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“My family has this wonderful trait of being very photogenic. It’s one of the things I love most about my parents.”
“Ah, you picked good ones, did you?”
“Among other things. They’re wonderful people and I knew I wouldn’t be the person I am today without their love and guidance.”
“That’s sweet of you to say.”
“I would think you would say the same about your family.”
“Depends on the day and what they’ve done that week.”
I laughed, the stories of JD and even Mac when they were younger were known throughout the elite of New York City and even in the surrounding areas as being troublemakers. I could imagine now that Mac worked in the company’s public relations department, JD’s latest escapades and even his own could make his work and life harder.
“How does your family feel about you making their lives a bit harder with our picture?” I asked.
“They are supportive and are giving me shit about it, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. At least that’s what I got from my brothers, I haven’t heard from my sister or parents yet.”
“And what would they say?”
“It’s about damn time I started to think about getting serious about a woman.”
“Oh, no, even if it was all a misunderstanding?”
“They wouldn’t care, nor do I think anyone else would. This puts you in the middle of all of this and for that I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. I was the one you helped out last night. I should tell you I kind of freaked out when I saw the picture this morning and I called Faith to get some advice,” I said.
“Faith is excellent at her job and I’m sure she was a good sounding board for you. What did she suggest?”
“She was very matter of fact about the whole thing. I think I learned more about her and her job duties in the conversation we had this morning than ever before. She said denying it would only make people think it’s true. It would only fuel the fire and make things worse, not better for us. She suggested we do as the tabloids speculated, and date, or at least look like we were for a little while and then let it fizzle out.”
“Really? That’s what she thought?” Mac asked.
“I knew you would find it ridiculous. As much as I’d like to think that we can pretend the picture never happened, I don’t think we can. It’s only gotten more popular as the day has progressed. She said we could put out a release that denies it but more than likely no one would believe us. We could just not be seen together but everyone would think that we’ve broken up which would only cause more scrutiny. The best way to handle this is to be seen together for a little while until it dies down.”
“Wow. You have this all figured out.”
“No. Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry. I just told you everything we should do, and this is completely in your wheelhouse. That was so wrong of me. I just wanted you to know what I was thinking,” I said.
“It’s nothing like that. Should I be worried that you’re after my job?”
“Certainly not. I’m perfectly fine letting you and Faith handle that. She does a great job and from what I can tell you do too.”
“Thank you. That actually makes what I want to say a bit easier,” he said.
“Okay, what is that?”
“I’m not sure if you saw or heard but JD and his latest girlfriend, Lizbeth broke up last night too.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said.
I had heard about JD and Lizbeth and their on again, off again relationship, but I wasn’t sure what was happening with them had to do with me or Mac.
“Don’t be. None of us liked her, including JD. He’s been trying to break up with her for months and he’s hoping this time it has finally taken. However, that does put us in a bit of a bind,” he said.
“You? JD? Your family? Or you and I?”
“Good questions. The answer is yes for all of us. JD doesn’t need another scandal or calling more attention to himself when he’s trying to get his restaurant going. As he is a Bennett, whatever he does reflects on the company and the family. The sooner he can get past this scandal, the better it will be for him and everyone else involved.”
