Chapter 18
JIM
While Shelby filmed Miranda, Jim set up Miranda’s social media profile.
It was a shame Shelby had vetoed his clever mom and travel puns, but he wasn’t going to die on that hill.
Once Miranda Brown Travels (basic, boring in his humble opinion, but, hey, it got the job done) was officially active across several social media platforms, he worked on the gallery of posts.
He added a few of his own captions but used Shelby’s preferred autumnal filter, which gave everything an ethereal, golden glow.
After he posted Miranda’s official introductory post, tagged their brand partners, and followed a pre-approved list of other travel influencers, he started on the short videos.
For the first video, he cut snippets of Miranda behind the deli counter at the Green Grocer, offering the young girl a pretty package of candies, and clips of her chatting with customers.
He set it to a Harry Connick Jr. song. Miranda had mentioned in passing that she loved his music, and it was perfect for the fall vibe they were trying to capture.
Next, he decided to go more playful, and he sliced together a video of Miranda’s failed attempt to introduce Pete to the young woman who had ventured into the store.
He captioned it with: “When your mom tries to set you up but doesn’t know how to FaceTime.
” He wasn’t anticipating anything to “hit” yet.
Building a loyal audience took time and dedication.
The goal of these early posts and the weekend in general was to establish Miranda’s personality and let people discover her.
He also wanted to run this one by Miranda and get her approval before he posted it.
Miranda returned to her seat just as he finished stitching the video together.
“How did it go?” Jim leaned closer, catching a whiff of cinnamon and honey. Her cheeks were glowing and almost dewy.
“So much better than I anticipated,” Miranda said, scooting her chair so their arms were touching. “I’m shocked I’m saying this, but Shelby honestly did get some lovely pictures, and she didn’t even use a makeup filter.”
“I’m not surprised.” Jim kept his body still.
He wasn’t sure if Miranda was even aware that their skin was touching.
Maybe if he didn’t move, they could stay like this for the remainder of the parade.
“She’s a pro, and you’re mesmerizing. You’re like a magnet.
Your energy draws everyone in, so filming you is going to be a breeze. ”
Splotches of heat erupted on Miranda’s neck as she pulled away, tossing her hand as if to toss away the compliment.
Jim cleared his throat. “Hey, are you okay with me posting a cheeky video of you failing at that FaceTime call? I got your social pages set up and have posted a few introductory stories and photos, but I thought it might be fun to share something more playful to set the tone.” The music kicked up as a dance troupe sashayed past them with a huge set of speakers being toted in a kid’s wagon.
“Yeah, fun posts, sure,” Miranda yelled over the booming beat, cupping her hand over her ear. “I’m good with whatever. I trust you.”
“Great. You’re sure?” Jim asked again.
“Yeah, go for it,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the music.
He hit post and stuffed his fingers into his ears to protect them for a moment.
“What do you think of the parade?” Miranda asked after the troupe and their blaring music had moved on.
“It’s a slice of Americana, in the best possible way.
” Jim pointed to a flatbed, which had been transformed into a red barn.
Costumed cows, donkeys, roosters, and a farmer, complete with overalls and a straw hat, tossed out coupons for a free scoop of pumpkin ice cream and discounts to the corn maze.
“It’s sweet, right?” Miranda pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m sure some people will think it’s cheesy, but I love seeing our community come together like this. The rest of the weekend will be more like this, so I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far.”
Jim was more than enjoying it, especially being around Miranda. His phone buzzed. He checked the alert to see that ten people had shared the video of Miranda’s failed attempt to set up Pete.
Hey, not a bad start.
He scrolled through the comments. There weren’t many, but as expected, the few dozen people who had already viewed the video were “Team Miranda.”
Okay, stop. Is this the cutest ever?
Why won’t my mom set me up?
TeamMom forever.
This is the only way I want to find love.
Jim chuckled as he read a few more that were centered around Pete.
Um, hottie alert.
Pete, slide into my DMs.
Followed by a half dozen please emojis.
Submitting my application to be Pete’s future girlfriend.
This was good. Shelby should be pleased. Any engagement after posting was rewarded by the algorithms.
Jim was about to show Miranda the comments when the mayor stopped in front of them to bestow the key to the city on the Green Grocer. He tucked his phone away. Social media could wait. There would be plenty of time to review comments and look at the insights later.