Chapter 25

Monday found Rob back at his desk, putting the final touches on the case against the Wilson bookkeeper. He'd also found signs that someone in their HR department had a hand in it, but it would be up to the prosecutor to investigate that. Except for court appearances, his part was done.

As he was sealing up the documents for transfer to the district attorney, Bob knocked on the door and walked in.

"Those the Wilson paper's?" he asked, pointing to the envelope in Rob's hands.

Rob looked at him for a moment, then he came to a decision. He might regret it but he couldn't let it pass.

"Close the door, Bob," he said stiffly. Bob looked startled and began to protest.

"You really don't want the rest of them to hear what I have to say. Close the door."

He closed the door.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" Rob grated out. "How dare you attack Elaina like that?"

Bob held up his hands frowning angrily. Rob was still sitting behind his desk, but his hands were on the arms of his chair and he looked like he could launch himself at Bob at a moment's notice. Rob's color was high and he was shaking with rage.

"Rob, that's no way to speak to a superior..." Rob cut him off.

"I could have you up on harassment charges in a heartbeat," he stated firmly. "Do you have any idea how many people heard you?"

Bob's face paled as he considered the ramifications: it would mean the end of his career, even if he didn't get fired. The charges alone would stop his career in its tracks and he would be side-lined.

"You want to play hardball? I say batter up. But for the sake of our friendship, I'm willing to hear your side," Rob said remorselessly.

Bob suddenly realized that he could be staring at his own replacement. He straightened up and lifted his chin.

"Fine. This is how it is," he said implacably. "I've always been a good judge of people. I can tell with a handshake or by talking with them what kind of people they are. Your Elaina? After five minutes with her, I'm convinced she is very bad news."

Rob's eyes widened and he shook his head slowly. "There is no way you can tell something like that after only five minutes, Bob. That's crazy talk."

"It's been that way all my life," he answered. "I've learned to trust those instincts."

"And those instincts led you to disrespect my girlfriend in front of a roomful of witnesses?" Rob face was incredulous. "To her boyfriend's face, in front of the woman in question? You may need to revisit your instincts, Bob, before they get you shot by someone less tolerant than I am."

Bob scratched the back of his neck, grimacing. "Okay, that may not have been the wisest choice I could have made, but I stand by what I said."

"How brave of you," Rob said snarkily. He eased back in his chair and folded his hands on his desk. "I think we've said all that needs saying. Well, maybe not quite." Rob looked him in the eye. "Stay out of my life."

"I'm still your boss, Rob," Bob reminded him.

"Then I suggest that anything else you have to say had better be work related," Rob snapped back. "Was there something you needed ... Boss?"

Bob's shoulders slumped in realization that something special had been lost to his hasty words that night.

"Look, Rob, maybe I rushed to judgment..." he said repentantly.

"We both know it's too late for that." Rob's tone was relentless. "Now you have all the time you need for leisure." He looked down at the Wilson file under his hands. He lifted it and offered it to Bob.

"It's done. I'm ready for my next assignment."

Bob took the file and left the room, leaving the door open behind him, his normally jaunty step subdued. Neither man felt that the confrontation had gone well, nor could they think of a way to fix it.

Brenda cornered him later on at a table in the break room.

"What happened in there, Rob?" she asked with concern written all over her face. "I've never seen the boss so down, and you both sounded so angry."

Rob explained about the warning Bob had given him at the company party and his own reaction to it, both that night and earlier today.

"I remember that. There was a lot of talk about it," she stated. "That's so not like Bob." She paused, her flickering thoughts showing on her face.

"You know," she continued. "There may be another issue at work here." Rob looked up, emotions warring on his face.

"Bob's been a mentor to you and treated you like a protégé. Could it be that you both overreacted because you look to him as a father, and he looks to you as a son?"

Shock overcame all other emotions as he realized that that was exactly how he felt. Bob had been there from the beginning, offering help where it was needed, and sympathy when he couldn't help. He had looked out for Rob as he advanced through the ranks until he got to where he was today.

"It sounds like you two fought as father and son, and you were establishing your independence," she said sympathetically.

"What can I do?" Rob moaned. "I threatened him, Brenda. How do we get past that?" He put his head in his hands.

