“Right. You already freaked out. Got it,” he says, and I turn to him.
“Listen. I just want to deal with the hornet’s nest that is Nigel so I can figure out what I’m going to do from there,” I say.
“Good luck with that,” he says. “I’m sure he’s going mental.”
I’m sure he is too. Which is why I am going to deal with it now. No sense in putting it off.
I knock on the doorframe more to make myself known than to ask for permission to enter. “Come in and close the door,” Nigel says without even looking up.
I do as he says. Anything to make the process easier. Then I just wait. Nigel is just standing there, shaking his head and staring at the floor. Then, after a moment, a smile crawls across his thin lips.
“You…are brilliant,” he says.
“What?” I ask. Because…what?
Nigel claps his hands together and turns to me with a full-blown grin. “This is perfect,” he says.
“I’m not sure we’re talking about the same thing,” I say.
He pulls his phone out and holds it up to me. “Check out that headline.”
“Supermodel Zane Calloway is hiding more than a secret girlfriend. He has a secret family,” I read. “Jesus…”
“You mean praise Jesus,” he practically sings. “Do you have any idea what this means for you?”
“I mean, I’ve lost sleep thinking about it,” I say, scratching the back of my head.
“Have you thought about what it will mean for your brand?” he asks, and I study him before sitting down. I need to sit down.
“Nigel,” I say, steepling my fingers. “I don’t think we’re on the same page here. I woke up to a baby on my doorstep,” I say.
“Your doorstep…” echoes.
“With a note from a girl I went out with a while back claiming the baby is mine. And as it turns out, he is. I’m not really sure how this could be good for my brand, or for any of us for that matter.”
Nigel just smiles for a minute before clicking his tongue and going on. “Yeah, that’s not the story we are going to go with,” he says.
“But…that’s what happened,” I tell him.
“Zane. You’ve been in this industry for a long time. You know how rumors are,” he says.
“I do. They have the power to destroy a person’s reputation and their entire career,” I say.
“And they also have the power to make you America’s next Off-The-Market Man,” he says. “It all depends on how you tell the story. Or what story you tell, should I say.”
I chew the inside of my cheek for a second before responding. I know how Nigel operates. “Alright,” I let out. “So, what story are we telling?”
Nigel grins. “People are talking. Remember a couple of months ago when Jett’s ratings were higher than yours? That had nothing to do with him being younger and taller and more appealing than you.”
“It’s probably because he’s not taller than me,” I cut in, but Nigel goes on. “The quote-unquote truth is you were MIA because you were busy falling in love. Busy getting the love of your life pregnant. Busy being a new dad.”
“No one is going to buy that,” I tell him.
“They already have,” Nigel says. “That’s what everyone is saying.”
“They think that I’ve been hiding a secret baby and just been locked away with the baby mama?” I ask.
“Yep,” he says. “And the best part? They believe that Ashlyn is the mother.”
