The Grass is Greener

by Loretta Hill

  Her confidence in the case and herself was pretty high until she opened the door to the meeting room and walked in.

  The first person she laid eyes on was Bianca Hanks.

  Claudia stilled, unable to remove her hand from the door knob. It felt like it was glued there.

  Bronwyn’s mother was already seated on the left-hand side of the square table in the centre of the room. The pen that had been tapping the documents in front of her stopped as her gaze latched onto Claudia’s face. The older woman pulled in a sharp breath. It was clear Ms Hanks had made two deductions in that split second.

  First, that Claudia was working under Sebastian Rowlands, a job she thought she had tagged for her daughter.

  And second, that she was the last to know about it.

  Oh shit.

  ‘Claudia, will you please proceed.’ Sebastian’s crisp command sounded behind her.

  She started, removed her hand from the door knob and quickly advanced into the room.

  Claudia hadn’t seen Bronwyn’s mother in a long time but nothing much had changed. She had the same shade of blonde hair as her daughter and also the same blue eyes. Unlike Bronwyn, however, there was nothing soft or inviting about her features. She was corporately handsome and sleekly stylish. Her hair was worn blow-dried straight, her make-up was bold. Her eyes narrowed behind black wire-rimmed glasses as Claudia crossed the room to sit as far from her as possible.

  Not sure whether acknowledging they knew each other was a good thing or not, Claudia nervously and rather stupidly did something in-between. She lifted her hand to give a small wave.

  Unfortunately, the slight twitch of her fingers accompanied by a half smile came across more comical than anything else – as though Bianca had lifted a blanket and found her hiding beneath. If the temperature in the room was cold before, it now dropped a further two degrees.

  ‘Well, Claudia, this is a surprise.’ Bianca’s mouth seemed to form the words without her lips even moving.

  In truth, the surprise was all Claudia’s. Why hadn’t she known that Bianca would be attending this case? The answer was simple. Because Seb hadn’t wanted her to know.

  You fool.

  A case against Bianca Hanks!

  She’ll wipe the floor with you.

  Claudia involuntarily cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice neutral, perhaps inspire Bianca to mercy. ‘Lovely to see you again,’ she said.

  Bianca did not respond in kind. Instead, she turned to Seb in accusation. He addressed her smoothly enough, mentioning the lawyer Claudia had been expecting.

  ‘Thank you for filling in for Margaret on such short notice.’ He leaned over the table to shake her hand. ‘I was reluctant to vacate the pre-trial conference.’

  ‘Of course. It is, after all, in the best interests of our clients to settle this as quickly and cleanly as possible,’ Bianca returned.

  Claudia was at last able to turn her attention to Bianca’s client – the owner and manager of Perth Domestics, Renee Ryder. She was a middle-aged woman whose fashion sense had not moved out of the eighties. Her white jacket was well endowed with shoulder pads and her red fizzy hair had been tied back in a satin scrunchie.

  Suddenly, the door to Claudia’s right opened to admit the registrar. He was a short, wiry man in a grey suit who strode in like someone who didn’t have much time on their hands.

  ‘Good morning, Counsel. Let’s get down to business, shall we?’

  It was like suddenly being tossed a cricket ball without yet being ready with the bat. There were so many thoughts flying about in Claudia’s head – the top two being the fact that she hadn’t expected Seb’s revenge to be quite so swift or for Bianca to be part of it.

  The registrar prompted her again.

  ‘What do you have for me?’

  ‘Er … thank you, Registrar.’ Claudia nervously gripped her pen and looked at the notepad of dot points she had prepared earlier. ‘Today I am here with my colleague Mr Rowlands and our client, Mr Bill McCarthy. As per our client’s filed statement of claim, our client is seeking damages for the property damage caused by the defendant, Perth Domestics, on December twentieth last year. As pleaded, the claim relates to water damage to my client’s building, its furnishings on the third floor, and computer server. My client is also seeking damages for consequential losses associated with lost work and time, relocation of the employees who worked on that floor and the rental cost of new premises …’

  The registrar interrupted her impatiently. ‘I have read your client’s statement of claim – do you have anything to add?’

