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Major walked in to check on his dad, all those toxic emotions still whirling inside.
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Brynn watched the road ahead as Major turned toward the B and B. She could see the warm lights in the distance and wondered if her mom and sister were already cozy in their rooms. She wanted to invite Major in, to get him to open up and talk to her. She still didn’t understand what had happened.
She’d walked Dolly around a bit and then Major had shown up and told her they could go. He’d explained his father was sleeping and physically fine and then he’d gone silent.
No more affection or sweet words. No ease between them.
“Is everything all right? You said your dad was fine, but it’s easy to see you’re still upset.” She wanted to give him space, but the tension between them was killing her.
“Because I’m pretty sure it’s not over.”
“What’s not over? Please tell me what happened because I think maybe this has something to do with me. Are you feeling bad because we were out of touch for so long? Or did it have something to do with the man in the police car?”
She’d taken Dolly to the green space attached to the building. It was obviously a place where the residents of the home gathered to enjoy the outdoors. She’d walked the dog around for a bit and when she’d come back to the car, she’d seen the police SUV driving away and had gotten a glimpse of someone in the back seat. The woman deputy had been driving. Roxanne. She was the one Brynn was supposed to start shadowing on Monday. She hadn’t noticed Brynn, nor had her male partner, but the man in the back put a hand on the window and shouted something she hadn’t been able to hear.
“He was a reporter,” Major explained.
The words hit her like a kick to the gut. “What did he want with your . . .” She stopped because that was a ridiculous question to ask. The answer was clear. “He was looking for you and me.”
“He was.” Major kept his eyes on the road, the lights of the B and B coming closer. “When he couldn’t figure out where we were, he went looking for my father. Apparently my dad gave an interview and then they got into an argument. The staff had to sedate my dad to get him to calm down.”
“Major, I am so sorry.” She’d known something like this could happen. This was what she’d worried about since her mom had told her how crazy popular the video had gotten.
“He wasn’t the only one. He was simply the one who actually got inside. Some woman was literally hiding in the bushes. She had a lot to say to me.” His voice was low, anger in every word.
“A woman?”
“A reporter. Jean or Jeannie. I don’t remember. What I remember was her threatening me if I don’t give her what she wants. She wants an interview, of course. If I don’t give her one, she says she’ll have to assume that you and I faked the video so we could get attention.”
Her stomach turned. She’d been hungry moments before, ready to beg Seraphina for a couple of sandwiches, but all thoughts of food were gone. Unfortunately, she knew exactly who Major was talking about. “She’s with a tabloid show called Entertain America. She’s pretty awful.”
“She asked if I knew about your affair with Gavin Jacks.”
Tears threatened. This was happening faster than she’d believed possible. “Of course she did.”
“I told her you’d never had an affair with him.” His tone softened as though he’d realized she was getting emotional, too. “I set that record straight.”
“You shouldn’t have talked to her. You can’t win. Just tell her no comment or walk away. Don’t give her anything to work with.” If she’d known what was waiting for him, she would have gone with him. “If you see her again, don’t say anything. I’ll handle her.”
He didn’t understand how the tabloids worked. He probably thought they were like actual journalists who cared about the truth. Truth didn’t matter to a person like Jeannie Carbo. All that mattered was ratings, and more salacious stories brought in ratings.
Major pulled into the small parking lot and put the car in park, slamming a hand on the steering wheel. “You shouldn’t have to. She should leave you alone.”
At least his rage didn’t seem to be pointed at her. She took a deep breath, trying to banish the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. She’d wanted a few weeks with him, but it looked like he might need to end things now. “I wish she would, but it’s part of my job. It’s the part I like the least. I’m so sorry they upset your dad. I’m sorry they upset you. I’ll handle it. I’ll do a couple of interviews and make it go away.”
