Scowling at his reaction, he checked the screen. Spencer. They hadn’t spoken for a couple of days. “Hey, buddy. What’s up?”
“I have some bad news.”
“No ‘Welcome home, Liam. Let’s grab a drink and catch up’?”
“Welcome home, Liam. Let’s grab a drink and catch up. Now can I get on with the bad news?”
Oh, why not? “Proceed.”
“The media got wind of your PR relationship with Chloe. They’re all over it. I got a bunch of Google alerts a few minutes ago.”
Liam shut the closet door as his stomach dropped to the floor. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, but it’s happened. We need to figure out how to deal with the fallout. This will set you right back to where you were in the fall.”
“If not farther.” Liam palmed the back of his neck. No doubt. “My fans won’t be thrilled I tried to pull a fast one.”
“That’s already happening, unfortunately. They really got on board with the whole Chliam thing.”
“Who could’ve tipped them off?”
“You probably don’t want to go here, but... could Chloe have done this? To get back at you? She had to know how bad this would look and the effect it would have on your career.” Liam had told Spencer about their real relationship and subsequent breakup—including all the details.
But Liam’s heart refuted the idea. “That doesn’t sound like Chloe at all. Besides, this will only bring her more media attention, and she doesn’t like the spotlight—of that I’m certain.”
“What about her family?”
“They signed nondisclosures, remember? And anyway, this doesn’t reflect well on Chloe either. And this is only going to keep her family’s past in the headlines. They wouldn’t want that.”
“I suppose. I guess it doesn’t really matter how they found out. We need to decide how we should handle it. Should I contact Chloe and let her know what’s happening so she isn’t blindsided?”
She’d made it pretty clear she wanted to cut all ties with him. She’d find out soon enough on her own. “No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I’ll be absorbing most of the damage on this one anyway.”
“I’m afraid you’re probably right. Let’s do a conference call with Patty in the morning and discuss how to move forward. Be thinking about it.”
“All right.” They made plans, then Liam disconnected, histhoughts whirling. The last thing he’d wanted was another scandal. And this one was already blowing up in his face. Since he was back to square one with his reputation, he could probably kiss those recent script offers good-bye. He resolved to stay off social media and let Spencer read the situation for him.
He glanced around his room. Might as well get a few things done around here. He approached his bed where his suitcase lay. But all that was left inside was a dusting of sand.
***
Liam was officially gone.
Since filming had ended a day early, he’d apparently moved up his departure. Chloe couldn’t miss the in-flight selfie he’d posted on his Facebook page, along with his new dating status: single. He must’ve changed it sometime over the past several days.
Since the last thing she needed was to deal with daily reminders of him, she’d unfollowed him and vowed to stay off social media for a while. People had been privately messaging her since her family’s story broke. Most of them were sympathetic, and a few had even experienced something similar. But Chloe didn’t want to rehash her tragic past with strangers.
Pushing away the negative thoughts, she began clearing a table to help the busboys. The restaurant had technically closed and only a few patrons lingered. Soon she’d go home and curl up with her temperamental cat and bittersweet memories. She rolled her eyes at her maudlin thoughts.
Sean flagged her down from the kitchen door. Chloe finished clearing the table and headed that way. Her gaze zeroed in on his somber expression, then the phone in his hand.
What now?
Rather than tell her, he turned back into the kitchen and shefollowed him inside. The back of house was already closed up and the crew had left it sparkling clean.
“What’s up? Who’s on the phone?”
“Meghan called a few minutes ago.”
