Page 26 of Ripped & Shipped
Ella Mae looks at her phone screen. “I’ll have the … Nathan’s New York Cheesesteak. … and …” She looks at her phone again. “The Grandma’s Banana Pudding Shake.”
“What are you looking at there?”
“My followers are ordering for me tonight.”
“Huh.”
Ella Mae shakes her head, looks down, then looks up at me, and over at Shawna. Something shifts in Ella Mae’s expression. A sort of steely resolve takes over her features. And then the floodgates open.
“So, I was supposed to meet this guy, Drake, here. DrakesDaMan?” She looks at Shawna, like Shawna should know him.
Shawna shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders.
“Well, he’s huge on YouTube and he asked me to collaborate with him. Our followers were all hyped up for it. We were going to meet here, eat what our fans chose for us, and rate each item. We’d ham up the dining experience, film the whole thing …” She stops and looks down.
“And he didn’t show?” I fill in.
“He blew me off. Went to seeSloane: Secret Agentwith his sister and her kids. I spent the whole day prepping for this. I only drank green drink for twenty-four hours leading up to it. I even got my hair done.”
The fire in Ella Mae’s eyes dims. She looks up at Shawna and then reluctantly looks at me, like showing her weakness is the worst thing she could do in front of me. She doesn’t know me well enough to know it’s my kryptonite. I can’t stand to see a woman hurting. Jilted’s even worse. I want to hunt down this Drake guy. Ella Mae should be furious. Instead, she’s a shrunken version of her usual self.
“So, you were supposed to eat what your followers picked?” I ask.
“Yeah. I know you think what I do is stupid. But it’s my job. And this collaboration was a big deal for me.”
She won’t even look at me.
“Ella Mae.”
“Hm?” She looks past me, not at me.
“Look at me.”
“What do you want, St. James?”
“Truce,” I remind her.
Shawna shifts a little, obviously unsure if she should hang out or flee.
“Can you give us a minute?” I ask Shawna. “Hold our orders for just a bit. I’ll wave you over when we’re ready.”
“Sure, Chris,” Shawna says.
She practically bolts from the side of our table toward the kitchen.
“So, you were ready to do this food thing and film it. And Drake canceled.”
“Seven thousand people were online when I went on without him. And I don’t even know how many more tried to join in after that. It’s kind of a disaster, but I’m rolling with it the best I can. I’ve set up some spur-of-the-moment giveaways to offset the backlash from letting everyone down. Drake said we’ll reschedule.”
“He talked to you?”
She shakes her head. “His assistant messaged me.”
“And you’re giving him a second chance?”
She looks at me like I’m failing kindergarten.
“He’s DrakesDaMan. A chance with him would boost me to the next level so fast. These kinds of things don’t just come along every day. If he wants to reschedule, I’m rescheduling.”
