Chapter 29 – ANNA
29
ANNA
Six Weeks Later
H oly shit. Did you see the headlines??
I rubbed my eyes as I reread Summer’s text. It made sense that she would text me at 5 a.m., considering she was one of those freaks who ran five miles before everyone else even woke up. For one terrifying second, I wondered if we’d been caught. If they found Josh’s corpse, wherever Carter’s men had stuffed it, and we were all completely and totally fucked.
I clicked the link she sent and couldn’t suppress my gasp.
Michelle and Hudson Vaughn Divorce After 28 Year Marriage .
Of course, that was only the headline for respectable news organizations. As I tapped to the main news screen, the gossip rags had much more salacious takes.
Michelle Vaughn Blindsides Hudson with Divorce Papers.
Michelle Vaughn Spills the Tea about Governor’s Charity Theft.
“He Made So Many Dirty Deals”: Michelle Vaughn on Governor Ex.
No matter how much I scrolled, they just kept going. Apparently, Mom served Dad divorce papers last night, which were quickly leaked to the public, along with quotes from her “friends” revealing all his dirty laundry.
I’d spent enough time in the spotlight to know that this was a targeted attack. Mom had worked with a publicist to bring Dad down and get all the headlines on her side. She made sure the papers knew everything, all his scandals and sins written out in black and white. It probably took her years to be ready for a move like this.
Maybe six?
A twang in my chest had me clutching at it. I didn’t even realize.
When my phone rang a moment later, it took me a second to find the voice to answer.
“Summer?”
“Can you believe it? It’s so insane. Did you have any idea she was planning to leave him?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Seriously? She really screwed the bastard. Must’ve taken her a long time to get all that in place. God, what a badass, she totally dropped a bomb on him and then said, ‘ you like that, Governor?’ ”
Yeah. She really did.
I was so proud of her.
“It’s crazy. I can’t believe she didn’t say anything. Feels like everyone is always keeping secrets from me.”
I laughed hollowly.
There was an odd pause on the other end from Summer before she cleared her throat.
“Summer?” I prodded. “Not you, too? Did you get engaged?”
“Okay, so, don’t be mad,” she said. “But I have been sort of keeping a secret from you. I was actually going to tell you over lunch next week but maybe now is better since they keep calling.”
“Since who keeps calling?”
“The galleries. Hold on, let me start at the beginning. So, you know how you left those negatives at James’ place when Carter came in all Batman sans cape?”
“Uh, yeah. Don’t remind me.”
“Well, I may have done something a little naughty.”
It felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. “Summer, what did you do?”
“You know how I’m on all those charity boards? You know, for the Cancer Research Center and the Historical Renovation Program?”
“Yes. You’re a very busy do-gooder, get to the point.”
“Anyway, I’m on the board for the Modern Art Museum,” she went on. “I actually have a lot of contacts in the art world. And I knew you’d never submit them yourself so…”
“Oh god, Summer, what did you do?”
“Well, before I returned the negatives, I kind of, sort of had them digitized…” I could practically hear her bracing for a bite back.
I was too stunned to say a word.
She blew out a breath.
“Don’t hate me.”
My eyes burned.
“You have the images?”
“Well, yeah. I still have the whole digitized file.”
I choked on a sob, covering my mouth with my hand to hold it in.
“Anna? Anna are you there?”
When Dad threw my film in the fire, I thought my best work was gone forever. I’d kept taking photographs, but my heart wasn’t in it. Now, I felt a new spark of hope.
“Fuck. You’re angry.”
“No,” I blurted, unable to keep a tremble out of the word. “No, I’m not. I—I thought I lost them. My dad— Hudson, ” I corrected myself. “He threw the negatives in the fireplace and erased the digitized versions off my laptop.”
Summer inhaled sharply on the other end of the call. “That bastard!”
I laughed. “Yeah. I didn’t think I’d ever see them again.”
“Well, don’t thank me yet,” Summer warned. “I’m not done. Because I didn’t just make copies. But don’t worry, I went through all, like, two thousand freaking images and did my best to find the ones you showed us. Actually, you remember our old art teacher? I went to her for help and she said you showed her the photos, too, and…” She was rambling now. “So she sort of helped me re-put together your portfolio and then I just sent it to, like, all the galleries on this side of the country under the guise of being your agent.”
“WHAT?” I squawked, and heard Carter’s footsteps pounding down the stairs.
“Hang on, let me finish. Ten of them said, thanks but no thanks . Eight of them said they didn’t have a place, but asked you to send future work. But seven of them offered you an exhibition! I knew you were a star. Everyone wants to be in the Anna Vaughn business!”
Carter came around the corner, taking in my teary eyes and no doubt shook expression with a darkness in his eyes. I waved him off, mouthing it’s okay. He looked doubtful, but went to the kitchen, busying himself with putting on a pot of coffee even though I knew he just didn’t want to leave the room.
“That’s really amazing, Summer, but I couldn’t accept,” I said, the words sounding hollow.
Everyone wants to be in the Anna Vaughn business.
“Those museums only wanted me because of my name and the publicity.”
Oh god. And now? They’d love the opportunity to feature the work of Hudson Vaughn’s daughter. It would be a total media circus.
Summer shook her head. “You don’t get it, Anna. They didn’t have your name. All they knew was that you were an up-and-coming photographer and that I was your agent. And they all wanted to show your work. Of course, the Anna Vaughn name might get some extra promotion, but you got in for your talent, girl, not your name.”
My chest swelled and the burn was back in my throat.
“Summer, I could kiss you.”
“Please don’t. Carter is jealous enough as it is,” she said jokingly. “Ope, I got to go, but you can be properly angry at me over lunch next week while we discuss which galleries you want to exhibit it, deal?”
I snorted. “Yeah. Deal. ”
I turned to see Carter twirling a spoon in a mug of black coffee. “Care to explain?”
Even in the dim light, he looked unfairly good with bedhead. I clicked back to the articles about my mom and the divorce and passed him the phone silently as he slid into the seat beside me.
“Good for her,” he said after a few moments of careful reading. “Couldn’t have done it better myself, though I’d have loved to take a stab at him.”
Probably literally, I thought, and tried not to overanalyze how the thought didn’t bother me.
“How do you feel?”
“I feel…free,” I said with a laugh. “Mom and I are both free now. And there’s more.”
He raised his brows.
“Summer made copies of all my negatives from The Butterfly Room. She has the entire shoot.”
“And why do you look so nervous?”
I stopped biting my lip.
“Because she sent the portfolio to half the art galleries in the country.”
His gaze darkened. “And?”
“And at least seven of them want me to exhibit.”
He softened, and I realized he was probably readying himself to systematically dismantle half the art galleries in the country if they’d all said no.
“Of course, they did. You’re brilliant, my little liren. It was only a matter of time before the whole world saw it.”
I chuckled as he pressed a hot kiss to my temple.
“Just one problem,” he added, nuzzling me with a little growl. “I don’t like sharing.”