In between counting her reps, her thoughts strayed back to her conversation with Ben. He was right, of course, to point out that she still hadn’t managed to prove that Jazmin Mayes hadn’t been killed while on the job. Even if she managed to uncover the truth behind the girl’s murder, it wouldn’t bring back Aliyah’s mother, and might not even give Yvonne Howington a legitimate claim of criminal negligence against Gulf Vista.

She climbed out of the pool and collapsed onto a nearby chaise lounge, and a moment later, Corey joined her.

“How do you feel?” he asked, toweling himself dry.

“Tired,” she admitted. “But I think the knee is getting stronger. And I’d forgotten how good it feels to move after a long day spent sitting on my ass in an office.”

“Let me see,” he said. She extended her leg and he leaned over, gently probing the scar with long, suntanned fingers.

He looked up and smiled. “It’s noticeably better.” He grabbed his plastic gallon jug of go-juice and took a long drink.

“How are things going at the office?” He offered her the jug, but she made a face and declined.

“Some good, some bad,” she replied. “The big news is that Wendy, my stepmother, scared the living shit out of me today by almost going into labor in my car.”

“You never told me you were going to be a big sister,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And have you ever referred to Wendy as your stepmother before?”

“Some things take time to get used to,” she said tartly, ignoring his taunt. “She’s not due until November, but the doctor said she was having premature labor, so she’s put her on bed rest.”

“How did your chat with that housekeeper from Gulf Vista go?”

“I’m more convinced than ever that somebody covered up something at that hotel,” she replied. “I also talked to Jazmin’s best friend last night. You wouldn’t believe the crap that was going on at Gulf Vista.”

She quickly filled him in on what she’d learned about the toxic atmosphere of sexual harassment at the hotel.

“God, men are pigs,” Corey said. “How do you women stand it?”

“After a while, you just get numb to it,” Drue said. “But not all guys are pigs. I had lunch today with one of my coworkers, Ben. He’s a little nerdy, yeah. I mean, his idea of fun is designing video games. But he and this other guy at work, Jonah, fixed my car, and wouldn’t let me pay them. Ben knows I’ve been digging into the Jazmin Mayes case. He insists that there’s nothing sketchy about the way the firm handled Yvonne’s case, but at least he listens without staring at my boobs the whole time I’m talking.”

“Have you told that police detective about the sexual harassment stuff?” Corey asked.