Page 3 of Dating His Brother

“Just think about it, Izzy. Some people settle for whoever they can find when there may be tons of people out there in the world that they’d be more compatible with. Someone else better suited for them that they’d be happier with. You get the rare treat of being exposed to every potential suitor in the world. You get your pick from the cream of the crop, and you’d never have to wonder if there was someone better out there for you.”

Her eyes were twinkling with excitement as she snatched up a binder from her desk and handed it to me—a catalog of this new spin on the old campaign. “I’m thinking of tagging the whole thing with something like…Finding love for the wealthy, single, socialite—Isabella Landson.”

I flipped through the pages, plastered with my photos and her slogans and all the notes about my new revamped featured profile.

“What do you think?” she asked eagerly.

I slammed the binder shut and tossed it back down to her desk. “I think it sounds pathetic.”

Her demeanor morphed rapidly into disappointment.

“Wouldn’t you rather use one of those more ‘average’ people for something like this? Wouldn’t that make it more effective?” I proposed.

“Just think of all the guys who will flock to the site, signing up for premium memberships and whatever other features they can to get noticed by you. Or us…to set them up with you. Our profits will skyrocket. I mean, look at you. What guy wouldn’t want a chance to go on a date with you? Besides…It’s too late to use someone else. The media and the public would have our heads. They’d think we really couldn’t find a good match for you and that we just gave up. And if we can’t do it for you…”

“Then you can’t do it for anyone,” I huffed. “I know. You said that already.”

“Jack was so excited about this,” she went on to say, her excitement renewing. “He started going on about double dates with vacations and holidays. I think for him, this is sort of like rebuilding your family. He talks about how hard it’s been on you both since your mother died, and you were already grieving the loss of your father.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” I snipped. “And just what does Jack have against us rebuilding our family with me as a single woman?”

“Maybe he just doesn’t want you to feel like a third wheel around us,” she shrugged.

I chewed on my lip, hating feeling like I was being backed into a corner. But I did want to make Jack happy. He had done a lot for me, and even though he controlled my access to the inheritance…it was really just so he could make it last. He barely touched a penny of it and rarely told me no when I asked him for anything extra. Plus, he was all I had left in the world. I could do this for him, couldn’t I?

“I still think it makes me look incredibly pathetic,” I told her. “But…if it’s what you and my brother want…if it will help, and get everyone off my back…Then…okay.”

She jumped with a squeal and a little dance. “It really will make him so happy. And you’re really doing wonders for me and my job. And don’t think of it as being pathetic. Think of it as a rare opportunity to…”

“Yes, Jada,” I rolled my eyes. “You already gave the ‘rare opportunity’ spiel. Really, you have to work on your pitches. They’re repetitive.”

“I always figured if you don’t get through to someone the first time, just repeat it until it sinks in,” she smirked. “Now, I have a photo shoot set up for you tomorrow, which will be a blast. Top dollar make-up artists and stylists. Designer clothes. I bet you can even convince them to let you keep an outfit or two. In fact, I insist on it. Tell them it’s for your dates. Make them give you the whole wardrobe from the shoot.”

I raised a brow. “Trying to butter me up now? You must feel really guilty about all of this.”

“Only a little,” she laughed. “Oh! And we have a team of dating profile experts to help you revamp your own profile and to help you sift through potential dates. Just imagine how many people out there would kill to have that kind of help with their dating lives!”

“And yet here I am…thinking I’d kill to get out of this thing,” I griped. “You’re sure you want to do all of this for me?”

“It’s not just for you. I kind of have to do it to save my own ass at this point. This whole campaign was my idea after all. And it was Jack’s idea to feature you in it. So we’re both riding on the results of this. But also…take a look at these numbers.”

She pulled something up on the computer screen and turned it around for me to see. “These are how many people who signed up for Heartstring when we first featured you in the campaign. Based on social media feedback, this is how many people who have threatened to cancel their memberships after they saw you didn’t find a serious partner yet…And this is how many people we suspect have already canceled for that very reason. Andthisis our projection for how many new sign-ups we expect when we relaunch this new part of the campaign.”

The numbers were high, I had to admit. “Wow, so no pressure or anything,” I gulped.

“No pressure,” she insisted in a shrill, nervous tone. “Just…you know. Don’t be impossibly picky. And…give it a fair chance.”

“Whatever you say,” I sighed. “This has been fun, Jada. But seeing as how I just got back into the country, and this endeavor of yours sounds like it’s going to be very time consuming…Can I go now? I have a salon appointment.”

“Absolutely! Just don’t let them make any major changes to your look. All the stylists for the shoot and the profile experts are expecting to be working with how you look right now.”

“Just a spa treatment,” I assured her. “Which I need even more after this meeting.”

I swung my designer bag over my shoulder and headed for the door. I was less than thrilled about all of this, but at least Jada and Jack were happy. For now anyways. But I was beginning to wonder if love was in the cards for me. And what would happen if this whole ridiculous campaign just proved that it wasn’t?

2

Isabella

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