“Did you read the article?” Liv asked.
“And the Star Insider is known for its journalistic integrity. C’mon, Liv, we all know the magazine writes whatever will sell.”
Phoebe wasn’t wrong. The Star Insider had printed stories that were later proven to be incorrect. But they did sometimes print ones that were 100 percent accurate. Not to mention, the photos provided compelling evidence.
“Don’t jump to a conclusion because of this,” Emma said.
“What about the other pictures?”
“He was at his cousin’s wedding. It makes sense there would be photos of him with female relatives or family friends.”
“Ask him about this before you do anything,” Phoebe said.
Taking back her phone, Liv turned it off. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. Please put the show back on.”
Twenty
Matt: Can you talk?
Liv started a reply and then deleted it. Yesterday, she’d avoided talking to Matt by lying and telling him she was working at the restaurant. If she sent a similar response now, he’d believe her. But avoiding him wouldn’t solve anything.
Liv: Sure.
“Loving You” filled the room. Yeah, she needed to change her ringtone. Perhaps she’d return the device to its default tone. The last thing she needed was a reminder of Matt every time someone called her.
“Sorry I didn’t call earlier.”
Two weeks ago, she would’ve smiled at the sound of Matt’s voice. Today, it had the opposite effect.
“I was with my parents until after lunch, and I just left my meeting with Ryan.”
Maybe he had been with his parents and then in a meeting. Liv didn’t know if she believed him anymore.
“How’s your mom?”
“Glad to be home and already sick of the casts, especially the one on her leg.”
“I bet. I broke my ankle when I was fourteen. The cast made everything ten times harder.”
“I talked to them about visiting. They’re going to come as soon as the casts come off.”
“That’s great. Hopefully, they come in time to see the fall foliage. How did your meeting go?”
She was stalling, and she knew it. Last night she’d scripted out everything she intended to say. If she were smart, she’d tell him and get it over with.
“More or less, he’s pushing for me to release a solo album. He wasn’t happy when I told him I wasn’t ready. But since I agreed to accept the role in Coldblooded, he forgave me.”
Yep, she never should’ve ignored her conscience. Matt never planned to stay in Orchard Harbor.
“I’m looking forward to working with Anderson and CJ again.”
Just tell him.
“With the three of you in the movie, it’ll be a huge hit.”
When had she become such a chicken?
“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. I land in Bangor at four. I should be home around five. Do you want to meet me there or for me to stop by and pick you up?”
