“Libertad?”
“Yes. The deal Jonathan was working on with Michael before he was killed?”
Nate stared down at his corn muffin for a beat. “Oh yes. Now I remember. Is something wrong?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I can’t find any information on the deal and, if it’s as big a deal as you say, there should be a paper trail. A memorandum or MOU, a contract, something.” Nate set the half-eaten muffin down and swabbed at the corners of his mouth with his napkin.
“I don’t understand,” he said. The waiter came over to our table. We sat in silence, allowing him to serve our plates and leave.
I leaned in to whisper. “I have some concerns about—”
“There you are!” I looked up and Willow was standing behind me with a big toothy grin. “Sarah told me I could find you two here. Okay if I join you?”
“Absolutely,” Nate said.
What the hell? Why was she always around whenever I talked to Nate?
The waiter approached. “What’s the special today?” Willow asked.
“Chicken and dumplings.”
“Oh God, no. Too many carbs. I’ll have what she’s having,” Willow said, pointing a French-manicured fingernail at my salad. “So what do you two have your heads together about?”
Nate smiled and gave me a pleading look seeking rescue.
Ethically speaking, Willow had no business in a conversation where I was giving legal advice, but I decided to let her interruption slide. And discussing my concerns about the Libertad matter with Jonathan’s mistress at the table probably wasn’t the wisest course.
I feigned a smile. “We were just discussing some ongoing legal matters.”
“So, Ellice, how are you getting settled in as department head?” she asked with an impish grin.
“Fine.”
“You know employee surveys go out in March. I’m sure everyone in Legal will have good things to say.”
“I’m sure they will,” I said.
Nate smiled. “Now, that’s exactly what I told Willow. You’re smart and you’re gonna do a great job. You’re family.”
I pushed around the lettuce in my salad bowl.
“You know why I treat folks around here like family?” Nate asked. “It’s ’cause this company was started by family. My granddaddy started this company with an old Ford Zephyr he drove around making deliveries down in Henry County. He built this company from nothing. And as long as I’m in charge, I will do everything within my power to make sure this company is viable and competitive in the marketplace. I fight every single day for this company. Make sense?”
This was the same canned speech he’d given yesterday in my office. Twice. Verbatim. If I was a betting woman, I’d think Nate was in the early stages of dementia. The constant midsentence forgetfulness, the repetition of his stories. It suddenly dawned on me that I was wasting my time trying to appeal to Nate directly.
Nate stabbed his fork into a thick dumpling and swirled it inside the bowl to sop up the gravy. “So, Willow, what’s going on in HR?”
She jabbered on incessantly about the employee surveys and benefits consultants. Not a word about hiring anyone who looked like me or the protesters in front of the building. I stopped pretending to eat and simply sat my fork on the side of the salad bowl. I stopped listening, too.
“Don’t you agree, Ellice?” Nate said.