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“Who told you?”

“That isn’t important.”

“It’s important to me. Four women promised they wouldn’t say anything.”

“All four called me separately, and each asked me not to tell the others.” She pauses. “What did he want?”

“He asked if I planned to challenge the revised application.” The lie comes out before I can think better of it. “I told him it was none of his business and asked him to leave.”

“Was he bothering you?”

“No.”

“That man is trying to tear apart everything your grandfather protected.”

“He asked one question, Grandma.”

“At bingo. He could’ve called.”

“He does. Often.”

Her face goes still. “Why?”

“To discuss the application.”

She watches me for a long moment. Even through a phone screen, Grandma can make silence feel like a search warrant.

“That man is a parasite,” she says. “You should’ve called Steve and had him removed.”

“Steve works mornings.”

“Then you should’ve called the police.”

“For asking a question?”

“For coming to the Hartwell when he knows he isn’t welcome.”

“He left when I told him to.”

Grandma moves the phone, and the view swings away from her face. She’s sitting on a sunny terrace with five other women, three bottles of wine, and the remains of a long lunch spread across the table. Mavis spots me on the screen and waves with her fork. The others join in, and I wave back.

I still haven’t told Grandma about the insurance crisis or the thirty-day coverage Eric helped secure. If she knew how close the Hartwell came to closing, she’d be on the next flight home. Telling her I called Eric for help would be even harder.

“Everything’s fine,” I say.

“It won’t be if that man gets his way.” Grandma reaches for her wine. “I’ve been speaking to Rhonda Cromwell from the Heritage Society. They want to hold a protest before the next planning hearing.”

“Voss has already passed the heritage review.”

“The rules aren’t strict enough.”

“We can’t challenge a review just because we don’t want him building next door.”

“We can challenge anything if enough people arrive with signs.”

“That isn’t how planning law works.”

“It’s how viral stories work. Rhonda said this could go viral.”