Rumor Has It (15 page)

Tears wet her cheeks and Liza said a silent prayer that Chante would come to her senses. Her iPad chimed, alerting her that she had a Google alert. Opening the message, she wasn't surprised to see that it was about her. When she saw the source was QC After Dark, she started to ignore it. After all, the gossip site had written about her earlier today. She clicked the link anyway, curious to see if they'd updated the story since her press conference with Jackson.

What she saw made her jaw drop:
Was Liza Palmer a Hush-Hush call girl?

“What the . . . ?” She read on, her blood boiling as she saw the lies:

Liza stopped reading the lies and wanted to call her attorney. Then she laughed scornfully. Chante was the person she'd call with this kind of stuff and she had just given her friend the kiss-off.

Folding her arms across her chest, Liza knew who leaked the story and she wanted to drive straight to Robert's campaign headquarters and choke the life out of him and Nic. When that woman had approached Liza after her release from federal prison, she'd refused to work with her. The former madam had reached out to her so that she could rehab her image. But Liza had said no. She had no intentions of turning a sex peddler into a saint.

It would've been a lucrative account, but Liza had her principles, and to see this story online enraged her beyond words. Part of her wanted to toss her iPad directly into Nic's face and break his nose. Because she had no doubt that he was behind this.
And Chante is questioning my loyalty. Robert told Nic about this and now they're using it all out of context.

She turned on the TV and wasn't surprised that she was the lead story. Not wanting to hear the lies, she shut the TV off and groaned. How was she going to combat this?

When her cell phone rang, Liza was shocked to see that it was Chante.

“What?”

“I just saw the news and I know that mess isn't true.”

“Then ask your fiancé why he's spreading rumors.”

“You think Robert was behind this?”

“Think? Chante, I told two people that the South Park Madam wanted me to help her when she got out of prison. You were one of them.”

“He wouldn't. . . . Can I talk to you and not see what I'm going to say as a headline?”

“That's Robert's MO, not mine.”

Chante expelled a sigh. “He's changing. In ways that I don't like, and I'm willing to believe that he would do anything to win this election and . . .”

“You're starting to question the engagement again, huh?”

“Liza, I've missed having you in my corner. At first, I thought this was kismet. Thought this was my chance at a great love. That's why I didn't want to believe anything you said about him, when I knew you were telling the truth.”

“Chante, love makes us do crazy things. Think about how many times you and Gabby tried to warn me about Alvin.”

Chante laughed. “And you didn't listen.”

Liza started to say they didn't have pictures of him with other women, but she held her tongue. “I'm going to confront your man and since you're my attorney, I need you present.”

“Sure, but how does me being your attorney make a difference?”

“You can remind me of the charges I'll face if I break his face!”

“He and Nic are at Capital Grille.”

Liza did laugh heartily. “Are you going to meet me there?”

“No, I'm going to come to your office and pick you up. If Robert did this to you, I don't want anything to do with him. I understand politics is a nasty game, but to out and out lie on you, I can't let that go.”

“Then let's go.”

“I'll see you in about fifteen minutes,” Chante said.

When Liza hung up the phone, she smiled. Glad that her friend had gained control of her senses again. She couldn't wait to see Robert's face when she and Chante walked into that restaurant.

Chapter 18

Jackson watched the newscast in silence. This was the last thing he'd expected to see or hear about Liza. Teresa shook her head and grabbed the remote control. “A call girl?” she bemoaned.

“No one said she was a call girl,” Jackson replied.

“But that's what people are going to think.” She started pacing. “I wonder if this was part of Montgomery's plan? To throw his friend under the bus.”

“How do you know he's involved?”

“Too many unnamed sources and this type of rumor is just too personal.”

Jackson pulled out his cell phone and walked out of the room. He needed to know if Liza was all right. He didn't believe what was on the television, but he knew she had to be mad as hell.

Voicemail.
God, I hope she doesn't do anything crazy,
he thought as he hung up the phone and pressed it against his forehead. He wanted to find her, not to ask her about the rumors, but to hold her. He knew this was going to be hard for her to overcome, especially since her reputation was a huge part of her business. And to think that her friend had done this to her—so much for a clean campaign. Wait, technically, this had nothing to do with him. Who was he kidding? He would be linked to Liza and this rumor would haunt them. More importantly, the woman he cared about was hurting.

Wait. He cared about her? How could he not? She was sexy, sweet, driven, and the best kisser he'd met in some time. “Jackson,” Teresa called from the doorway. “We need to release a statement. I'm getting calls about Liza and I thought we made it clear that she wasn't a part of our team.”

Jackson rose to his feet. “Not yet,” he said. “I need to see her first and make sure she's all right.”

Teresa shook her head, muttering in Spanish that he was going to lose because he was allowing the wrong head to think for him.

