Chapter 1 #2
“I found out about these photos ten minutes ago, and have no idea what’s going on. And now, because you’re so famous and important, my face is all over the internet.”
I’m shaking so badly that the phone slips from my grip and falls onto the table.
Brody stares blankly at me, frozen.
“I have a career, friends, my own happy life,” I say. “The last thing I want is to be famous, or infamous, because of you.”
There’s a flicker in his expression, as if my words have touched a nerve, and guilt needles my gut. My words are a low blow, but I’m still hurting too much to take them back.
Then Brody’s head slowly swivels toward Marv, like a serial-killer cyborg zeroing in on his prey.
Marv’s hands shoot up in surrender. “Bud—”
“You’re fired.” Brody’s voice cuts like a knife through the hum of voices around us.
Marv ignores him.
“You told me to think outside the box,” he says, his words clipped and urgent. “Well, I didn’t just think. I brainstormed. I had a cerebral cyclone. A mother-fucking thought tornado. I tore that box to shreds, and then the sun burst through the clouds, and I could see!”
I blink at the marketing-executive-on-steroids declaration, already picturing how I could draw it as an infographic.
Marv stabs his index finger in the air, emphasizing each point. “I’m talkin’ rainbows, choirs of angels, the aurora-freaking-borealis.”
In my mind I’m now adding colors to the drawing as my imagination takes me away from the weirdness of my reality.
“And guess who’s shining down from heaven with the answer to all our prayers?”
Suddenly all his fevered attention is on me.
“She is.”
“Who are you?” The words stumble out like I’m a one-line extra in a bad soap.
“Marv DeVille. Brody’s agent.” He flashes me a toothpaste-commercial smile and extends his arm towards me. “But you can call me Marv.”
This time, I don’t take his hand.
“Ex agent,” Brody growls, and all the tiny hairs on my arms lift in excitement.
“But why would you dress Brody’s girlfriend up like me?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Brody mutters.
My heart skips several beats and now I don’t trust myself to reply without it coming out as another squeak.
Why, oh why, does he still have such an effect on me? He’s not the man I remember or who I’ve built up in all my fantasies. The real Brody King is an arrogant, surly, ego-centric asshole.
I’m saved from having to speak by Marv, who addresses me as if presenting a pitch.
“Here’s the deal, Piper. Can I call you Piper?”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond.
“Great, thanks, Piper. So, here’s the lowdown. No time for an NDA, and besides, you’re like family to Brody.”
I am? Then why hasn’t he reached out to me in the last twelve years?
“This is inner-circle shit, Piper, and we trust you. The—”
“Marv,” Brody cuts him off. “I said, you’re fired. It’s time for all of us to get up, walk away, and pretend this never happened.”
“Hey,” I say sharply. “I think it's about time you told me what the hell is going on and why I’ve been dragged into it.”
Brody opens his mouth, then shuts it again, his perfectly soft lips now a hard line before he slumps back into the seat like a petulant teenager.
“Thanks, Piper,” Marv says, as if we’re the only adults in the room. “The thing is, Brody’s been going through some … er, difficulties. It’s been having a suboptimal effect on his career. Are you aware of any of this?”
I sense Brody’s eyes on me, his unspoken question hanging in the air: How much do I know?
The answer? A lot.
“I’m not interested in the lives of celebrities,” I reply, my cheeks heating at the half-truth. Right now, I’m pretending Brody is just an old family friend, not someone whose face is used to sell gossip magazines at the bodega down the block.
Marv lets out a breath and smiles, then leans closer. “There’s this job. A TV series. I’ve hustled hard to even get his name in the mix. It’s different from anything he’s done before and he wants it more than anything. Ever.”
My eyes flick to Brody, wondering how a job could be the most important thing in his life.
He stares at the table, his shoulders hunched like he’s trying to disappear.
“The showrunners,” Marv continues, “they’re not convinced. Think he’s a loose cannon. Unreliable.”
Gaze still lowered, Brody shakes his head.
No matter how angry I am, my stomach still twists. Growing up, he was the sweetest, most—
“The clock’s ticking, Piper, and that’s why he needs you. We’ve tried everything else to mend his image and it ain’t worked. So I ran a full-brand audit, flipped the narrative funnel, spitballed until the walls were dripping with ideas, and then—bam! It hit me like a freight train of authenticity.”
