Page 53 of Cakewalk
Instead, we’d expose everything we had learned, and let the town draw its own conclusions. I had a feeling they’d side with Griffin this time around.
The bigger issue was Courtney. She had her issues with Griffin—understandably. She had unwittingly rented out the apartment to him, which was my fault, but that didn’t stop her from thinking it was some trickery on his part. And she blamed him for the family shame that was the photos Thomas took. She believed entirely that Griffin must’ve charmed his way into my pants, rather than earning it.
So I talked her into a dinner with me and Griffin, where she could air her grievances and let us both respond personally. She preferred to have it at her house, considering she had a newborn, and I agreed.
As nice as her cozy little house was, though, it felt like I was walking into the interrogation room all over again. I looked up at Griffin as we headed down the driveway to the front door. He gave me a playful grimace and said, “If we don’t make it out alive, just know that I don’t regret my time with you.”
“That’s sweet. It was nice knowing you.”
“You too.”
I knocked on the door. Courtney answered after a moment, her stare hard as she looked between me and Griffin.
I raised the new toy I bought for Avery, and Griffin lifted a non-alcoholic sparkling wine. “We come bearing peace offerings,” I said.
Courtney opened the screen door and waved us in. “Thank you. But I’m still not letting you off that easily.”
Griffin gave her a nod. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
Soon we were at the dinner table, James and Courtney sitting opposite us. We kept our voices down, as little Avery was in the middle of a nap. I would have complimented the chicken risotto, but from the continued hard stare on Courtney’s face, I decided to skip the niceties.
“All right, let’s just get right to it,” I began. “So your criticism of Griffin and his company is that you believe he’s getting a sweetheart deal and won’t be under the same restrictions as all the other businesses on Main Street. Is that about right?”
“Well, that was my issue in the beginning. Plenty more have piled on since then.”
“We’ll address the other issues later. But first, I want to point out that he really hasn’t received a great deal. If anything, the only smooth part of the process has been purchasing the property from a private owner. Ever since, the council has made sure none of the utility companies they own are cooperating with Griffin, and of course, there’s all the resistance from town too.”
Courtney sipped the sparkling wine, setting it down after some thought. “Iwaswondering what the hold-up was. So the council’s pulling some crap?”
Griffin nodded, answering for himself this time. “That’s right. At first I thought it was resistance on account of town pride and me seeming like some outsider here for a quick buck, but after a bit of digging, it turns out the council has a near monopoly on this town, and very little gets through without their say so. It’s why the businesses on Main Street are so limited. You don’t even own your building; you rent it. I figured that out when I looked over the lease more closely and saw that you were subletting to me.”
Courtney sighed. “Yeah. I mean, we don’t have much of a choice. The council owns all the prime real estate.”
“And now they’re going bankrupt,” Griffin announced. “It won’t happen until next year, but it’d be better that they sell before any defaults. I can buy them out now, or buy them out later, but I’d rather not drag out the process.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“I want the town’s support. I know I’ll get it after everything goes belly-up, but it’d be better to have it sooner. I’ve already set up a tentative deal with the council to buy them out, but I don’t want to come across as hostile. I really want to cooperate with everyone.”
“So you’re going to be the new landlord of the town?”
“Temporarily. But my plan is to let all the current businesses and residents of any council property work out rent-to-own agreements with me, so that in time the town can have its independence and be fully invested in itself.”
Courtney raised an impressed eyebrow. “It sounds perfect. Maybe too perfect, I don’t know.”
Griffin shrugged. “All I wanted to do was build my development on the oceanfront. That’s it. I’m not looking to take over an entire town. Everything I do is to make sure we all prosper.”
“Okay, that all sounds nice, but I don’t like what I read in the paper about you. Or the fact that Jade was working for you while you two were fooling around.”
“One, the paper is owned by the council,andJade’s ex works there, so of course they’ve printed the worst stories they could about me. Two, as soon as we started considering a relationship, she went independent and started her own PR firm. And three, we weren’t ‘fooling around.’ I’m very serious about my relationship with your sister, and have never been more serious about another woman in my life.”
My heart pounded and cheeks heated as he came to his last point. Courtney’s eyes narrowed on him until finally her gaze softened. “I guess I’ve been the asshole this whole time, huh? I know Jade’s been hurt before, but she’s no longer my kid sister.” Courtney turned her gaze to me. “You’re a smart young woman, and from the sound of it, I shouldn’t have doubted your judgment. Griffin’s not so bad… outside of, you know, going tojail.”
I glanced at Griffin. “Can I tell her?”
He shrugged. “As long as it stays off the record, it shouldn’t violate the NDA.”
I continued, “He had nothing to do with the tax fraud. His father made him take the fall, and in return, gave him this company.”
