It's Nothing Personal (34 page)

“So that’s about a ninety percent chance
that it won’t!
 
And, if that’s the
case, is it worth it?
 
So far, the
media has left me alone, but that’s a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
 
The amount of stress will only get worse
between now and January.
 
I want
out, and I want out
now
!”
 

Jenna’s fragile composure completely
disintegrated.
 
She put her hands
over her face and cried, her shoulders heaving as she struggled for air.
 
This was not how Jenna had planned their
meeting.
 
She anticipated it would
be liberating to end the process.
 
Now, in front of her lawyers, seated in their conference room high above
the city, all the feelings Jenna had suppressed since the suit began were
coming out with a vengeance.

Jim and Nancy looked at Jenna.
 
She was a wreck.
 
No matter how badly they personally
wanted to see this case to trial, no matter how many hours, days, and weeks of
work they had invested in Jenna’s defense, they had the decency and respect for
Jenna to accept her decision.

Nancy pushed her chair back and walked
toward the door.
 
“I’ll go print off
the form.”

Jenna took deep, slow breaths, trying to
control her sobs.
 
After several
minutes, she started to calm down.
 

She asked Jim, “So what’s the process from
here on out?”

Nancy reentered the conference room with a
one-page document in hand, which she handed to Jenna.

Jim began to explain the process.
 
“First, you sign this consent for
settlement.
 
Then we call Randy
Stevens and inform him of your decision.
 
Randy will make a settlement offer to Anders.
 
After that, Randy and Allison Anders
will throw counter-settlement amounts back and forth, until they finally reach
common ground.

“One thing you need to understand is Randy
Stevens can settle for whatever amount he feels necessary in order to get the
job done.
 
That could be ten
thousand dollars or one million dollars.
 
Higher settlement amounts tend to attract more scrutiny from licensing
boards, which will follow you for the remainder of your career.
 
Once you sign this consent, things are
out of your hands.
 
But, to reassure
you, Randy Stevens feels very strongly that none of you did anything wrong, and
I don’t see him giving away one penny more than he needs to.”

“What do you see it settling for?” Jenna
asked.

“Several of your partners have already
settled cases with Anders.
 
Of
course, settlement amounts are confidential, and I can’t divulge that
information.
 
I can tell you,
though, that a settlement somewhere in the middle of twenty-five to
seventy-five thousand dollars would seem like a reasonable expectation.”

Jenna always appreciated Jim’s uncanny
ability to tell her what she wanted to know, yet still play by the rules.

“How long will it take?
 
We are leaving for Hawaii on
Thanksgiving Day, and it would be great if this were all behind us before we
left.”

Jim checked the calendar on his phone.
 
“That gives us about three weeks.
 
I think things should be settled by
then.”

Nancy handed the consent form to Jenna.
 
Pen in hand, Jenna signed over her
pride.
 
She dropped the pen on the
table and studied her signature.
 
The shaky scribble was unrecognizable.
 

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Jenna
apologized to her attorneys.
 
“I’m
sorry I gave up.
 
I know I let both
of you down.
 
I’ve let myself
down.
 
This is harder than I ever
anticipated, and I’ve had enough.
 
I’m so sorry for all the work you’ve done, all for nothing.
 
Mostly, I want to thank you for your
guidance, support, and friendship.”

Both Jim and Nancy bore melancholy smiles as
they told Jenna, “You’re welcome.”

Jim said, “Until this case is settled, we
are going to continue to forge ahead as if we were still on course for
trial.
 
Although I don’t see it
happening, settlement negotiations have been known to fall through.
 
Until the deal is officially done, we go
along, business as usual.
 
We’ll
keep you updated.”

The meeting was over, and Jenna stood to
leave.
 
Jim and Nancy walked her to
the elevator.
 
Jim shook Jenna’s
hand and then pulled her in and hugged her.
 
He whispered, “Things are going to get
better.”
 

Unable to talk, Jenna desperately needed to
leave.
 
She gave Nancy a quick hug,
as she fought back grief.

The elevator doors opened, and Jenna
silently stepped inside.
 
Punching
the button for the ground floor, Jenna waited impatiently for the doors to
close.
 
Once they did, even though
Jenna was the only passenger, she moved into the back corner, buried her head
in the wall, and cried.
 

At the fifth floor, the elevator
stopped.
 
Jenna barely had enough
time to wipe her tears away and look at the ground before an elderly, African
American woman with kind eyes and freckled cheeks stepped inside.
 

She glanced at Jenna.
 
“Oh Honey, you gonna freeze out there
without a coat.”
 

The stranger turned to face Jenna directly
and saw pure devastation.
 
“Oh
Lord.
 
Are you okay?”
 

At that moment, the elevator reached the
ground floor, and Jenna bolted out.
 
Wracked with sobs, she called back to the compassionate stranger, “I
need to go home.”
 

The woman exited the elevator behind Jenna,
shouting after her, “Sugar, you get home.
 
God bless you.”

Jenna ran to her car, jumped in, and locked
the doors.
 
In the chilly, desolate
parking lot, she sat in the driver’s seat and wept.
 
Twenty minutes later, she was finally
composed enough to drive home.

CHAPTER 48

Thanksgiving,
2011

Tom, Jenna, and Mia were elated to spend
Thanksgiving Day flying over the Pacific Ocean.
 
By the time their plane landed on Maui,
the sun had set.
 
The sky was thick
and black.
 
Famished and anxious to
get settled, the Reiners loaded their luggage into the rental car and headed to
their oceanfront condo.
 