  Claudia blinked.

  Detail. Give him the detail. It was so open and shut … wasn’t it?

  ‘Registrar, as Perth Domestic’s representatives are aware, we have photographs of the damaged areas as well as the cleaners’ time sheets. Those timesheets demonstrate the cleaners were the only people present in the building at the time of the incident. We also have witness statements that the cleaners were smoking in the building just before the flooding on the third floor occurred. We believe this to be a cut-and-dry case, pardon the pun.’ Claudia winced internally and decided to wrap it up. ‘Our client has come in good faith to negotiate a resolution to these proceedings so as to save the parties the costs of a trial, and to unnecessarily avoid using the Court’s time any further.’

  The registrar nodded, turning his attention across the table. ‘Bianca, your thoughts.’

  The fact that he addressed the other lawyer by her first name dropped Claudia’s confidence another notch.

  Her adversary nodded. ‘My client now acknowledges the damage and is willing to pay a fair amount in compensation to Bill McCarthy and Sons for their part in it.’

  Claudia’s spirits lifted.

  There you go, your first instinct was right. She hasn’t even tried to disprove you. You have a strong position. You’ve got this.

  The registrar turned back to Claudia. ‘And what do you believe is a fair amount, Ms Franklin?’

  ‘We estimate the damages to be around seven hundred and thirty thousand. We are hoping that Mrs Ryder will agree to this figure or something close to it.’

  Bianca clasped her hands together. ‘This figure seems to be rather random. How have you come to this amount?’

  Claudia sat up straighter in her chair. ‘This is based on a number of quotes received from various tradespeople for repair and refurbishment of the premises. Also the time and work costs for the disruption, and additional building fees they have already incurred for relocation and temporary renting.’

  ‘All right, and where are these quotes?’

  ‘They are with the discovery documents.’

  ‘And where are the discovery documents?’

  ‘In our filing system at Hanks and Eddings.’

  ‘You didn’t think to bring them with you?’ Bianca asked silkily.

  Every part of Claudia’s face froze. It was very easy to see in hindsight why she should have those documents with her. But in the rush to get over to court, to prove her case, all she had brought with her were her notes and the statement of claim. In preparing she had focused on proving causation and forgotten about demonstrating quantum. The documents a lawyer pulled together when they were opening a case, not closing it.

  Rookie mistake.

  The ultimate humiliation.

  Words failed her. However, they were not needed. Bianca opened the thin beige folder in front of her. ‘We have done our own research into the damage and losses of McCarthy and Sons. We estimate, based on our client’s own quotes and calculations, that the appropriate figure is $175,756, precisely.’

  Bianca pushed the papers across the table.

  ‘But’s that’s not enough –’

  Bianca held up her pointer finger for silence, and like a little kid told off by her classroom teacher, Claudia shut up.

  ‘This figure may seem smaller because my client, while admitting some fault, does not wish to claim all credit for this disaster. Y
our client has complained that when the emergency sprinkler system came on, a corroded pipe burst over the server, causing fatal damage to it that would otherwise not be the case. This is not my client’s fault. This would not have occurred if McCarthy and Sons had done maintenance on the sprinkler system in a timely fashion.’

  She pushed a second document across the desk. ‘I have another document here detailing a quote for the repair and maintenance of the building’s emergency sprinkler system by a reputable contractor for Bill McCarthy and Sons. It is two years old and was never actioned.’

  Corroded pipe.

  How did I miss that?

  Clearly, because McCarthy and Sons wanted to cover it up. But where was she supposed to go to from here, especially without those discovery documents on her?

  ‘So unless you have figures to dispute mine, I think we should settle on $175,756.’

  Like a sword through the heart, Claudia knew she was spent. So did Bianca’s client. Unlike her lawyer, she was unable to hide her emotion and her lips curled with the gloating triumph of success.

