Page 24 of Ten Rules for Faking It
He worried that once she put herself in the position of having to select candidates, she might shut down. When he’d presented the idea, he’d expected her to refuse. He’d sort of thought Stacey would tell him to do unpleasant things to himself. He shouldn’t have underestimated them.
Still, he planned to make sure they had everything ruthlessly organized so it would be as easy a process on her as possible.
His hand hovered over his phone, and he toyed with the idea of calling her.To what? Invite her over to share your left-over tandoori chicken?Chris opened his laptop. He didn’t need to phone her. He’d see her tomorrow. And the next day. And the one after that. And soon he’d be keeping tabs on the men she was dating.That’s going to suck.
“But it’s for the best.” He cared about Everly. “All of them. You care about all of them.” Which was unusual. Most of his father’s companies, the ones he’d spent time in, had a more corporate, serious feel. This one felt like more than a workplace. It was fun. He’d been intrigued by Everly the second he’d seen her. That had notched up to interested the first time she laughed with abandon, then blushed because of it. Over the last twelve months, he’d begun to care more than was wise. Differently from the others. None of his other staff made him feel like he’d swallowed his tongue when they walked in the room. He didn’t want to be the reason any of the otherslaughed. “You’re not the right guy.” Not for anyone, which meant this was an excellent opportunity to help afriendfind happiness before he moved back across the country.Where you won’t have to witness her falling in love.
Pushing away from the laptop, he leaned back on two legs of his chair. He was restless. He hated feeling that way. Dropping the chair back to all fours, he scrolled through his phone, his finger hovering over his mom’s contact. Chris had surprised himself, opening up to Everly today. The words about his father had just tumbled out of his mouth. He hadn’t talked to his mom in a couple of weeks, but before he could text, someone knocked. Leaving the phone, he went to the door and opened it. Rob, one of his neighbors who’d become a friend, smiled at him.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Chris stepped back.
“Not much. Thinking of going out to grab a drink, thought I’d see if you were around. Didn’t know I’d catch you in your jammies,” he said, laughter in his tone.
Rob was a big guy, a couple of inches taller than Chris’s six feet. He owned a couple of gyms and had the arms to prove it. He took advantage of his own equipment and the roster of classes his places offered for mixed martial arts, yoga, and kickboxing. Chris went to a class now and again but usually preferred running to clear his head.
“I was going to offer you a beer,” Chris said, shutting the door.
Rob laughed. “That’s okay. I can get my own.” Detouring past the fridge, he did just that.
Chris sat down on one end of his couch as Rob sat at the other, cracked open his beer, and took a drink.
He gestured with the can. “Heard the show the other day. Was all excited to hear Sexy Deejay sing when your producer cut in. You kick the guy’s ass for her?”
Laughing, because RobknewChris hadn’t gone after the guy, Chris shook his head. “Stop calling herSexy Deejay,man. Her name is Stacey.”
Rob shrugged, then looked down at his beer. “No disrespect, man. That voice just gets me. It’s like when you hear a singer you love, you know?”
Chris tilted his head and gave his friend a mocking grin. “So, you’re in love with her, then?”
Rob chuckled. “Screw you. You know what I mean. When are you going to bring her down to the gym?”
“Right after never. The staff goes out as a big group now and again, but it’s usually to grab a drink, not get a workout.” The couple of times he’d grabbed a beer with them, Everly hadn’t joined, and he’d felt like an idiot for being disappointed. Once, he’d gone with the plan to tell them who his father was, but that was the same week his dad decided to audit Chris’s performance. He’d sent a damn accountant from New York to check up on him. Chris had been too pissed off to want to be associated with his father. Maybe he should consider putting together a staff event. A night out, a ball game. Something to unite them while showing he cared about them.A goodbye-to-you party?A sharp jab in his chest surprised him. It was a good idea. They’d be going through more upheaval before the year was out.
“Worth a shot. I’ll just give you some more free passes. You can give ’em away on the radio as long as you make sure she gets one.”
“Whatever.” He chuckled. Rob had no trouble finding dates, but he had a thing for Stacey despite having never met her in person.
Setting his beer down, Rob clapped his hands together once and rubbed his palms back and forth. “I have a favor.”
“Shoot.”
“I want to do an anniversary party at the East Side gym. We’re coming up on three years. I’d like to announce my plan to work with the San Verde School District to offer discounted and free classes to students, and I was wondering if the station could do another on-location event?”
They’d done it before with the gym, and it was standard to participate in community events. Chris considered logistics and who would be up for covering the spot. Getting out in the community was always a great idea, and with his plans for Everly, it might be a way to further promote their show.
“Send me a quick email with the date you’re thinking, and I’ll take a look when I’m at work tomorrow. I’m positive we can. Just need to look at the timing. We’re going to be doing something different in the next couple of months, so I think it would tie in well.”
“Something different how?” Rob leaned over and picked up his beer again.
He told him about where Everly’s public confession had led, burying his own discomfort over the idea of his producer looking for love with a bunch of random listeners.We’ll have measures in place to make sure they’re stand-up guys.He wished the security was the only thing making him unsure of the idea.
Before he could think too much about whatdidbug him, Rob asked, “Everly’s on board? Didn’t you tell me she was super shy and didn’t really like crowds?” Rob’s skeptical look matched his tone.
“She’s willing. As a producer, she sees the positives.”
“As a producer. Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I ought to submit my profile,” Rob said, his grin widening.
The growl left his throat without permission. “Maybe we’re busy the day you need us on location.”
