Theo turned back to him. “I told you that you were wrong.”
Man, he wanted to wipe the smug smile off his brother’s face.
“I gave them to Lily and Naomi to use,” she continued.
Theo’s head whipped in Brianna’s direction. “You gave them to the magazines?”
It wasn’t the response Matt had expected, but Theo had heard her correctly.
“Yes, I sent them on Thursday when we got back to the hotel,” she said as she examined her perfect manicure.
“Why?”
He heard the confusion in Theo’s voice.
Excellent question.
“So they could write articles no one else could. We’ve been friends forever. Even though her dad owns the Star Report, Lily’s editor rejects more than half the pieces she submits. I knew the editor wouldn’t reject an article about Matt. Naomi has only been at Today for a few months and has spent most of her time writing about cosmetics, which she hates. I thought an article, even a short one, about Matt would prove to her editor that she could handle other pieces.”
Matt hadn’t pegged Brianna as the type to do something to help others.
“Don’t do it again.” He didn’t care if he was out of line. She needed to know her behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.
“Oh, please. It’s not like the people in those photos haven’t been on those websites before.”
Matt’s phone buzzed, and when he checked the screen, he found a text from Adam.
Adam: Picture time. Where are u?
A glance at his watch told him he was almost five minutes late.
Matt: On my way.
“I have to go. Theo, you need to deal with this.”
* * *
Tyler, Adam’s younger brother, noticed Matt first as he approached the group. “It’s about time you got your ass down here. What the hell were you doing?”
“Sorry, I needed to take care of something before the ceremony.”
“Is everything okay?” Adam asked, the perpetual smile he’d been wearing for the past three days fading.
He didn’t want his cousin worrying about anything today, including whether Brianna behaved herself or not.
“Yeah, just some silly media stuff I needed to deal with. Nothing major. It’s all set now.”
At least he hoped it was settled. If not, he’d be having words with his brother again, and this time he wouldn’t be as polite.
The photographer, whom Adam had been speaking with when Matt arrived, clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we’re all here, let’s get started.”
* * *
A hand landed on Matt’s shoulder as he scanned the ballroom. About half the guests remained seated while the rest were on the dance floor.
“Great speech. How long did it take you to write it?” Aiden asked as he sat in the empty chair next to him. “Or did you hire someone to do it?”
He didn’t know the exact length of time, but it hadn’t taken him as long as he’d feared. While he’d struggled to get started, once he did, the rest flowed easily.
