The Route 30 Diner was nearly empty at three in the afternoon, except for a long-haul driver eating meatloaf near the jukebox.

Brenda Whitmore tapped her glasses on her clipboard and spread the three-page release across the vinyl table beside her mug of black tea.

“He didn’t just draft a wage release,” Brenda said, pointing her pen at paragraph eight.

“Look at the indemnity clause.”

Nathaniel rested his forearms on the table.

“What’s he waiving?”

“He’s asking Martha to sign a hold-harmless agreement for all structural and electrical rough-ins on Project Four,” Brenda said.

“If the county building inspector flags those junction boxes next month, Arthur can claim the finish subcontractor certified the site as up to code.”