Chapter 23
SHELBY
“Hang on a minute. I need to have a one-on-one with Jim,” Shelby said to Pete when they arrived at the park.
The bandstand had been transformed with garlands of miniature pumpkins and a long table draped in rustic fabric.
Shiny gold trophies sat at the edge of the table, waiting to be handed out by the judges who were milling around with clipboards.
A DJ blasted tunes. White tents lined the far side of the park where food vendors were grilling sausages and popping fragrant kettle corn.
It was a sea of colors, costumes, masks, fake swords, and face paint.
There were stations for kids to bob for apples, pumpkin decorating booths, fruit stands, and giant balloons for sale.
“Wait, are you guys going to talk about me? Because I want to be part of this conversation,” Pete protested.
His mouth fell open as he threaded his hands through his hair and shook his head.
“This is my love life, or lack thereof, out on the internet for everyone. I should at least get a say in how we deal with this.”
Shelby couldn’t argue with that. “Okay, yeah. Fair enough.”
Jim leaned against the smooth trunk of a eucalyptus tree, trying to stay out of the way of the dizzying display of costumes.
He waved happily when Shelby approached him with Pete following close behind.
“Can you believe this? I read in the event guide that there are five age categories this year. You can tell that some people have spent a significant amount of time on their costumes. I’m partial to the Day of the Dead dancers, but the Flintstones family is very cute. ”
“Mm-hmm.” Shelby didn’t bother to look in that direction. “Hey, we need to talk about the video.”
“Okay, sure.” Jim offered them kettle corn from an oversized pumpkin-shaped bucket. “I couldn’t help myself. It smelled too good.” He shook a few pieces into his hand and crunched them between his teeth.
“So, what’s the deal with the video?” Pete asked, ignoring the offer of buttery caramel corn.
“I hope you’re not upset.” Jim sounded concerned.
Shelby wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it an act?
“I hope you know I never intended for that to be a call to every single woman on the planet. I thought it was a cute look for your mom. I checked with your mom first, just so you know. She agreed, too, but I don’t think either of us realized that it would blow up like this.
I genuinely thought it was fun and light.
I hate that I’ve put you in an awkward position.
I promise that was not my intent. Please accept my apology. ”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m not mad. I guess I was just sort of stunned for starters.” Pete looked at Shelby for help.
“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.”
Sure, great. Let me come up with a plan just so you can take all the credit, Jim.
Shelby swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in her throat away. “Uh-huh. For sure. I’ll get right on that.” She was fairly sure her sarcasm went straight over Jim’s head. She turned to Pete, trying to get a read on him. “I mean, if you’re even considering it? Are you cool with being set up?”
Pete shrugged. “You know what. Yeah, why not? I gave Mom this huge pitch about taking risks and seizing opportunities when they fall into your lap. I guess I should take my own advice. Let’s do it.”
Damn, this had spun out of her control—fast.
“Great. Great. That’s really great.” Shelby couldn’t find another word other than great to toss into the conversation.
“Alright, Pete, it sounds like Shelby and I have double our work cut out for us this weekend. Should we take a few minutes to brainstorm before the costume contest kicks into high gear?” Jim shot her a funny look she couldn’t quite decipher.
Was he enjoying watching her squirm? Did he know he had the upper hand?
“Can’t wait,” she lied. What terrible luck. Jim was rapidly getting ahead of her at work, and now she had to set up a guy who she was growing more and more interested in? Sweet. Perfect. What else could go wrong this weekend?