Page 59 of Wedding Season
“I don’t think we can use that as part of the marketing campaign. Come to the Wildflower and suss out whether your intended mate is a two-timing jerk.” Emma shook her head as she grinned. Her thick dark hair was held back in a messy bun with a few tendrils framing her face. Despite the recent challenges, she looked serene and in control. The opposite of how Mariella felt.
“There’s a certain benefit to knowing early,” Mariella observed. “In hindsight, I’m glad I found out about Jacques when I did. Maybe we could get one of those carnival psychic booths for the family room.”
“Yes.” Angi nodded. “Like out of the movieBig. Have Zoltar tell your fortune.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Avery Atwell said from the doorway of the office. “Although you get points for creativity.”
“We’re all about creativity,” Emma told the town’s marketing director, rubbing two fingers against her temples. Maybe she wasn’t as serene as Mariella wanted to believe.
Joking aside, these issues with the inn’s reputation were stressing out her friend.
They’d asked Avery to meet to come up with a plan for garnering favorable media coverage for a few of the upcoming events. According to Avery, the best way for them to combat the negative press was with positive press.
Mariella should have thought of that a few years ago. Amber certainly had. She’d spun the hell out of her cheating, throwing both Mariella and Alex under the bus in the process. Mariella could have taken a lesson from that but she’d been too upset to consider it at the time.
“I have an idea for a bit of creative marketing that might work better.” Avery stepped farther into the room. “It’s kind of out of the box, but I’d like you all to consider it.”
“No reality shows,” Emma said, shaking her head. “I’ve already fielded calls from a couple of slimy producers. We are not going in that direction.”
“Agreed.” Avery nodded. “No reality shows. I talked to Holly Carmichael last night.”
Emma’s face relaxed at the mention of the bride that had started the Wildflower Inn down this path. “Yes. Holly reached out to me as well. She said both she and Brett would be willing to give a quote for the inn’s press kit about how perfect their wedding was here at the Wildflower and how they’d unequivocally recommend us.”
“That’s good,” Avery agreed. Today she wore a sleeveless shirtdress in a Vineyard Vines print, embracing her Southern style while still looking far more big-city polished than Mariella would have expected.
She wondered if Avery and her sisters had ever considered modeling. They’d be perfect for a campaign featuring local residents.
“I also talked to Holly about something a little more radical,” Avery continued. Mariella forced her concentration back to the topic at hand. “She met Drake Simpson at an event a few weeks ago. He’s producing and starring in a movie filming about an hour south of here. The crew is scouting locations in the area, and she mentioned the Wildflower. Turns out they’re doing a scene that is supposed to take place in a historic B&B. He wants to use the Wildflower for a few hours the weekend of the festival. He’d make an appearance in town as well. Possibly judge the pie contest or something equally photogenic.”
Mariella felt her mouth drop open as Angi and Emma gasped. Drake Simpson was one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men at the moment. Hugh Grant circaFour Weddings and a Funeralmixed with an amalgamation of the two most famous Hemsworth brothers. He was ultra-swoony and women all over the world were in love with him.
“Holly said he’s a big believer in making your own luck, and he might even do a pull quote for the inn along those lines.”
“That would be huge,” Emma said.
“What’s the catch?” Angi asked with a frown. “It feels like there’s a catch.”
Avery turned toward Mariella.
“What? Drake Simpson has never been married. It’s not like I designed his ex-wife’s wedding dress. I don’t even know the man.” She held up her hands when Avery continued to stare. “I’ve never talked to him. There isn’t enough wine in the world to make me forget meeting a guy like that.”
“Amber is his co-star in the movie,” Avery said without emotion. “She’d be staying here as well.”
“Hell, no.” Angi shot up from her chair.
Emma also voiced her refusal to host Amber as a guest, but Avery’s gaze didn’t waver from Mariella.
She had a new respect for the sophisticated blonde. “I see small-town living hasn’t turned you soft,” she said with a nod.
Avery’s mouth tipped up on one end. “I want what’s best for Magnolia.”
“We are not doing this.” Emma stood and came around the side of her desk. “No way are we doing this.”
“Yes.” Mariella managed to keep her voice steady. She nodded again. “Make it happen, Avery.”
“You can’t agree on your own.” Angi paced from one end of the office to the other. “Remember this is a partnership. We all have to decide what’s best for the inn.”
Mariella sniffed and did her best to look nonchalant even though her stomach twisted and pulled like it was stuck in a taffy machine. “You know what’s best for the inn and the town. Having Drake here, especially if he’s willing to say something positive, would be a huge benefit. He might even push us on social media.”
