Page 3 of Falling into Place
Carly laughed and gave a thumbs-up, then turned back to Sasha. “Remember when we first came here? You immediately wanted to cover it and did a whole piece in the magazine about it. I mean, a bar where people can gather and watch their favorite reality TV shows? Collectively gasp with housewives or literally cast their vote on whothey think’s about to get kicked off the island?” Tonight wasBachelornight, and she and Sasha rarely missed it. Witnessing the lavish dates, relationship drama, and rose ceremonies on a huge screen surrounded by other die-hard fans was a thousand times better than viewing from home. Plus, they awarded prizes to customers who correctly predicted the outcome of that evening’s episode. “Thisis innovation.”
“You’re right. And that piece did do well,” Sasha agreed. “Unlike anything else we’ve covered in the last nine months.”
Carly had been scanning the room with appreciation when Sasha muttered that last part, so it took her a minute to pick up on it. She glanced over at her friend, assessing her more closely.
“What’s going on?” Carly asked. “Is the magazine not doing well?”
Sasha was editor in chief ofLiveOKC, an online and print magazine that focused on everything local in Oklahoma City and the surrounding suburbs. Part of a larger media company started by her parents more than thirty years ago and currently run by Sasha’s sister, Macy,LiveOKCwas a staple for keeping up with anything and everything happening in town, from boutiques to restaurants and all that fell in between.
From the age of nine, Sasha had planned on working at the magazine with her mom. But when her mom died unexpectedly in high school,LiveOKCbecame more than just a potential career that seemed interesting and fun. It became Sasha’s entire life.
Sasha rubbed her temples. “No, it’s not. We had our quarterly review this morning, and we’ve been behind on every metric for the last nine months. New subscriptions are consistently down, and local partners are starting to pull advertisements.”
“Shit. Do you know why?”
Sasha shrugged. “Macy thinks there’s too much competing for people’s attention. You get, like, three seconds to hook someone, and if you fail, they’re on to the next thing.”
“You know how to do that, though,” Carly said. “You’re on top of all the social media stuff.”
“It’s not enough anymore. I try to keep up with the changing algorithms, but it feels impossible. Even if a random post does well, doing the same thing doesn’t work a second time. It’s exhausting, trying to keep up with the hot new thing, you know?” Sasha toyed with the straw in her glass. “LiveOKCwon’t survive if people just stop in and then forget about us; they need to keep coming back. I get what Mai’s saying about valuing innovation for a business model, but whatever happened to good old loyalty and consistency? As a consumer, I don’t always want to be surprised. Sometimes I want exactly what I want because I’ve had it before and know I liked it.”
“Literally all I want in my life is consistency,” Carly agreed. Growing up she’d had way too little of it. That was probably why she was chronically in long relationships—several years with a guy during college and one and a half with Benjamin, who she’d still be with if they hadn’t agreed on taking a break while he was out of the country for an internship.
“Why does everything always have to be new and shiny?”
Carly gave her friend the side-eye. “Says the girl sitting at Oklahoma City’s hottest new bar.”
Sasha’s glare would have turned a lesser woman into a statue, but they’d been friends long enough that Carly wasn’t fazed. “Rude. I love the Hideout just as much as this place.”
As much as Carly loved the Hideout, a hole-in-the-wall staple that had been around well before they could legally drink, the unique draw of this place couldn’t be replicated anywhere else in town.
“You know what’s weird, though?” Carly said, tipping her head. “Watching reality TV at a bar might be fresh, but reality TV itself isn’t. I mean, God, what season isThe Bacheloron now? Twenty? What aboutSurvivor?Big Brother?”
“I don’t know, like five million?” Sasha kept her eyes on the screen above the bar for a long moment. “How on earth is that possible when two of my favorite sitcoms over the last few years were canceled after one season? What is it about these shows people love so much?”
Carly definitely didn’t have all the answers. “Maybe because humans are weird. We love watching other people live their lives, especially if we don’t feel like we’re living our own. Even if it’s fake as hell. Can’t find love? Watch someone else fall into it. Even if they’re pretending, I eat it up every single time. Not enough adventure in your life? Watch castaways try to stay alive and win a competition from some remote island without electricity. Are they secretly sleeping in hotels and eating regular food when the cameras are off? Don’t know, don’t care. I’ll pretend it’s real all day long.”
Sasha didn’t reply right away, her attention locked on the lavish date between two strangers happening before their eyes. Carly tuned in, too, and neither said anything for a long moment.
Then Sasha said quietly, “You know, you’re right.”
Just as Carly noticed that look in her friend’s eye—the same one she’d had when they were seventeen and stole and smoked several of her dad’s cigars (bad idea) and then snuck into a rap concert at the Zoo Amphitheatre (100 percent worth it)—Sasha swiveled on her stool and grinned.
“I have an idea.”
Chapter Two
Brooks
“Who’s that?”
“Oh, that’s Dr. Martin. Don’t worry about him; he doesn’t yell and never gets mad if you page him in the middle of the night. But don’t expect him to crack any jokes or go out with the crew after work. I don’t know what skeletons are in his closet, but dude’s private as fuck.”
—Overheard at the 4W ICU Nursing Station
Ever thought something you were about to do was a terrible idea—possibly the worst idea of your entire life—then went ahead and did it anyway?
Yeah. Brooks knew the feeling.
