Chapter 9
Grant stared at his cell phone as he sipped his bourbon, willing it to ring. Kathryn’s last text message had been ominous at best. His campaign manager, known for her unflinching approach and past successes in navigating political storms, was usually the bearer of solutions, not uncertainties.
Finally, the shrill noise broke the silence of his office. “Tell me it’s not as bad as your last text made it sound,” he said as he answered.
“I’m still trying to piece this together,” Kathryn admitted. “I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“I didn’t pay you to not know what’s going on, Kathryn. Did you or did you not tell me we should be prepared for something major an hour ago?”
“Yeah, I did. But I’ve combed every media outlet, and I’ve got nothing. I don’t understand it. My source told me there was a major move coming on the heels of those old photos and it would be damning.”
“How damning? What kind of damning? What are we talking here? Insider trading accusations? Tax evasion? What?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem.”
“Your source knows nothing?”
“I’m telling you what I know, Grant. There’s been nothing on your end, has there?”
“No. I haven’t heard anything. It’s been eerily quiet.”
“What about the extra kid?”
Grant screwed up his face. “What?”
“The kid who showed up a few months ago. The one with the hots for your wife.”
“Oh, Kyle,” Grant said, the man’s name sticking in his throat. “What about him?”
“Could be him. He could be working with the enemy to destroy your campaign.”
Grant leaned back in his chair, flicking his gaze over the darkening front lawn of Harrington House. The long shadows stretched ominously toward the house, ready to envelop it in darkness. He recalled Kyle’s veiled threats, his unsettling fixation on Julia, and his erratic behavior. It all seemed to point to the very real possibility that he couldn’t ignore. “That could be. I can try to see if Julia knows anything.”
“Why would Julia know anything?”
“Because he has the hots for her, and he tells her things.”
Kathryn let out a cackle on the other end of the line. “Grant, do you seriously think he told her he’s going to destroy your campaign, and she didn’t say anything to you?”
“No, but…” He slid his eyes closed. Was he really entertaining the idea of asking Julia to seek information from Kyle? “Never mind.”
“What? You had an idea. I want to hear it.”
“If Julia pried a little bit, he may let something slip. But I’d really prefer she not do that.”
“Seriously? Let the woman pry. It could mean the campaign.”
“Kathryn, I really don’t want her dealing with him. He’s a little unstable if you ask me.”
“All the more reason we need to know what we’re dealing with. Look, take it from a fellow member of the gal squad, it won’t take much. A few batted eyelashes, a sweet smile, and he’ll be telling her all his dirty little plans. Call me when you know something.”
“Kathryn–” he started when the line clicked. He stared down at the ended call with a mix of frustration and annoyance.
Irritation caused him to toss his phone across the desk. He hated that his mind had even considered exposing Julia to more of Kyle’s antics. His fingers curled into fists as he considered her playing up to him for information. The thought of her charming him turned his stomach. The morally grey strategy and notion of using her in this chess game against his own son left a bitter taste in his mouth. Even if it was fake, he couldn’t stomach it.
He grabbed his phone, ready to call Kathryn back and tell her no when he slid from her name down a few contacts and jabbed the call button. The line trilled as he pressed the phone to his ear.
A moment later, Kyle’s recorded voice filled his ear.
He clicked off the call with a curse. Was Kyle unavailable or ignoring him? His blood boiled as he wondered if he was with Julia. Had he tracked her down at Harrington Global again?
He scrolled to Julia’s name, intent on calling her to find out. His thumb hovered over the green call icon. He finally pressed it and waited as the line rang.
His eyes slid closed as he got her voicemail, too. Worry rose in him. Were they together? Had something happened?
He glanced at his watch. Maybe she was just on her way home from the office. He’d try Kyle again. A knot tightened in his stomach as he initiated the call. The evening shadows in the room seemed to press in on him, mirroring his own growing sense of foreboding.
This time he received a response. “Hello.”
Kyle sounded annoyed, though he wasn’t surprised. Kyle was always annoyed when he was involved. “Hey, Kyle. Staying out of trouble?”
“Doing a better job of it than you are,” he answered.
What was that supposed to mean? Was Kyle the driving force behind the scandal Kathryn thought was brewing? “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, don’t you? Well, you will soon enough.”
“So, it is you.”
“Oh, no, you’re not blaming this on me. I might dislike you–even more so now–but you did this all on your own. I had nothing to do with it.”
Grant’s fingers tightened around his phone, his knuckles whitening as Kyle’s sharp accusation cut through the line. “Did what?”
“I knew it was only a matter of time before you’d hang yourself.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if you did anything–”
A scoff sounded on the other end of the line. “Can you ever just admit what you are? Probably not. I don’t know why I even bother. Nor Julia. Why she wastes her time believing in you is beyond me. She deserves so much better than you. I just hope she wakes up soon and realizes that before you drown her in your cesspool of toxicity.”
Grant screwed up his face at the hostility spewing. They’d been barely on speaking terms after he’d kissed Julia, but they had spoken at the police station. But suddenly, Kyle was back to being bitter. What had happened?
