Chapter 8 - The Woman Who Read the Room
The mediator's office was nothing like the Maragold Suite.
No candles.
No low flowers.
No men with guns inside the conference room.
Sofia Vale had chosen a building with glass walls, bright lights, three elevators, and a security desk staffed by people who checked everyone's ID, including Jack Moretti's.
I liked her immediately for that.
Rocco escorted me upstairs but stopped outside the conference room.
"You don't come in?" I asked.
"Not unless you request it."
"And if Jack requests it?"
"Mr. Moretti does not outrank Ms. Vale here."
That sentence almost made me smile.
Inside, Jack stood near the window speaking with Enzo Rinaldi. Both turned when I entered. Enzo smiled like he remembered the coffee line and was still entertained.
Jack did not smile.
His eyes moved to my new shoes, then to my face, then away quickly enough that I knew he had checked the bruise and chosen not to make me feel inspected.
"Miss Bennett."
"Mr. Moretti."
Enzo sighed dramatically.
"Are we all going to be formal? I nearly died with both of you."
Sofia Vale entered before anyone answered.
She was in her forties, with dark hair, sharp glasses, and the composed irritation of a woman who billed by the hour and knew exactly whose nonsense was most expensive.
"Sit," she said.
Everyone sat.
Even Jack.
I respected her more.
For the next two hours, the lawyers explained the revised dock agreement. I understood less than half of the legal phrasing at first, but I understood patterns.
Shared inspection sounded fair until I asked who chose inspectors for night shifts.
Neutral storage sounded safe until I asked what happened to workers if cargo was delayed during a dispute.
Emergency authority sounded improved until I asked why temporary supervisors could suspend employee access badges without written cause.
That made one lawyer frown.
"That is standard security language."
"Standard for who?"
He blinked.
I pointed to the clause.
"If a supervisor can suspend access without written cause, a dock worker can lose a week's pay because someone above him is angry. If he complains, he looks disloyal. If he works anyway, he becomes trespass. You made one sentence into a trap."
The room went quiet.
Sofia wrote something down.
Enzo looked at Jack.
"She's right."
Jack nodded.
"Fix it."
The lawyer looked offended.
Sofia looked pleased.
By lunch, my head hurt.
Jack noticed.
Of course.
"Break," he said.
Sofia checked her watch.
"Ten minutes."
I went to the hallway and called Ruth.
Noah was at preschool. The robot was repaired. He had named it Sir Clanks.
"How is the mafia paperwork?" Ruth asked.
"Full of traps."
"So, paperwork."
I laughed.
When I turned, Jack stood several feet away, holding a paper cup of coffee.
Not close enough to crowd me.
Close enough to offer.
"Cream, no sugar," he said.
I stared.
"How do you know that?"
"You made coffee for yourself after the police statement. You added cream, looked at the sugar, decided against it."
"You watch too much."
"So do you."
Fair.
I took the cup.
"Thank you."
"How is your son?"
Every protective instinct sharpened.
Jack saw it.
"You do not have to answer."
That helped.
"He's fine."
"Good."
"He fixed the robot."
"With the silver screw?"
"No. The right piece was inside all along."
Jack absorbed that.
"That sounds like something people would ruin by making it a metaphor."
"Yes."
"I won't."
We stood in silence.
Then he said, "I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
"For looking."
My fingers tightened around the coffee cup.
"At my scars?"
"Yes."
I forced myself not to retreat.
"You asked if I was bleeding."
"I should have looked away first."
"No."
The word came out sharper than I expected.
He waited.
I swallowed.
"People look away like the scars are embarrassing. Or they stare like they prove something about me. You looked like they meant I had been hurt and was still there."
Jack's face changed.
Only slightly.
"That is what they meant."
My eyes burned.
"Not to everyone."
"Then everyone was wrong."
It was too simple.
Too dangerous.
Too much like a hand touching an old bruise gently enough to reveal it still hurt.
I looked away first.
"Break is over."
Jack nodded.
We returned to the conference room.
I found three more traps before dinner.
By the end of the day, Sofia offered me two additional weeks of paid review work.
Enzo offered me a job.
Jack said, "No."
I turned on him.
"Excuse me?"
He looked at me, then realized his mistake.
Old reflex.
Command first.
Ask never.
He corrected himself.
"I mean, I object for conflict reasons. Not for you."
Sofia raised an eyebrow.
"Growth in real time. Fascinating."
Enzo laughed.
Jack looked pained.
May you like
I should not have enjoyed it.
I did.