He slaps the center of his chest.
“We don’t need more glam. We don’t need another A-lister girlfriend or a TikTok apology tour.
We need roots. Nostalgia. Americana! We need Brody King reconnected with his origin story.
And that means Hideaway Harbor—and you. You’re a slice of good ol’ American sweetness and charm that we need to rub all over Brody until he shines again. ”
And I’m gone, imagining rubbing against Brody. The heat of his body. The friction between us creating sparks that turn into flames. Our inconvenient clothes no longer exist. They’re burned to ash by the fire of our desire. We’re naked. Rubbing. He—
“It won’t take much, just a few well-orchestrated photo ops and plenty of candid shots from fans.”
I’m frozen, horrified at where my thoughts just took me. I don’t want to fantasize about Brody. I want to settle down with a nice guy. Someone who’s reliable. Present. Not some over-paid actor who’s so attractive they don’t need to bother with kindness and respect.
“It’ll be in the bag by the time the Christmas decorations come down,” Marv continues. “It has to be, since they start shooting in the beginning of January. We’ve got a good window of time as you’re home for the holidays longer than usual this year.”
“How do you know my travel plans? How do you know me?”
Suddenly I don’t feel safe. At all.
Marv shrugs, like it’s nothing that he’s been stalking me. “Harper’s socials.”
“My sister?”
“And Brody.”
What the—? My gaze shoots to him, expecting him to tell me Marv’s talking shit.
He doesn’t. But his cheeks darken, and a muscle ticks in his jaw.
“Brody’s told me about his childhood in Hideaway Harbor, and your family. Hell, he’s even got a—”
“Marv!” Brody half-shouts.
Marv seems unperturbed.
“I’ve booked you a suite at The Hideaway Hotel with two rooms, so you’ll have your own space,” he continues confidently. “And I’ll be on hand with my assistant and a stylist—”
“Stop.” I hold up my hands to halt the barrage of insanity. “You want me to go back to Hideaway this Christmas with Brody and pretend we’re dating?” My voice is rising in pitch. Soon only dogs will be able to hear it. “Lie to my family?”
“We can fill them in if you want?” Marv replies like it’s no biggie.
“None of this is happening,” Brody cuts in. “Marv, I don’t need you, and I don’t need this. I can make the deal on my own.”
Marv raises his eyebrows. “No, you can’t.
You don’t have any of their contact details, and I’m the one who’s been handling the negotiations.
And even if you do get in touch with them, how’s it going to look when you don’t have an agent?
You think it’ll be easy to find another one this quickly?
Sure, a new, hungry one. But you won’t get one of the big boys. ”
Brody shifts in his seat but doesn’t reply.
“And besides, you need to get away from the city. Take some time off. Reconnect with your roots—”
Brody lets out a huff and shakes his head.
Hurt is metabolizing into anger inside me. Growing up, Brody was practically one of the family, but then he left the moment he could, and never came back. Not even for my brother’s wedding where he was meant to be the best man.
Was that all my family was to him? Just a convenience? Before moving onto the bigger, better, celebrity life he has now?
“Piper.” Marv turns back to me. “You’re in, right?”
“W-what? No, I most definitely am not in!”
“I’ll make it worth your while,” Marv continues. “How much do you want? A couple grand? Plus all expenses, new wardrobe, nice presents for the fam?”
Grabbing my purse with shaking hands, I shuffle out of the booth.
Marv stands. “There must be something you want?”
I don’t dare risk glancing at Brody.
“I need to get back to work,” I mutter, my words thick in my throat.
Suddenly, I remember with a shock that I’d only come to Espresso Yourself for a quick pick-me-up before the big meeting.
Shit! I’m going to be late!
Marv takes my arm as I stride off, stopping me in my tracks.
“Call me. Any time.” He thrusts a business card into my hand.
I turn around, meeting Brody’s gaze.
He lets out a heavy breath. “Piper …”
I wait for him to finish, time ticking in my head like a bomb countdown as I imagine my colleagues filing into the conference room.
“Look, I … it’s just … I don’t …”
I shake my head.
“Good to see you, Brody,” I say coldly. “Been a while.”
Then I turn away, striding out of the coffee shop as fast as I can.
Once outside, I break into a run.