Page 113 of Brewing Up My Fresh Start
Jessica joins her with a laptop. “We’ve compiled testimonials from his previous victims. Small business owners who trustedhim with their plans and their hearts, then watched him disappear with everything valuable.”
Rebecca’s expression shifts as the story inverts. Instead of exposing Michelle as an incompetent grant recipient, she’s walked into evidence of a serial predator who targets community leaders.
“Mrs. Hensley, is this research available for verification?”
“Honey, we’ve got documentation that would make the FBI proud. David Norris isn’t offering legitimate business partnerships—he’s running a sophisticated con game.”
“And he targeted Michelle because her grants represent exactly the kind of success he exploits,” Grayson adds, his voice carrying protective fury that makes my knees weak. “Two million dollars in federal funding, strong community support, and a business owner trusting enough to believe his promises.”
Rebecca signals her cameraman, suddenly interested in a completely different story. “Mr. Reed, are you prepared to provide this documentation on camera?”
“I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to protect Michelle and this community from a predator.”
The words hit me like electrical current. For two days, I’ve been fighting alone, convinced that Grayson had abandoned our partnership when it became inconvenient. Now he stands beside me, ready to wage war against David Norris on live television.
Ready to fight for us when it matters most.
“Can we get this on camera?” Rebecca asks. “An interview with both of you, plus the supporting documentation?”
I look at Grayson, searching his face for any sign that this is performance rather than genuine commitment. Instead, I find something that makes my breath catch—the expression of a man who’s realized what he almost lost and has no intention of losing it again.
“Together?” I ask quietly.
“Together,” he confirms, reaching for my hand. “The way it should have been all along.”
His fingers intertwine with mine, warm and steady and completely certain. For the first time in forty-eight hours, I feel like I can breathe properly.
“Let’s destroy David Norris,” I say.
Grayson’s smile could power municipal lighting. “Now you’re talking.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re back under the studio lights, but everything has changed. Grayson sits beside me, close enough that our shoulders touch, his presence steadying me in ways I didn’t realize I needed. Mrs. Hensley and Jessica have spread their research across the counter, and Rebecca Santos wears the expression of a reporter who’s realized she’s stumbled onto a much bigger story.
“We’re rolling in thirty seconds,” the cameraman announces.
Grayson squeezes my hand under the counter. “Ready to watch David Norris’s world collapse?”
“I’ve been ready for five years.”
“This is Rebecca Santos with Channel 7 News, reporting live from Twin Waves, North Carolina. I’m joined by Michelle Lawson, recipient of federal preservation grants, and Grayson Reed from Reed Development Corporation. In the last hour, serious allegations have emerged about a pattern of predatory business practices targeting small communities. Michelle, can you tell us about your history with David Norris?”
The question I’ve been dreading becomes an opportunity to tell my story with Grayson beside me for support. I explainDavid’s original theft, the years of rebuilding, the grants that represented everything I’d worked to achieve.
“And now he’s returned to Twin Waves,” I conclude, “using the same manipulation tactics he’s employed across three states.”
“Grayson, you’ve provided documentation of Mr. Norris’s business practices. Can you walk us through what you’ve discovered?”
Grayson leans forward. “David Norris targets successful community leaders who’ve gained access to federal funding or development opportunities. He researches their projects, approaches them with partnership offers, gains access to their business plans and community connections, then creates problems that require his expensive solutions.”
“What kind of problems?”
“Compliance questions. Regulatory complications. Questions about financial management or partnership disclosure.” Grayson’s voice carries controlled fury. “Problems that mysteriously appear when community leaders refuse his partnership offers.”
Rebecca glances at her notes—the same questions she asked me an hour ago. Questions that suddenly seem less like legitimate journalism and more like manufactured controversy.
“Are you suggesting Mr. Norris provided information designed to create problems for Ms. Lawson’s grants?”
“I’m stating it directly. Norris researched Michelle’s federal funding, approached her with a partnership offer, was refused, and then began creating compliance questions designed to force her into accepting his assistance.”
