by Ewens, Tracy
“She’s out of town this weekend. Forward me the report.”
“Sure, yeah.”
“Thank you.” Mark disconnected and looked up to something he hadn’t seen since the senator became a client. Stanley was smiling. A big, teeth and all, smile.
“Well, well, if this pans out, senator, the little shit just won you another term. Probably a few more after this one.”
“Stan, I’ve asked you not to call him that.” The senator looked at Mark. “I’m stunned, I mean Grady’s a great kid, but I’m—maybe I’m a little hurt I didn’t know. A father should probably know these things about his son.”
“Sounds like he didn’t want anyone to know, sir,” Mark said.
“Right, maybe we shouldn’t—” Senator Malendar started to say.
“Don’t do it, don’t even think it.” Stanley interrupted. “I can’t use your opponent’s affair, or his daughter’s suspicious visit to Planned Parenthood. We are using this. Your son’s a damn hero, assuming this is true.”
The senator said nothing, and as he had always done, let his machine work.
Mark received the report within a half hour. He made a few phone calls and there was no denying The Roads Foundation was the brainchild of Grady Malendar. There was a great picture of Grady and the three Roads executives when they were back in school. It would be online in less than two hours and in tomorrow’s paper. Stanley was right, Senator Malendar had just sealed his re-election. It might be on the back of his son’s hard work, but that was the nature of the political beast, Mark told himself.
When he arrived home that night, it felt yucky, even a bit wrong, but he’d found his Hail Mary, and all Mark wanted was a decent night’s sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The next morning, Grady’s phone was dancing across his nightstand. He had dropped Kate off and fell into bed happier than he had ever thought possible. That all changed the moment he picked up his phone.
“Grady! Shit, man, where have you been?” he heard Bryce say, and instantly he knew. He could feel the walls, the same ones he had tried so hard to open to let Kate in, closing around him.
“The press is everywhere,” Bryce went on. “Outside the office, our homes. I managed to escape this morning, but Eric still can’t get out. They know, I’m sorry, but it’s everywhere, Grady. None of us have said anything yet, but we need to say something. This looks like we have something to hide and Christ, Grady, we don’t.”
Grady looked around the corner through his glass front door and sure enough there were press vans and reporters outside his home. His sanctuary. The tree house he built was being invaded and he knew exactly why. He had broken the one rule he swore to uphold when he was seven years old. No girls allowed in the tree house.
“I’ll send a car for Eric. Is Jason there yet?”
“Yeah. What are you going to do?”
Grady moved toward his closet to get dressed. “Not sure yet.” He cradled the phone on his shoulder while he flipped through his suits. He would need to wear a suit.
“What do you want me to do?” Bryce asked.
“Just sit tight. Don’t say anything. I’m stopping by Bracknell and Stevens on my way in. Plan on a press conference in an hour or two. As Nana would say, Bryce, ‘The jig is up!’”
Grady hung up and ignored the rest of the calls flashing on his phone. Stanley, his father, several reporters he recognized from the LA Times, and Kate. Grady swallowed back what felt like betrayal and got into the shower.
Grady reached Bracknell and Stevens less than thirty minutes after Kate gave up trying to call him. He walked straight past Sabrina and into Kate’s office. She was sitting at her desk with her face in her hands. She looked up when he closed the door behind him and braced herself for the blow. At least this time, when her heart shattered, she could say she saw it coming.
Grady was in a suit and wringing his hands at his sides. She knew better than to ask him to sit.
“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“My father.”
“Grady, I’m not sure. It apparently broke in this morning’s paper.”
“How?”
“I’m not actually sure.” She could see him trying to take deep breaths as his eyes jutted back and forth, sort of like an animal under attack.
“I asked Mark this morning and he said they got the information from research. He asked why hadn’t I shared this with him earlier? I told him I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
“Let me guess. He and my father and Stan thought it was.”
“They did,” Kate replied, standing up. “Grady, listen, I told them to delete the report, I took it off my computer. I guess they wanted some footage on the Habitat for Humanity thing you were doing and it came out—”
“Don’t. Just stop explaining. You ran the report. You poked around in my life, got into my life and that—that Kate, is why this is happening. That is why the foundation offices are flooded with vultures and the men that have done more for Los Angeles than this office, or my father, could even imagine, can’t get out of their homes. You, Kate. I let you in. My mistake.”
Kate sat back down and confirmed that even seeing the pain coming didn’t lessen the impact. He was angry and he had every right to be. If he needed to blame this all on her, if that helped him, then she would take it. She did order the report. She did pull up his secret for the world to see and yes, because of what she did, his father would win another election. He had already jumped three more points. All of those things were true and because she loved him, she would take it.
Until he said, “You used me.”
“Excuse me?” Kate stood up.
“You and this place. Your bullshit business. You used me and my work to get what you wanted. Oh, I’ll bet there’s a big bonus in there for you too, Ms. Galloway, when the senator wins re-election.”
“Now wait a minute.” Kate raised her voice and Grady stepped into her. She didn’t back down.
