Kittens sleep a ton. Growing mode. Let her nap. Use the quiet to get coffee.
Max:
How about we take this “date” to new heights—indoor climbing. Think you’re up for a wall?
Nora:
Count me in. Send the address and time, and I’ll meet you there.
Max:
Great. I’ll let Vivienne know so she can keep the photographer low profile.
Nora:
Thanks. Keep me posted on Melody. A quick photo later would be nice. :)
Max:
Will do. Thanks for the help this morning.
Nora:
Anytime, Max. Talk later.
My phone buzzes again, but this time Vivienne’s name flashes across the screen.
“Morning, Vee,” I answer, tucking the phone between shoulder and ear. “Exclusive went up?”
“Yes—Jake’s blog posted the agreed feature at six sharp,” she says. A rustle of paper—probably the printout she edits with war-crime precision. “Everything looks good. Nothing about the elevator incident. Photos are exactly what we approved.”
“Then why do you sound like a fire alarm?”
“Because ten minutes later a new set of photos hit Twitter—fan-shot photos of you and Nora in Madison Chem-Mart, kitten cradled like a prop. The angle barely shows her face, but gossip sites already have it: ‘Max Donovan caught with beautiful woman.’ Tags are trending.” She pauses. “Max, it’s spreading fast.”
I rub a hand down my face. “How bad?”
“It’s all innocent, but it’s not what Nora signed up for, so…”
“Great.” I glance at Melody, still snoozing in her makeshift bed. “I’ll handle it. First I need to warn Nora.”
We hang up. I take one steadying breath and tap “Nora Bookworm”.
The line rings twice. “Max?” Her voice is wary, still morning-soft.
“Hey, sorry to bother you.” I exhale sharply. “Something’s blown up online—figured I should tell you before you hear it from someone else.”
Silence, a rustle of sheets. “Okay… what happened?”
“The photos that were taken in the drugstore—those shots are all over Twitter and Insta. Some of them show the two of us together.”
I hear her sit up, phone shifting. “On Social Media? As in big?”
“Big enough…’”
A quick inhale on her end. “So much for low-profile. I—haven’t even opened social media yet. Is it bad for the library?”
“Right now it’s mostly speculation and jokes. I just thought you should be made aware of it. I’m really sorry, Nora. It’s not what you signed up for and I should’ve steered us out sooner.”
