Chapter 12
PIPER
Why, oh why, did I take out my phone? Now Brody knows I’ve been stalking him.
Of course, his agent would have a Google Alert for him. And so would Cara.
However, I doubt anyone thought I would have one, and Brody certainly wouldn’t have pegged me as one of his biggest fans.
A muscle twitches in his jaw as he faces Marv. “What? What have I done?”
Marv grabs his cheeks like he’s a little boy, not a strapping man who’s a whole head taller than him. “You did it, man! All on your own!”
Brody shakes him off. “What?”
“Some good fucking—” he pulls a face at my mom. “Sorry, Erica. Freaking publicity for once! Some guy just posted this crazy-long post on his socials about how the sun shines out your butt. And there are photos. Look!”
He shows us the screen and Mom reads aloud.
“Brody King has to be the kindest guy in the world. He gave us his room and paid for it when the hotel lost our reservation.” She gazes at Brody. “You’re such a good man.”
His cheeks darken.
“And look at those lovely pictures!” Mom continues, before turning to me. “My beautiful daughter.”
“This is what I’m talking about!” Marv says, swiveling the phone back toward him to look at the photos again. “Christmas spirit, family values, cute kids, a fu—goddamn baby, and a wholesome, small-town girlfriend.” He looks at me. “If only we’d brought you in sooner.”
“Brought her in?” Mom repeats, and my stomach drops.
Marv’s face freezes for a moment as he realizes he’s put his foot in his mouth. Then he recovers. “Brody wanted to protect Piper from all the BS that comes with being famous, so he’s never mentioned she’s his girlfriend before.”
“But now he needs this special job,” Mom says. “So, we need to bring in my special girl.”
“Exactly. Your daughter is our other secret weapon. After you, of course.”
Mom places a hand over her heart, thrilled to be part of this subterfuge she doesn’t know the half of.
Brody’s gaze travels between Marv and my mom.
“You okay?” I ask him quietly.
He smiles. “Yeah, sure. I’m glad there’s some positive publicity out there.”
I blink. Is that why he gave the family our rooms? In the hope this would happen?
Marv claps his hands. “Right, let’s strategize. Erica, where’s this coffee shop?”
“Not far. Follow me!”
I hang back with Brody and let the others lead the way.
Almost immediately a pretty woman stops him, her hand on his arm.
“Oh my gosh, can I get a selfie?”
Brody gives her a dazzling smile. “Sure!”
I’ve never felt so invisible. The woman doesn’t even acknowledge my existence as she tucks her caramel-blonde tresses behind an ear and cuddles up to Brody, her phone held out in selfie mode.
I rock back on my heels, waiting impatiently, and being reminded of yet another reason why I wouldn’t want to date a celebrity.
“Oh my gosh, thank you!” she gushes after taking far too many photos. “How long are you in Hideaway for?”
Brody slings an arm around me. “We’re here until the New Year.”
Her gaze finally flicks to me. “Oh.” Then her attention is back to the star of this show. “Well, maybe see you around?”
“That would be great. Happy Holidays.”
She saunters off confidently and I bite back a sigh.
“What is it?” Brody asks. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He rolls his eyes. “When a woman says nothing’s wrong, it usually means there’s a big, fat something wrong. Is it about that woman? She’s just a fan.”
“A fan who wants to bone you.”
“She doesn’t know me. It’s a fantasy. It’s not real.”
And I don’t know you either.
“And isn’t the whole reason why we’re out here to get candid shots from the public?” he continues. “To see me in a different light?”
“For the job.”
“Why else would I be doing this?”
I rock back on my heels again as if I’ve just been shoved. Yes, he’s doing this in the hope he’ll get a job, but what about Ethan, my family?
What about me?
I thought I was rediscovering the old Brody, but this is a stark reminder that he’s Brody two-point-oh. And I don’t know who that is.
“Did you give the family our rooms at the Hideaway Hotel to get some good publicity?”
“What?”
I cross my arms. “You heard me.”
“I can’t believe you would ask that.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Brody shakes his head. “No, Piper, the thought that they would tell the world about it never once crossed my mind. Am I happy they did? Of course, I am. It’s authentic reach. Organic amplification.”
I feel my eyes bugging out as I stare at him. “Organic amplification? It’s like that time at work when I had to design an ad campaign for a highlighter that’s supposed to embody disruption.”
“This is my work, Piper. It’s part of my job. And why I’m out in public promoting a sex toy shop rather than chilling out in private.”
My fingers tighten around the handle of the gift bag I got from The Perfect Package, utterly miserable and not knowing what to think or say.
“Hey, Brody! Piper!” Marv calls back to us. “C’mon!”
