The Street Photographer

Chapter 21

Three weeks later.

Kent groaned as soon as he saw the newest headline appear on his phone. 'Madison Bartell goes Behind Closed Doors with Kent Davids!'

She really had sold him out. He'd pushed her over the edge, and now there'd be nothing about his life that wasn't public knowledge. Paparazzi would dramatically increase, and he'd be even more miserable.

He dragged himself to his computer and pulled up the website where Madison's photos were posted. She'd never showed him the edited photos, so it would be wise to see what part of his soul she'd sold.

His heart pounded as he opened the 'Behind Closed Doors' album. He heaved a couple of shallow breaths before focusing on the screen. All dark thoughts he'd been harboring dissolved as he scrolled through the photos. Everything he'd prepared himself to face flew out the window. His chest got heavier and heavier as the guilt of his last words to Ally settled around him.

Her photos were beautiful. There was no doubt about that. She'd captured a part of him that he'd been nervous to share with the world, and she'd presented him as something more than a celebrity.

She presented him as a person with emotion and passion. He stared at the photos of himself, hardly believing the pictures she'd painted with her camera. She'd caught moments in the kitchen making dinner, pouring a cup of coffee in the morning, looking over contracts with Martin, playing at the park with the kids, meeting his friends at the coffee truck... All perfect moments where his true self had shone through. Every shot made him seem like a normal person. There was nothing in the photos that he felt ashamed about. She'd caught the best parts of his private life and only shared ones that wouldn't feed the hungry gossips.

What surprised him the most was that she'd included some of the photos she'd taken of them together. After all her fuss about not being in front of the camera, she'd exposed herself along with him. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he remembered their kitchen session that night and the sweet moments on the couch in his living room. Had she always intended to publish these photos, or had she decided later after they'd broken up? There was no reason for her to share these photos, not when they weren't together anymore. No one knew that the photographer and the woman in his photos were the same person, but she put herself out there for the gossips to rip apart.

He rubbed his hand over his face. This wasn't what he'd expected, not by a long shot. This album wasn't Madison Bartell's style... It was all Ally.

"I need to fix this," he whispered to himself. Combing his fingers through his hair, he grabbed a jacket and ran out the door of his trailer. The film set was a couple of hours outside the city, so he had plenty of time to think of an apology that hopefully would cover half of all he needed to apologize for. Sending a quick note to his manager and the film director about leaving set, he jumped into his newly leased car and flew out of the parking lot.

He drove straight to her office, figuring it was the best place to find her since she hadn't picked up any of the three times he'd tried calling her. His heart raced as he swept through the door into the reception area.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist looked up from her computer and gawked. "Kent... Davids... You're here. Can I just say, I love Madison's session with you. I've always hated it when our incognito photographers go out and dig up all the personal stuff about a celebrity. But she surprised me this time: she made you look like the rest of us... normal and greetable."

Kent forced a smile. "Thanks. Uhm, is Madison in her office? I'd like to see her."

"Oh..." She deflated a little. "Madison's never in her office. She's always on the go, so we barely ever see her. Although, she did come in a couple of weeks ago. I—"

"You're looking for Madison?" A middle-aged man in a crisp suit stopped beside the desk. He gave Kent a pointed once-over before maintaining eye contact.

"Yes, I am." Kent held out his hand. "You are...?"

"Maxwell Grant..." Max shook Kent's hand with a firm grip. "... Madison's manager. Come with me."

Kent nodded his thanks to the receptionist and followed after the manager. They walked in silence until they reached a corner office with a huge mahogany desk. Max leaned against his desk and faced Kent.

"Let me guess: you're here to sue Madison for breach of privacy? I'm sure we can come to some agreement without dragging her into it."

Kent cleared his throat. "No, I don't want to sue her. I actually just want to talk to her... to Ally, actually. I accused her of some terrible things the last time we talked."

Max cocked an eyebrow. "You know that Madison and Ally are the same person? Interesting... I figured that you must have discovered her second identity. She's never slipped up to anyone before."

"Do you know where I can find her? Or when she'll next be in the office?" Kent stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I know she's probably out on assignment or something, but..."

"You don't know?" Max crossed his arms and leaned back.

Kent swallowed the lump in his throat. Please no...

Max shrugged off the discomfort in the air. "She handed in her resignation along with her photos for your album. Madison Bartell doesn't exist anymore. At least, not at this company."

A gush of air left Kent's lungs. She'd actually quit? She'd given up her career because of him?

"I see that I've stunned you," Max drawled. "Believe me, I was just as surprised as you. And at the same time, I think spending time with you changed her. She saw something in you and your life that she didn't want to ruin by bringing it to public attention. While I'm still furious at her for cheating me out of an exclusive photoshoot of your life, I have to respect her resolve. She stuck to her guns to protect you. Very few people do that anymore."

Kent rubbed a hand over his face and drew a deep breath. "Thank you for your time."

Still reeling a bit from this revelation, he shuffled out of the building and drove to her apartment. A thousand thoughts and details for his apology ran through his mind. When he ran up the stairs, he skidded to a halt when he saw a man closing the door to her apartment. Another wave of shock smacked him in the chest. She was gone? Where would she go?

"Can we help you?" the stranger called over his shoulder as he locked the door.

"Yeah," Kent said. "The young woman that lived here, Ally... Do you know where she moved to?"

The man scratched his head. "The photographer gal? She moved a couple weeks ago into a place on the edge of town... said something about needing more space away from busy city life."

Kent sucked in a deep breath and nodded. He remembered driving past a cottage-like house with her once. She'd pointed it out and said that she wanted to live there some day. 'Some day' had come sooner than expected, apparently.

"Thanks, man." He waved a hand and trotted back down the stairs. Climbing into his car, he sat there for a couple minutes deciding if he should go to her now or wait.

Who was he kidding? Now...