Page 48 of Don't Go Faking My Heart

She frowns. “Okay, the pros are obvious: famous people sell stuff. But the cons are bigger.” She holds up a finger for each item. “It feels like exploitation. It feels like I’m saying our local products aren’t good enough to sell themselves. It feels way too risky to include Lou, when she hasn’t revealed her identity to the public yet. And,” she huffs, putting up a fourth finger, “I know Philip will have a nasty comment about it.”

Parker opens her mouth to object, but Lou must kick her underneath the table, because she flinches and keeps quiet.

“I can see all that,” I say. “What else?”

Her leg bounces under the table. “I mean, the Philip thing doesn’t really matter. You guys are right that he’d photoshop the Super Bowl over the high school’s stadium if he thought it would seal the deal. And when famous people rave about products, it does lend credibility, especially quality famous people like y’all.”

Sonny flips imaginary hair.

Ash chuckles. “As for Lou …” She taps her pen against the conference room table. “She doesn’t actually have to show her face for a collab. We just need her voice and name. And, if we do it right, it benefits everyone. Lou, what do your fans want more than anything?"

"To feel connected to me."

Ash nods, but she’s looking to the side, processing, putting things together. "Connection. Right. You're shrouded in mystery, but people feel like you're singing a soul-song just for them. Being where you've been, shopping where you’ve shopped, walking where you’ve walked? Talk about connection. People will speculate what you're doing in South Carolina. Do you live nearby? Is that why you're starting your tour in Columbia? They'll flip out trying to see what road you're coming in on and theorize whether or not it’s significant. And from there, everyone wins. Your fans feel connected to you and discover things that you like that they may like. Win for them. Giving them a peek into your life makes them more loyal. Win for you. And the businesses you highlight get the hype they deserve. Win for Sugar Maple." Ash stares at the screen where we just watched the video. “If we can protect your actual likeness, I’m not seeing the downside there at all.”

"Hey, what about me?” Sonny asks. “Why is no one asking how I'll deal with it?"

"Because you're the face of four different brands," Jane says.

"Because you've been on the cover of GQ twice," Millie says.

"Because you love attention," Lou says.

"I do not," Sonny protests. "You guys already said it! It’s about connecting with people. Let me be your street-guy."

"We're not having a male prostitute," Ash says.

"That's a streetwalker, Ash," Parker says. "You mean a man-on-the-street, right Sunshine?"

"Yes. Emphatically, yes."

Ash snickers. "Then we’re all agreed? Not about Sonny being a male streetwalker, but about partnering with famous friends to market the heck out of this town, no matter what the haters say?” Everyone nods, but she looks at me. “Rusty?”

“Philip is a walking oil spill, and Teddy and Bill are looking for an easy payout,” I say. “You shouldn’t spend a second trying to change the minds of people you wouldn’t invite to Sunday brunch. Part of your genius is that you inspire people to rally around you, famous or not. And I think the way you’ll use these collabs will only inspire more people. It’s a yes from me.”

"Ugh, fine, so I'm super brilliant," Ash says, but she's smiling.

Everyone starts talking and brainstorming again, and when Jane throws a spreadsheet up on the screen, my vision swims. I glance up at the clock, and it reads 4:35 p.m. Twenty-five more minutes. With all these late nights and early mornings lately, I’ve tapped out my ability to understand, especially when the others’ devices don’t have the same accommodations as mine. I rub my eyes, and when I look up, Ash has a V between her brows.

“Guys, why don’t we circle back to this tomorrow,” she says.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jane says. It’s not like Ash to stop in the middle of something, especially when there’s so much to do. "Good idea. I’ll go check a few emails and then close down my office."

"Me too," Parker says.

I'm closing my own laptop when Duke pops into the conference room. "Knock knock," he says. He and Lottie are both wearing red, yellow, and black Carolina Coral Snakes uniforms, and Lottie's is complete with eye-black.

"Momma!" She runs and launches herself into Millie's arms, and Millie peppers her with kisses.

"Baby girl! Are you ready to crush the other guys?"

Lottie shakes her head. "No, they don't keep score," she grumbles. Then she sees me and she ducks her head and twirls her dark brown hair under her hat. "Hi, Uncle Rusty."

"Hi, Pumpkin.” I smile. Lottie has a longstanding crush on me. It’s hard to believe I’m such a bad guy when a little girl like her can love me so much.

Millie starts to put her laptop and notes away. "Ash, are you coming to see Rusty in his assistant coach uniform?"

Ash gives me a look of surprise, though I'm not sure why. Tonight’s only the second game of the season, and I didn't tell her I'm the assistant coach, but this is the kind of thing she’s come to expect from me: the good guy who helps coach his goddaughter's T-ball team. So why does she look intrigued?

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