Brianna was pretty and physically fit, the type Theo gravitated to, but she was also a high-maintenance diva based on his interactions with her.
“I’d say maybe she’s a great cook, but she seems like the type who struggles to make toast. So maybe he stays with her because the sex is mind-blowing.”
Matt choked on the soda he’d just swallowed. “You might be on to something,” he said once he stopped coughing and could speak again.
“Is Aiden bringing anyone with him?”
Although alone, he shook his head. “Nope, he’s single. Why, do you have someone in mind for my brother?”
“No,” Liv answered, drawing the word out. “Most of my friends are in relationships, and the ones who aren’t wouldn’t be interested in a long-distance one. I was just curious. How long is he staying?”
Aiden hadn’t specified a number, and Matt hadn’t asked. “Don’t know. But I do know that Adam is coming with his family for six days in a couple of weeks.”
Ten minutes later, Matt ended the call with Liv and adjusted the temperature in his room. Although he needed his brain to turn off so he could sleep, it immediately returned to the articles and pictures on the two websites—assuming there were only two. There was no shortage of similar sites, and they might have posted pictures as well.
Opening the web browser on his phone, he typed the first site that came to mind. Unlike the other two, there was no mention of him. Instead, a piece about Carter and his wife appeared. Matt hadn’t seen or heard from Carter since telling the band he was done until the keyboardist got his shit together or they replaced him. Except for the beard, Carter looked the same as always, including his customary pissed-at-the-world expression. Matt couldn’t say the same about McKenna, who was obviously pregnant. He was no expert, but she appeared to be well past the first trimester. Had she forgiven Carter back in March because she’d been pregnant?
Regardless, for both McKenna and the baby’s sake, he hoped Carter got his act together. Whether he did or not, though, it wasn’t Matt’s problem.
Without reading the short article, he typed in the name of another site known for publishing celebrity news. Much like on the previous one, there was no mention of him. Instead, there was a lengthy article about a charity event held to raise money for a foundation established by a well-known actor several years ago.
Logically, he knew he couldn’t change anything even if he discovered who sold the pictures. Still, he wanted to know. Not only had the individual, assuming the same person had given the photos to both sites, shared an event that his cousin might have wanted kept private, but they had also put his and Liv’s relationship in jeopardy. Anyone looking at the picture of him with Gianna who didn’t know who she was might think they were involved. And the article certainly suggested it. Liv hadn’t accused him of anything, but he’d heard the doubt in her voice. He didn’t blame her either. If the tables were reversed, he might have concerns too, especially considering how new their relationship was.
Matt pulled up the guest list he and Kathryn created and scanned the names, unsure what he was looking for. While he knew a large chunk of the guests, there were simply too many unknowns. But if someone had sold photos, they might have also posted some on their personal social media. These days, CHAT was the most popular one.
Opening the app, he typed “Matt Sherbrooke” into the search bar. Unsurprisingly, the CHAT accounts for the Star Report and Today Magazine were the first two results. He skipped them and went on to the next.
“Matt Sherbrooke stopped in Cormac’s today,” the post read. A selfie taken inside the brewery with him appearing in the background accompanied it. He recognized the employee as one of the three who had served them the previous day.
The next couple of posts were made by people who’d seen him either enter or exit the brewery. There was also one that showed him waiting to board the Serenity.
“Brewery tour with my honey. Love ya, Theo.” A selfie of his brother and Brianna followed the post, and much like with the previous selfie, he was in the background.
Unlike the previous ones, though, Brianna’s post had a ton of likes and comments. Clearly, she had a large following on the app.
“Is that Matt Sherbrooke from Eclipse?” the first comment read.
Brianna had responded with a photo that appeared similar to the one the Star Report shared, which showed him talking to his cousin.
“Who else was there?” another comment read.
Once again, instead of replying with words, she’d posted more photos. Much like the first one, it resembled the ones he’d seen on the magazine sites.
Had Brianna provided the magazines with the pictures?
So he could compare the pictures on CHAT with the ones on the websites, Matt got his laptop and went to the Star Report’s website.
He held his phone next to the computer screen. He wasn’t surprised that the picture Brianna posted on CHAT of him talking to Jake looked nearly identical to the one on the website. The only difference was that Jake was holding a glass in the photo on CHAT, but in the other one, the glass was on the table.
The following two posts by Brianna didn’t match any on the website. But the one of him talking to his cousin Juliette did. In the picture on the computer, Juliette was smiling, while in the one included in Brianna’s post, it was clear she was laughing.
Let’s see how your pictures compare to Today Magazine, Brianna.
He wasn’t surprised when the pictures published by the magazine matched one of Brianna’s. Like with the others, there were only minor differences.
He’d accept it was just a coincidence if one of Brianna’s matched a photo published by a magazine, but not five.
It looked like he had the culprit.
