Page 39 of Forget About Me

"The Lord has freed you from your sins. Go in peace.” Did he just stifle a yawn?

"Thanks be to God."

At least that’s the truth. Thanks be to God for getting me through that.

The window scrapes closed between us. Shakily I stand and exit the box. Last time I left confession with hope in my heart, my anger washed away. This time, I’m more frustrated than ever.

Teenage dreams… theyareso hard to beat, because all I can think about is kissing Ben Porter again.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Give a Little Bit" - Supertramp

Lucy’s May the Force Be With You Mixtape, Song #10

BEN

I avoid PR people like the plague since their efforts almost always take me out of my comfort zone—like, for example, setting me on for fake dates with actresses looking for fans and tipping off paparazzi so our pictures would get intoStarorGlobeorUSmagazine. So when Bianca Torres, Shakespeare Boston’s marketing director, catches me on the phone early the next morning, I can’t help but groan.

“I know, I’m sorry, but I just thought I’d check,” she begins.

Bianca is the one who turned the CK fans who mobbedR&Jinto an asset rather than a problem, so I should hear her out. “No, I’m sorry; it’s a reflexive reaction. What do you need?”

“Well”—she’s obviously excited, and I have to suppress another groan—“I got a call from the lifestyle editor at theBoston Globethis morning. She wants to do a feature on you. At first she was suggesting something about your shift from modeling to doing Shakespeare at a tiny non-profit back here in Boston?—?”

“Bianca,” I interrupt.

She laughs in response. “I know, I know, you don’t want to keep talking about that. So I suggested a different angle. How about you talk about animal rescue? They can feature you and your dog, and they can include stats about abandoned pets or something like that. Then,” she continues, gaining momentum, “we can run a fundraising campaign in the lobby for your local shelter or rescue group or whatever you want. What do you think?”

Thisisa creative angle.

And could be the answer to my prayers.

The other day, Lucy mentioned something about how dogs are so often put to sleep because they’re considered unadoptable and how it’s so sad because many of them just need training to correct bad habits. She’s also grumbled more than once about how badly the vet pays. When I asked if she wanted to expand her training business, she sighed and waved that away, saying it would require so much work to get that going and she didn’t have the time or knowledge to do the marketing.

A feature in theGlobecould be the answer to that problem.

“Okay,” I say, “I’ll do it.”

Bianca gasps. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, Ben this is great. We’re a bit worried that people just think of us as a summer theater, so getting this exposure will be so helpful.”

“I have one condition.”

“Sure, whatever you need.”

“I want Lucy Minola to be part of the interview.”

“Who’s Lucy Minola?”

“She’s the woman who has been training Puck. And me. She’ll be a great resource. She has some great ideas on how training can be a part of the animal rescue solution. There’s no way we’d even try to use a real dog in the show without her expertise.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’m sure the paper will be glad that we have an expert on hand. Do you want to call Lucy to get her availability?”

I hesitate. If I ask her, maybe it’ll earn me some brownie points. On the other hand, if the offer comes from Bianca, it might seem more legit.

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