Page 44 of Battle with a Billionaire

She sighed as she typed a thank you. She had to think about what to do next. Of course, the smart move was to send Mike Donovan to Riverside Park tomorrow at seven. But she wanted to explore the lead herself.

Especially if she was wrong. This may be a wild goose chase. What if the useful thing had nothing to do with her trap?

She lay back on the pillows, pondering her next move. Would she find out anything useful if she cased the meeting tomorrow? Or would she hit another brick wall in the endless maze of DG Industries?

CHAPTER 11

GRANT

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.”

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