Chapter 11
Grant tugged his tie from around his neck as he strode back to his bedroom. The conversation with Julia hadn’t resolved anything in his mind about how to proceed with the Senate race, but at least it seemed that they were on the same page regarding their marriage–the contracted one, anyway.
For a moment, he’d considered telling her his feelings, but on the heels of two scandals, he worried the timing would be less than desirable. Would Julia really accept him after having a reminder of what had been shoved in her face?
His nose wrinkled as he recalled she’d been with Kyle when that had happened. He was certain the man had taken the opportunity to badmouth him.
Kyle’s continued involvement in their lives ruffled his feathers more than he liked to admit. Was it his cutting remarks that tore the ground out from under Grant’s feet or his attention toward Julia? Maybe it was both. Every move the man made threatened his relationship with her.
His mind turned to the other issues facing them, primarily the Senate race. Julia had more or less given him permission to turn down Kathryn’s plan to admit to the affair and spin it as another mistake.
He hadn’t wanted to do that, though he worried about the toll the other avenues presented for Julia–and their relationship. Short of quitting the race, which he hated to do, he hadn’t wanted to thrust her into the limelight again as they tried to spin the tale of manipulated photos. He worried about the toll this could take on her public image, or worse, that she’d end up doubting his integrity.
She had brought up several good points. He had a night of tossing and turning to do as he came up with his decision.
No matter what he decided, though, he’d move forward with Julia on his side. That brought him enough comfort to get a few hours of sleep before the sun rose over the horizon.
His cell phone chimed as he tugged on his jacket. He checked his messages, his heart sinking when he saw the message from Kathryn. Pictures went public early this morning. How are we playing this? Let”s act swiftly on this story before it slips away from our grasp.
He should prepare Julia. He stared at the screen for another moment, eyeing Kathryn’s question before he responded. I don’t want to admit to something I didn’t do.
A second later, his phone rang with Kathryn calling. “I’m not admitting to something I didn’t do,” he said, skipping any greeting as aggravation filled him.
“Grant, this isn’t going to be easy to accuse your opponent of manipulating these, especially after the photos of your past.”
“I don’t care, it’s the truth. I didn’t do this, and I’m not admitting to it even if it gives us an easier path to the win.”
Kathryn sighed on the other end of the line. “Grant, I do not recommend this strategy. I just want to put that out there again.”
“I don’t care, Kathryn. I didn’t have an affair, and I’m not going to stand in front of reporters and say I did.”
“Julia’s not willing to stand with you on this?”
“What?” Grant asked, his fingers tightening on the phone. “No, she said she’ll stand behind me no matter what I choose. But I’m not going to admit to the world that I had an affair I didn’t have.”
“Grant, listen to me, no one cares. If Julia doesn’t care, then that’s all that matters. People like a man who takes accountability for his mistakes.”
“This wasn’t my mistake!” he shouted. “I’m not taking accountability for something I didn’t do.”
“Well, we’ve got two choices then. We can let this ride, with no response, or we can move forward with the story that these are fake, and we’re disappointed in the opposition for stooping this low. Or…you can drop out.”
Grant tightened his grasp on the phone. He hadn’t fully made a decision yet. Dropping out grated on him, but maybe it was better than dragging Julia into a public brawl with his opponent. What if they came after her next?
“I’m not sure. I thought I’d have more time.”
“Well, you don’t. Put on your big boy pants and make a call, Grant. If we’re responding, we need to do it as soon as possible.”
“Give me twenty minutes,” he said with a sigh.
“Fine. Not a minute longer. I’ll draft several responses for each scenario and have them ready.”
Grant ended the call, gripping the phone with white knuckles. He hated being painted into a corner, being forced to make a decision he didn’t want to make.
He glanced in the mirror, searching his face for answers. Was he really a changed man? The past year had been unlike any other, but was he really different?
His drive to win still defined him, didn’t it?
But he had changed. Where once a hardened, impulsive gaze met him, he now saw a reflection tempered with a thoughtfulness he’d not had before–an unexpected gift of his time with Julia.
With a heavy sigh, he forced himself to leave his bedroom behind and navigated through the halls to Julia’s door. He knocked softly against it. She called out a second later, then after another minute, pulled the door open, still fiddling with an earring.
“Good morning. Not that it’s not nice to see you, but you appearing at my door this morning doesn’t bode well, does it?” She stepped inside and motioned for him to follow.
He slid inside, easing the door shut behind him. “No, it doesn’t. Sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” she answered as she slipped into her shoes. “Photos made it into the world?”
He nodded his head, unable to say the words aloud. He hated that this had happened and how it would affect Julia and their relationship.
She offered him a consoling glance as she lifted a shoulder. “We figured that, right?”
“Yep, but not this fast.”
“Have you made your decision about how you want to handle it?” She fiddled with a bracelet, unable to latch it.
He stepped forward and grabbed the jewelry. “I haven’t. That’s what I came to talk to you about. Kathryn wants an answer in twenty minutes.”
