Growing Season (MxM) Complete

Ch. 22 Comfort

A/N: Mature content is coming :)

CH 22

"The whole thing was rather ridiculous, actually," Bill informed them knowingly, as he raised his pint to have a drink, the striped umbrella shading his face from the late afternoon sun. His strong, imposing character--required of an effective lawyer, even if his specialty was real estate law--made Phillip think Bill was very good at his chosen profession.

When everything was cleared up at the police station, Gareth and Phillip insisted on taking Bill and Abby out for some food and drinks since they came and helped right away. Well, mostly Gareth insisted on the food, but Phillip didn't disagree.

Bill managed to get the charges dropped with little difficulty once Phillip explained how he purchased everything from different garden centres to find his clients the cheapest prices and to ensure he wasn't ever using his employee discount. And he was even able to prove it by logging into his bank account and billing information on Officer Pauling's computer. Gareth also showed the officers a photo of the children on the front steps of their house, the hanging baskets on display, since those were the only purchases for which Phillip had used his discount. Thank goodness for the electronic age and virtual banking accessible everywhere, although Phillip was pretty sure this wasn't what the commercials had in mind when they ran those ads. When it was obvious to the arresting officers that there really was no case, they released Phillip without any reservations. In fact, they were considering bringing Brian up on charges for making a false police report, although really, that was a lot of work.

On the way to the pub, Phillip called Mel to inform her of what transpired, as he was certain she'd be upset. Rightfully so, Mel was furious with Brian, but downplayed it on the phone because she knew Phillip would be hurting and she didn't want to swear a lot in front of the children. It was a rather stilted conversation as Phillip preferred not to talk on the phone, but the upshot was that Vern and Mel offered to have the kids stay overnight and would even drop them at school the next day just so the couple could have a little time for recovery. Mel figured Phillip would need some processing time. The men gladly took them up on the offer.

The pub three of the four people settled on (since Phillip didn't really care one way or the other) was just down the street from the police station and, actually, Officer Lipson had recommended it. The two couples sat on the patio and were sharing a pitcher of beer and large platter of beef and bean nachos. Abby was thrilled to get away from her report cards for a bit and to actually meet the illusive Phillip, even if the circumstances were a little odd, and Bill was just happy to get out of the house on such a nice day.

"I think the real question is if you want to sue Brian for wrongful dismissal, defamation of character, and discrimination. Officer Pauling was kind of suggesting it," Abby said, looking to stand up for her friend's partner. She hated when people got picked on, and loved a good fight even more. Straightening her yellow sundress, she crossed her arms in indignation, tapping her light pink manicured nails on her upper arms.

"I don't think that's necessary, really," Phillip stated quietly, the day's events finally taking their toll on him. He was sure his anxiety was almost palpable, and as much as he was sure Abby was nice, she was very domineering, keeping him on edge. Everything today was keeping him on edge. He kept turning his head trying to examine the planter baskets that lined the patio to determine how the plants in them could be growing more successfully. Plants were calming, Abby was not. Honestly, he was pleased with how well he'd managed to keep it together at the police station.

"He made derogatory comments regarding your sexuality, said you had a cognitive disorder, labelled you a thief, had you arrested, and had you dragged out of a business where you've been employed for over a decade. Not to mention that he fired you without evidence. Abby's right, all of those are grounds for a sound lawsuit," Bill explained, still very much in lawyer mode. Both he and Abby were so strong willed, Phillip would hate to see that couple in a fight with each other. It was bound to be vicious.