Chapter 15 #2
He’d known that none of his family members would share pictures with the tabloids, and he’d assumed the other guests might post photos on their personal social media but not send them to magazines like the Star Report.
He should’ve known it was a possibility, though.
Those so-called magazines paid well for pictures from events that their own photographers would never have access to, such as the dinner cruise.
“Any idea who might have provided them to the magazines?”
“More like sold.” Tossing his shirt onto the floor, he sat. “All I know is it wasn’t a family member.”
Unfortunately, even with them excluded, that left plenty of other suspects.
“Almost everyone took photos at some point.”
“How many guests were there who aren’t family?”
He didn’t recall the exact breakdown of guests. “Maybe around forty.”
“That’s a lot of possibilities.”
Yep, and even if he discovered who shared the pictures, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. They’d already been published.
“Whatever. It’s done.” Matt opened the soda he’d grabbed from the fridge before calling Liv and took a sip. “Everyone was asking about you. They wanted to know why you weren’t with me. I invited them to come and visit whenever they wanted.”
“I’m not sure the female population of Orchard Harbor can handle having both you and your cousin, Jake or Trent, in town at the same time.”
He smiled for the first time since he’d seen the article and pictures. Although both men were now happily married, those two particular cousins had once been notorious playboys, constantly appearing on sites like the Star Report with a different woman.
“I’ll make sure they don’t leave my house when they come.”
“Are you still coming back on Sunday?”
Should he comment on the uncertainty in Liv’s voice or just answer the question?
“Yeah, and my brother is coming with me. Why wouldn’t I come back then?”
Silence initially met his question.
“You’re, um, not far from DC,” she said.
He pictured her shrugging and twisting a stand of hair as she tried to come up with a response.
“I thought maybe you’d want to get in some sightseeing. The last time I was in DC, I only made it to the Natural History Museum and the Vietnam Wall. One of these days, I’d like to check out the other museums.”
Matt wasn’t big into museums, but if she wanted to visit, he’d happily take her to DC.
“Let’s plan to go in the fall when you’re not as busy.
I’ll arrange for you to get a real tour of the White House, not the one they give tourists.
” There were perks to being related to the President of the United States.
“Sounds like fun. I’m guessing Aiden’s coming back with you, not Theo.”
Readjusting his position, he stretched out his legs and took another sip of root beer. “I don’t think Brianna would let Theo come back with me even if he wanted to.”
He’d spent enough time with Brianna to form an opinion of her, and it wasn’t a positive one. Honestly, he couldn’t figure out why Theo stayed with her.
“Has she been as unsociable as when she was here?”
Unsociable wasn’t the adjective he’d use, especially after the way she stormed off last night during the cruise. On the plane ride back to Maine, he planned to ask Aiden about his comment Thursday night, as well as Theo’s response.
“You could put it that way. I don’t get what Theo sees in her.”
Brianna was pretty and physically fit, the type Theo gravitated to, but she was also a high-maintenance diva based on his interactions with her.
“I’d say maybe she’s a great cook, but she seems like the type who struggles to make toast. So maybe he stays with her because the sex is mind-blowing.”
Matt choked on the soda he’d just swallowed. “You might be on to something,” he said once he stopped coughing and could speak again.
“Is Aiden bringing anyone with him?”
Although alone, he shook his head. “Nope, he’s single. Why, do you have someone in mind for my brother?”
“No,” Liv answered, drawing the word out. “Most of my friends are in relationships, and the ones who aren’t wouldn’t be interested in a long-distance one. I was just curious. How long is he staying?”
Aiden hadn’t specified a number, and Matt hadn’t asked. “Don’t know. But I do know that Adam is coming with his family for six days in a couple of weeks.”
Ten minutes later, Matt ended the call with Liv and adjusted the temperature in his room.
Although he needed his brain to turn off so he could sleep, it immediately returned to the articles and pictures on the two websites—assuming there were only two.
There was no shortage of similar sites, and they might have posted pictures as well.
Opening the web browser on his phone, he typed the first site that came to mind.
Unlike the other two, there was no mention of him.
Instead, a piece about Carter and his wife appeared.
Matt hadn’t seen or heard from Carter since telling the band he was done until the keyboardist got his shit together or they replaced him.
