Page 80 of Tuxedos and Tinsel

Being with her was as close to belonging as a man could get.

After a few laps around the park, he made a quick stop for scones and a copy of theLooking Glass. The vendor soldPersonal Magazineas well so he grabbed a copy of that too since Susan and he were scheduled to do that interview with the magazine later in the week. He was half tempted to cancel since the article wasn’t needed. On the other hand, he liked the idea of Susan gracing the pages of a national magazine. Letting the whole country see more of her uniqueness.

That reminded him, he’d have to find a place for a Christmas tree. When he was done “waking up” Susan, he would ask her what she wanted to do for decorations.

The bed was empty when he unlocked the door. Susan was in the bathroom. It was that last loop. He knew he should have cut it short. Oh, well. He’d give her a few moments of privacy, and then join her. The shower wasn’t built for two for nothing.

As he kicked off his running shoes, he idly flipped through the paper where he’d dropped it on the kitchen island. It was the usual headlines. The prime minister was fighting with Parliament. One of the royal duchesses had made an appearance in an expensive designer coat. He turned to page six and froze when he saw the headline.

Scam-pagne Lewis? Fans Duped by Publicity Stunt.

What the…? This was not good. Not good at all. This was…

He ran a hand over his mouth. This was a disaster. Quickly, he scanned the article. It detailed how he and Susan had conspired to improve his image and get publicity for Collier’s at the same time, even implying that he was paying Susan and that he was the same drunken playboy he’d always been. Half of it wasn’t true at all, and that mattered. Once a narrative was cast, it was near impossible to sway public opinion.

This was going to ruin everything. Goodbye new career, new reputation. Men like Montclark would want nothing to do with him now.

Snatching the paper in his fist, he stormed into the bedroom and thrust open the bathroom door. Susan was just stepping out of the shower. Upon his bursting in, she grabbed a towel.

“What the heck, Lewis,” she snapped.

“We’ve got a problem.” He held up the paper so she could see the headline.

A curse escaped her lips. Taking the paper, she continued reading as she padded past him into the bedroom. Lewis followed, reaching the bed in time to hear her swear again.

She’d turned pale. “I didn’t think it would make the papers,” she said in a low voice.

“What are you talking about? Did you know something like this might happen?”

“Not this.” She ran a hand through her curls, sending droplets of water across the comforter. “This is my fault,” she said. “I told Linus last night and Courtney overheard. I didn’t know she was there but at the end of the night I heard her and Ginger telling others. I’m not sure how it got in the paper though. One of the servers or bartenders must have heard her.”

“Dammit. Didn’t we agree that we couldn’t tellanybodyfor this exact reason?”

“I’m sorry.”

Sorry wasn’t going to change the fact his reputation was ruined. Again. “Why would you tell Linus in the first place?”

“I didn’t set out to,” she replied. “He was going on about some family-bonding trip and it came out. I didn’t know Courtney was there.”

“Well, she was,” he snapped. “And now all of London knows.”

“I’m sorry.” Her eyes were wet with tears.

Blowing out a breath, Lewis got up and retrieved a bathrobe from his closet. He couldn’t have this conversation with her wrapped in a towel. She looked too vulnerable. The rational part of him knew it was an accident. That she hadn’t intentionally set out to ruin their plan, but he wasn’t ready to listen yet. Not when everything he wanted was tumbling out of reach. “I need to go for a run,” he said.

“But you already went.”

He looked down at his damp running clothes. “Another one. I need to clear my head.”

“Don’t.” Her hand landed on his arm. Lewis turned around. His robe was oversize, the sleeves hanging several inches below her fingers. It was worse than seeing her in the towel.

“It’s only one article,” she said.

“Right now. You saw how the first one spread.” By tomorrow they would be dissecting it on the morning talk shows.

The shrill sound of a phone ringing cut through the tension. “Yours,” he said.

She rummaged through her bag. “It’s Thomas.”