“No, you wait a minute.” With that, Grady dropped into a laugh and stepped back from her. “This is stupid. I have to go to a press conference now.” Grady shook his head. “This is actually my fault, Kate. I know better. I don’t live in the real world, isn’t that what you said?”
Kate tried to reach him, but he held his hand up.
“You’re right. I don’t, and I’m heading back to my world now. You see, I like it there. We work there and while I appreciate your taking me on a tour of reality, I think I’ll pass. Goodbye, Kate.”
Before she could say a word, he was gone. Kate slowly sat behind her desk, bowed her head, and did something she had not done in a while. She cried.
Grady had the media relations director for The Roads Foundation issue a statement outside of their offices confirming that Grady Malendar was in fact a founder and, as of this morning, president of The Roads Foundation. The statement also said that Mr. Malendar would be at the official opening of the Jack Everoad Law Enforcement Resource Center later today, in his official capacity.
Grady met with the guys, and Jason was happy to step into the vice president position. Grady knew they were all secretly thrilled everything was out in the open and there was a part of him that was happy to relieve their stress. It had not been easy sneaking around for the past thirteen years, but Grady had thought it was what was best for the work they did. He still thought that, but he had no choice now. They had yet to feel the pressure his name and his father’s connections would bring down on The Foundation, but all Grady could do at this point was face it head on. Three hours later he did just that.
“Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for coming out today. My name is Grady Malendar, and when we started The Roads Foundation out of our college dorm room almost thirteen years ago, the goal was to enrich communities without destroying their essence. Money tends to think it has all the answers and money without knowledge, history, listening, can be destructive. It was never our intention to tell people what they needed. We have
always wanted, preferred, to be listeners. We are a complement, a student, and a helper for the great people of Los Angeles today. Behind me is the new Jack Everoad Law Enforcement Resource Center. It’s the first of its kind in California. This center will employ retired police officers, so their experience is not lost, it will be repackaged and available as a valuable resource for current officers. This center will provide a historical context to the work our men and women do today. This building will house counseling, education, guidance, and a positive support structure for our officers. Being a police officer in a large city is a difficult job on a good day. Chief Flanagan felt the best way to support his officers was to use the resources of retirees, as well as returning veterans. There is a brotherhood among officers and soldiers that often gets a bad rap, and he would like to see that bond used in a positive way.”
There was a grumbling among reporters and Grady smiled. “Yes, I know there are females in the military and law enforcement, but I like the word brotherhood. It worked in the speech, you all know what I mean, so if you want to turn this into something it’s not, I’ve learned I certainly can’t stop you.”
The crowd laughed, but Grady knew, some of them at least, would be sure to mention “Mr. Malendar’s sexist remarks.”
“The Roads Foundation heard Chief Flanagan, and we have helped the city of Los Angeles make it happen.” Grady finished up his speech and then introduced Kate’s father, who looked imposing in his uniform. Chief Flanagan said a few surprisingly warm words, shook Grady’s hand, and then the statue of Peter’s father was unveiled by Mrs. Everoad. There was applause and a few tears. Grady and his father, the soon to be newly re-elected Senator Malendar, cut the ribbon.
From a PR standpoint, Kate’s work mind told her it was a resounding success. Not only because it made for good print—family affair, working class, upper class, all the key triggers were there—but also because it was genuinely good and progressive for a city she loved. Her personal mind, her heart, was a very different story. She was proud of her father and her brothers, she always was, but she had never been more proud of anyone in her life than she was of Grady at that moment.
He was so brave. He’d come out of the shadows, and allowed people to see him outside of his father or his wealth. She watched him shake hands and talk with people as they entered the new building and she wondered if this was the way he had to do it. Maybe he had to start in the background and slowly work his way into ownership, adulthood. Maybe that’s how everyone came of age, in his or her own way, at his or her own pace. She was certainly no expert, but in her own life she had learned to take her time, that all things arrived when they were supposed to.
Everyone had entered and was now touring the building. Kate stood from the bench she was sitting on just across the street. Her job was done, Mark had texted her his thanks and that he would see her on Monday, Election Day. Kate was free to leave, she felt good about her work.
Grady had not looked at her once during his speech, she hadn’t expected him to. There had been no phone calls, no texts even. The reveal of things he wanted kept private was too much for him, too much for their relationship. She knew that and her heart broke. Not along the same scar as it had when her marriage fell apart. This wound was different, deeper, because she thought she had known love with Nick, thought she had felt all of the feelings acted out and crooned over in song, but she hadn’t, she had never felt anything like what she felt with Grady. Buttoning up her jacket, Kate was certain she never would again. She suddenly wanted the warmth of her home, her couch, where she would heal this time, not fall apart, and move on. Life was good. She had done good work and her city was richer for it. Kate got in her car and went home.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kate woke up on Wednesday, November 5th, with a headache that promised to only get worse as the day went on. She lay in bed staring up at the ceiling and wondering how long it would take, how many weeks, months, after today it would be before the pain eased. She knew it would never completely go away, but relief . . . when would that come? She already missed him, terribly, everything about him. It had only been two days—forty-eight hours—but her heart knew he wasn’t coming back. Not from this. Her phone buzzed on her nightstand and she snatched it up. Hoping, maybe. Nope, it was an email from Mark outlining today’s schedule. Technically she didn’t need to be there, Grady had certainly moved on and grown up. He no longer needed a babysitter, so Kate should be free to skip, but she would be there anyway to help Mark out, finish the job they’d started.
