Chapter 14 - The Offer
Grandma surprised everyone by hiring her own lawyer.
Not a flashy one.
Her name was Renee Foster, and she worked above a dentist's office downtown.
She wore sneakers with her suit and ate peanut M&M's during meetings.
Grandma liked her immediately.
"The offer isn't terrible," Renee said.
Grandma frowned.
"It tells me what I can say."
"Yes."
"About something that happened to me."
"Yes."
"Then it's terrible."
Renee smiled.
"That's a legal argument I wish judges accepted more often."
They countered.
No gag clause.
Full repair costs.
Written apology.
A donation to the community Halloween event instead of extra punitive money.
Brent rejected it in under an hour.
Melissa did not.
She signed a separate agreement the next day.
Her apology arrived handwritten.
It wasn't polished.
That made Grandma believe it.
I WAS WRONG BEFORE BRENT GOT ANGRY. I WAS WRONG WHILE HE WAS ANGRY. I CUT YOUR LIGHTS BECAUSE I WANTED TO WIN SOMETHING THAT WASN'T MINE TO WIN.
Grandma read that line again.
Then folded the letter.
"That's an apology."
"You're forgiving her?"
Grandma made a face.
"I didn't say all that."
Fair.
Brent, meanwhile, doubled down.
He installed two new cameras pointed toward the property line.
He sent another complaint about noise during decorating hours.
He told a local blogger Grandma was orchestrating a harassment campaign.
Then, three days before Halloween, he did the stupidest thing yet.
He filed in small claims court against Grandma for damage to his reputation and driveway cleanup costs.
The amount was $4,800.
Grandma looked at the papers.
Then at me.
"Can you sue somebody because people don't like you anymore?"
"Apparently you can try."
She picked up the phone and called Renee.
"Well," she said, "looks like we're going to court."
May you like
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