Chapter 18 - The Hearing Room
Harborstone held its vendor review behind closed doors, but Camila chose to submit a statement through Denise. Tessa provided her complete recording of the restaurant incident to Leah. Owen's disputed documents went to the appropriate reviewers, along with information that allowed the originals to be checked.
Jonah attended no selection meeting and cast no vote. I was grateful for that. It meant that whatever happened next would not depend on whether my husband loved me.
The procurement committee asked Glasshouse to explain discrepancies in its proposal. Its insurance certificates required independent verification. The Juniper Table endorsement could not be confirmed. The concerns about worker scheduling and pay were under separate review. Harborstone ultimately removed Glasshouse from the current selection process and reopened the contract to other bidders.
Lauren called me the minute she heard.
"You got what you wanted," she said.
"I wanted you to stop treating people like they don't matter."
"You think you're better than me because you own a restaurant?"
"No. I think owning something gives me more responsibility, not less."
She laughed, but the sound was thin. "You'll regret making an enemy of me."
"Lauren, I didn't make you pour that wine. I didn't put my name on your documents. I didn't decide how your workers were paid. Those were your choices."
She went silent. For a moment I thought she'd hung up.
"You really think anybody cares about a cleaning crew?" she asked.
My chest tightened. Fifteen years had passed, and she was still asking the same question with different words.
"I care," I said. "And so do they."
I ended the call. That evening, the reporter who had interviewed Lauren contacted us again. She had independently verified parts of the labor complaint and wanted to correct the public record about the restaurant.
May you like
She also wanted to see the unedited wine video.
This time, we said yes.
