Page 29 of A Fall to Remember

“Yeah, Jim, we never discussed posting that,” Shelby scolded, feeling suddenly protective of Pete. “We had a concrete plan. I get that you want to impress corporate, but it would have been nice to at least give me a heads-up.”

“Impress corporate? No, not at all.” Jim’s smile faded. “I’m sorry. Truthfully. I thought it was a fun glimpse into who Miranda is. Cheeky. Lighthearted. On brand for every mom. I thought it would hit with her demographic. It seemed perfect for the introduction. That’s the extent of my thought process. I’m not trying to impress corporate.”

Yeah, right.

Shelby took charge. “It’s out there now. We can’t pull it back, so we need to get out in front of the narrative.” She opened her phone and pulled up the post, trying to figure out the best way to spin this. Her jaw dropped. “Holy smokes, we’re going to hit a million by tonight.”

Jim’s face brightened a bit. “That’s my point. I don’t think we need to overreact or take this too seriously. The video is doing well. Corporate is pleased, and Pete, you’re a very popular young man.” He wiped his hands on a paper napkin. “Women are flooding our main Voyager pages with requests to meet you.”

She checked. Jim was right. She couldn’t believe how many women wanted to meet Pete. She balled her hands into tight fists and sipped air in through her nose. Why did she feel so uptight? Was it Jim, or could it be because of Pete?

She wasn’t jealous, was she?

Pete leaned over her shoulder. “What is it? Let me see.”

“It’s a lot of messages.” Shelby let him read a few of them.

“Wow, this one wants me to fly to Switzerland for a ski weekend with her.” Pete held a photo of a woman who looked like she belonged on the runway in Milan for them to see with an almost dreamy expression, as if he were already caught up in her spell. He massaged the base of his neck and bit his bottom lip.

Shelby couldn’t blame him. The woman was stunning, but this entire campaign was falling apart right in front of her.

“If you’re at all into the idea, I was thinking it might be fun to start a list of some of the most endearing offers. But there’s zero pressure, okay?” Jim scooped another handful of popcorn from the bucket. “I’ve already flagged a few for you to consider. One woman wants to take you to her grandmother’s restaurant in Maine, which the family has owned for almost ninety years, to teach you how to make her famous blueberry pie. Another wants to take you on a hot air balloon ride over the New Mexico desert. There’s an heiress in Dubai who’s suggesting a desert safari. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here, but corporate thinks we could build an entire spinoff centered around you, if you’re interested. Again, let me stress this is coming from the higher-ups at our office. You’ll get no pressure from me.”

This was the first Shelby was hearing this.

When had Jim spoken to corporate?

Who had he spoken with? Nadine? Had Nadine already approved a new campaign and budget?

Oh, my God. He is trying to push me out.

Shelby could barely keep her anger in check.

And if anyone was going to be responsible for Pete, it was her, not Jim.

To her surprise, Pete sounded almost interested in the idea. “Really, like what? What would I do for a spinoff? What would that entail?”

“It could be a travelogue of dating. The most romantic, adventurous, unique dating locations across the world,” Jim suggested through a mouthful of the kettle corn. “We could take it in a number of different directions, don’t you think, Shelby?”

Shelby squeezed her hands into tight fists. There was no chance she was letting him steal the promotion from her. She couldn’t let Jim take the lead with Pete, too. Her response felt heated, as if she were ready to go to battle if necessary.

And damn, it was a good idea. Jim was onto something. Sending Pete on dates across the U.S. with a variety of women was a great social strategy. She couldn’t debate that. But her body simmered with annoyance. She should love the idea, but Pete? If she took over, she would be personally responsible for setting Pete up with a bunch of other women. Great.

Her head throbbed as she tried to figure out what to do next.

You’re being ridiculous, Shelby.

You’ve known the guy for all of six hours.

“Are you at all interested?” Jim asked, shaking the kernels in the bottom of the popcorn bucket. “If so, we could do a test run this weekend. Gauge the reaction and response online, and then Shelby and I could do a broader pitch to the team when we return to Seattle next week.”

“What exactly would it mean?” Pete asked. “I have a day job, so I don’t want to commit to something I can’t follow through on.”

Is he considering it?

Her head felt dull. She hadn’t seen that coming. She thought for sure that Pete would absolutely resist. But why would he? He was young, attractive, intelligent, and professional; clearly, he had a sweet and super-tight connection with his mom. He was all green flags. Green freaking flags.

“Shelby and I can rough out a few ideas,” Jim said, looking at her and nodding. “Perhaps we find a nice young woman who’s in town for the festival and arrange for the two of you to have dinner under the stars tonight? That’s just one possibility. I’m sure Shelby will have even better suggestions.”