“What’s up, boo?” Easton walked into the living room.
She showed him the site.
“Hey, I took that picture. That’s copyright infringement.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Seriously? That’s what you’re worried about?”
He pouted. “My work is all over the fucking Internet. Do I get paid every time someone steals an image and puts it on some sleazy blog? No, I do not.”
She shook her head. “You got paid to take the picture. Doesn’t it belong to Silverstone Swimwear?”
“Yeah. But still. It pisses me off. The Internet is a free-for-all of piracy.”
“Okay, I appreciate that, but at this moment—not the issue. They wrote about my dad.”
“Motherfuckers!” Easton grabbed the computer and read the article. “Well, shit.”
“Yeah. My sentiments exactly.”
“I guess you couldn’t keep that secret forever. Especially dating a professional athlete.”
“I didn’t really think anyone would be interested in me.”
“Well, they are. And they’re interested in Duncan and they’re interested in Deke Johnson, who apparently just got out of jail.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that true?”
“Apparently.” She shrugged. “I should never have agreed to hang out with Duncan.”
But even as she said the words, a sharp pain lanced through her.
He’d apologized and said this was all his fault. And in a way, she agreed. But she couldn’t really blame him.
The door buzzer went off, and with a frown, Easton answered it.
“Hi, it’s Lovey Armstrong. Is Amber home?”
Easton raised his eyebrows at her. Amber blinked, then gave a quick nod.
“Yep, she’s here. Come on up.”
He let her in and they waited for her to arrive at the door.
“Hi!” Lovey breezed in, all vibrant and pretty. “I’m Lovey.” She held out her hand to Easton.
“Easton Parker. Amber’s roommate.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Amber rose and moved toward Lovey, to be enveloped in a hug. She still wasn’t totally used to all the hugging, but Lovey was a hugger and Amber liked Lovey. “What are you doing here?”
Lovey stepped back and fastened her gaze on Amber. “Duncan asked me to come see you. To make sure you’re okay.”
Amber’s heart quivered. “Oh.” She gave a tiny sniff. “So I guess you saw that blog article.”
Lovey rolled her eyes. “Yeah. I peeked at it. I’ve seen that blog before.”
“Um, yeah. It doesn’t bother you?”
Lovey waved a hand and started unwinding her scarf from around her neck. Easton politely took her coat and hung it in their closet. “Nah. Shit like that’s part of the deal. That one has a little snarky tone but in some ways it’s kind of flattering.” She flashed a grin as she took a seat. “They said I’m hot!”
Amber sank down onto the couch and couldn’t help but laugh. “You are hot.”
“Eh. I’m no model.” She lifted an eyebrow. “You looked amazing in those pictures, by the way.”
“Uh, thanks.”
“I took them,” Easton bragged, sitting on the arm of the couch. “Can I get you ladies a beverage? Wine? Cooler?”
“This would be an excellent time for a glass of wine,” Lovey said.
“I have pink Moscato.” Easton stood. “I was saving it for…I don’t know why the hell I have it, actually, but I thought it was cute.” He moved into the kitchen.
“So.” Lovey fixed her sympathetic gaze on Amber. “Are you okay?”
Amber gave her a wry smile. “I guess so. I don’t know what the fallout from this is going to be.”
“You know that what your dad did has nothing to do with you, right?” Lovey leaned forward.
“Duncan said the same thing. I know that. But it was so humiliating. I know people were talking about us and looking down on us. It was worse for my mom…to have the whole world know your husband had been cheating on you…repeatedly. Even trying to pay women to be with him.” She shook her head. “I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but people do judge you. I felt it everywhere I went.” She closed her eyes briefly.
“Here you go, girls.” Easton handed them each a glass of bubbly pink wine and then picked up one for himself.
“Thank you,” they both said.
“Well, it was years ago.” Lovey took a sip of wine. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure who Deke Johnson is. No offense.” She hitched a shoulder. “I’m not much into football.”
Well. Apparently some people had better things to think about than a rich, talented athlete who went from hero to zero in what seemed like minutes.
“Have you kept in touch with your dad?” Lovey asked. “Or do you not want to talk about it?”
“I haven’t kept in touch with him at all. I was so hurt and angry at him back then, I never wanted anything to do with him. Haven’t seen him since he went to jail.”
“Oh honey.” Lovey’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry.”
Amber nodded glumly. “Don’t feel sorry for me. That was what I hated most.”