Page 112 of Bad Reputation

The man recovered quickly, though. His smug, impervious mask slipped back into place in an instant. “You can’t do that.”

“Quinn thinks I can, and he’s better at his job than you are.”

Cole stood up, shook hands with Brett and Quinn, and headed for the door. They’d agreed that Cole shouldn’t be around for all the sordid details. And besides, he had to get home and tell Maggie that it was handled. That even if this was his fault in the first place, he’d handled it.

As he was leaving the room, Drew shouted after him, “You’ll regret this.”

But Cole was absolutely certain he wouldn’t.

Chapter 27

INT. COLE’S HOUSE

Cole’s voice froze Maggie in the hallway leading to the open-concept kitchen / living room.

“I haven’t normally discussed my personal life with reporters,” he was saying. “But given theBoulevard Babblestory, I know I have to.”

“Zoya Delgado, Tasha Russell, Rhiannon Simmons, Owen Roy, and Leanne Archer have all released statements disputing the story and standing behind you and Maggie.” Jack Davis’s voice sounded weird.

Maggie peeked around the corner. Cole was sitting on the couch with his laptop open on the coffee table. He was giving Jack an interview—an open-book, all-subjects-included interview, by the sounds of it—over Zoom.

He was doing it for her, even though he hated that stuff.

She folded back against the wall, smiling. She’d just taken one of his cars to drop Savannah at the airport, and the whole time she’d been driving back, she’d been impatient—more impatient than normal—with the traffic. She needed to see Cole.

It wasn’t that she had all the answers. But she had one of them.

“I appreciate the support of the cast ofWaverleyso much,” Cole said.

Their statements had been gushing and genuine, even Tasha’s, and she despised the press even more than Cole. When she’d read them, Maggie had almost cried again. Late yesterday,Boulevard Babblehad deleted the story and published a terse retraction.

Cole’s lawyer must be very scary, and it turned out that was valuable in this business.

“The original story didn’t match with what I saw during the week I spent on set either,” Jack said. “I don’t think anyone could take it seriously. But now there are reports that you split with Drew Bowen because he gave those quotes toBabblein the first place.”

Maggie smacked her hand over her mouth to smother her gasp.

“For legal reasons, I can’t comment on who was responsible for the leak. But it’s important to me to clear things up, not only for my sake but also for Maggie’s.”

Last night, Cole had come back from his meeting with his team, and all he’d told her was that he’d found the culprit and that things were going to work out. Since they’d been having the conversation under their breaths in this exact spot while Savannah chilled in the kitchen, it had been a brief discussion, but that had been the gist. Then he’d been charming, if a bit distant, with Savannah, melting away after dinner so that they could have girl time.

And here he was, trying to save Maggie. Not knowing if she wanted to be with him or if she blamed him for all of it, but trying to save her anyhow. Because he loved her.

On Zoom, Jack asked, “And you and Maggie are ...?”

Cole wouldn’t confirm their relationship without Maggie telling him that it was okay to do so. Maggie knew that as surely as she knew the sun would rise in the east and set in the west. He thought this was his fault, and so he had to fix it.

Two careers had blown up in Maggie’s face. One had been absolutely not her fault. And the other ... had been a little her fault. But ultimately, she couldn’t change who she’d fallen for. And she couldn’t change the bad timing. She could decide if she wanted to rebuild her lifewith or without the man she loved. And having done it once without him, she knew that it would be better with him.

Infinitely better.

In the living room, Cole said, “I care about Maggie deeply. And I—”

When Maggie breezed in, he stopped talking and went statue still. Jack probably thought the internet had hiccuped.

Maggie sat next to Cole on the couch and waved at the camera. “Hey, Jack. It’s good to see you. I’m sorry to be late. I was taking a friend to the airport. I didn’t know Cole had scheduled this for now.” She linked her fingers with Cole’s and squeezed his hand.

It wasn’t that some magical rightness stole over her when she touched him again. But as he returned the gesture, she knew that whatever came next, she wouldn’t have to face it alone.

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