Chapter 9

DUNCAN DRESSED to go to the meeting with Trevor and Todd on Thursday morning, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. As far as he knew, there had been no further communication between any of them and the federation. It bothered him some, but like Trevor when he spoke to him, Duncan knew it was best to try to get out in front of this. Once he finished dressing, he got his bag and put in his laptop and everything else he could think of. If they needed information, Duncan wanted to have it at his fingertips.

He really wasn’t sure how this meeting was going to go, but he was determined about one thing: Todd was not going to have to choose between him and his sport. He also didn’t want Trevor to have to reedit his commercials.

“Mom, I’m going in a few minutes.”

“Do you need me to take you?”

“No. Trevor is sending over one of the guys from the garage to pick me up.” He really wanted to get a vehicle fitted so he could drive, but he’d still need help getting in and out. Duncan was waiting to hear on his grant application for an accessible van that he could drive from his chair. Hopefully that would come through soon, and then he wouldn’t need to be chauffeured everywhere he went.

A horn told him the car was here. Duncan grabbed his things and hugged his mother goodbye. “Wish us luck.” He forced a nervous smile and left the house.

Scott got out from behind the wheel, silently helped him inside, and took care of the wheelchair. They didn’t talk on the drive, which was fine. Scott generally communicated using his whole body and hands, so they sat quietly. Duncan ran over everything he knew to try to think of anything that might be a help.

Todd met him at the garage and pulled out the chair so Duncan could shift himself into it. Duncan shared a hug with Scott, who nodded and smiled at him. “I’m glad I could help.” He drove the van around, and Todd led him inside.

“I keep going over things in my head and wonder what I could have missed.”

“Nothing,” Trevor said as he met them at the office door. “I’ve spoken to my lawyer, and he says that from a business perspective, there is nothing they can do to us. I have a release, and you own the video footage. So Michaelson’s Service is covered. What worries me is Todd and what the federation could do to him in retaliation for breaking some rule that no one seems to be able to find.”

“That’s my concern too,” Duncan echoed.

“And I want the campaign to be a success so Duncan can use it to help build his business, and I don’t want you to get into trouble. Mostly I want this whole thing to go away so I can continue to compete.” Todd took Duncan’s hand.

“Good. Then we all want the same things.” Trevor shook hands with both of them and stepped back to let them enter the office. Brent stood and exited, leaving the three of them alone. “Brent and I are in agreement, as are the other location managers. They love what we’ve been doing, and to try to rebrand right after launching would be a disaster. Not to mention the fact that people are asking for you when they come in. The questions that will be raised if we pull the campaign could hurt all of us.”

Duncan swallowed and hung his head. “I’m sorry for all of this. I should have—”

“No. My lawyers agreed. They didn’t see any rules against it, especially since you owned the video. They did raise questions about where it was filmed, but they advised that probably wasn’t an issue.” Trevor sighed. “Maybe I should have pressed them, but I wanted this to work just as much as you did.” Dang it, Trevor was a hell of a man for taking responsibility. “So what do we do?”

Duncan pulled up his bag. “I put together as much information as I could find on when I took the video. Since that seems to be the center of contention, then we should start there.” He took out the document he’d put together. “I went through everything, and I took the video we ended up using in early February of last year.”

“I remember that,” Todd said with a smile. “The team had booked the run in Lake Placid for two days, and we each got a number of runs.” He turned to Duncan, his mouth hanging open, as Duncan recalled the trip, remembering the coaches filming. Had he messed up? “The coaches took the training videos on that trip.”

Duncan scratched his head. “Then why do I have the video in my files? And I have the originals still on the camera. I checked it personally.”

“Don’t you remember? We were there for three days. It was because the run was so good that we arranged to stay an extra day. There were four of us.”

Duncan would have jumped to his feet if that were possible. He gaped at Todd and searched through his bag.

“What’s going on?” Trevor asked.

Duncan grinned. “I brought my checkbook.” He pulled it out of the bag and looked through it. “There.” He pointed at the register.

“I don’t understand,” Trevor said, looking closer.

“They didn’t give us the run that day. We paid for it. The four of us paid a thousand dollars all told so we could have an extra day. None of us was heading home.” Duncan grinned. “It means we didn’t use the run on time that the federation provided. We rented the run for the day.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Oh,” Todd said, and Trevor smacked the top of the desk in excitement.

“Was there an agreement for the rental?”

“No. I arranged it with the manager of the run, and he booked us in for the day. I have my bank statements, so I know they cashed the check, and I can get a copy of it.”

“Excellent. This distances them from the video. They can’t claim that the video we used was taken on their time. Now we need to prove that the video we used was taken on the day you rented the run.” Trevor stood and paced the office. “Okay. So as long as we have the video covered, we can tell them to pound sand.”

