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So much for being confident and happy. As horrid as the event she’d witnessed had been, she couldn’t do much more than what she’d already done. The police weren’t positive that they’d be able to track down who’d killed the man, since her descriptions had been vague. It was as though her brain was hiding the reminders, or any distinguishing features—apart from the tattoo sleeve—to protect her. She hadn’t even been able to give them a license plate or make of car. She’d been too busy staying hidden.
Determined to put the incident behind her and concentrate on the here and now, Astrid shook her head. “I’m fine. Just a little nervous. I always am when I do an in-person appearance. Once I get started, I’ll be fine.”
Penni canted her head to the side and tapped her forefinger against her chin. “Hmm, okay, but if you need to talk, I’m here. I’m not only your PR person, I’m also your friend.”
Was that a good idea, to have one of her team as a friend? Astrid supposed it was better than Penni hating her. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“I know what you’re thinking,” Penni returned with a knowing smile.
“What’s that?”
They’d been working together for a few months now, ever since Penni had reached out when her previous PR person said she couldn’t help her anymore and left Astrid hanging. At the time, she had no idea how Penni had known what was going on. She’d just been grateful that someone was ready and able to help her.
“You think it’s weird that I said I’m your friend when you’re paying me to help you keep your name, face, and brand in the forefront of people’s minds.”
Again, her insight was impressive. “Nothing gets past you, does it?”
Penni shook her head and laughed. “I admit I wasn’t this observant early on in my career, but as time has gone on I’ve picked up a few things. Also, it helps to be married to a SEAL who observes everything whenever we go out anywhere, so I picked up a few handy tricks.”
“I’m sure.” Astrid wasn’t sure she could deal with someone as intense as Penni’s husband. But then again, having a strong man beside you and protecting you, like she imagined Knox did for his wife, could be a good thing.
“Right. If you need anything at all, you only need to ask. After dealing with Symmone for years, I’m ready for someone less diva-ish. And I know that’s you.”
At the mention of the reality star Penni worked with previously, Astrid took the opportunity to ask what had always intrigued her. “Do you miss working with her? I mean, you were with her a long time, right?”
Penni shrugged. “She wasn’t easy to work with, but I could manage her. My priorities changed once I met Knox and then had Logan. My focus is on them, and Symmone didn’t like the way she wasn’t the center of my attention anymore. It wasn’t difficult to say goodbye to that job. Now that I’ve started my firm, I get to pick my clients instead of having them dumped on me. I choose my hours, and life is good.” She finished with a big smile, and Astrid had no doubt that every word spoken was nothing but the truth.
“I’m grateful that you are happy to work with me. How about we get started?” Astrid had noticed the shop owner getting a little anxious.
“Sounds good. You know what you’re doing, right?”
Nerves assailed Astrid, and she swallowed. After all the appearances, not to mention her TV show, she should be used to facing people, but it wasn’t something that still came easily to her.
“I think so.”
Penni squeezed her arm, and Astrid was immensely glad that Penni had made arrangements to be with her that day. "You've got this. I know it’s different from being behind a camera and having a teleprompter and being able to do retakes. If you make a mistake, pause and then move forward. You’d be surprised at how many people like seeing that you’re not perfect.”
A little of the tension dissipated within her, and she took a deep breath before blowing it out. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
“Right, let’s get this happening.”
Astrid followed Penni, smiling at the group that were gathering, stopping when asked if a teenager could take a selfie with her. The reason she was successful was because of people like the teenager, as well as all the others who were gathered to see her talk about her new range of cookware.
Two hours later, Astrid’s cheeks hurt from smiling, but the event had gone off well and she had only stumbled over her words twice, instead of the usual four or five times. She attributed that to knowing Penni was with her. Whenever she felt like she was about to lose her way, she took a moment to gather her thoughts and then proceeded. No one seemed to notice the little pauses.
She finished signing the last cookbook and handed it over to the man. “Thanks for coming out today. I hope your wife enjoys the book.”
“Thank you for being generous with your time. And she’s going to love it. She didn’t know I was coming here today, and she’s going to be so surprised. She loves your show.”
“If you see Penni”—Astrid pointed to where she stood—“she’ll let you know when my next in-person appearance is happening and will arrange some tickets for you and your wife. I would love to meet her.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary.”
“Please, I insist. My success is because of people like you and your wife. It’s my way of saying thank you to you all.”
“Well, in that case, thank you.” He gave her a nod and a smile before walking over to Penni.
This wasn’t the first time she’d done something like this, so Penni wouldn’t be surprised when he came up to her.
