Page 47 of Center Ice

“Um, yes?” I looked around at our audience.

He picked up on my hesitation. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

Four minds were better than two. It wasn’t like Mikey or Lance were college frat boys. They were businessmen in addition to being professional athletes. They all were. They had to be.

“We can talk here if it’s okay with you guys?” I checked with his roommates, and they seemed even more interested.

“Of course.” Jake led me to the couch, and Lance and Mikey sat opposite us. “So what’s going on?”

“My phone sort of exploded overnight,” I began. “I woke up to dozens of requests for interviews, job offers, and brides asking to reserve their wedding time slot.”

Mikey let out a low whistle. “That was quick.”

Lance nodded. “I thought the articles weren’t coming out until next month.”

“I guess there were teasers or something. It’s not uncommon for magazines or stations to give a preview,” I explained, but I was sure they knew that just as well as I did.

“So what do you need our help for?” Mikey asked.

I glanced at Jake who was waiting. He was probably wondering the same thing. I licked my lips. “I’m overwhelmed. It’s like my inbox is a ticking bomb, and if I do anything wrong, everything will explode and disappear. I don’t want to miss my opportunity, but I’m not sure how to capitalize on all of this.”

“I get what you mean,” Jake said, “but there’s someone much better equipped for this.”

Mikey chuckled. “I’ll text her.”

Within a minute, there was a knock at the door. Lance got up and let Chloe and Reese in. The moment I saw her, I almost started laughing. Of course. She was probably the one I should have gone to in the first place.

She beamed at me. “I was summoned?”

I nodded. “I came to these three for help, but evidently you’re the expert.”

She sat on the end of the couch and crossed her legs. “I usually am, but what is it this time?”

I told her about the emails, and her brows rose. Even Reese looked impressed.

“You’ve got to be strategic about your next steps,” Chloe began, then tapped a finger to her pursed lips. “You want to start your own business?”

“Yes,” I replied even though she didn’t look like she was listening.

Her tapping slowed as we watched her, waiting.

“These two weddings were a great start, but we need to build up the hype even more. You can’t run on this for long. The story will be old news before the ink dries on your LLC.”

“I have potential clients,” I reminded her.

“Yes, but we can’t assume you’ll get the same attention from those. We need to be five steps ahead.” She blinked. Then again. “We need to do interviews. Not on ESPN or local stations. I’m talking national morning talk shows.”

There was no way. What would I even talk about? I turned to Jake, but he was nodding. “You’re right. She needs broader exposure.”

He agreed? So they were both insane?

“I can call Kathleen,” Reese offered.

Chloe gave him a nod. “That’s a good start.”

“Who’s Kathleen?” I asked.

“One of the producers of The Morning Show,” Reese clarified.