“But what about Todd?” Duncan asked, squeezing his hand. “I don’t want him to be in trouble.”

“Well, that’s the tricky part.” Trevor turned to Todd, meeting his gaze. “Let’s deal with this one piece at a time. We can refute any claim of control over the video, which should put Todd in the clear. But in case they push it….” Trevor’s eyes grew hard and his features set. “Just bring that to me if they push it, and we’ll push back.”

“Court of public opinion?” Todd asked.

“You better believe it.” Trevor patted Todd on the shoulder. “Sometimes in life, if you aren’t sure, fake it like you own the world.” He smiled. “So if they contact you in any way about this issue, let me know. Both of you.”

They weren’t likely to contact Duncan, but who knew? He nodded, as did Todd.

“Is there anything else you can think of?”

Todd cleared his throat. “Who brought all this to the federation’s attention?” he asked. “They don’t spend their time looking at every television ad across the country. I’m not even a superstar athlete, so generally I don’t spend that much time on their radar screen. Someone had to have notified them.”

Trevor seemed baffled. “It could be a competitor.”

“It has to be someone who was familiar with the system. A competitor might get pissed that you’re having some success, but they aren’t going to be able to turn this around that quickly, find out about Todd, and then turn him in.” He groaned. “Remember that email? I bet this is that same person.” Duncan groaned. “Corrina,” he said softly. “She’s been mad at me for weeks, and she knows you from college, remember? She’s seen the commercials, and I bet she’s figured out that they were my idea.” A chill ran through him as he thought of another source of the information.

“Do you really think she’d do that?” Todd asked, and Duncan rolled his eyes, glaring at him. “Okay. She’s a little nuts, but what does she have to gain?”

“My failure.” Duncan hated this. He hadn’t been mean to anyone, not even her. “She came to me for help, remember? It would be just like her to not get what she wanted and try to be vindictive.”

“You need to find out if she did this,” Trevor said. “It makes them look bad if they’re acting on a malicious report in the first place, and if it comes down to it, anything that we can use against them will be helpful.”

Dang, Duncan did not want to get on Trevor’s bad side.

“Sure thing,” Todd agreed. “And I have an idea on how we can do it.”

“Good. Just get confirmation if you can. Everything we know will be able to help us if we need it. And be sure to call me right away if you get any sort of notification. I’ll do the same.” Trevor stood confidently, squarely. “This is going to work out. If I have to, I’ll recut the commercials and go from there. But that is a last resort. I won’t be bullied by these people.” His eyes were hard as stone, and it made Duncan feel better, though he still thought he’d messed up and this was his fault. “We’re in this together, and we will do what we can to make everything come out right.”

“Okay,” Duncan said shakily.

“And,” Trevor said, turning to him, “I’d like you to work on what’s next for our campaign. This fight over a stupid five-second clip is ridiculous. But we aren’t going to stop the momentum we have. Give it some thought and let me know when you have something.”

Trevor’s faith in him spoke volumes, and Duncan nodded, turning to Todd for confirmation. He had half expected Trevor to cut him loose, in a no-hard-feelings kind of way. “I’ll do that.”

“Is there anything else?” Todd asked, and Duncan shook his head. He couldn’t think of anything.

A soft knock sounded and Brent cracked the door open. “Trevor, you need to sign for a letter,” he said, and the tension rocketed upward.

As soon as Trevor left the office, Duncan took Todd’s hand. “I feel so terrible about all of this.”

“Don’t. They’re being jerks about the whole thing.” His voice had taken on some of Trevor’s confidence. Duncan agreed, but he was still on edge, and when Trevor returned, shaking his head, he carried a letter with a logo on top that Duncan recognized.

“What do they say?”

“They’re trying to bully me with a cease and desist, just like they said they would. This is so flimsy, it’s ridiculous.” Trevor set the letter on the desk. “We’re not going to do anything about this now. I’ll pass the letter to my lawyer. Get a copy of the check that you paid the rental with and proof of the day it was taken. That should take the wind out of their sails.”

“The proof is on the original video. The file’s dated. You can see it when you look at the properties.” Duncan got on his computer and sent Trevor a link to the original video file.

“Great. I’m hoping they leave it here, but if they go after your eligibility, we’ll fight that as well.” Trevor nodded. “I’d really like to have a talk with these people.” He patted Todd on the shoulder. “You have friends, both of you. And we don’t leave our friends hanging in the wind.” His fierce smile was genuine. “Now, take the rest of the day off, and you two spend a little time together. This could be a long fight, and we need to be ready for it and keep our strength up.”

“Thanks, Trevor,” Todd said tiredly.

“Thanks. I won’t let you down this time,” Duncan said as he headed toward the open overhead doors. His chair came to a halt, and he turned, his frustration fading quickly.

