The next morning, Jenny and Anna sat on the twin beds to talk through her options. Anna agreed with Jenny and John—she had to provide some response. Interest might linger if she didn’t confirm the photos were her. There was no guarantee her silence would make the story go away.

Anna could agree to one of the major Hollywood press requests for an interview. They hadn’t been interested in her in a long time, but any conversation about the film or about her career would be overshadowed by lurid references to her marriage, her divorce, and the revealing photos. She had to figure out a way to spin this so it wouldn’t derail all the effort she’d put into turning this movie around.

“What about the online magazine you did an interview with a couple of years ago?” Jenny asked.

“The female-gaze thing?”

“They’d be perfect,” Jenny insisted. “All the major outlets would link to them because you won’t do any other interviews. We’ll negotiate for them to post your answers verbatim, so you aren’t subject to creative editing or interviewer context.”

It was a good idea, and the two of them put it into motion.

The college student who interviewed Anna was a fan of her work. That made it easy, and it was fun to talk about her career when she wasn’t desperate for a job. For once, it didn’t leave her heartsick to remember what little she had accomplished. They talked about her privacy being violated with the leaked photos. There were enough sound bites for the major trade magazines to pick up. The scandal would be forgotten when the next one came along.

After another long day on set, Anna sat in the hotel bar with some of the cast and crew. She should have been reviewing the shooting schedule for tomorrow or looking for another way to cut expenses. She didn’t do any of those things, though. She sipped her drink and looked over at John. She missed him. It was that simple. She missed closets and kisses. She missed his arms around her. It had only been one day since they’d argued in the village, but their interactions had been stilted since.

Reed walked over to her, a newspaper under his arm, interrupting her thoughts. He sat down next to her. “Jenny and I—”

“Jenny told me.”

“I want you to know that I’m serious. You’re like family to her, and I don’t deserve it, but she’s given me another chance.”

“Jenny’s happy.”

Reed took a sip of his tea, but he couldn’t hide the pleased grin on his face.

Anna looked over at her friend as she talked with Derek and Nicole. “How did you know Jenny was the one?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You were a mess, and you spent the past year putting yourself together for her.”