Kate swung her feet around and slid her feet into her slippers. It was time to get up, democracy had worked its magic last night, and her company was successful. They had been instrumental in re-electing a United States senator. That was huge, an accomplishment, Kate told herself. She turned the shower on and hoped by the time she was at her front door, leaving for the office, she would actually believe the bullshit she was feeding herself.
After she dressed, still thrilled to see all of her shoes in a closet instead of boxes, Kate watered her two plants, ate her oatmeal on the couch, and watched the early morning coverage. The same political talking heads groaning on about what happened on election night and how things would be different now that . . . blah, blah, blah. She’d never liked politics, the spectacle of it all, which was ironic, she knew, considering her job, but politics was different because, unlike celebrity, it pretended to be human, standing tall in expensive suits and promising things it knew it would never be able to deliver. Kate didn’t like the dishonesty, but she was good at her job. And once again as she grabbed her keys, she realized she needed to be good at something.
Later that same day, Senator Malendar stepped out of the back seat of a black sedan and asked his driver to wait. If Grady even agreed to speak with him, he wouldn’t be long, and chances were pretty high the newly re-elected senator would never even get the chance to say two words. He knocked. No answer. He knocked again. Still, no answer. The senator took a deep breath and went around the back of Grady’s house. He found his only son reclined on a wooden chaise with a cream-colored cushion. He had a coffee cup in one hand and a book in the other.
For a moment, the senator’s pride actually stopped him in his tracks. Grady had grown into a wonderful man. The frenzy of the election, the last-minute reveal, and the re-election win had all been a spin, but now things had settled. The senator was standing on the deck of a beautiful home, and for maybe the first time he saw his son as separate from himself. The man in front of him was solitary, of his own making, and his heart hurt, the pride was so strong. This wasn’t going to be easy.
He took the chaise next to Grady and looked out over the green rocky shore at a winter ocean, raging with nearly as much anger as his son. Grady didn’t look up. He set his coffee down and turned the page of his book.
“Do you have any more of that?” his father asked. Grady opened the small cabinet next to him and handed his father a cup. He pushed the French press across the round table between them, and both men sat in silence. The only sound was the occasional page turning.
“What are you reading?”
Grady looked at his father, no expression, and held up the cover.
“All right, that’s enough. Christ, it’s like you’re seventeen again and I took your phone.”
Grady raised an eyebrow, still saying nothing.
“We need to talk,” his father said, loosening the tie around his neck and unbuttoning his collar. Grady closed his book and set it on the table.
“There’s not much to say, Dad.”
“Well, I think there is.”
Silence again as both men looked ahead.
“We won.”
They both sipped their coffee.
“The election. We won,” the senator reiterated.
“I knew you would,” Grady said in a calm steady voice. “You always do,” followed no louder than a whisper.
The senator ignored it and tried to move forward. “I couldn’t have
done it without you. You’re a huge part of this win, and you have my sincere gratitude, Grady.”
Grady laughed. “I don’t want it.”
“You don’t want what?”
“Your gratitude.”
“Oh come on.”
“What’s this about, Dad? You’ve won the election. I’m happy for you. Are you here because you feel guilty that you won that election on the back of my foundation?”
There was a pause as both men looked at each other.
“No, actually I’m fine with that. The discovery of your foundation did help, and I’m grateful, even if you don’t want it. Why would I feel guilty?”
“Because you have to take, touch, everything that is mine. Put it under your big bad senator umbrella until it’s yours.”
“That’s probably true.”
Grady was taken aback by his candor. “It is?”
“Yeah, your mother is forever telling me that I’m overpowering. I’m a—what the hell did she call me again? Oh, yeah, an eclipser. I shut people down. Kill their light.” The senator took a sip of his coffee. “I’m not sure I know how to be any other way.” He looked at Grady.
“Bullshit, you know exactly what you do, but oh boo hoo, you can’t help yourself? I’m not buying it. My whole life—it’s been this way for thirty damn years. Hell, even my girlfriends loved you. Shit, everyone loves you. Dad, it’s your thing.”
“You used to like that about me. Follow me around, remember when you went to school for career day as your dad?” The senator smiled waiting for a look from his son that might ease the lump in his throat. He stood and moved toward the edge of the patio.
“Oh, yeah,” Grady mocked, “was that before or after you screwed my favorite math teacher?”
The senator turned to face him. This conversation had been a long time coming, buried deep in the wall that had divided them since Grady was fifteen years old. “Well, hell, it must have been after,” Grady continued. “I was in high school when I came home and . . . do you remember that day, Dad?”