Then I asked the only question that mattered.
“Where is he?”
Grant gestured toward the lawn behind the house.
“Somewhere near the water.”
I stepped forward.
He caught my elbow gently.
“Brooke.”
I turned.
“There is something else.”
“What?”
His eyes drifted toward the crowd.
“I’m not certain yet.”
“Certain about what?”
“I need five minutes.”
I almost pulled away.
Then I saw his face.
Whatever he suspected, it involved more than an employee embarrassing himself at a company event.
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t,” he said. “You met me thirty seconds ago.”
That answer stopped me.
“But give me five minutes anyway.”
I folded my arms.
“Four.”
For the first time, Grant almost smiled.
“Fair enough.”
He didn’t ask me to leave.
Instead, he led me onto the terrace and introduced me to two executives simply as “Brooke, a friend of mine.”
That was enough to let me move through the party without immediately causing a scene.
I searched every face.
