16. Grant
Chapter sixteen
Grant
Richard, another of the Outlaws owners, leans back in his chair and smiles.
"The fiancée move was brilliant optics, Grant. Really brilliant."
I set down my pen.
"Excuse me?"
"The Bennett woman. It humanizes you. Softens the ownership profile. Shows you're invested in community, not just capital."
My jaw tightens.
"Laurie Bennett is not an optics strategy."
"Of course not," Richard says smoothly. "But perception matters. Especially now that Jessie's team is questioning your motives."
"My personal relationship is separate from the property dispute."
"Is it though?" He taps his tablet screen.
I stand.
"Laurie Bennett is not a prop. She and her daughter have been working at that lodge for weeks. They've done more to restore its value than anyone in this room."
Richard holds up his hands.
"No one's questioning her work ethic, Grant. We're just saying it's fortunate she's also good for the image."
I walk out before I say something I can't take back.
***
Dean Mercer catches me in the hallway outside the conference room.
"You alright?"
"Fine."
"You don't look fine."
I keep walking. Dean matches my pace.
"For what it's worth, Richard's an idiot. Everyone knows Laurie's the only reason that lodge is livable."
"Doesn't matter what everyone knows. Matters what gets argued in court."
"So what's the plan?"
I stop.
"The plan is to keep Laurie and Bethany out of this mess as much as possible."
Dean studies my face.
"You care about her."
"I care about protecting people who don't deserve to be collateral damage."
"Grant—"
"Drop it, Dean."
He drops it.
***
I sit in my office staring at the lodge budget file and seeing none of it.
Every decision I've made since Marianne suggested Laurie for this job has been calculated. Controlled. Strategic.
Hiring her made sense. The lodge needed real work, and Laurie needed income.
Asking her to the foundation event protected her dignity after Jessie's ambush.
Maintaining the fake engagement bought time and credibility.
Helping with the apartment deposit removed one obstacle so she could move forward without financial stress.
Every choice had logic.
But Richard's words keep circling back.
Good optics.
Is that what I've been doing? Using Laurie to soften my image? Positioning her like a chess piece in a property dispute?
No.
I've been protecting her.
Haven't I?
My phone buzzes. A text from Vivian.
Court hearing moved up to next Thursday. Jessie's team is pushing hard. Be prepared for questions about the engagement timeline and Laurie's employment terms.
I set the phone down.
Laurie is going to be dragged into this whether I want her to be or not. Her name. Her grief. Her financial situation. All of it will be dissected by attorneys who see her as evidence instead of a person.
And it's my fault.
If I had kept things professional. If I had maintained distance. If I hadn't kissed her—
The door to my office opens without a knock.
Marianne.
"You look terrible."
"Good to see you too."
She sits across from me and crosses her arms.
"What did you do?"
"Laurie's about to be questioned in court, Marianne. Her finances. Her housing. Her relationship with me. All of it weaponized by people who don't care about her dignity. I'm trying to minimize the damage."
"By controlling everything?"
"By keeping her safe."
Marianne sighs.
"You're confusing sacrifice with cowardice, Grant."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're pulling away because you're scared. You think distance is noble. Honorable. But really, you're just running."
"I'm not—"
"You are. You think if you make yourself the villain, she won't get hurt. But all you're doing is proving you don't trust her to decide what she can handle."
I turn.
"She deserves better than this."