I had her right where I wanted her.
We exchanged information, and she said, “Again, I really am so terribly sorry. I never would have gotten you in trouble on purpose.”
“Oh, I know you’ll make it right,” I said, starting to feel a little guilty myself. It wasn’t really Gray’s fault. But, again, survival of the fittest—or the sneakiest. When you grew up like me, you had to be both. “That job was all I had,” I added. “It was my pride and my independence and my self-worth all rolled into one. It was my never having to depend on anybody else to take care of me.”
Her face changed as I said that. She looked at me. I mean, really looked at me. Something flashed in her blue eyes as they met mine, and a powerful understanding zapped between us. I knew then that maybe I had been all wrong about how easy this girl had it. I knew she was going to help. And I realized that I wasn’t just saying that job was all I had. I might have been manipulating her, sure. But it startled me to learn that I meant it.
CHAPTER 3
gray: decent human being stuff
“Yeah, it really was not what I needed,” I was saying to my assistant, Trey, as I drove through town toward the pharmacy, his voice blaring over the Bluetooth. “But, I mean, good Lord, I got the woman fired.”
I thought of Diana sitting on my front steps saying that her job was part of her identity. I knew how that felt, because my job was a huge part of mine. Andhewas trying to take it.
Diana had lines around her mouth, probably from years of smoking, but that was the only thing that betrayed that she was aging. Thick, wavy chestnut hair, bright green eyes, tanned skin that didn’t need a speck of makeup. Toned, shapely legs under her jean shorts. Her oversize T-shirt wasn’t doing her trim figure any favors, but she was a very attractive woman. I wondered how old she was. Probably in her late thirties, if I had to guess. Although, admittedly, I was bad at telling ages. I thought of Andrew and smiled.
“All I’m saying is that this is one of the biggest accounts of your career,” Trey said. “I need you to focus right now, not save the world.”
“Trying to get Bill to give Diana her job back when I got her fired isn’t necessarily an act of great love or anything. It’s more like decent human being stuff.”
He sighed. “Whatever. I know you insist on working from the beach in the summers, but I feel like we need to be face-to-face to tackle everything we have going on right now.”
I laughed. “Yeah. Okay. I’m not buying that, but come on down.”
“Yes!” he said. “I’ll be there. Also, Miraval just sent a case of rosé as a thank-you, so I’ll see if I can sneak that down too.”
“Uh-huh,” I said. Trey could play me like no other. And he was working his magic now to get a free summer at the beach. But, truth be told, I would be happy to have him. He was the perfect antidote to Wagner’s being gone.
“Okay,” I said. “Type, please.”
“Typing!”
“Dear Heather, I understand that you believe your affiliate marketing needs are being met by ConsumerMart. But I have gathered four of our top influencers—all of whom sell more than five hundred thousand dollars per year of merchandise for their top five affiliates—to let you know why they use ClickMarket instead of a competitor. Because, you see, our increased functionality doesn’t just help you on the corporate end. It also helps influencers find you and sell your products more easily, and incentivizes them to sell your brand over all the others.”
“That’s perfect,” Trey said. “Now insert one of your signature emotional response pleas and this one is good to go.”
“What did I say to Eliza from HomeGoods last week?”
I turned left into the parking lot and felt the sun on my face. Part of me thought I must be crazy for trying to work from the beach for the summer—especially now that I wouldn’t be able to spend much of it with Wagner—but another part of me knew that if I didn’t get a break from the eighty-hour weeks and constant connectedness, I would totally burn out. Even though I was still working like a dog, I felt infinitely more centered with a daily dose of sun and sand.
Trey interrupted my introspection, rattling off: “?‘At ClickMarket, we don’t just specialize in top-tier affiliate marketing. We specialize in relationships, in putting brands and influencers into partnerships that don’t just make sales. They change the story. Let us help you change the HomeGoods story.’?”
Not bad. “Don’t forget to change HomeGoods to Glitter,” I said.
Trey sighed dramatically. “Is this my first day, Miss Priss? I think not.”
God, I loved him. Sometimes I had nightmares about his quitting, and without fail I’d wake up in a cold sweat.
“I just arrived at the pharmacy,” I said. “Got to go save a woman’s job. Kiss kiss.” This, unfortunately, wasn’t something Trey could handle for me.
“I’ll be there tonight!”
“Oh, yay,” I said with feigned sarcasm. We liked to give each other a hard time, but really, I couldn’t have been more relieved.
When I walked into Meds and More, an arctic blast of air-conditioning gave me goose bumps.
“Is Bill here?” I asked the girl behind the counter.
