"There is now."
Caleb groaned.
That afternoon, Graham Voss sat in his home office reading the letter from Northstar informing him that his administrative suspension would continue through the independent investigation.
He had spent the previous twenty-four hours telling himself the same story.
Caleb Mercer had forced his hand.
Caleb had made a simple operational decision into a confrontation.
Caleb had embarrassed him in front of senior leadership.
Caleb had encouraged insubordination.
Caleb had cost the company money.
Each sentence helped until he reached the chronology attached to the investigation notice.
December 8.
Safety discrepancy.
December 20.
Preliminary confirmation.
December 22.
Termination.
On paper, even Graham could see it.
The timing looked terrible.
But appearances were not the same as intent, he told himself.
He had been planning labor efficiencies.
Caleb was highly paid.
Caleb was rigid.
Caleb did not adapt well to schedule pressure.
Those were legitimate management concerns.
Then Graham reached the section listing Caleb's performance history.
Nine years.
No disciplinary actions.
No safety violations.
No attendance problems.
Repeated positive technical evaluations.
Mentorship recognition.
Two customer commendations.
Three documented cases in which Caleb identified discrepancies others had missed.
Graham closed the file.
His wife stood in the doorway.
"Are you coming downstairs?"
"In a minute."
"It's Christmas Eve tomorrow."
"I know."
She looked at the papers.
"Did you fire someone?"
Graham glanced at her.
"How do you know?"
"It's online internally."
He rubbed his face.
"It's complicated."
"Was he the mechanic who found the cracked part?"
Graham said nothing.
His wife studied him.
"Oh."
"Don't."
"I'm not doing anything."
"Your face is."
She walked away.
Graham reopened the file.
For the first time, he wondered whether he had actually been restructuring a department or punishing a person who had made him feel powerless.
The answer was uncomfortable.
At the Mercer apartment, Christmas Eve began with Nora jumping onto Caleb's bed at 6:14 in the morning.
"It's tomorrow."
Caleb opened one eye.
"What is?"
"Christmas."
He closed it again.
"Never heard of it."
"Dad."
"Is it new?"
She bounced.
"Get up."
"Call Ronan."
"What?"
"He apparently runs our lives now."
Nora laughed.
Caleb caught her and pulled her into a hug.
For several minutes they stayed there.
Nora smelled like strawberry shampoo.
Caleb looked at the ceiling.
He had not accepted Northstar's offer yet.
But for the first morning since being fired, his chest did not feel compressed.
They made pancakes.
One looked vaguely like a snowman.
Another looked like Texas.
Nora insisted it was a reindeer.
At ten, they wrapped gifts.
Caleb had purchased most of Nora's presents before losing his job.
A new winter coat.
Two books.
A model airplane kit.
A small art set.
Nothing extravagant.
Enough.
Nora had one package for him.
She guarded it intensely.
Around noon, a knock came.
Caleb opened the door expecting another coworker.
Instead, Malcolm Reeves stood in the hallway.
The CEO wore jeans and a winter jacket.
Caleb stared.