Except for the beard, Carter looked the same as always, including his customary pissed-at-the-world expression.
Matt couldn’t say the same about McKenna, who was obviously pregnant.
He was no expert, but she appeared to be well past the first trimester.
Had she forgiven Carter back in March because she’d been pregnant?
Regardless, for both McKenna and the baby’s sake, he hoped Carter got his act together. Whether he did or not, though, it wasn’t Matt’s problem.
Without reading the short article, he typed in the name of another site known for publishing celebrity news.
Much like on the previous one, there was no mention of him.
Instead, there was a lengthy article about a charity event held to raise money for a foundation established by a well-known actor several years ago.
Logically, he knew he couldn’t change anything even if he discovered who sold the pictures.
Still, he wanted to know. Not only had the individual, assuming the same person had given the photos to both sites, shared an event that his cousin might have wanted kept private, but they had also put his and Liv’s relationship in jeopardy.
Anyone looking at the picture of him with Gianna who didn’t know who she was might think they were involved.
And the article certainly suggested it. Liv hadn’t accused him of anything, but he’d heard the doubt in her voice.
He didn’t blame her either. If the tables were reversed, he might have concerns too, especially considering how new their relationship was.
Matt pulled up the guest list he and Kathryn created and scanned the names, unsure what he was looking for.
While he knew a large chunk of the guests, there were simply too many unknowns.
But if someone had sold photos, they might have also posted some on their personal social media.
These days, CHAT was the most popular one.
Opening the app, he typed “Matt Sherbrooke” into the search bar. Unsurprisingly, the CHAT accounts for the Star Report and Today Magazine were the first two results. He skipped them and went on to the next.
“Matt Sherbrooke stopped in Cormac’s today,” the post read. A selfie taken inside the brewery with him appearing in the background accompanied it. He recognized the employee as one of the three who had served them the previous day.
The next couple of posts were made by people who’d seen him either enter or exit the brewery. There was also one that showed him waiting to board the Serenity.
“Brewery tour with my honey. Love ya, Theo.” A selfie of his brother and Brianna followed the post, and much like with the previous selfie, he was in the background.
Unlike the previous ones, though, Brianna’s post had a ton of likes and comments. Clearly, she had a large following on the app.
“Is that Matt Sherbrooke from Eclipse?” the first comment read.
Brianna had responded with a photo that appeared similar to the one the Star Report shared, which showed him talking to his cousin.
“Who else was there?” another comment read.
Once again, instead of replying with words, she’d posted more photos. Much like the first one, it resembled the ones he’d seen on the magazine sites.
Had Brianna provided the magazines with the pictures?
So he could compare the pictures on CHAT with the ones on the websites, Matt got his laptop and went to the Star Report’s website.
He held his phone next to the computer screen.
He wasn’t surprised that the picture Brianna posted on CHAT of him talking to Jake looked nearly identical to the one on the website.
The only difference was that Jake was holding a glass in the photo on CHAT, but in the other one, the glass was on the table.
The following two posts by Brianna didn’t match any on the website. But the one of him talking to his cousin Juliette did. In the picture on the computer, Juliette was smiling, while in the one included in Brianna’s post, it was clear she was laughing.
Let’s see how your pictures compare to Today Magazine, Brianna.
He wasn’t surprised when the pictures published by the magazine matched one of Brianna’s. Like with the others, there were only minor differences.
He’d accept it was just a coincidence if one of Brianna’s matched a photo published by a magazine, but not five.
It looked like he had the culprit.
Matt checked his watch. If it weren’t so late, he’d call Liv back and let her know he’d solved the mystery.
Or at least part of the mystery. He knew the who but not the why.
Magazines paid well for celebrity pictures, so he understood why some people sold them, even if he disapproved of it.
He didn’t know much about Brianna, but the fact that she’d met Theo at Clean Water Matters suggested she wasn’t hurting for money.
The Omega watch she’d worn added to that assumption.
Whatever the reason, tomorrow, before the wedding, he’d have words with Theo. He might not be able to remove what was out there, but he could hopefully prevent Brianna from doing it again. It was Adam and Evie’s wedding, not a social event for someone to share on the internet.