“Kyle, I have no idea–”
“Save it for someone who cares. I hope you finally get what’s coming to you.” The line clicked.
Grant stared down at the phone as it dimmed. What brought that on? Was Kyle plotting with the enemy camp to ensure he’d lose the election? He considered calling him back to try to get more information but decided against it.
The man’s cryptic threats would tell him nothing, and he may even make things worse.
Instead, he tossed the phone down with a sigh. He’d probably already made things worse. And at least Kyle had seemed to be alone. He was certain if Julia had been with him, he’d have boasted about it.
The slamming of the front door drew him from his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair as he tried to spot the entrant. “Juls, is that you?”
“Yep,” she answered. Something about the way she said it made him uncomfortable. Her voice was tired and clipped.
He was about to climb from his seat when her footsteps came toward him. He leaned back in his chair as her figure appeared at the door. From the expression on her face, he inferred something had happened. Was it Kyle again? “Hey, bad day?”
“You could say that,” she answered.
Not even a glimmer of any of the lightheartedness she normally carried with her, no teasing tone, not even just the exhausted voice that needed a confidence boost. Something was off. The quiet office, usually a sanctuary, now seemed charged with tension.
“We have a big problem.”
The words stopped his heart. His mind stretched, running through scenarios that would upset her this much. Had Kyle come on too strong again? Or had something happened at Harrington Global?
She stalked forward and tugged an envelope from under her arm, tossing it toward him. It slapped across the desk, making him jump. “Tell me those aren’t real.”
His unease grew from the way she hovered over his desk, her face set. He grabbed the envelope and slid the contents from the inside. His brow furrowed, and his heart thudded as he stared at compromising image after compromising image of him with a woman he’d never met.
He snapped his gaze up to her. “Where did you get these?”
The slight tremble in her voice betrayed an inner turmoil. The shock of this scandal was evident, raising an alarm in his mind about its impact on her. “Does that matter? Are they real?”
“No, of course not,” Grant snapped, his voice coming out angrier than he hoped, but the accusation, particularly from Julia, stung him. How could she believe he’d do this to her?
Her shoulders slumped slightly as she studied him. “Grant, I’m not a bitter wife. I’m asking so we know how to deal with this.”
Those words wounded him even more. He wasn’t lying to try to evade her anger, though the fact that she claimed to have none upset him even more.
“This is not me.” He shook his head. “Okay, it’s me. But not…it’s. No. I’m not having an affair with this woman. I’ve never even met her. Julia, where did you get these?”
She finally collapsed into the chair behind her. “A courier delivered them before I left the office.”
He grabbed the note. “Thought you might like to see these? Who would do this?” His fingers tightened on the note as he shook his head. “Kyle.”
“No,” Julia said with a shake of her head.
“Yes,” he growled. “I just talked to him, and he more or less told me.”
“He told me he had nothing to do with it.”
A chill snaked down his spine at her words. “You asked Kyle about this?”
“He was there when I got them.”
Grant scoffed as he flicked his gaze to the growing darkness outside the window. “Of course, he was. Admiring his handiwork, no doubt. Was he the courier?”
“No, he wasn’t. He just…happened to be in the office when I got them.”
“So, he came to the office again. He really can’t stop crossing lines, can he?”
“Grant, that’s neither here nor there.”
Grant leapt from his seat and paced the floor behind his desk. “He did this on purpose. I can’t believe him. Oh, I bet he really enjoyed this. What he didn’t count on was you showing them to me. You can bet on that. He figured he’d finally clinch it in your mind.”
“Grant, I don’t think he did this. And the more time we waste on Kyle, the more time we don’t spend dealing with this.”
“It’s him, Julia. He practically told me that on the phone a few minutes ago.”
“He called you?”
“No,” Grant said. “I called him. Kathryn had word that something was brewing and would hit about an hour ago, but she couldn’t find anything on any of the usual channels. She asked if it could be Kyle-related. I called him to ask.”
Julia offered a sarcastic chuckle. “I bet that went over well.”
“Like a lead balloon.” Grant sank back into his chair as his eyebrows knitted. “Although, he did say he had nothing to do with it. That I hung myself.”
“He thinks the pictures are real.”
“Or so he says.” Grant tightened his fingers into fists.
“Grant, whoever did that had extensive resources to create those images. If they’re fake, they’re good fakes.”
Grant’s features turned stony as the words tore at him again. “They are fake, Julia. I’ve already told you that.”
“I’m sorry. My point is they’re well done. They look real. Proving they aren’t will be difficult.”
“But they are fake, Julia, I swear.”
She slicked a lock of hair behind her ear as she chewed her lower lip. “That’s not my concern. If these get anywhere beyond me, this could destroy your campaign. This must be whatever Kathryn caught wind of.”
He stared down at the photos again, imagining them splashed all over the news. It fed right into the playboy image they’d already laid the groundwork for with the old photos. But what bothered him more than those images being spread all over New Orleans or them costing him the election were the cold words from Julia. That’s not my concern.
