“Those photos that came out of you and Zane? They weren’t published by Sigma,” Alice says.
“Okay?” I ask.
“They were published by Deborah,” Troy says.
“She went rogue,” Alice adds.
“Which is why we never saw them,” Troy says. “Trust me, if those photos had crossed my desk for edit, I would have refused.”
“Our theory,” Alice goes on. “Is that Deborah knew that. She also knew how shady they were, and doing it under the table was the only way they’d go public.”
“I mean, it makes sense,” I say. “Like payback for quitting.”
“Exactly,” Troy says.
“But that still doesn’t answer the question of who took them…and how,” I say. Because Zane claims he isn’t close to anyone. Still, I have an eerie feeling about it.
Chapter 40
Zane
After leaving dinner,I go with Bentley to the grocery store. I’m no stranger to grocery shopping often, and I’ve never been a fan of grocery delivery. Considering half my job is diet, I am pretty picky about my produce, meat, and eggs. Fuck it, I think it’s safe to say I’m just not an online shopper. Blame my age; it’s fine.
“Alright, we got your milk,” I say, tapping the tubs of baby formula. “And my milk,” I say as I set a canister of protein powder in the cart. “Banana mush for you, fresh bananas for me. Cereal. Wipes. Lotion because we both need soft skin. What am I forgetting?”
“Diapers,” Demi says, and I turn around just in time to catch a box of size one diapers flying at my face.
“Damn,” I say as I catch it. “How did I miss that?”
“You’re tired. It’s easy to forget,” she says with a smile.
“Yeah, until the middle of the night when I’m trying to change his diaper in the dark and realize the bin is empty,” I say with a sigh.
“How are you two doing?” she asks. “I miss this little guy.”
“We’re surviving,” I say just as Bentley spits up. “Sort of.”
But Demi just laughs, taking the burp cloth from my shoulder. I’ve learned to just wear the damn thing because I always end up needing it. I swear this kid spits up half his milk every time I feed him. She wipes his chin.
“You know,” she says, picking up one of the canisters of formula, “I bet if you switched to the gentle tummies version, you’d be wearing less of his lunch.”
“Gentle tummies?” I ask, and she leads me back to the baby aisle. Then she grabs a can that looks similar but with a different colored lid. “It’s the same thing. Same brand. Just ingredients that are softer on the stomach. He seems to have a lot of acid. This should help with that.”
“Thanks,” I say, trading the cans out. Then I run my hand through my hair and hold it there for a moment. “She would have known that,” I say.
“Probably. But everyone learns eventually,” Demi says nicely.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Not great,” she answers.
“I figured,” I nod. “Is her boss still riding her ass? Even though she got what she wanted, I’m sure that won’t be the end of it.”
Demi gives me an odd look. “You mean…you don’t know?” she asks.
“Know what?”
“Zane, Ashlyn doesn’t work at Sigma anymore,” she says, and I clench my jaw.
