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“He’s desperate. He asked me for a loan, and I said I couldn’t. Ethically, it was impossible. But this Lowdownblog…I’ve looked into them. They pay a lot of money for their stories and gossip. This could be a source of income for Cam.”
“He would never do that to me,” Reese said with a vehement shake of her head.
“I’m seeing a side to him I’ve never seen before. And maybe he’s hiding it from you because he doesn’t want you to see it.”
“But I offered to help him. He declined.”
“He may eventually take you up on your offer. Please don’t give him money. The business can’t be saved. I had my own accountant look at the books. It’s beyond help. And if they don’t stop propping it up, they’ll lose their house too.”
“I don’t understand how this happened. It’s a good business.”
“Cam and his father are very similar. Too kind. Sounds like his father would offer people deals he couldn’t really afford. Or he did people a lot of favors. It caught up to him. And I can’t help but wonder if Cam thinks giving these tips toLowdowndoesn’t hurt anyone.”
“I can’t wrap my head around this. But one of the blogs was about his father’s dire straits.”
“Don’t you think people would be sympathetic to Cam? Maybe give his father some business? Donations?”
Reese hadn’t thought of that.
“Be wary of him, that’s all. I don’t think we can say for certain that he’s not behind it.”
“There is still Marnie and Daria.”
“I would fire Marnie on the spot if I found out it was her. She would never work in this city again, and she knows it. As for Daria, she’s been loyal to you from day one. Why would she do something stupid now? I can’t say whether either have told other people, but I will talk to Marnie and see what can I learn. I suggest you do the same with Daria, but don’t let on what you’re trying to do. Let’s be careful about this.”
“And Cam?”
“I don’t know. When you speak to him next, ask questions, see what he offers. I hope to God he’s not behind this.”
Reese left the meeting empty. Someone close to her had betrayed her, and when she found out who it was, she would never forgive them.
ChapterThirty-Seven
Reese missed having Grady around, especially now, when so much was going on around her. She wanted to talk to him about everything, but she was also aware that his schedule had changed dramatically. With training camp nearly over, she’d have more time with him, but for now, she was dealing with it all alone.
One afternoon she was having lunch with Daria in their small kitchen area when Grady surprised her with flowers. Reese was mid-bite of her Cobb salad when he popped his head in, then thrust the flowers in front of his face. The bouquet was overflowing with roses, lilies, and irises.
“What is this?” Reese asked, rising to take them from him.
“I thought you could use flowers. A beautiful bouquet for a beautiful lady,” he said.
“Awww,” Daria said from behind them.
“Thank you. Why don’t you sit and have lunch with us? Daria grabbed more than we could possibly eat.”
“I don’t want to interrupt.”
“You are not interrupting, right, Daria?”
“The more the merrier,” she said with a smile.
Reese grabbed a plate for him and shared some of her salad, and gave him half of her turkey and Swiss sandwich. As Grady and Daria got on like old friends, Reese tried hard not to stare too long at her assistant, wondering if she was behind all the leaks. She’d secretly had their tech guy go through Daria’s computer, and so far, he’d found nothing. Reese hated resorting to this, but she had to eliminate every possibility.
“I’ve never really had a chance to sit down and chat with you,” Grady said to Daria, flashing his megawatt smile. “How long have you worked here?”
“Since Crush started. Before that, John had hired me to be Reese’s assistant, right after the first gold medal. It’s been an honor, and in the process, I’ve made a great friend.”
“That’s cool. I bet this job keeps you busy.”