“You haven’t let me down at all. Shit happens to all of us sometimes. It’s how we weather it that counts.” Trevor scanned over the bays where the men worked, the place bustling with activity. “Almost everyone here has had to weather some sort of storm. I think those are the kind of people I attract. I’m not sure. There are stories here, but they aren’t mine to tell.” He paused as though he was trying to decide what to say. “I went through hell and nearly lost the business a few years ago. It sucked, but it also brought James into my life.” He turned to Todd and leaned closer. “I know this is hard and worrying, but is Todd worth all of it, in the end?” Trevor patted the arm of his chair and stepped back. “I’ll be in touch.”

Todd brought his car around, and Duncan slid inside. Once his chair was stowed, they got underway. “Give Corrina a call and say you want to meet her for a drink. Be as sweet as sugar and say nothing about what’s been happening. Tell her you want to mend things up between you. That should lure her over.”

“Okay. But I think there’s something else we need to do first.” Duncan told him where they needed to go.

“MOTHER, YOU and I need to talk a minute,” Duncan said when he rolled into the house.

His mother came into the living room, her hands on her hips. “Don’t use that demanding tone with me.”

“No? Have you been talking with Corrina?” He knew the answer as soon as her hands fell from her hips. “Mother! How could you?”

“She was going on about you, and I wasn’t going to take it. I told her you had done nothing wrong when making those commercials and she…. I must have said too much because she made me angry and….” She scrunched up her eyebrows. “Is she the cause of all this trouble with Todd and the commercial?”

Duncan rolled his eyes. “You told her about that.”

“I’m proud of you, and they’re funny, and I….” She sank into the nearest chair. “Do you think she called the federation?”

Duncan nodded. “We think she tried to report Todd earlier, and when she saw the commercial and you confirmed that it was my idea… she was determined to cause trouble. Mom, her bread isn’t buttered to the edges. That’s not to say she wouldn’t have figured things out on her own, but you shouldn’t be talking with her. She hates me right now for not going into business with her.” He didn’t have any proof of that other than the number of times they had crossed paths.

“Oh God….” She crumpled in the chair.

“When was the last time you spoke with her?” Todd asked with incredible gentleness as he sat on the sofa across from her, and Duncan maneuvered until he was close enough to touch him.

“A week ago, I guess. She said that she loved the commercials that you did and asked about them.” His mom grabbed a tissue and wiped her nose.

“It’s okay, Mom.” Duncan didn’t want her upset, just for her to tell them what had happened.

“She asked about Todd and if he was still racing. I didn’t know about that, but I told her I supposed you were…. No, that was a few weeks ago.” Duncan realized his mother was lonely, and Corrina had played on that, along with his mother’s kindheartedness. Corrina had made his mom feel sorry for her, and then Mom had given her all the information she had wanted.

“At least we think we know the initial source of the troubles.” Duncan met Todd’s gaze. “Now we need to figure out how to confirm it.”

His mom wiped her eyes and sniffed once. Then she lowered the tissue and placed it back in her pocket. “Leave that to me.” She blinked and stood.

“Excuse me?” Duncan wondered what the hell was going on, and for a second, why he had so little control over everything. It unsettled him until Todd leaned over.

“I think she wants to try to make things right.” He squeezed Duncan’s hand and kissed his cheek.

His mom took a deep breath. “Let me make a call.” She picked up the house phone and dialed. “Corrina, darling. How are you?” Damn, Duncan had no idea his mother could act. She deserved an Academy Award. “I’m here alone and thought you might want to join me for something to eat. Duncan is gone so much, and I was thinking that maybe you could use a little company. I know I could.” Her expression was harsh even while her voice was light as air. “That would be wonderful. I’ll see you in about an hour.” She hung up and grinned. “How was that?”

“Do you want us to leave so you can talk to her?” Todd asked.

“No. Go move your car out of the drive. The Tanners, three doors down in the olive-green house, are on vacation this week and I’m getting their mail. Park in their drive and walk back. When she arrives, you can go down the hall and listen in. It’s time to put her in her place.” She went to the kitchen, and Todd went to move his car.

Duncan went down to his room, and Todd joined him a few minutes later.

“God, remind me never to piss your mother off,” Todd said as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I was expecting that you’d have to confront Corrina yourself and that between the two of us, we’d goad her into telling us if she turned me in or not. But your mother is sneaky and so much better.”

“Yup. Corrina is even more delusional than I thought if she thinks she’s going to use my own mother against me.” Duncan locked the wheels of his chair and slipped up onto the bed.

“I think that’s pretty obvious by now. She’s become so self-centered that she isn’t able to discern what’s proper and what isn’t.” Todd sighed. “I remember her as being a little moody, and there were times when she wasn’t functioning well.”

