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"You know how it is, man. You hear a problem, you search for solutions. That's how I trained my brain, and I can't stop it, not even when I want to," he admitted.
"That is what she's looking for, but it's not easy.”
“A big hotel chain could be interested. The location is great,” Griffin went on.
Duncan shook his head. "They would just tear it down and build something much bigger."
"Exactly," I said. "She likes the building as it is. The whole place is an homage to her grandmother's memory."
Duncan looked up. "That's not going to buy her any favors with any investors. No one likes sentimental projects."
"I know.”
“So what's your idea?" Finn asked.
Knox was suspiciously silent. I suspected that he knew where I was going with this, but I appreciated that he wasn’t butting in.
"I want to set up a shell company and invest in her hotel. But I’ve got to be smart about it so she doesn’t realize I’m behind it."
Griffin's eyes bulged. Finn blinked.
"Can you believe this guy?" Wyatt asked.
Duncan laughed. "Come on, man. You've got to be joking, right?"
Knox said nothing.
"It's not illegal," I said.
"That’s not the point. Hannah would hate it,” Griffin said.
Wyatt looked at Duncan. "Please get this idea out of his head. Look at him, he's got his ‘I'm going to do it no matter what you say' look on.”
Knox and Finn were still not saying anything.
"I’ve been thinking about it for a few days, and, honestly, I brought you all in hoping you would talk me out of it."
Griffin shook his head. "Yeah, because we're so good at that."
"Griffin is right. This would be a mistake," Wyatt said. "Why don't you ask her if she'd want you to invest?"
"Because she’d say no," I replied.
Finn sat up straighter in his chair. "How would you even do it?"
"What? Set up a shell company?"
"No, that's clear to me. But how would you present it to her without her catching on that it's actually you?"
I cleared my throat. "I’ll figure that out when it comes to it.”
Griffin shook his head. "No, I think it's the other way around. You should start figuring things out now, okay? Frankly, I can't see a scenario where this doesn't turn around and bite you in the ass."
"I can," Knox said, talking for the first time. "I mean, there are plenty of investors who put money in all sorts of businesses, including hotels. Is it unlikely that one would invest in a small hotel? Yes. But it's not unheard of. Small boutique hotels are all the rage these days, and there are actual companies investing in mom-and-pop shops all over the country. I researched it once. I can look into this."
"Don't," Duncan said. "Don't feed into his madness."
"Go on," I told Knox. He’d dabbled in real estate investment over the years, and I trusted his insights.