1
Eve Marlow’s heels clicked confidently against the polished floor as she strode down the hall toward her producer’s office. She paused outside the door, running her fingers over the front of her dress to smooth any wrinkles before lifting her hand to knock.
“Come in,” Greta called from inside.
Eve grasped the handle and pulled the door open. Greta sat behind her desk, glasses perched on her nose as she looked up from her computer screen. But she wasn’t alone. Bruce Koslowski,Life & Leisure’s director of advertising, stood beside her. “Greta,” Eve said with a polite smile. “Bruce, this is a surprise.”
“Hello, Eve,” Bruce said with an equally polite nod.
“Have a seat.” Greta gestured vaguely to the guest chairs in front of her desk.
Eve sat, placing her laptop on the edge of the desk.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Bruce said.
Eve nodded. “Greta told me this morning that the ratings for our season two premiere weren’t as high as we’d hoped, but I’ve put together several proposed adjustments toDo Over’s advertising plan that I think should—”
“Actually, that’s not why I’m here,” Bruce interrupted. “You can discuss advertising with Greta later.”
More bad news? Eve straightened in her seat, clasping her hands loosely in front of herself. “All right.”
“We have to pull episode eight,” Bruce said.
“The ice cream shop?” Eve said, incensed. “That’s one of our strongest episodes. Why on earth would we scrap it?”
His lips drew into a frown. “The owner has been charged in a sexual assault.”
Fuck.Eve felt a heavy sensation in her stomach, as if the remnants of her lunch had hardened into concrete. “That’s…not good.”
“I know,” Greta agreed. “It’s a publicity nightmare. There’s no way we can air it.”
“Is there time to shoot a replacement?” As the CEO of Marlow Marketing, Eve had built an empire helping underperforming small businesses reach their potential. Two years ago, theLife & Leisurechannel had offered her a television show—Do Over—that followed her as she worked. Each episode featured a different business, offering viewers the chance to become invested in their success as she helped them rebuild. Season one had been a runaway success. So far, season two was off to a lackluster start, and without this episode, she might be in real trouble.
“It’s possible,” Greta said. “But the timing would be extremely tight.”
Bruce’s frown deepened. “I’m afraid there’s no room in the production budget to reshoot, even if you were able to fit it into the schedule.”
“I’ll make room in the budget,” Eve said automatically. This was what she did for a living, after all. She saved failing businesses, and now she would save her television show, because if she didn’t get her ratings up,Do Overwould never get renewed for a third season. “I’ll draw up a revised advertising plan.”
“If you’re able to make room in the budget, I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises,” Bruce told her. “Have it on my desk by the end of the day.”
She nodded. “Consider it done.”
Bruce left, and Eve slumped in her chair. “How much time do I have to find a new client and shoot a replacement episode?”
“Not much,” Greta told her apologetically. “You’d need to bring me the client’s name by Friday, with filming to begin next week.”
Eve pressed her knuckles against the edge of the desk in front of her, letting the cold wood bite into her skin, providing an outlet for her frustration. “Friday, as in the day after tomorrow?”
“Yes. And first, you’ve got to make room in the budget and have Bruce sign off on it,” Greta reminded her.
“I’ll do that right now.” Eve stood, picking up her laptop.
Greta nodded, waving a hand in Eve’s direction. “Go work your magic. You’ll pull this off. I have full confidence in you.”
“I will,” Eve confirmed. She left Greta’s office and strode down the hall toward her own. They had hundreds of leftover applications from their season two casting call. The trick would be finding someone who could bring her the ratings she needed, when she’d already chosen what she’d believed to be the ten strongest applicants from the bunch. Hopefully, she’d overlooked a potential breakout star.
First things first. She closed the door to her office and spent the next two hours reallocating funds fromDo Over’s already stretched advertising budget to allow her to shoot the replacement episode. As much as she needed those advertising dollars, she needed a full season more. She emailed the revised budget to Bruce and settled in to sift through previously rejected season two applications.
