Page 11 of Falling into Place
That evening, after returning home and changing into sweatpants and a T-shirt, Carly settled onto the couch with her laptop.
She unlocked her phone and pulled up the contact Sasha had shared a few hours ago bearing Brooks’s information, complete with his email address, phone number, and an adorable photo of him making a silly face to the camera.
This was the Brooks she remembered—energetic and fun, if a little overconfident, but just enough that it tipped more to the side of appealing than off-putting. He looked young in the photo, though she couldn’t tell how young. It was hard to imagine this new version of the man Sasha had described earlier that evening.
Hardly smiles.
No social life.
Depressed.
Carly homed in on those hazel eyes, dark and bottomless but that had somehow always been so expressive and full of mischief, and wondered how such a transformation was possible.
On second thought, losing both parents in the span of a few years would probably do that to a lot of people ... even if the response was a little delayed.
She opened a blank email and glanced at her cat. “Are we ready for this?”
Pepper stared at her with yellow eyes, flicking his tail in the air.
“Show a little excitement, will you? If this goes well, it could be our ticket to our dream job. And if I only have one job to worry about, that means I get to be home more often with you. Wouldn’t you like that?”
Pepper blinked.
“I thought so,” she said, and started typing.
Brooks Martin as her client. Well, this would certainly be interesting.
Chapter Four
Brooks
Brooks Martin, please report to the principal’s office.Now.
—Heard over the intercom at Freemont High School, senior year
The email came through late Monday evening while Brooks was sprawled out on his couch, reading about gardening in Oklahoma. As soon as he saw the sender, a stab of apprehension pierced his side.
Well, well, well. If it wasn’t the consequences of his own actions.
From: [email protected]
Brooks,
Well hi! It’s been a while, huh? Hope things are going well and you’re not dreading this email, because I’ll be honest, I’m picturing you dreading this email. Sasha really cooked something up this time, didn’t she? The good news is I’m confident with a few goodoutfits and avoiding any more of her meddling, we’ll get through it together. And, you know, if this goes well, maybe you’ll end up with the love of your life. Or get laid at the very least.
Brooks blinked at the screen, taken aback. Had Carly Porter just made a sex joke?
Anyway, Sasha mentioned your work schedule is pretty hectic so I’ll just get straight to the point. At the bottom of the email there’s a link to our website, feel free to check out the How It Works and FAQ pages to learn more. I’d like to schedule the initial consultation where I can answer any questions you have and learn about your style preferences. We can do it in person or via Zoom. In person is ideal but I’m flexible. Let me know what you think.
Carly
Brooks got up and grabbed a beer before following her advice to click on the link, this whole thing feeling more real the further he got.
Mode Style was a decent-size business, founded locally (likely why Sasha picked it) but had expanded beyond Oklahoma, employing several full-time consultants, social media experts, and marketing specialists in other large cities throughout the Midwest. They offered personal shopping, wardrobe styling, and image consulting services (which he understood only slightly better after reading the description).
His natural inclination was to request a virtual consult. He liked being at home, felt more comfortable behind a screen rather than face-to-face, and liked the idea of not being immediately judged for his clothes on their first meeting.
