“That tells me nothing, Libby.”
“All right, if you must know, I have this channel.It’s calledTravels with My Child.”
“Ah… Your lipstick, the glittery eyelashes.Your camera always at the ready.”
“I review off-the-beaten-track destinations suitable for solo parents like me,” she continued, “and I like to feature interesting people we meet on our adventures.”
“And that’s why you wanted to interview me?”
“Well, there’s interesting people, and then there’s interesting people who’ll blow up the internet.”She shot him a sideways glance.“You, Cranky, in case you didn’t know, fall into the latter category.”
“Thanks.”Or at least, he thought there was some sort of compliment in there.He rubbed the back of his neck.“Blowing up the internet… That doesn’t quite sound as good as it should do.It sounds just like the very thing I’ve been trying to avoid.”
“It’s onlyoneof the things you’ve been trying to avoid.”She shot him a pointed look.“You came out here to escape those reporters who climbed over your fence, but they’ll still be waiting for you when you get back.”
He ground his teeth.“Yeah.”
“You’ve got to feed people like that,” she said.“Otherwise they’ll make a meal out of whatever scraps they find.That’s why they write things about you based on blurry photos splashed across social media.”
“I’m not even in those blurry photos most of the time.”
“Exactly.”Libby looked up at him.“And the best way to keep them off your back is to give them something happy.”
“Happiness?”He almost laughed.
“You may scoff, but that’s really the simple truth of it.Misfortune and misery breed media attention.You show everyone that you’re okay, and they’ll soon leave you alone.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.Give or take a few trolls and hacks.Which you’re better off ignoring, anyway.”Libby shrugged.“Go shoot a video of yourself having fun on the beach, post it on your social media, and ta-da!No more misery stories about Dan Jones.In fact, I bet your true fans would love to see you smiling again.”
This was too easy.Too sunshine and rainbows.To prove her wrong, he’d give it a go, except…
“I don’t have a phone to shoot videos with.I don’t have the internet.”
Libby’s eyebrows raised.
“Right,” he said.“But you have a phone.”
“And access to the internet,” she added.
“Okay.I can see where this could go.”He walked on in silence beside her.If he hadn’t stormed out, they’d have had this conversation the other night.“Now will you tell me about your notebook?”
She looked at her feet.
“I’m sorry I lost my shit the other night, Libby.”
Slowly, she searched his face, as if she were looking for the slightest hint of anger.He wasn’t angry.Actually, this was the most tranquil he’d been in two days.
Then, as if she’d come to the same conclusion, she said, “The notebook is where I dump my ideas for content.”Her shoulders slumped.“Most of them are stupid.But stupid or not, I never actually get time to do anything with them for obvious reasons.”She pointed at Karim, who was still sleeping.“So I write my ideas down.When I first saw you on the flight, I thought it would be cool to interview you about your recovery.Then, when I got to know you a little better, I figured one interview could turn into a whole series.You’ve got so much to say that people want to hear.”
“The Highs and Lows?”
“Yeah.”She gave a little laugh.“But then Ireallygot to know you and saw—”
“—that I’m a self-centered prick.”
She half-smiled—he was pleased to see it—but then she sadly shook her head.“I saw how much you’re still hurting.I thought telling your story would help you get some perspective, some balance and focus.I thought you could inspire people.But I guess you’re not ready, and you’re not interested.And I respect that.”
