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She gave me a tight smile and nodded.
“Is everything okay?” I asked as I started wringing my hands under the table.
Lanny glanced down and then back up at me. She had a look on her face that said she wasn’t sure she should be sharing anything with me.
“Bristol, there have been some pictures that were leaked to the press.”
Each breath I took felt painful. Like someone had just dumped a hundred-pound weight on my chest.
“Pictures?” I asked, my voice barely audible. What type of pictures? If they were of Anson with another woman, I wasn’t sure how I would handle it. A past lover? A fan?
Just when it started to feel like Anson and I had a shot at a future, something like this had to happen.
Oh, God. Stay calm, Bristol, and stop overreacting.
Lanny cleared her throat. “They’re of you and Anson.”
My brows furrowed. “Me and Anson?”
She nodded. “Yes. It looks like the two of you are dancing. He dips you and then…kisses you.” Her face flushed. “Rather intently.”
My hands slapped against my heated cheeks.
“Sisterdale Dance Hall.”
She nodded.
“That’s not the worst part, though. Bristol, your name was printed in the article. It states you’re Anson’s old love from Comfort and the inspiration behind Anson’s first song. Well, actually it mentions almost all of his songs.”
I closed my eyes and cursed.
“Things may get a bit hairy for you, Bristol. We can do some things to protect you, though,” Brad said.
“Protect me?” I asked. “From what?’
Lanny sighed. “Robert is afraid that some of Anson’s more…zealous fans…will go on the attack regarding you. They’ll say some pretty mean and nasty things about you, your appearance. What you do for a living.”
“I can handle that,” I stated.
She gave me a sweet smile. “Bristol, I understand the whole sticks and stones and all. But, truth be told, you cannot and should not read what is said about you.”
The door to the tea room opened, and my mother walked in. “What in the hell is going on? People are commenting on your Instagram posts and saying terrible things about you, Bristol.”
My head jerked back to Lanny. “They mentioned my Instagram?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’m sure it shows up with one search of your name. Your account isn’t private.”
I stood and started to pace. I hadn’t even considered what it would be like when people found out about me and Anson.
“What are they saying?” I asked.
“Bristol,” Lanny said, her voice hard and demanding. “Reading the comments right now is something you really want to avoid, at least for a little while.”
“My wife is right. You don’t want to know what they’re saying.”
“I’m sorry, you are?” my mother asked as she walked over to Lanny and Brad. They both stood and introduced themselves. It was rude of me not to have done it sooner, but my head was spinning.
“How bad will it get?” I asked. “I mean, I’ve worked really hard to build what I have. Can they damage my image or my business’s image?”
Brad faced me. “I’m a lawyer who deals with this a lot. I represent a lot of public figures, so I see this all the time. Bristol, you’ve just been thrust straight into the limelight, if you will. What will happen is you’ll have some trolls making comments. Most likely your fan base will defend you. The one thing you want to stop is any fighting going back and forth on your social media accounts, but sometimes you can’t. Unless you hire someone to monitor your posts. Then you run the risk of people accusing you of deleting posts. Your brand is going to be fine in the end, though. It’s more of a hassle than anything, and you’ll be surprised at how fast this will blow over.”
“The hurtful words will be the worst of it,” Lanny said.
“How long will she have to deal with this?” my mother asked.
Lanny looked between me and my mother. “That depends. It could be days or maybe weeks.”
“Weeks?” I said somberly.
“The first thing we need to do is have Anson address the pictures. Explain your relationship and then ask for his fans to respect your privacy and his. Most will, but I warn you, some won’t.”
“Will they come to the tea room?” I asked.
“The more curious ones will, but I doubt it will be the fans who don’t like the fact that you took Anson off the market. If…that is what’s going on,” Lanny said with a smile.
All I could do was nod. “It is. I mean, we’re very much back together.”
“Okay, then the ones who do have the balls to show up will be more curious than anything. They probably won’t even utter a word to you.”
I nodded and wrung my hands while I kept pacing.
Brad cleared his throat. “I suggest that you make a post on your Instagram, Bristol. Have you ever had anyone ask you if you know Anson? On your Instagram, I mean?”
