“So, as a marketing and branding agency”—Luke laughs as I begin and we resume walking—“we help influencers and companies build and define their brands, social media management, and content marketing. We can do website design and development. I mean, the list goes on, but the goal is to help companies get their names out there in a way that appeals to their audience. It took us years of networking and building clienttrust, and now we’re gaining clients mostly on word of mouth which is… amazing.” I pause, checking to see if he’s checked out only to discover he hasn’t. Not at all. In fact, it looks like he’s listening with rapt attention.
“Still with me?” I ask with a self depreciating chuckle.
“Anywhere else I should be?” He levels his gaze at me.
“I suppose not…”
Luke raises his eyebrows, a silent prompt to continue. So I do.
“We almost landed this huge client, but it went sideways.” I sigh, the failure returning to me. “That’s why we’re here on vacation. We busted our asses for weeks, and Viv convinced me we needed a break from it all.”
His captivating eyes focus on me. A crooked smile gracing his face.
“What?”
“I’m not upset that not landing the huge client has led you to our little bed-and-breakfast,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “I am intrigued, though. What could have gone wrong? Sounds like you ladies have a good handle on what you’re doing.”
I tell him about Bad Date Bradley and how completely awful the date was. Luke rolls his eyes at the right times and scoffs at the perfect moments, showing that he’s fully invested in hearing this story. I confess I stole his expensive bottle of wine that we hardly had time to touch, just to throw it in the garbage outside the restaurant door. He laughs at that, which sends a wave of relief through me. I can’t say why, but Luke’s opinion of me, even though he’s a stranger, seems to matter.
“That guy sounds like a dick.”
“Right! Well, he was the financial advisor at the client meeting.”
“No!”
“Yup. He determined we were too great a risk because we hadn’t worked on a rebrand of that magnitude before. So they said no. They’d rather go with a bigger agency.”
“How can you gain experience with a rebrand of that size if no one takes a chance on you?” Luke asks.
“Exactly.” He gets it.
All too soon, we’ve made it back to the bed-and-breakfast. Luke pulls the doors open to the great room, letting me enter first.
“What a gentleman.”
“I aim to please.” He dips his head, a lock of light brown hair falling forward. The great room is now alive with guests and conversation.
Viv is there, looking haggard, pouring herself a coffee at the counter. The B&B only has eight rooms, so the guest count is small. There are a handful of guests in various stages of breakfast. A couple sits at a small table by the window, talking and holding hands. The much older couple we saw exiting the boat last night occupies the chairs by the fireplace, and a family takes up the biggest table in the middle of the room. One girl among the larger group looks up and waves at Luke, lifting her shoulder forward and batting her eyelashes. Luke smiles politely and continues to escort me to the counter.
“Morning, sunshine. I’m surprised you’re awake so early. It’s what, seven thirty?” I peek at the clock on the wall and then back toward Viv.
“Some mutant bird was squawking outside my window. Who can sleep through that? I needed coffee—and maybe a beebee gun.” She yawns and pours milk into her cup of steaming liquid.
She turns and leans against the counter, looking between Luke and me, squinting like she’s trying to figure something out. “Where are you two coming from?”
“Your friend here attacked me with pepper spray this morning on her walk, so I joined her for the rest of it to make sure she didn’t assault any squirrels, pinecones, or other major dangers of thelake on her way back.”
Viv says nothing. She sips her coffee, then trains her eyes on me.
“To be fair, I heard footsteps approaching, and I feared abduction, or dismemberment and being thrown into the lake. So, I pulled out the pepper spray. Obviously, he’s fine.”
Luke gapes at me as if unsure how to react to my declaration. “I’m taking a stab in the dark here, Trip, but I think you need to take a break from the true crime stories.”
“Absolutely not. True-crime podcasts saved my life this morning. I’d have been walking unarmed otherwise.”
“You tried to pepper-spray me! I wouldn’t have hurt you.” He’s rubbing his eyes with one hand, the other on his hip.
“How could I have known that? Don’t be a baby. I missed, didn’t I?”
