So why did her body tremble at the thought of the possible outcome?
“Let’s get this over with,” Stu grumbled behind her. At her request, he’d agreed to come with her. But he’d balked at putting on a suit. His concession had been a simple polo shirt and his best jeans.
She’d take it.
They walked into the meeting room together and looked around. A long table sat up front, with seven people behind it talking amongst themselves. They had the air of being more important than they needed to be.
Not the time to crack jokes, Tallen.These people might decide your fate later.
In the rows of chairs facing the table, only four others were seated.
“This is it?” she mouthed to Stu.
“What were you expecting, a prom?” He shrugged. “It’s a city council meeting for a small town in the middle of nowhere. Biggest issue that gets brought up here is likely some neighbor complaining about dog crap on their lawn.”
She stifled a laugh, then swallowed impulsive giggles. Okay, so she had nerves. Nerves could be a good thing. They kept you on your toes. But as she nearly hiccupped with the effort to keep the giggles at bay, she knew these were not helpful nerves. “At least there won’t be many witnesses to my humiliation.”
They took seats in the middle row, off to the left. Jeff wasn’t there yet. Or maybe he wouldn’t show up at all. Would that work in her favor, or against her?
The cold metal of the folding chair was uncomfortable, and she couldn’t get settled. Did they have to crank the AC in this place? Why was it so cold? And why was it bothering her that there were no friendly faces? She hadn’t issued engraved invitations, for cripes sake. So it shouldn’t settle so sourly on her that she was fighting this one alone.
Alone. On her own. The way she wanted it, right? Shouldn’t count on anyone else.
The council members straightened to face forward, and something about the woman in the middle looked familiar. But it didn’t click right away, so she brushed it off. Right as the woman in the middle started to speak, Officers White and Nelson entered. They took seats a few rows in front of her and Stu. Nelson turned to give her a smile, and she felt her whole body relax in response. How bad could this be, anyway? It appeared the law—at least—was on her side.
“We call this meeting to order. My name is Judy Plumber, and I am the chairwoman.”
Judy Plumber. The woman who’d caught her and Trace in a standoff in the frozen foods aisle the day she first saw Seth. Right … great.
Good old Judy called attendance for those at the table, and started to read the minutes of the last meeting. Jo felt her eyelids droop and she bit back a yawn. Stu elbowed her in the side.
“We’re getting to the good stuff.”
“—brought to our attention that Jo’s Place, a bar and restaurant, illegally over-served a driver and failed to offer him alternative transportation, i.e., calling a taxi service.” She paused, then sneered, as if hating to say, “Allegedly. Said driver was then in a car accident, which caused substantial property damage, though no extensive injuries.”
No question which side of the fault line the chairwoman sat on. Jo bit her lip and clenched her hands around the metal of the chair seat. Jumping up to shout, “It’s all a pack of crap!” probably wouldn’t go over so well.
“We have an investigation pending by Officers White and Nelson. Are they present?”
Officer White stood. “Yes, we are. The investigation is still pending. However, there is no evidence to suggest Ms. Tallen, or any of her employees, over-served the driver, or that she refused to call him a cab.”
Jo released the breath she’d been holding.
Judy the Righteous checked her notes over the rims of her glasses. “But there is no evidence fully disproving this same fact, am I correct?”
“Ms. Tallen produced the receipt, which does show the driver only purchased a single beer, along with his meal.”
“But does this prove he was not given complimentary alcohol?”
Nelson cleared his throat. “No, that’s not possible to see on the receipt.”
“So it seems, as far as evidence is concerned, we are at square one. Nothing proves, nor disproves, the claim.”
White nodded, then sat down, looking like a chastised child rather than an upholder of the law.
Jo couldn’t blame him. He’d tried, and he’d been honest. How do you produce evidence of something that didn’t exist?
The chairwoman checked her notes again. “I see here Miranda Effingham has asked to speak.”
“Yes, I’m here, thank you.” A woman with a pinched face and impossibly straight posture stood, facing forward.