Page 3 of The Sebastian Guarantee
“She’s my other best friend,” Phoebe answered.
The image disappeared and her favorite quote by Eleanor Roosevelt flashed across the screen.The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
“I love that quote, too,” Delia remarked.
“It’s a good one,” Phoebe said, feeling a kinship with those thirteen words. Back when she was in high school, she’d chosen it for her yearbook quote.
The picture changed again and flashed a shot of her, Aria, Sebastian, and Oscar.
Roderick gestured to the screen. “Who’s that guy?”
“That’s Oscar Elliott. He’s a talented artist and photographer. His dad is the one who launched the Mr. Cheesy Forever Food trucks. The four of us have been close since we were kids.”
Close was an understatement. They were more like a patchwork family—and their families had a unique beginning. Their nannies had been best friends. And thanks to a nanny love match, their nannies had married their caregivers. Her uncle Rowen had married her nanny, Penny Fennimore. Sebastian’s dad, Erasmus Cress, had married Libby Lamb. Oscar’s dad, Mitch Elliott, had married Charlotte Ames, and Aria’s uncle Landon had married Harper Presley. The four families had been brought together by a renowned nanny matchmaker, and they remained close to this day.
A flush graced Delia’s cheeks as another shot of Sebastian illuminated the screen. “Sebastian Cress is . . .”
The gal didn’t need to go on. It wasn’t uncommon for women to melt into pools of swooning goo in Seb’s presence. It was weird how, one day, they were kids horsing around in the backyard, and the next, the gawky, knobby-kneed Sebastian had bloomed into a beautiful beefcake of a man. Six-four and built like a brick house, it was no wonder the guy had millions of online followers. Yesterday, he’d posted a picture of himself with the New York City skyline framed in the window, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and she absolutely hadn’t had the sudden urge to lick his abs. Nope, it didn’t even cross her mind because he was her friend. Her best friend. Her lifelong childhood friend. Her friend, friend, friend, friend, friend. Not to mention, she had a boyfriend. Jeremy. Jeremy Drewler.
Jeremy wasn’t exactly her boyfriend, officially. But they’d met at a food truck a few days after the Techy Times article had been posted. Had their Munch Match turned into a love match? She wasn’t quite certain. Things were going well. Like most of the guys she’d dated, Jeremy was in tech, but something had happened that made her think the universe wanted them to be together. Last week, he’d been invited to LETIS. It had to be a sign. She wasn’t one hundred percent sure if he was dating anybody else, but if she were to also snag an invite, their time at the symposium could bring them closer. Then she could see if her Munch Match had the potential to be a love match.
“Hey,” came a sharp voice from the middle of the line. “Could you hurry it up? We’re hungry.”
“Cool it,” Delia chided. “We’re in the presence of tech greatness. This is the Munch Match app lady, Phoebe Gale.”
The low hum of conversation stopped as the food truck patrons leaned from side to side to get a better look.
Phoebe turned redder than a bottle of Hank’s organic ketchup. “Yep, that’s me, Phoebe Gale.”
A guy behind Roderick and Delia gave her a once-over. “I read online that your uncle is Rowen Gale, the tech billionaire, and your aunt is Penny Fennimore, the genius behind the narrative for the video game AI-77. Is that true? That game has been out more than fifteen years, and it’s still at the top of the charts.”
“That’s right. AI-77 was the first game my aunt and uncle worked on together.”
Phoebe braced herself. Here comes the deluge of delusions the public had held about her life. She should be used to it by now. After her parents had passed away when she was barely three years old, she’d lived with her grandmother for a couple of years before her uncle gained full custody. Her uncle Rowen and Aunt Penny had raised her in Denver. It was no surprise people knew their names. The pair were a powerhouse in the tech and video gaming industries. Undoubtedly, their celebrity status would pique people’s interest in their niece’s life as well.
But she wasn’t complaining. Growing up with famous and wealthy caregivers had its perks. While she thought about her parents every day and often wondered what life would have been like if they hadn’t passed away, their loss hadn’t directed her down a darkened path. She’d had a glorious childhood. She was loved and never wanted for anything. Still, it also led people to have wild misconceptions about her and her finances.
A scruffy guy with a mop of golden hair standing about five people back stepped out of line. “You must be crazy rich.”
Case in point—the money curiosity.
Mr. Golden Mophead eyed her outfit, then cocked his head to the side. “Why do you walk around looking like that?”
Phoebe assessed her clothing choice. Besides a stain she’d covertly covered with her braid, she couldn’t figure out what the dude was talking about.
“Like what?” she lobbed back.
“Like a nerdy French farmer. Who pairs glasses and a beret with overalls and sneakers?”
No, no, no!She could not allow this mophead to disrespect her clothing.
She narrowed her gaze. He’d messed with the wrong nerd. “Someone who requires bifocals, studied French in high school, loves the look of a beret, and is practical enough to appreciate the functionality of overalls.” She stared the man down, then tapped her foot twice, taking advantage of a secret way to insult him without him being any the wiser.
“You’ve got to be loaded,” the guy pressed, oblivious to her foot tapping. “Everyone I know has the Munch Match app on their phones.”
The situation wasn’t as cut-and-dried as one would think.
“Munch Match was kind of a fluke. I’m not even sure how the algorithm works. I don’t charge people for it, so I don’t make anything off it. But it gets my name out there. The funny thing is, I never set out to develop food apps. What I want to do is create an online community to empower and connect girls and women online through a myriad of entry points. I’m calling it Go Girl.”