  The registrar pulled the papers towards him and perused them briefly. ‘They seem to be in order and fair,’ he agreed. ‘Will McCarthy and Sons take the deal, or would you like a moment to talk with your client?’

  Bill McCarthy made a sound somewhere between a choke and a snort, his gaze fixed on Claudia like he wanted to kill her.

  She didn’t blame him.

  There were no more guns left in her arsenal. Though it cut her to the bone, for her client’s sake she glanced at Seb for help. He seemed to be expecting it as his face was already turned towards her with raised eyebrows. She cast her eyes down in surrender. He opened the files in front of him.

  ‘You’ll have to excuse my associate. I didn’t mention to her that I had packed our discovery documents. Though without reading them I can tell you that Ms Hanks’s figures are grossly under the mark. McCarthy and Sons wish for an exact replacement of the existing carpet, which is a high quality brand known as Imperial English, currently available from only one carpet manufacturer in Australia located in New South Wales. It will need to be sourced and transported at a premium.’ He drew Bianca Hanks’s document towards him. ‘This carpet seems to be of a generic variety, similar but not the exact replacement of that which was damaged. I suggest that our documents indicate an appropriate price. Also, two of the paintings in the foyer were originals, not prints, and are irreplaceable. Compensation for them is much more expensive than indicated here, as is the case with several other of Ms Hanks’s items.’ Sebastian clasped his hands together and looked up with a smile. ‘And with regard to the corroded pipe, we acknowledge that there was indeed talk of fixing it. Perth Domestics knows this as they were asked repeatedly to clear out their storerooms so that a contractor could access damaged sections of pipe that passed through there. They did not do this, holding up my client’s plans to start the work. We will, however, allow a small reduction in the settlement for not being more firm.’

  He pushed their discovery documents across the desk to the registrar, making Claudia feel sick at her lack of foresight. The registrar went through the documents and nodded. Renee Ryder’s face fell.

  Stiffly, Bianca received the documents from the registrar and perused them herself. After that, there was a bit more haggling over a few minor points of contention. Claudia kept silent throughout it all, not trusting herself to speak.

  I forgot documents.

  I missed evidence.

  How could I be so dumb?

  In the end, Sebastian managed to settle the case at around five hundred thousand dollars, which was much more satisfactory to Bill than the paltry sum Bianca had initially suggested. It seemed clear now that her conversation with Seb earlier had been a big mistake. All she’d done was given him all her cards. And it seemed he knew exactly how to play them. What was worse was that the whole time they’d been talking, he had known they were meeting with Bianca Hanks. Perhaps he’d planned it. He’d always been suspicious of her. She wouldn’t put it past him to pit her against Bronwyn’s mum to see how she’d react.

  When the registrar announced the case closed, Claudia rose numbly from her seat and they all began to file out. She and Bianca were the last to exit, and the older woman grabbed her arm just before she was about to pass through the door.

  She turned bravely to face the firing squad.

  ‘Where is Bronwyn?’ Bianca demanded.

  ‘Gone out of town.’

  Bianca’s eyes shot sparks. ‘Where?’

  ‘She doesn’t want you to know.’

  ‘You will tell me immediately.’

  Claudia had never been one to hold her temper in check, and, still sore from her earlier humiliation, she reacted more sharply than she probably should have.

  ‘Bronwyn doesn’t owe you an explanation and neither do I.’

  ‘I’m her mother,’ Bianca sneered.

  ‘That’s right. Not her keeper. She’s a grown woman, Bianca. Let her live her life how she sees fit.’

  ‘After today’s embarrassing blunder, one would think you would learn to hold your commentary, Claudia.’ Bianca released her arm in disgust. ‘Your influence over my daughter has always been irritating but this time you have gone too far. Bronwyn has responsibilities here and no one appreciates her neglecting them.’

  Claudia gritted her teeth, all desire to be respectful gone. ‘That’s where you would be wrong.’

  ‘Explain yourself.’