Brody waits for me to start walking, then we follow Marv into Love at First Sip.
“Piper! Brody!” Eileen cries. “Welcome, welcome, come in, come in!”
She takes our hands and tugs us over the threshold, dragging us through to the back where the corner booth is free.
I glance around and spot a barista helping a couple get re-seated with their drinks at another table. I cringe as the man shoots Brody a dirty look. It’s all well and good getting special treatment, but not if it means someone else has to suffer.
“And this is my fault too?” he murmurs under his breath.
“Who else?” I snap back, then say to Eileen, “We can sit anywhere.”
“Nonsense. I’m sure they don’t mind one bit. There were only two of them, and there’s six of you.”
She herds us into the booth. Brody and I sit in the middle, Marv and Mia on one side of us, and Mom and Cara on the other. There’s no escape.
“Everything’s up on the board,” Eileen says, “but I’ll grab you some menus.”
She hurries away, and my phone pings again at the same time as Marv’s and Cara’s. Why did today have to be a good signal day in Hideaway? Brody glances at me as they take their phones out, but I don’t touch mine. I need to get to the bathroom ASAP and put it in silent mode.
Marv fist pumps. “That guy’s social media post is going viral.” His finger swipes fast across the screen. “And people want to know who the ‘mystery woman’ is.” He nods at Cara. “We need to put out a statement about Piper.”
“No,” Brody says.
Marv rolls his eyes. “C’mon, man! Control the narrative!
If we don’t release something, some little schmuck she was in high school with will do it for us, and you can guarantee it’ll be some dorky guy she wouldn’t go to prom with or a mean girl who was jealous of her.
” He turns to me. “You got any enemies?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Mia,” Marv says. “Anyone got Piper on their shit list?”
My best friend grins. “Well …”
“Mia Grace Keye,” my mom says sternly, “you know full well Piper is well liked. She was Homecoming Queen and voted ‘Most Likely to Brighten Your Day’ senior year. You don’t win both unless people actually like you.”
“Love it,” Marv says, “Cara, you got that?”
She nods, her thumbs tapping on her phone screen.
Brody’s hands are interlaced and resting on the table. His knuckles have already gone white. “Marv,” he says sharply. “I want to protect Piper from—”
“It’s okay,” I say. “I don’t mind.” Then, snarkily I add, “It’s part of the job, after all.”
Brody tenses beside me and I suddenly hate myself.
Why am I being such a bitch? This isn’t like me at all.
Of course, Brody should be happy about the positive publicity.
It doesn’t make him a bad person, and I know in my heart he didn’t give our rooms away hoping the couple would tell the world about it.
“See?” Marv says. “Piper’s cool. We’ll include the usual ‘please respect their privacy’ bit, and you can both read it before it goes out. Mia, can you pull up the photos?”
Mia opens her laptop, transfers the photos she took onto it, then shows Marv.
“Delete. Delete. Keep. Delete,” he barks over her shoulder as Eileen returns and quietly passes out the menus.
“Keep. Keep. Delete. Keep. Done.”
“Can we see them?” I ask.
Mia pushes the laptop in front of me, and Brody and I slowly move through the images.
The pictures are amazing. Like, really amazing. Mia’s an incredible photographer, and she’s captured the atmosphere of the event perfectly. Everyone looks like they’re having the best time, and Brody and I look … like a real couple.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to him as Mom and Mia loudly explain every drink on the menu to Marv and Cara.
“Me too,” he murmurs in reply. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”
His admission makes me then do the wrong thing, stroking my fingers over his white knuckles.
He unlaces the clasp of his hands and takes mine between his, rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand like a soothing caress as we gaze at the pictures of ourselves.
His touch is gentle, but feels like fire, heat that spreads up my arm and then flows through my body. I squeeze my thighs together to relieve it, but that only makes things worse.
Brody’s being friendly. However by the time I reach the end of the slideshow, I don’t think I can speak without it coming out as a squeak or a moan.
Brody clears his throat. “Thank you, Mia. These are fantastic.”
She grins. “Not my first rodeo.” She pulls the laptop back across the table and addresses Marv. “I’ll send these to you now and the editor of The Almanac.”
“Could you also send them to me, please?” Brody asks. “I can give you my email address.”
Mia gives me a quick look, clearly trying not to smirk. “Sure. Type it in here.”
“I’d like to post a couple to my socials.”
“Sure.” Marv replies. “Cara can set it up.”
“No. I’d like to do it.”
Marv and Cara exchange a look.
Brody sighs. “I can use Cara’s phone.”
Mia and Mom are watching the interaction, just like I am. We’re all probably coming to the same realization: Brody is no longer trusted to manage his own social media accounts.