“Yeah. She used to spend whole weekends in bed because she’d go all week long without resting or sleeping. But I don’t know what’s wrong with her now. It’s like she’s obsessing on things rather than dealing with reality.” Duncan didn’t really want to try to psychoanalyze Corrina right now, especially when Todd climbed onto the bed next to him. He held Todd around the waist and closed his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t really see how this is going to help us, other than learning just how off her nut Corrina really is.” He could understand disappointment, but not vengeance.

“I think Trevor wants to have as much ammunition as possible in his pocket in case he needs it.” Todd closed his eyes. “I really want this to be over.”

“Me too, and I want them to leave you alone.” Duncan stroked Todd’s cheek. “I can deal with just about anything other than them threatening you.” He closed his eyes, and Todd kissed him gently.

“You’re a lion, you know that?” Todd whispered to him. “You’ll fight for me and everyone you care about.”

Duncan shrugged. “Well… yeah….” He smiled. “How else do you show people how you truly feel?” He lay still, soaking in Todd’s closeness.

“She’s here,” his mother said from the doorway and pulled the bedroom door closed most of the way. “When you’ve heard what you need to hear, come out and confront her. Then get her out of my house.” She positioned the door, and Duncan checked that the lights were out. Their only issue was if Corrina decided to go to the bathroom….

“I’ll stand near the door,” Todd said, sliding off the bed as the doorbell rang.

His mom opened the front door and greeted Corrina like some kind of long-lost daughter before asking her to sit. There was a long period of quiet, and then his mom returned, offering a drink and some cheese and crackers. They chatted, and Duncan could barely hear them, but Todd seemed to be able to hear better.

“She’s talking about the commercial,” he whispered just loudly enough for Duncan to hear. “And how talented she thinks Corrina is.” Todd rolled his eyes. “Apparently she could have come up with that on her own.” He made talking motions with his hands and shook his head. “Delusional.” Todd grew quiet and more and more tense. He leaned a little closer to the door.

“What is she saying?” Duncan whispered.

Todd put his finger to his lips, listening again. “Your mom is brilliant,” he said very softly.

“You called the federation on Todd and Duncan,” his mother said loudly enough that Duncan could hear. “What were you thinking? Duncan is your friend, and you don’t treat friends that way.”

A high-pitched squeak sounded as Todd lifted him off the bed and placed him in his chair. Once Duncan was mobile again, he charged down the hall.

“Are you crazy?” he shouted, bursting into the living room. “That is not how you treat other people. You’re so angry and messed up that you’d hurt someone who is only trying to do their best for the sport they love and represent their country.” He pointed his finger at Corrina, who cowered back in her chair. “I’m glad I never went into business with you. Who in the hell would want to be in business with someone as nuts as you?” His blood pressure was through the roof, but he didn’t really care. “Get out, and you are never to come here or contact anyone in my family. Do you understand?”

“But I was—” she tried to cut in.

“There is no excuse. You acted cruelly and badly, and the price is that none of us is ever going to speak to you again.” Thankfully, Todd had the sense to open the front door, because Duncan was about ready to propel himself out of the chair at her. “I’ve had enough of you… and your damn family.”

She got to her feet a little shakily and turned at the door. Duncan met her with a stern gaze and shook his head. She wasn’t getting any sympathy from him.

“I’ll make sure she leaves,” Todd said before following her out.

“Feel better?” his mother asked.

“No. I’m angry as hell. She tried to hurt me, and in the process could have caused potential harm to Todd. No one gets to hurt him and not pay the consequences.” He still saw red and took a deep breath to calm down. “Not her or anyone.” He clenched his fists, and to his shock, his mother smiled at him.

“There he is,” she said quietly. “I’ve been waiting for you to stand up for yourself.”

Todd came inside, and Duncan hugged him tightly as soon as he was within arm’s reach. “She’s gone?”

“Yes. I made sure she got out of the drive.” Todd returned the embrace. “I don’t know if she was safe or not. She was pretty upset and weaving a little as she went down the street.”

Duncan hoped she didn’t hurt herself or anyone else, but that was all the sympathy he could dredge up for her.

“Are you boys hungry?” His mother got up without waiting for an answer and went into the kitchen. When she wanted to comfort, she cooked, and when she was nervous, she cooked. And apparently she also did it when she wanted to say she was sorry.

“Yes, Mom. Dinner would be awesome.” Duncan smiled and turned to Todd. “You should go ahead and call Trevor. At least we identified our troublemaker here.”

“We’ll see what the federation decides to do,” Todd agreed. “But I’m not holding my breath. They aren’t going to go out on a limb if there is nothing in it for them. So I’m half expecting nothing to come of it.”