  ‘I know you would love to blame me,’ Claudia returned bitterly, ‘but this was entirely Bronwyn’s idea and decision.’

  ‘Really?’ Bianca’s tone could have cracked glass. ‘It seems convenient then that the job that was meant for her has fallen to you.’

  ‘I took nothing from her she wasn’t willing to give,’ Claudia retorted.

  Bianca was buying none of it, and she stabbed her pointed finger inches from Claudia’s face. ‘I don’t know how you stole my daughter’s position, you presumptuous piece of work, but I will make you pay for that. Make no mistake. I will take great pleasure in removing you from the legal profession, and my daughter’s life, for good.’

  Claudia shuddered as she stalked out of the room, just in time to notice that Seb was still standing in the shadow of the doorway.

  ‘Curious,’ he said silkily. ‘It would appear that the woman who gave you such a glowing recommendation doesn’t even know that she did. It seems to me, Claudia, that this spirit of honesty you were talking about earlier is as fictional as the tooth fairy. Next time, don’t try to draw me into your web, because I’m the spider, Claudia, not you.’

  He turned and walked out then, leaving her feeling like a boxer who couldn’t get off the mat after the referee had stopped counting.

  Oh fuck, Claudia. You’re in deep shit now.

  Chapter 13

  In the week that followed her arrival, Bronwyn made it her mission to discover exactly what was wrong with Oak Hills. And what a mission it was.

  While outwardly agreeing that she should help with the business, Chris and Lydia actively put obstacles in her path.

  ‘You sleep in, sweetie,’ Lydia told her that first evening. ‘No need to be up at sparrows with us. You’ll be wanting a rest after coming off all that stress.’

  It felt like she was being told that she was on holiday. And she supposed that, as a family friend, that had always been her place. It was what the Franklins were used to, what they were comfortable with. Yes, she had made the announcement that she was there to work. However, their acceptance of it was definitely still up for debate. Chris and Lydia would not admit it directly but she was positive that they were finding the concept just as difficult to digest as Horace was.

  I don’t know why you thought it would be so easy just to walk in and take Claudia’s place. Even with her permission.

  You’re not family.

  Why should they give you that much responsibility?

  The large pot of tea, dis
h of homemade jam and plate of warm buttery English muffins that greeted her in the kitchen that first morning seemed to confirm it. Chris and Lydia were nowhere to be found. They had clearly already started work for the day and left her to relax. One of them, she suspected Lydia, had left her a note which read, ‘Make yourself at home, sweetie. It’s probably been a while since you’ve had any real food.’

  It was true.

  In the city she would have downed a cappuccino and breakfast bar by now, but still, it was clear that the note was code for Stay here, don’t interfere.

  She lowered herself into the tall-backed pine chair and stretched out a hand to grab a muffin. In all honesty, it was such a temptation to just sit there in the dining room in her PJs and gaze out the large window that overlooked the vineyard. What a gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky. She bit into her muffin and nearly died of ecstasy.

  God bless country living.

  When had life got so fast she didn’t have time to stop and taste the strawberry jam?

  Okay, Bronwyn, focus.

  As cunning as Lydia was to ply her with food, she could not allow herself to be sidetracked. Claudia wouldn’t. And she couldn’t let her friend down, otherwise she’d land the Franklins in a worse mess. She’d taken away their manager with no replacement. It would be the final blow that killed their business. She nibbled nervously on her muffin. They had to let her help … one way or another.

  The problem was, Bronwyn had never been big on confrontation or trying to force her way. She didn’t think fast on her feet, she avoided people who disliked her and she was a chronic peacemaker who hated fighting more than anything else in the world. She laughed mockingly at herself as she poured a cup of tea, the steam rising out of the cup and filling the room with a delicious herbal aroma.

  Why on earth did you become a lawyer then? You delusional person!

  The answer to that question was completely wrapped up in her mother and what she wanted for her daughter’s life. This was the first time in forever that she’d actually allowed herself the simple luxury of making her own choices.