“Thanks,” she said with a grin as he hooked the bracelet around her wrist. “Do you have a leaning?”
He made a mental note to buy her something nice soon. “I don’t know,” he said with a shake of his head.
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Really? You don’t know or you don’t want to face what your gut says?”
She really was perceptive. That was exactly the problem. He did have a gut reaction. Had Kathryn demanded an answer earlier, he knew what he would say. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to face it. “I know what I would have said if Kathryn made me answer earlier.”
“But?”
“But I’m not sure it’s the right decision.”
She furrowed her brow. “Grant, I’m not sure there’s a right and wrong here. Just what can you live with.”
Wasn’t there? What if his decision tore them apart? “What can you live with?”
“Whatever you decide,” she answered. She waited for a breath before she narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s holding you back?”
“The ripples this could send for the both of us.” He left out his concern over the problems it could create for the relationship he hoped to have with her.
She sucked in a breath as she slipped her arm around his and led him to the chair. He collapsed into it as she eased into the chair opposite him. “What’s your gut say?”
“I’m not admitting to an affair I didn’t have, but I don’t want to quit.”
Julia’s hand found his, offering silent reassurance and a steady anchor in the midst of his tumultuous thoughts. “Then don’t.”
“That’s the path of most resistance,” he answered. “Kathryn says admitting the affair is the easiest if we want to stay in the race. Or I could drop out.”
“If you drop out, people will assume the accusations are true.”
“But we wouldn’t have to deal with it.”
“No, but no one would hear your side of it either.”
Grant sighed as he clasped and unclasped his hands. “But my side sounds like someone not willing to take any accountability. We’d have an uphill battle proving any of this.”
“Then we have an uphill battle,” she said.
“And I may lose.”
“Then you lose. But at least you tried, right?”
His lips curled at the corners. “Right. That’s what I thought. I just…wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I don’t want another incident like the one we had after the press conference about the murder arrest.”
“You mean with the reporter questioning my reasons for supporting you?” she asked.
He nodded. She’d done a fantastic job fielding that question after only knowing him for a few days. But he didn’t want that cropping up again. Not because he didn’t believe she could, but because he felt more protective of her and their relationship than he had then.
“If that happens, I’ll handle it. I’m not a porcelain doll. I’m not going to break if someone asks me a question, Grant.”
“I know you won’t. But I don’t want you to have to do it whether you can handle it or not.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ll be perfectly fine.” She rose and extended her hand to him. “Come on, you need to call Kathryn with your decision, and then we need to get to breakfast.”
He smiled as he took her hand and rose. He couldn’t be any more in love with his wife. She made things so easy. He hoped things went this easily once he confessed his feelings for her.
They stepped into the hall and headed for the stairs. “I’ll call Kathryn and give her the bad news, then see you at breakfast.”
“Okay, good luck,” she said as they parted ways.
He let his hand linger on hers for an extra second before he finally disappeared into his office. With his mind racing, he paced the floor. The election, once a beacon of his ambitions, now felt more like an albatross around his neck. He mulled over the cost of his integrity against the lure of political victory and potentially losing the respect of the one person who mattered to him.
He heaved a sigh and placed the call to Kathryn. The line trilled once before Kathryn answered. “Tell me you’ve come to your senses.”
“I’m not dropping out of the race. And I’m not admitting to this ridiculous accusation. I know that makes your job ten times harder, but I did hire you because you are the best.”
Kathryn hesitated a moment. “Julia’s on board with this? She’s okay with the idea that this is going to be the most difficult option?”
“She’s fine with it. Very supportive.”
“Good, because we’re going to need her. It’s one thing for you to deny this. It’s another for her to publicly say she believes you and supports you.”
“Do you think we’ll need her to make a statement?”
“Uh, yeah,” Kathryn said. “I told you this was the hardest option. If you’d have said you did it, you could have yammered on about how sorry you were and just her standing behind you is enough, but if you’re going to claim you’re innocent, people are going to want to hear that she believes that from you.”
Grant slid his eyes closed and shook his head. He hated this development, but he was determined to see it through. “Fine. I’ll let her know.”
“I’ll have our statement out to the press in fifteen minutes, then I’ll start fielding calls with the press. Depending on the response we get, we’ll put you in front of reporters this afternoon, and maybe Julia, too.”
“Alright. Let’s hope the response is good.”
“Hold on to your hat, Grant. This is going to be a whirlwind. If you’ve seen any of the public reaction, this hurt us badly. You’ve got one guy on there saying, ‘Once a playboy, always a playboy.’ A woman blabbing on about how sorry she feels for Julia. Get a thick skin, buddy, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
“Yeah,” he said, tension building in his shoulders. “Let me know how it goes.”
“Will do. Ciao for now.” The line clicked as Kathryn signed off to begin her arduous task. After a moment of uneasy reflection about his decision, he left his office behind, striding to the dining room for breakfast.
