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“Of course,” he said, grabbing a veggie roll.
“I wanted to thank you for something. It’s a bit indirect, but it’s still important. When the Semple piece came out on Saturday, I reached out to my old friends Mia and Robin. I hadn’t seen or spoken to them in almost thirteen years. Anyway, we met at a café this afternoon and caught up on old times. It was great. I have no idea where it will go from here, but I was happy I reconnected.”
“That’s great, but what does it have to do with me?”
She fiddled with her chopsticks before finally making eye contact with Grady. “Spending time with you has helped me get out of my shell. Had this been months ago or before the scandal, I wouldn’t have dreamed of messaging them. I would have assumed they’d rebuff me. Or worse, the thought to reach out simply wouldn’t have occurred to me. So thank you for that.”
He set down his chopsticks and leaned over the island to kiss her. “You know, I really had nothing to do with that.”
“I’m in a better headspace. That wouldn’t have happened without you.”
“Sure, but that’s still about you. But since we are talking about this, there is someone else you could reach out to.”
She bit her lip thinking about that. Messaging her old friends was one thing, but her father?
“How about we chalk this up as a win and I consider calling my dad. Would that make you happy?”
He nodded. “That would make me very happy.”
* * *
She took Grady’s advice and told John she wanted to see him. She went to his office instead and insisted they speak alone when he suggested Marnie join the meeting. He motioned for Reese to take a seat and frowned when he took the seat behind his desk.
“Must be important if you came to my office.”
She rarely visited his office because he didn’t invite her very often. His posh spot downtown screamed his success, but he usually only bothered meeting new clients here to show off what he could do for them. After that, he didn’t want to remind them how much money he was making off them.
“It is. I’d like to talk about theLowdownblog.”
He nodded as if he knew she was going to say that. “I’ve noticed some things that are concerning.”
“I’m concerned we have someone on the inside.”
He tapped his fingers on his desk and took a long moment to think. “Yes, we do,” he finally said.
“What’s our next step?”
“I don’t know who it is. Do you?”
She tapped her fingers nervously on the arm of her chair. “I have a list, and I’ve narrowed down the names, but I need to know if you’ve told anyone about my mother, about Cam’s father’s business, etcetera.”
“I haven’t breathed a word to anyone. Not even my wife. It would be highly unprofessional.”
“Then that leaves Cam, Daria, Marnie, Grady, and anyone they’ve told. I have eliminated Grady. He hasn’t told anyone, and he was no reason to gossip about me. So that leaves the three others, and I don’t suspect Cam.”
John blinked a few times. He took off his reading glasses and set them down on his desk. He made eye contact with Reese, and it felt like a lightning strike. “I wouldn’t take Cam off that list.”
Reese tilted her head. “What?”
John massaged his temples and he seemed to be debating what to say next. “I shouldn’t be telling you this…it is utterly unprofessional, but this issue with Cam’s father has been going on for a lot longer than you think. Cam has been trying to help his father for over a year. I sat him down and gave him my honest opinion, that his father should cut his losses and move on with his life. Turns out he’s a stubborn man, so Cam has been sinking his savings into this money pit of a business. Cam has nothing else to give. If it wasn’t for his fiancée, he’d be living on the street.”
Reese’s jaw dropped.
“He told me he was financially secure.”
“Perhaps he didn’t want to worry you. I’ve done as much as I can for him, but he doesn’t garner the same attention you do. You have more cachet, a pretty face, a fantastic athlete’s body. Securing endorsements for you—prior to Jennifer—was easy. But Cam is nothing more than a sidekick. I’ve managed to land him some speaking engagements, but they don’t pay much.”
Reese’s head was spinning. “But why are you telling me that I can’t take him off my list?”
