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Fiona: Grant from the board. he said this guy was looking for event staff for corporate parties. good pay

Grant Voss. Board associate, mid-forties, professionally polished in the way that suggested expensive tailoring and better lawyers. He appeared in Ethan’s spreadsheet six times across three months, always in connection with staff “opportunities.”

Ethan: Did you discuss specific dates or commitments?

Fiona: he wants to meet again Wednesday. same restaurant

Fiona: why? do you think it’s weird?

Ethan considered his response carefully. He’d learned through repeated social failure that “I’ve been documenting concerning behavioral patterns in a detailed spreadsheet” didn’t reassure people the way factual evidence should.

Ethan: It’s unusual for a first date to focus extensively on your work schedule. Did he ask about other staff members?

Fiona: …actually yeah. he asked if you were seeing anyone

Ethan’s hand tightened around his mug.

Fiona: I said no because you’re like aggressively single lol. was that ok?

Ethan: That’s fine. Did he ask anything else about me specifically?

Fiona: just if you ever did side work. I said not that I knew about

Fiona: Ethan you’re freaking me out a little

Ethan: I’m not trying to alarm you. I’m trying to establish whether this situation requires additional caution. Grant Voss has connected at least four staff members with external “opportunities” in the past three months. I’d like to verify this follows professional rather than exploitative patterns.

Fiona: oh my god you’ve been tracking this???

Ethan: Yes.

Fiona: …

Fiona: ok that’s actually really sweet in a super weird way

Fiona: what do I do about Wednesday?

Ethan pulled up the Grant Voss subsection and reviewed entries. Dates, names, and brief descriptions of opportunities offered. Two former bartenders who’d left the theater suddenly after accepting modeling work. One usher who’d moved to “event planning” and now had a different phone number. He’d tried calling that number once. It had been disconnected.

The problem with data was that correlation didn’t prove causation. The problem with Ethan’s brain was that it recognized patterns faster than he could articulate reasonable explanations for them.

Ethan: If you want to attend, tell someone your location and expected return time. Verify the restaurant is public and well-trafficked. Don’t accept drinks you didn’t watch being prepared. Trust your instincts about whether the conversation remains professional.

Fiona: those are like…serial killer precautions

Ethan: Those are standard safety protocols for meeting relative strangers in contexts with unclear power dynamics.

Fiona: right

Fiona: gods, you really do think about everything

Ethan: It’s a character flaw.

Fiona: no it’s not. you’re a good friend <3

Fiona: I’ll text you before and after Wednesday ok?

Ethan: Thank you.