“Why else?” Riley says. “Seems like you’re an even bigger celebrity than I am,” she says. “And I couldn’t be happier for you, Rhett.” Riley rushes up to me, grabs me by my shoulders, and slams me against her body. She hugs the hell out of me, swaying us both from side to side.
“Riley,” I say, breaking our embrace.
“I’m so sorry,” she says, taking a step back. “I tend to get emotional. When I found out about your story of courage in regard to Dawson, it tugged at my heart. And sure, you’re great at what you do for my brother, but I watched the videos from your rodeo days.” She offers a wide grin. “You were destined for stardom. And here you are… a shooting star.”
“Um, well, thanks,” I say a little embarrassed.
“All this media buzz is mind-blowing,” Carina says.
“That’s what Jenkins said, but I still find it hard to believe all the hype.”
“Believe it,” Miranda says.
“She’s right,” Allison says. “As we were telling your girlfriend, this is ridiculous. Did you know your social media presence multiplied like crazy?”
My eyebrows shoot to my forehead. “Really?”
She nods. “You went from a handful of followers to millions in a flash. I doubt I have to tell you most are women.”
“Wow.” All this is a bit much to handle.
“It’s big, Rhett.” Mirandaarches a brow. “Reallybig.”
“That!” Riley points a frantic finger in Maranda’s direction. “Even when I was at my all-time high in terms of media exposure, it was never anything close to this,” she says. “You’re on fire.”
I struggle to take in Riley’s words.
“Here. Read it for yourself.” Carina hands me her phone. Her blue eyes sparkle with excitement.
I scroll down the headlines, dumbfounded.
Holy shit.
My name appears on every line. I jump from one page to another and it’s the same thing. I keep scrolling until I hit page twenty, and my name is still everywhere.
Jenkins wasn’t making this stuff up.
“Jesus.” I rub a hand over my face.
“This is what we call the perfect viral storm,” Allison says.
“It’s bigger than a media tsunami,” Riley says.
I don’t even know what that means.
“And you know what else?”
I meet Allison’s eyes and shake my head.
“The ranch’s phone has been ringing off the hook. And that’s not all––”
“There’s more?”No way.
She nods. “Everyone wants a piece of you––morning shows, daytime shows, the radio, podcasters, magazines, and even late night TV. You name it.” Allison rattles off a list that has my head spinning. “And a slew of photographers from coast to coast are dying to book you––”
“For what?”
“Everything you can possibly imagine. We even got calls from companies looking for you to become the face––and body––of their products. I can’t tell you how many voicemails we received since the news hit about half an hour ago. Carina is also gettingsome interesting offers, but nothing quite like what you’re getting.”