"And you had every right to threaten him. It's just that, maybe, you shouldn't have been so harsh. On the other hand, Bob crossed a line too. I think it wasn't so much what each of you said, as it was how it was said.

"You're both going to have to apologize. You're going to have to admit you were wrong about the way you said things while admitting the other had a point. Now, I don't know how dangerous Elaina may be, but based on what I've seen and you've told me, I think Bob may be misunderstanding what he thinks he sees." She leaned forward to whisper the next part. "She's a dominant, Rob, and Bob doesn't know that."

She leaned back to continue. "I'm going to have to talk to Bob. I won't betray any confidences, but you're going to have to tell him. He needs to know why he reacted the way he did so he can understand and forgive himself. You know now why you reacted the way you did: he attacked your love and your independence. He acted out of ignorance."

She sat back and crossed her arms. "I'll talk to him today. You just sit back and cool off. When the time is right – and don't wait too long, Rob – you two sit down and talk it out."

Rob nodded miserably, thinking that life had taken another sharp right turn into uncharted lands. "Thank you, Brenda. You're a good friend."

"And don't you forget it, buster. You're gonna owe me big for this."

Rob snorted in his coffee. "Like I already didn't?"

Brenda returned to work while Rob sat considering the sludge in his cup. He grunted when he realized he was avoiding the issue with Bob, and then decided he was going to let Brenda do her thing before making any more decisions.

As he dragged his feet back to his office, he saw Brenda, her arms braced on Bob's desk, speaking earnestly to the top of Bob's head. Bob had his head in his hands, his elbows braced on the desktop. Feeling even worse now, Rob finally made his way to his office, not noticing all the wide eyes following him across the room.

He came home to an empty apartment, not realizing until then how much that rankled. He'd gotten used to company without knowing it and he missed that now.

After a couple of hours, during which he had a forgettable dinner, he began to understand that Elaina wasn't going to show up. It wasn't that he expected her to come over, but tonight he could have used her support. He thought of calling her but decided he couldn't impose on her like that. He thought about calling Dawn, but he didn't think they had reached that point in their relationship yet. Doug passed through his mind, and he actually choked thinking of how that would go down.

He finally called his mother, but all she could offer was sympathy. He felt marginally better after that, having at least gotten it off his chest. He went to bed after admonishing himself to stop feeling sorry for himself. He missed feeling Elaina at his side and pounded his pillows in discontent. As he finally drifted off to sleep, he had a brief thought of having Dawn there instead. He smiled into slumberland.

It was a gray day at work on Tuesday. A pall hung over the office as the aftereffects of the argument hung in the air. Everybody went about their jobs efficiently, but the common pleasantries were missing.

Rob nodded to Brenda in passing, and she gave him a slow nod with a winged eyebrow in return. He understood that to mean that the rest was up to him. He nodded to himself as he proceeded to his office. He didn't know how to start things rolling, so he settled into work instead, figuring he would think of something if he let it simmer in his mind.

He saw that his next project was in the desk file, and he pulled it out to get started. Unnoticed, several people looked to Brenda as she watched Rob work. She shook her head knowing the both of them would drag their feet waiting for the other to make the first move.

Jessica, the office Amazon, came over to squat by Brenda's chair. She stood at least six four and practiced weight-lifting as a hobby.

"What're you going to do?" she said. The others in the office had seen Brenda's machinations and were now looking to her to fix things. Marge, the office manager, in particular took note of her actions.

"Nothing for now; it's up to them. Although, we may have to give them a push." She looked up at Jessica's face. Even squatting, Jessica was a head taller. "You up for that?"

"Hell, yeah," Jessica replied. "Bob's the heart of this place and Rob is just..." She trailed off not knowing what Rob was.

"Good," Brenda said decisively. "I'll let you know when it's time."

The atmosphere lightened up some as everyone felt the matter was in hand.

Rob got home to find Elaina waiting for him. He kissed her distractedly, managing a warm hug anyway just for her being there. She gave him a considering look as he hung his cloak. She shook it off and followed him to the bedroom. He shucked off his office clothes and put on a track suit, getting comfortable for the evening.