Page 62 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
IS IRISH ACTRESS AFRIC BROOKS PREGNANT?
What? Jess almost laughed. Okay, that couldn’t be right. Forcing herself to concentrate, she read the rest of the piece.
TMZ has obtained a recording of what seems to be Afric Brooks revealing news of her pregnancy. While the person she’s talking to is difficult to identify, it’s definitely a man – and most likely Spencer Torres. The recording appears to have been made on Linford Castle’s ‘Whispering Gallery’. The recently reopened gallery is a semicircular structure at the back of the castle’s Great Hall. Its unique physics means that anysound – even a whisper – on one side is clearly audible on the other.
Jess skimmed through the rest of the piece, her eye falling on the last part.
The following is what could be identified.
Male: Are you sure?
Afric: I’m late …
Male: Shit … not the time.
Afric: … not fair to me …
Male: … say anything to anyone.
Jess’s phone rang, and she fumbled, dropping it into the folds of the duvet. She grabbed it up, and swiped quickly again when she saw it was Emily.
“Hi, Emily, have you seen the –?”
“TMZ thing? But, omigod, Jess, did you see Afric’s story?”
“The one she posted last night?”
“The one she posted this morning. Phone me back!” Emily hung up.
Bracing herself, Jess opened Instagram again and tapped on Afric’s story. Impatiently, she watched as it spooled through what she’d already seen. Then it cut to Afric and Spencer posing coyly together in the king-sized, four-poster bed in the Lady Linford Suite. Afric had a sheet tucked in above her breasts, but her shoulders and arms were bare and Spencer was naked from the waist up. Judging by the angle, Spencer was holding the phone at arm’s length. But Afric’s own arm was held out towards the camera – her left hand tipped elegantly down to reveal a beautiful ring on her third finger. Jess pressed on the screen to freeze the image. She recognised that ring. It was from a selection of Linford Knot Designs – Emily’s silver jewellery collection.
She rang Emily back.
“Did you see it?” Emily demanded, when she picked up.
“They’re in bed together. And Afric is wearing one of your rings on her engagement finger! Am I leaving anything out?”
Emily gave an excited squeal. “This is massive! Everyone’s going to be asking where she got the ring – I could go viral!”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” Jess grinned, genuinely happy for her. “But there’s also the thing about her being in bed with Spencer. And you know, pregnant? If that’s a real recording, how was it leaked? Plus, isn’t Spencer still seeing that model?”
“Oh, yeah, true.” Emily fell silent for a moment. “But it doesn’t matter, does it? I mean, it’s all good. Well, except for his girlfriend. Like, it’s pretty shitty for her. Do you think it’s for real?”
“Which bit? The pregnancy? The two of them in bed together? The fact that someone is leaking everything to the media?” Jess sighed. This morning had started out so well. But she had a bad feeling that somehow this would backfire on Linford Castle. She just wasn’t sure how.
“Did Afric pick out the ring or did Spencer surprise her with it?”
“Um.”
“Emily?”
There was a loud sigh. “Fine, maybe they didn’tbuyit. But Afric was admiring the jewellery and she tried on one of the rings so I said she could have it.”
“Okaaay.”
Linford Castle Receptionist brings Afric Brooks and Spencer Torres together with gift of stunning ring …the headlines would write themselves. Except what did it actually prove? Afric was wearing a ring she liked. And she and Spencer seemed to have spent the night together.
But the timing of the pregnancy didn’t make sense – unless they’d secretly been seeing each other. And what about Megan? She and Spencer had supposedly been together over a year.
