Chapter 13 #2
“Glad you enjoyed the massage I booked for you and Kate. Can’t help you with the latter request,” Jake replies, sitting next to me at the table while he messes with a demo on his computer. “Although I believe Kate is pretty well taken care of on that end.”
“Jake!” I lightly smack his arm as a blush creeps up my face.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kate’s sex life is amazing.
Tell me something I don’t know,” Chelsi groans.
“Where have all the decent men gone? Is what’s left in your mid-thirties a sea of assholes or men who live with their parents?
And I’m not talking about living with their parents to save money: I’m talking about the ones who have no ambition to do anything with their lives and spend hours upon hours playing Fortnite or Halo on a couch in their basement.
And don’t get me started on the guys who are on their third divorce.
One divorce, I can handle. Two, I can consider, but I draw the line at three.
” She sits up, pulling her legs to her chest and looking earnestly at the two of us.
“Where is my long-lost childhood best friend who is going to fall madly in love with me? At what point do I just give up and decide to become a crazy old cat lady?”
“You’ve got a while before that becomes your reality. Plus, you’re allergic to cats,” I add.
Two knocks on the door interrupt our conversation.
Jake glances at me, arching his eyebrows to see whether I know who might be at the door.
I mouth back, “No idea.” If I were a betting gal, I’d place my money on Jimmy.
He struck out with Chelsi last night and went to bed alone, but I wouldn’t put it past him to make another run at her tonight.
“Come in,” Jake shouts.
Looking like the Southern princess she is, Anna strides onto the bus.
Her hair is perfectly curled, untouched by the ungodly humidity outside, whereas mine is frizzed out to the high heavens due to the short walk from the bus to the green room, where the massages were located.
Do women born in the South have genetics that make them immune to frizz and sweat?
Because I swear Anna never sweats, she merely glistens like a goddess.
Anna joins us at the table, sliding onto the bench across from us and opening her laptop. “Thought we might go over a few things before the show. Give you both a quick update on how the media circus is going.” Her bright blue eyes sparkle as she cheerfully grins.
Perhaps she has some good news. Maybe everyone is starting to lose interest in us.
“Sounds great,” Jake answers, closing his own laptop to give Anna his full attention. The exact opposite of what Jason would do in this situation.
“Good news, bad news. Which do you want first?” Anna asks, glancing back and forth between Jake and me.
“Bad news,” I reply, reaching for Jake’s hand under the table.
“The interest in you two dating is not dying down. Quite the contrary. The internet sleuths have been working overtime to find photos of you both growing up. Mainly pulled from school yearbooks, as far as I can tell. It doesn’t look like anyone in Southmount is saying much.
” She pauses briefly, pulling up a few images and turning the screen around for us to see them as she quickly flips through dozens of photos.
“The fans are also taking a larger interest in Kate. The number of unique videos and photos taken from last night’s concert is astounding. ”
Great. The exact opposite of what I want to happen is occurring.
Fuck my life.
“What about online commentary?” Jake stares at Anna, as if his question has a deeper meaning, one he doesn’t want to say aloud.
For the love… I’m not a fragile porcelain doll.
“What he means to ask is whether everyone online still hates me and thinks I’m not worthy of dating him?”
Jake frowns. “That’s not what—”
“Yes, it is. I know how the internet feels about me. There’s no avoiding it.
We can either lie to ourselves and pretend they adore me or have an honest conversation about what’s being said.
” I turn to look Jake in the eyes. “Just because I don’t plan on reading any of it doesn’t mean I don’t need to know the general sentiment. ”
Jake sighs, squeezing my hand tighter.
Anna winces, a minor crack in her normally upbeat persona.
“The fans aren’t fond of Kate yet. Primarily because they see her as an obstacle to dating you.
Not that any of them ever had a real chance, but Kate’s preventing their fantasy from being reality.
And you know how delusional some of them can get.
” Her eyebrows arch pointedly as she stares at Jake.
Is there something they’re not telling me?
Frustration overtakes Jake’s previously calm demeanor.
“Seriously? People are pissed at Kate because it means I can’t date them.
People I don’t even know?” He’s stayed off social media for years, so he doesn’t realize the cesspool it has become.
How many haters and bots exist and easily outnumber the good people—the ones without a parasocial relationship with him.
Anna shrugs. “It is what it is. Now, let’s talk about the good news.
” She turns her computer back toward herself, fingers flying across the keyboard until she finds whatever she’s looking for.
“While the sentiment about Kate isn’t ideal, her exposure is tremendous.
Her Instagram followers have multiplied by one hundred since the news broke, even though she barely posts.
We’ve already had multiple brands reach out about Kate’s willingness to do collabs. ”
Chelsi perks up from the couch. “Which brands, and for what?” she asks, walking toward us and sliding onto the bench next to Anna.
“The requests I’m getting run the whole gamut from luxury to CPG products you’ll find in your local big box store.
It’s the perfect opportunity for Kate to monetize her exposure, but we’ll need to act fast while she’s trending to drive the biggest impact.
How we play out the next couple of weeks will determine the long-term interest brands have in collaborating with her. ”
“She’ll do it,” Chelsi replies confidently.
“Do what?” I ask, unsure exactly what Chelsi is agreeing to on my behalf.
“All of it. Especially if they’re beauty or luxury clothing brands. Think of the gifts you could get,” Chelsi says excitedly.
“I highly recommend you consider it, Kate. I can pull together a list of brands that would be a good fit for you, and we can talk through the specifics if you want.” Anna pauses briefly before speaking again.
“I also think giving your social media profile an overhaul and posting more regularly would be a good way to take control of your image. It would help people get to know the real you. It could change the sentiment about you online.”
Everyone goes silent, staring at me, knowing this is all outside my comfort zone.
I might be great at helping brands leverage their social media, not so much myself.
Think of me as the girl who posts a few times a year, based on when the mood strikes.
The one who scrolls endlessly on every platform, rarely liking or engaging with anything.
Only observing. What they’re asking is for me to become the complete opposite of my normal.
To embrace this new world and evolve with it.
To become okay with promoting myself when every cell in my body is screaming in protest.
I sigh, running my teeth over my lower lip, glancing between the three of them. Working to convince myself it’s time to try something new. Grow in a new way. Take control of what’s being said about me, or at least try to put out a different story. “What do you think about all of it, Jake?”
His face softens, his eyes full of endless love.
“I want you to do whatever you feel comfortable doing. With that said, I do trust Anna’s judgment.
She’s never steered me wrong. So, if you’re interested in giving this a try, I think it could be great for you.
But I also completely understand if you want to keep as much of your life private as possible. ”
I nod, taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves and convince myself I can do this. Step out of my comfort zone. Put my trust in someone else. All the things that normally make me uneasy. I can change. “I’ll do it under one condition. Anna manages all my social media and brand deals.”
Surprise flickers across Anna’s face. “Done,” she replies, immediately diving into a laundry list of ideas she has already put together.
This should be an interesting ride.