Chapter 8 - A Reference I Never Gave
My restaurant was named on page twenty-six of Glasshouse's proposal under CLIENTS SERVED. Beneath it was a paragraph praising the company's reliability, followed by a signature that resembled mine.
I read it while standing in my office, still wearing my apron.
"I never hired them," I said.
"Are you sure they didn't send temporary servers for one event?" Leah asked.
"We use our own team. Always have."
Jonah was on speaker, but he didn't interrupt. Anita had given the document to legal counsel after the restaurant appeared in the bid. My husband wasn't allowed to handle the evaluation anymore, which only made the forged endorsement more disturbing.
"Someone put your name on a recommendation," Leah said. "We can establish whether the signature is genuine. Don't confront Lauren."
I went back to the dining room. Four tables were occupied for lunch. A couple shared soup. An elderly man asked for more bread. It was absurd that a forged document could threaten the small, ordinary life I'd built here.
At two, Tessa Hall walked through the front door. She had a pale face and a tan coat folded over one arm.
"I was told to record it," she said before I could speak.
I led her to the office and offered her water. She accepted but didn't drink.
"Lauren said it was a joke. She wanted a video of Maya Collins getting embarrassed. She gave me a fifty-dollar bill and told me to start filming when she picked up her glass."
"Why are you telling me?"
"Because I saw what she posted. She made it look like you attacked her."
Tessa placed her phone on the desk. "I've still got the entire recording. But if I help you, she'll fire my sister."
May you like
"Your sister works for Glasshouse?"
Tessa nodded. "At one of Harborstone's hotels. She's the person who sent you that picture."