“Hey,” Jackson called out. “I can speak Spanish too, you know! And I'm using my brain, thank you very much.”

“Whatever,” Teresa retorted. Jackson grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He drove over to Amelie's to grab a couple of salted caramel brownies and two cups of coffee. Chocolate always made things a little better. At least that's what women always said.

After getting the order from the bakery, Jackson realized that he didn't know where her office was located. Sitting in the parking lot, he Googled her name. Of course, the first links all led to the stories about the South Park Madam and Liza's alleged ties to her. Finally, he found Liza's website with her office address listed. He wasn't surprised that her office was in uptown. Driving around the parking lot of her office, he looked for her car. After he saw it, Jackson decided to head up to her office. He was quite disappointed to find the door locked and no sign of Liza. He waited for a few minutes, then felt like a stalker and headed back to his car, wondering where Liza had run off to.

 

 

Liza felt like one of Charlie's Angels as she and Chante walked into the Capital Grille. They spotted Robert and Nic sitting at a table in the corner sipping champagne and reading files. Liza assumed they were going over debate preparations or their next character assassination. Chante strode over to the table with Liza at her heels and slammed her hand down on the table. “Robert!” she exploded.

He looked up at her, shock registering on his face as he spotted Liza. “Babe, what's this all about?”

“This is about you lying and spreading rumors about people you're supposed to care about.”

“I think you can see that we're busy here,” Nic said, then sneered at Liza. “How are you doing, Miss Palmer?”

“Don't speak to me, you slime,” Liza shot back, then rolled her eyes.

Nic clutched his chest. “I'm hurt.” He nodded toward Robert. “Can we dispose of this quickly?”

“Dispose of this?” Chante snapped as she clutched a glass of water.

As much as Liza wanted to see her girl toss that glass of water in Nic's face, the last thing they needed to do was cause a scene. Liza touched her shoulder and shook her head. “Not here.”

“Liza, what have you done now?” Robert asked.

“So, you're allowing Nic to let you go dirty?” she snapped.

“Liza, you need to leave. Chante, I don't know why you're entertaining the alleged call girl.”

Forget making a scene. Liza grabbed the glass of water that Chante had let go and tossed it in Robert's face. “I really can't believe I had so much faith in you and believed that you were the right man for this job. You're not qualified to be a dogcatcher.”

Robert laughed as he wiped his face.

“Smile, Liza,” Nic said as he snapped a few pictures with his phone. Chante slapped his phone away.

“Robert, are you behind these lies?” Chante asked.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, then laughed. “You're listening to the wrong person if you think anything Liza is saying is truthful.”

“Liza isn't saying a word and I asked you a question. Are you and this man,” she spat, pointing her thumb at Nic, “behind the story about Liza and the South Park Madam? You and I both know what's being implied is a damned lie.”

“We are not responsible for what the media reports,” Nic said coolly. “Is it our fault that a reporter did his or her job and found out that your friend deals in smut?”

Liza tensed as she was about to douse Nic with the other glass of water sitting on the table. “Go to hell, Nic.”

“Seems you know the direct pathway,” Nic said. “I'm glad you're no longer associated with our campaign and you're so damaged Franklin's camp isn't going to want to touch you. It's a pity, because you're good at what you do.”

Chante followed her friend's eyes to the steak knife on the table. “Now, Liza, that knife is only going to earn you an assault charge.”

“Chante, you're being ridiculous right now,” Robert said. “And you're allowing her to do what she does—”

“And just what is that, Robert?” Liza snapped. “I've been nothing but a good friend to you and this is the thanks I get?”

“You've been riding my coattails for years and I tolerated it because I felt sorry for you. I'm done with that now. And, if you were smart, you'd just walk away.”

“You felt sorry for me?” Liza shook her head and slumped her shoulders for a moment. This was the man she'd considered her best friend, the man she'd wanted her sorority sister to marry, and the man she'd thought was meant for greatness.

Wrong. She. Had. Been. Wrong. “I guess your mother's crack habit did affect you. Because you're obviously out of your damned mind. If I were you, I'd be shaking in my boots. You think that you're the only one with dirt? The difference between you and me is that I don't want to hurt you. But if you think I'm going to stand by and be a casualty of your political ambitions, you're wrong.”

“I don't have time for this or your rantings,” Robert said as he stood up, still damp from the water she'd tossed in his face. “Thanks to you, I have to change my clothes before my next meeting.” He turned to Chante. “We'll talk about this later.” His voice sounded like a wolf's growl.

Chante narrowed her eyes at him. “No, Robert, we're going to talk about this now or you can forget about the fund-raiser at the law firm.”

Grabbing her arm, he gritted his teeth at her. “You're in this with her? You bitches are trying to ruin me.”

“Bitches?” Liza and Chante said in concert. They turned to each other.

“I know he's not talking to us,” Chante said.

