For the Record (Record #3)(74)
Author: K.A. Linde

“Look, we love your work here as Dear Congress and we’d like to keep you on. You generate buzz. You’re popular. People are interested in reading what you have to say, and they were interested in it before finding out who you are. Do you know what it will be like come Monday when it appears on CNN? Through the roof.”

His eyes were shifty, his smile too big; his entire body language was overly enthusiastic. All she saw when she looked at him was desperation oozing out of every pore. He wanted her to stay and he wanted it badly. He liked the controversy. He liked the promise of increased readership to the online column that the scandal could deliver. He would probably pay her double or triple what he had been paying her. All because her name was attached to it.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Vernon, but I have to decline,” she said, standing.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“Besides the fact that you outed me to the press without my consent? When we had a deal to keep my work anonymous?”

“But it’s going to generate huge numbers for you!”

She wished that she knew how to explain it to him in a way that would make sense. When she had written her first article for him it had been because she didn’t have any other options. She had wanted to prove to herself as much as to everyone else that she could still write articles and be successful on her own. She had needed these articles.

Now what did she have? Brady, school, her charity, and Justin’s blog, which she loved. The world was at her feet. The need that she’d had before was gone. She had already proven to herself that she was good enough. Plus, so much of the fun of being the Dear Congress persona had been the anonymity and knowing that no one else really knew who she was. Without it, the idea lost some of its intrigue.

So, Liz raised her chin and gave him the best answer that she knew how. “No amount of notoriety would be worth it, Mr. Vernon. Furthering my career off of my relationship with Brady wouldn’t be right. If that means leaving the articles behind, then so be it,” she said. “I quit!”

She wasn’t a pawn in someone else’s game. She wouldn’t let the media or Tom Vernon or anyone else dictate how she was going to live from now on.

Chapter 29

FIANCÉ

So you got fired again?” Justin asked over the phone later that day.

“I wasn’t fired. I quit,” Liz insisted.

“You hold down jobs worse than I do.”

“You started your own business and seem to be doing okay with that.”

Justin snorted. “Only because I’m the boss.”

“Well, whatever. I decided that I was with the company only because I had been desperate after graduation. It filled a void and now I don’t really need it anymore.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” he said, his casual demeanor momentarily disappearing. “You’re not calling to break up with me, are you?”

Liz rolled her eyes. “If you’re asking if I’m leaving the site, then no. Not unless you don’t want any more drama behind my name. I just thought you would like to know the nonsense your employee is getting into.”

“Oh. You know I don’t give a fuck,” he said, sounding relieved. “I just thought you’d want to leave, since you’re going to be Mrs. Maxwell and all.”

Mrs. Maxwell. Her whole body tingled. Holy shit! She was really going to marry Brady. She sighed pleasantly at the thought.

“Just because I’m getting married doesn’t suddenly change who I am. I’m still getting my PhD, working with a children’s education charity organization, writing political speeches, and running a movie blog for a certain someone. I’m more than the man that I’m in love with, and I enjoy the work. It’s fun to interact with the people on the blog. It’s nice to have a hobby.” Though she did miss tennis. She had no idea when she would fit that in with everything else.

“Good. Then you’re not getting out of it. I’m going to hire a lawyer or something and make you fill out a contract that says you’ll stick with me.”

Liz laughed. “I have a team of lawyers here who will be happy to look that over for you.”

“I’ll make sure they don’t find the loopholes.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Justin murmured something under his breath and then sighed softly. “Thanks for sticking with me. It means a lot.”

Oh, wow. He sounded . . . sincere. “Of course, I really do like it.”

Brady tapped her on her shoulder. She was in Chris’s guest bedroom and hadn’t realized that he was behind her. “Need to talk to you,” he whispered.

“Hey, Justin. I have to go. Tell Massey I said hey.”

“Will do. See ya.”

Liz stuffed the phone back into her pocket and turned to face Brady. She had informed him about quitting Dear Congress as soon as she had returned. “What’s going on now?”

“Just spoke to Heather again. CNN announced the news.”

“And what does that mean for us?” Liz asked. She hated that this was all happening, but they were trying to stay on top of it, control it. That had always been the strategy. The only problem was that Brady didn’t want to address the rumors; he didn’t want to tell people that the media were all liars and to ignore what was in the news. The media twisted stories and he thought addressing it would only make it worse.

“I think I’m going to have to speak to the press. Heather thinks it’s a good idea. I guess we’ll be announcing our engagement a little bit early,” he said, wrapping his arms around her middle and dropping his lips onto hers. She eased into him, letting the tension wash off of her.

“I’m excited,” she told him. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”

He seemed to consider for a second, and then a smile spread across his face. “Yes.”

The pile of paperwork that she’d had to work on earlier in the week had come with her to Raleigh, where Brady was getting ready to address the press. As suspected, her Dear Congress articles were already being warped by Brady’s opponent as some kind of ill-conceived attempt to make Brady’s policies seem more influential. Liz didn’t think it really made sense. Her articles weren’t all related to what Brady was working on in Congress, and she had never once mentioned him.

But anything that happened on campaign was an issue. Just as she had been a liability two years ago, because she could have been used by his opponent to negatively impact Brady. She just hoped that this conference would dull the blade that his opponent was driving in with the news of her articles.