As he entered the space, he slowed, the tension in his shoulders ramping even higher as his jaw flexed. Kyle sat next to Julia, a hand on her shoulder as he offered her a consoling glance. Anger flared inside him. Kathryn hadn’t been kidding when she said it was going to get worse before it got better.
He cleared his throat as he entered the room and crossed to the head of the table. “Good morning, Kyle. We weren’t expecting you.”
“Sorry, but I wanted to drop by to offer Julia my support after those photos appeared on the news this morning.”
Grant whipped his napkin into his lap, clenching his teeth as he held his frustration at bay.
“I told Kyle that we were moving forward with the truth that this was a setup.”
Kyle sipped at his orange juice, remaining silent.
“Well?” Grant asked, his eyes boring into his son.
Kyle flicked his eyebrows up as he set his glass down. “Well, what?”
Grant slumped back in the chair, flinging a hand in the air. “Say whatever you came to say.”
“I came to support Julia. Not to air my opinion about your latest…fiasco.”
“The latest frame job is more like it.”
“If you say so,” Kyle answered.
Grant slammed a fist on the table, rattling the dishes. The insinuation struck a cord. Kyle had plenty of ammunition against him, and he hated that. “That’s exactly what I mean. If you have something to say, Kyle, say it.”
“My opinions about you and your behavior are well known already. I have no desire to upset Julia any further by getting into an argument with you.”
“How magnanimous of you.”
“I think so. You’re upset. And I’m not feeding into your ego.”
“My ego?” Grant offered him an incredulous glance.
“Enough,” Julia said. “Everyone is on edge. Kyle, I appreciate your support, but if you’re going to stay, you have to realize that extends to Grant, too. I believe him.”
His son’s jaw tensed before he nodded. “Fine. Like I said, I’m not here to give my personal opinion.”
“But you don’t believe me.”
Kyle heaved a sigh. “My opinion doesn’t matter. I believe in Julia.”
“Good,” Julia said. “That settles that. Let’s try to enjoy our breakfast.”
“Oh my word,” Lydia’s dramatic voice said as she stomped her way into the room, her eyes wide. “Have you seen the news?”
“Too late. Now none of us will enjoy our breakfast,” Grant grumbled.
Lydia eyed them with a scoff. “Well, have you?”
“Yes, Lydia,” he said as he clasped his hands and leaned his forehead against them. “We have all seen the news this morning.”
“Well, I can’t believe this.” She slid into her chair and shook her head. “Well, I can believe it. You may never have cheated on me, Grant, but I can see how things could have changed and you’d prefer to look elsewhere.”
Grant slammed his hands on the table again. “That’s enough, Lydia. I didn’t do it.”
“My, my, we’re touchy about this. A sure sign of guilt.”
“I’m not guilty,” Grant growled.
A warm hand slid onto his shoulder. He closed his eyes before he reached for it, appreciating Julia’s silent support.
“Aww, how touching. Trusting Tammy standing by her man. It must be hard supporting a man with such a…colorful past. But we all have our roles to play, don’t we?”
“Lydia, if you’re going to continue this, I’m going to ask you to leave,” Julia said.
“I don’t think you’d dare. And Grant would never let you.”
“Try me,” his wife said with a glare. “Grant has enough on his plate than to have to deal with your running commentary.”
“Seems he has enough in his bed, too,” she answered as she grabbed her mimosa and stormed from the room.
“I really hate her sometimes,” Grant said with a sigh.
“Only sometimes?” Kyle asked him.
Grant eyed him. “That may be the first thing we agree on.”
Julia slid her hand into his. “You know, Lydia may be aggravating, but this scandal isn’t going to be much easier to live through.”
Grant sipped his juice. “I know. Kathryn told me the same thing.”
“You need to take a breath. You can’t let them get to you like that.”
“I’m innocent of this. If I had done it…fine, but I didn’t. It’s just…frustrating.”
“I know that.”
Grant squeezed her hand, focusing on her reassuring face. “Sorry. Lydia just…pushes my buttons.”
“Maybe you ought to ask her to move out, too,” Kyle said. “You had a pretty easy time doing it with me.”
“Lydia hasn’t kissed Julia.”
“No, she just agitates her at every turn.”
Grant heaved a sigh, reluctantly admitting that his son made a great point. Lydia was a thorn in everyone’s side. Why did he allow her to stay? Simply because she was Sierra’s mother? Perhaps that reason wasn’t good enough anymore.
As he pondered it, his cell phone rang. He checked the display. “Sorry, it’s Kathryn.”
“Take it,” Julia said as she stirred fruit into her oatmeal.
After swiping to accept the call, he asked, “Well?”
“Well, it’s out there. Now we wait. But I gotta tell you, the numbers do not look good, Grant. I think we may lose this race.”
Grant’s nostrils flared at the words. Had he made the right decision or had everything he’d been doing lately been one long string of wrong choices? And would they all add up to one outcome: the loss of Julia?