He wanted to slam his hands on the desk and shout at her that it was her concern. He desperately wanted it to be her concern.
“But why would they send them to me?” she murmured aloud.
“Julia, before we get into that…I…disagree with you. This is your concern.”
“Well, yes. I realize your image is at stake here–”
“No,” he interrupted sharply. “I…we…we agreed to have no extramarital affairs, and I’ve stuck with that. I don’t want you to think you’re supporting a fake image of me. You’re not.”
She studied him for a moment before her features softened. “I appreciate your honesty. And these certainly don’t match with the man I know. But sadly, outside of us, this could be incredibly damning. I mean…I know you don’t want to hear his name, but Kyle believed it immediately.”
“He would,” Grant said with a sigh. “And I’ll bet you got a nice earful about how he told you so.”
“He showed some restraint.”
“How magnanimous of him,” Grant spat out.
Julia heaved a sigh. “I think you’d better call Kathryn and see what she recommends. I can’t imagine these are only going to be sent to me.”
“You’re right.” He collected his phone from the desk with a sigh. “Unbelievable.”
Forty-five minutes later, Kathryn Wentworth’s heels tapped a rhythm across the hardwood in his office. “And you swear they’re fake.”
“Yes, I do. I am not having an affair.”
“Julia–” Kathryn began.
“I believe him,” she answered.
The statement brought a slight smile to his face despite the terrible predicament.
“I don’t give a rat’s rear if you do or not. What I need is support from you whether it’s true or not.”
“It’s not,” Grant insisted.
“You have it. Whatever you need,” Julia said.
“That’s half the battle.” Kathryn stared down at the compromising pictures. “The other half is what we’re going to do about it.”
She shook her head at the pictures. “Fake or not, Julia’s right. These are damning. Thank goodness these came to you first and not the press.”
“My concern is these aren’t going to stay buried. Someone didn’t send them to me for them to die here.”
“No, you’re right. They’d never count on you to leak them. It’s too much of a wild card.”
“If we let this stand,” Grant said, “who knows what they’ll get away with? These are fake. What’s next?”
“Fake or not, they hold the power to sway the public’s opinion of you pretty quickly. Even with Julia standing next to you, saying she believes you, or even saying she forgives you–”
“No,” Grant said with a slap of the desk. “I’m not admitting to this. I didn’t do it.”
“The pictures tell a different story. I’m trying to come up with the best way to combat this. And it may not be spinning a tale that these are faked.”
“Are you serious?” Grant choked out. “They are fake!”
“I understand. Julia understands that. But the problem is that reeks of desperation. It sounds like a man denying the obvious. A man who isn’t willing to take responsibility. And people don’t like men who don’t take responsibility. It’s that simple.”
Grant leapt from his seat and strode to the drink cart to pour a bourbon. “I’m not taking responsibility for something I didn’t do. It’s as simple as that.”
“Then you may be making a choice between your integrity and winning the election.”
His fingers tightened on the glass as he stared at the dark front lawn. Night had crept over the estate like darkness had taken over his life. “I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it. Look, you don’t have to decide tonight. And I’ll keep running strategies, but you paid me to win you an election. That means by whatever means are necessary, and right now I’m telling you the easiest path forward is to own up to this. Can we recover from a cheating scandal? I’m not going to guarantee it, but I can spin this six ways from Sunday to make it look like you’re the good guy.”
Grant let his head fall back between his shoulder blades.
“Telling the public you didn’t do it, these are fake, and this is some kind of witch hunt…that’s not a surefire way to spin this. But we’ll do whatever you want.” Kathryn grabbed her purse and strode toward the doors. “Talk it over between the two of you, sleep on it, and call me in the morning.”
“Thanks, Kathryn,” he murmured as she slipped out of the door.
A mix of frustration, defeat, and dread swirled within him, and he resisted the urge to whip his glass across the room. He lost the battle a moment later, hurling the glass at the fireplace. It shattered into a thousand pieces, startling Julia.
He lunged forward, grasping the edge of the desk as his tension ramped up.
“I understand you’re frustrated, but this isn’t the end of the world.”
His nostrils flared as he let the anger burn through him. “Isn’t it?”
“No. It may be the end of your campaign, but you haven’t lost everything.”
He sucked in a deep breath, sliding his eyes closed. At least he hadn’t lost her…yet. “You’re right.”
“But it stinks,” she admitted. “And it’s definitely not fair.”
The words soothed the tension in his jaw as he sank into the chair next to her. She reached for his hand. “Whatever decision you make is fine with me. But don’t do anything you don’t want to do, okay?”
“Like what? Admit to an affair I’m not having?”
She lifted a shoulder at him.
“Even if it costs me the election?””
“What do you want more? The election or your integrity?”
He rubbed his chin. He didn’t like losing. But he’d grown beyond that. He’s found other things in life that mattered more than winning. He had a decision to make. An impossible one.