For the
next two weeks, this would be their home.

Thanksgiving dinner was perfect.
 
Jenna and her family feasted on
hamburgers at the Barefoot Beach Bar on Ka’anapali Beach.
 
Situated only a few feet from the Reiners’
table, a jubilant, Hawaiian singer serenaded them with island tunes while Jenna
and Mia buried their bare feet in the warm sand.
 
In spite of the lack of a turkey dinner
and family members gathered around with football games playing in the
background, the Reiners were infinitely thankful.
 

Although Jenna’s lawsuit had not officially
settled, Randy Stevens and Allison Anders were engaged in intense
negotiations.
 
Jim and Nancy assured
her that a settlement would be finalized by the time their vacation was over,
and she was safe to consider the lawsuit behind her.
 
Jenna took them at their word and
relaxed.

According to the Reiners’ Thanksgiving
tradition, Tom, Mia, and Jenna each made a toast.
 
Mia went first, with her tropical
pineapple-orange-guava drink held high in the air.
 
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
 

“I’m thankful for my mommy and my
daddy.
 
I’m thankful to be here in
the place we love most in the world.
 
Oh yeah, and I’m thankful that I get to miss two weeks of school.”
 
Mia giggled as she clinked her glass
with Tom’s and Jenna’s Mai Tais.

Next, it was Jenna’s turn.
 
She was in a reflective mood and knew
that special moments like these needed to be cherished.
 
This vacation was the beginning of a
fresh start.
 

Raising her glass adorned with a paper
umbrella, Jenna proclaimed, “I’m thankful for my husband, who has stood by me
through such trying times.
 
I’m
thankful that I have the most beautiful, special, sweet, and sensitive daughter
in the world.
 
I’m thankful that the
nightmare is over.
 
And, I’m really
thankful to be sitting by the beach in the place where my heart will always
live.”

“Hear! Hear!” said Tom, as they tapped their
glasses together again.

“Daddy’s turn!” exclaimed Mia with delight.

Tom cleared his throat and stood, making a
big production of his toast.
 
Holding his glass in the air, he said, “I’m happy to be able to spend
time with the two most beautiful girls in the world.
 
Let’s make this vacation all about us
and do whatever we want.
 
No matter
the cost.
 
We all deserve it.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jenna said, lifting
her glass to Tom’s.

The next morning, Jenna woke early to the
soothing sound of waves gently rolling on to the shoreline.
 
Quietly, she crept out to the lanai and
looked out at the deserted beach.
 
She was so grateful for the trip.
 
Hawaii was part of her soul.
 
It gave her peace and tranquility.
 
A salty ocean breeze swept over her body.
 
The sun was just coming up, casting a
dim light along the coastline.
 

Mesmerized by the beauty of the ocean, Jenna
did not hear Tom as he snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her
waist.
 
Happily surprised, Jenna
quickly turned around and kissed her husband.
 
Her mouth relaxed as Tom’s tongue
pirouetted around her own.
 
The
sensuality caused butterflies in Jenna’s stomach.
 

“What about our daughter?” she asked,
breathless.
   

Tom tiptoed away, returning moments later
with a boyish grin.
 
“Fast asleep
and sawing logs.”

Jenna turned back to the ocean, with Tom
standing behind her.
 
Tom pressed
his erection into Jenna’s back, and she giggled like a young girl.
 

“Aloha to you, too,” Jenna whispered with
hot breath.
 

Jenna felt more playful, carefree, and young
than she had in months.
 
Tom
covertly lifted her robe, pulled down her panties, and made love to her right
there on the lanai.
 
Life for the Reiners was already
improving.

CHAPTER 49

Katharine Harper arrived promptly at 3 p.m.
for her meeting with Keith Jones.
 
Keith’s secretary had paged Katharine earlier that day to schedule the
appointment.
 
Since that time,
Katharine had a sense of impending doom.

The CEO was seated behind his oversized,
vintage desk when his assistant, Candace, escorted Katharine into his opulent
office.
 
She entered, and Keith
stood and approached her, shaking her hand.

“Katharine, thanks for coming on such short
notice.
 
Can I have Candace get you
something to drink?”

His assistant smiled politely, awaiting an
answer.
 
Katharine, wary of the
situation, said flatly, “I’m fine.
 
Thank you.”

Nodding, Candace left the room, closing the
door securely behind her.

Katharine sat in one of the burgundy leather
chairs angled in front of Keith’s desk.
 
Keith circled behind his bureau and took his seat.
 
For several moments, Katharine found
herself locked in a disconcerting gaze with Keith Jones.
 
His eyes were intense, his focus
sharp.
 
The CEO remained motionless.

Katharine shifted in her chair and crossed
her legs.
 
Not one to be
intimidated, she confidently initiated conversation.
 
“What can I do for you, Keith?”

Keith spun his chair around, contemplating
his response.
 
Once his revolution
was complete, he asked Katharine, “How well do you know Dr. Reiner?”

Caught off guard, Katharine blurted,
“Jenna?”
 
Immediately, she regretted
referring to her friend by her first name.

Keith rested his elbows on his desk and
clasped his hands in front of his mouth, holding his thumbs to his lips.
 
“Your sense of familiarity indicates that
the two of you are more than just acquaintances.
 
Would that assumption be correct?”

Katharine stiffened.
 
“I’m on friendly terms with many of the
staff physicians, Dr. Reiner included.”

Keith leaned toward Katharine.
 
From her seat, she could see the pores
in his skin and the slight stubble on his chin.