“I know that's right,” Liza replied. “Because the only bitches I see in here are Nic and his punk ass.”

Chante snatched her engagement ring off and tossed it in Robert's face. “ 'Cause, who wants to marry a bitch?”

“Chante, wait,” he said, sidestepping Liza and trying to block Chante's exit. “We need to think about this. You and I are getting married. We have people who—”

“No,” she said, pushing against his chest. “You want me to make sure my partners donate to your campaign and I'm not doing it. I don't fund liars!”

“Don't do this to me. You know I need this.” He tilted his head toward Liza. “Whatever she said to turn you against me is a lie and—”

“It's not what Liza said, it's what you have done. I don't know what to believe anymore,” Chante said, tears bubbling up in her eyes. “You said all of these weeks that Liza was the problem. That she was the one who was causing problems for you and your campaign. That she wasn't happy for us and was jealous of me. I believed you and almost lost my best friend. Have you given up everything that matters so that you can have a little taste of power?” She shook her head and pushed away from him.

“Bastard,” Liza muttered as she and her friend stormed out of the restaurant. Once the women were alone, Chante turned to Liza and let the tears flow.

“I'm so sorry,” she said in between sobs. Liza hugged her friend.

“It's all right. We were both wrong about this man and we just have to figure out what to do.”

“I know what I want to do. I want to walk into that restaurant and slap the sh—”

Liza shook her head. “There is a better way, but the first thing I have to do is clear my name and make sure this rumor doesn't hurt Jackson's campaign.”

Chante raised her eyebrow. “So, what's really going on with you and Jackson Franklin?”

A heated blush rose to Liza's cheeks. “Nothing.”

Chante thumped her friend's shoulder. “Don't give me that! I know that look. You and that man have a little thing, don't you?”

“We are just friends,” Liza said, not meeting her friend's gaze.

“Whatever. So, when you two were seen having breakfast, you were just leaving his house?”

“Maybe.”

“Wow. He is very attractive, but what was all that about you two not having anything to do with each other?”

“What was said was, I'm not a part of his campaign, and that's the truth. Besides, he's keeping his word about not going dirty in this race.”

“Good for him. But how do you know that?”

Looking at Chante, she wondered if she should come clean about why she'd actually gone to Jackson's place. “He gave me his word.”

Chante rolled her eyes. “He's a politician. He's going to say anything you want to hear.”

“Jackson isn't like that,” she replied quickly.

“Mmm, you're defending him, smiling when you talk about him. Sounds like a crush to me. Be careful, Liza. Seems as if politics has a way of changing people.”

“Or simply showing us who they really are. What if I've been wrong about Robert all of these years? Ignored the red flags and unleashed him on your life and the people of this district?”

“You talk about him as if he's a malignant virus. Wait, he is. But that's neither here nor there. The election isn't over and Jackson could be trying to use you to get the upper hand in another way. Pillow talk about Robert's plans and . . .”

“Our pillow talk isn't about . . .” Liza brought her hand to her mouth as Chante clapped her hands.

“I knew it. I knew it!”

“Keep it down,” Liza said. “It's not something we're broadcasting. Especially now.”

Chante shook her head. “I can't believe that Robert would allow such a rumor to get started about you. This isn't something that you can recover from easily. Slut shaming is sport with the media and Robert knows this.”

“I'll come through it,” Liza said. Then her phone chimed. Thinking that it was another Google alert, she started to ignore it, but she pulled her phone from her purse.

“Text from your
boyfriend?
” Chante teased as she noted the smile on Liza's face.

“He's not my boyfriend,” she replied as she typed her response to Jackson.

“I hope he doesn't disappoint you, because the last thing we need is to be two bitter chicks,” Chante said.

“Bitter? Really?”

“Maybe that's a little much, but I'm truly tired,” Chante said, then shook her head. “And you wonder why I focus on work so much. Court cases rarely disappoint me, but this thing here with Robert has reminded me why I . . .”

“No,” Liza said. “I'm supposed to be the one buried in work, not you. You're the one who's going to have the Claire Huxtable existence, remember?”

Chante fanned her hand and laughed. “And you were supposed to live the Whitley Gilbert life.”

“Well, Alvin was as nerdy as Dwayne Wayne,” Liza said, then rolled her eyes. “I've finally learned that the past can't dictate your future, no matter how recent.”

“I'm not ready to receive that lesson yet. I can't believe that I was tricked by . . . I'm sorry, Liza. I was so cruel to you because I believed everything that man said. I thought Robert really cared about me and bought the dream he was selling me. On paper, it looked as if I was on my way to that
Cosby Show
life.”

Liza stroked her friend's shoulder. “It's going to be fine. He'll get his.”

“And how dumb am I going to look when I go into the office and ask my partners not to give Robert a dime after doing all that lobbying on his behalf.” Chante sighed. “I see why you work for yourself and alone.”