Page 114 of Tempted Hearts
Mason frowned, but didn’t say a word. Instead, he handed me a piece of paper.
“What am I looking at?”
“Vendor agreement for the pop-up tastings. Pia flagged it but couldn’t articulate why it felt off. I don’t think she fully trusts our lawyer’s capabilities.”
I scanned the first paragraph, then paused. Reached into my pocket, I pulled out my glasses and slid them on.
Mason’s mouth twitched. “Haven’t seen those in a while.”
“Give me a second.”
I scrolled, slower now. Precise. Focused.
“Okay,” I said finally. “There it is.”
Mason leaned in. “Where?”
“Section six. Indemnification.” I tapped the screen. “You’ve got a mutual hold-harmless clause, but it’s overridden three paragraphs later by a limitation carve-out that only applies to the vendor.”
Mason blinked. “In English.”
“They’re protected. You’re not.” I scrolled again. “If someone trips, gets sick, files a claim—guess who eats it?”
Mason swore under his breath. “So what do I do?”
“You either strike the carve-out entirely or mirror it.” I handed the tablet back. “Same cap. Same language. Otherwise you’re assuming all liability while thinking you’re covered.”
Mason stared at the screen. “That’s… subtle.”
“That’s intentional.” I reached for my laptop. “Also, this jurisdiction clause? You don’t want arbitration out of state. You’ll bleed money before you ever get to court.”
Mason watched me type, fast and sure. “You’re frightening when you do this.”
I didn’t look up. “You asked.”
A beat passed.
“Okay,” Mason said. “That fixes it?”
“It fixes this.” I finally glanced up. “But don’t sign anything until they accept the revision in writing. No verbal assurances. Ever.”
Mason exhaled. “Jesus. I owe you.”
I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. “Just send it back before midnight. If they push, they know they’re exposed. Oh, and trust Pia’s instincts. Get a new lawyer.”
“Fuck.” He strode toward the sliding glass doors, opened the screen, and headed out onto the balcony.
Apparently he was making himself at home, so I got up from the bed with my whiskey and joined him.
“This was the room Mom and Dad shared, when she was alive.”
I knew that already, but stayed silent. Mason rarely talked about his father, but when he did… I listened.
“He would have adored P, and the baby.”
We looked out onto the lake. In our quiet cove, not much was happening. But on the main lake, there would still be plenty of boats this time of day.
A great view—though not quite Monterosso.
