Free Angels at Christmas by Debbie Macomber

out as Roy returned to his chair.
    He leaned back and steepled his fingers, his mind spinning in various directions. Shaking his head, he opened the Griffin file. Try as he might to focus on the facts and figures regarding the buyout, his thoughts wandered to Julie Wilcoff. Part of him wanted to take her at her word—to believe she had no intention of suing him. But his experience with women said otherwise.
    â€œYou know by now you can’t trust a woman.” Until he heard the words, Roy didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud.
    Hoping to get a better feel for the situation, he called his executive assistant, Eleanor Johnson, and asked her to have Dean Wilcoff sent to his office. This potential lawsuit would bother him until he had some sense of what was likely to happen. The best way to find that out was through Julie’s father.
    Within minutes, his new head of security was shown into his office.
    â€œGood morning, Dean.” The older man stood by his desk, shoulders squared in military fashion.
    â€œSit down.” Roy motioned toward the chair recently vacated by his attorney. “I asked to see you on a personal matter.”
    The other man didn’t react at all. That was good. “I assume you heard about your daughter’s bicycle accident.”
    Dean nodded. “She told me about it herself. I want you to know how much I appreciate the way you took care of her.”
    Roy dismissed his thanks. “She received the new ten-speed?” He’d had it delivered on Monday.
    â€œShe did, and I’m sure she’ll want to thank you personally for your generosity.”
    â€œThat isn’t necessary.” Roy paused, uncertain how to phrase the next question. “Uh, how is Julie?”
    â€œHow is she?” the other man repeated as if he didn’t understand. “Oh, do you mean does she have any lingering aches and such from the fall?”
    â€œYes,” Roy said without elaborating. He didn’t want to tip Wilcoff off about his fear of a lawsuit. Sure as anything, Julie was talking to some fancy lawyer who’d promise her millions. Roy’s millions. The tension gathered in his shoulder blades, tightening his muscles.
    â€œJulie’s tough,” Dean answered, seeming to relax for the first time since entering the office. “As a kid, she had more scraped knees and bruises than any boy in the neighborhood. I will admit that when I saw her bike, I was a bit concerned, but she doesn’t seem to have any ill effects from the accident.”
    â€œI’m glad to hear it.”
    â€œLike I said, Julie’s tough.”
    â€œShe’s been able to work all week, then?” That was another important question. If she was badly hurt, as she might claim, her showing up at work would be evidence that those claims were only an effort to bilk him out of as much money as possible.
    â€œOh, sure. She went to school every day this week.”
    This was sounding better all the time, but it was no guarantee that she wasn’t planning legal action at some later point. No, it was best to deal with this once and for all.
    â€œYour daughter’s convinced I caused the collision.” There, he’d said it. He watched the other man closely, wondering how he’d respond.
    Wilcoff dropped his gaze. “Yes, she did mention that.”
    Aha! Roy knew it. This was exactly what Williams had warned him about. Not hearing from Julie didn’t mean he wasn’t being set up for a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
    â€œI feel bad about the accident,” he said, selecting his words with care. “While Julie and I have a disagreement as to the cause, I’d like to remind you she was riding on company grounds.”
    Wilcoff heard the censure in Roy’s voice and reacted accordingly. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t do that again.”
    â€œI’d appreciate it.” He shuddered at the thought of another accident on