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Graham projected a calm demeanor as McKittrick moved on. If the general thought a week or two in Africa was warranted, that was no big deal. Except Ayers did everything short of a backflip to avoid making eye contact with Graham. That kept his nerves firing for the rest of the briefing.
When things wrapped, he followed McKittrick to his office and closed the door.
Graham kept his mouth shut rather than be the one to address the proverbial elephant in the room. It didn’t matter how the general had found out. He knew.
“Pete and Noelle Ayers came to see me yesterday. They told me about an altercation between Noelle and Erin at the ball.”
The Ayers told him? Seriously? He’d done what he could to try to contain it, and Noelle probably put her spin on things and threw Erin on the grenadeshehad tossed. “I wouldn’t classify it as an altercation—”
“It doesn’t matter what you call it.” McKittrick waved a hand in dismissal. “Noelle admitted that during the exchange, she mentioned the suggestion that you marry. Except she referred to it as an order.”
“She did.”
“That presents a problem, as a number of your men overheard.”
Graham nodded.
“Considering I didn’t hear anything that night, you managed to limit the spread.” McKittrick clearly wanted to do damage control.
“For the most part.”
“If your men feel you’ve been compromised and gave Erin access to the teams to keep your position here or in exchange for sex . . .”
“That was not the case.”
“They may not see it that way.” The general’s mouth clamped in a tight line, and he breathed out loudly through his nose.
Now wasn’t the time to mention that McKittrick signed off on Erin shadowing Bryson’s team because it suited his purpose.
“What’s the latest on the television series she’s trying to get hired for?”
“They filmed the pilot and are waiting to see if a network picks it up.”
“If it does, it could be problematic.”
“How?” The uneasy sensation in Graham’s gut traveled down his arms and legs.
“The men may not trust her motives. If you’ve lost their respect because of your romantic involvement, you’ll no longer be able to lead this unit. Being away for a few weeks should give us time to evaluate the situation. I’m not sure there’s any middle ground.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if you two were to get married, she’d have to cut ties with the show if you stayed here. Thatcouldprove to the teams that you weren’t faking your relationship, and she’s not using you for her purposes. If you can’t commit to those things, we need to find another placement for you. And we don’t have much time to make that decision.”
“Nothing may come of this series”—how many times had she stressed it was a long shot?—“but I can’t ask Erin to walk away from this opportunity.”
“If that’s your choice, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll understand. But talk to her before you decide. Life with you versus a shot at working with Hollywood—that would be temporary at best? She’s a smart woman. Alternatively, there is the option for you to end things with her.”
End things? No. That wasnotan option. Graham didn’t doubt Erin loved him, but she wasn’t ready to get married. On their first date, she’d said she couldn’t see getting back with her ex since he hadn’t supported her pursuing this dream. He couldn’t ask her to choose.
Talk about a mission going sideways.
* * *
“Colonel Ayers to see you, sir,”Kearns announced.
Really? Graham was not in the mood but conceded. “Send him in.” He didn’t bother to stand as Pete entered. He closed the door without being asked.
“I’m probably the last person you want to see—after my wife—but I need to apologize.”
