Page 17 of Rebooting Conor Flynn

As Conor stroked Ashley’s blond waves, a reporter called out. “Are you two back together?”

Conor raised his eyes from Ashley’s face and pinned me with a challenging gaze. “We’re working on it.”

And just like that, I got everything I needed from this PR campaign...and lost everything I wanted.

Chapter 5

NOELLE

“I thought you lost it there for a minute, babe.”

I scrolled through the PopWiz website and shoveled another spoonful of Rocky Road ice cream into my mouth—straight from the carton, but the picture of Conor and Ashley leaving Nobu in Malibu, holding hands turned the creamy chocolate goodness in my mouth to sour milk.

I swallowed a marshmallow whole and answered Dina on a cough. “Yeah, looks like they’re all in on the fake dating now.”

“Totally saved your ass after the AM LA crash and burn. The way they both stormed off the stage after the performance now looks like a cute lovers’ spat instead of...creative differences.”

“The show and Ashley did Conor dirty by sneaking in that lip sync. He never would’ve agreed to it, and I don’t think we should be in the business of tricking our clients.” I shoved the melting ice cream across the coffee table, and Jane flicked her tail and immediately dipped her head into the carton. I snatched it away. “You can’t eat chocolate.”

Dina sucked in a breath. “I beg your pardon. I eat dark chocolate regularly. Are you saying I look fat?”

“I was talking to my cat.”

“First sign of madness. Look, I understand that, Noelle, but it’s your job to manage these people.”

These people. As if Conor were a piece on a chess board that I could maneuver at will. He hated that in the Five2Go days—they all did—and here I was forcing him into it again.

“And you’re doing a fantastic job so far. Who knows? Maybe Conor and Ashley took the suggestion and ran with it. Maybe the hookup is real. That would make it easier for you.”

Easier? It would crush me.

“The hookup is not real, Dina. I would even say they hate each other at this point. You’re witnessing some good acting. Maybe Conor should follow his bandmate Sam into the movies.” Was I trying to convince Dina or myself?

“Whatever. I don’t care if they kill each other...after the tour. But right now, we have a little buzz going. PopWiz already picked up on it in their blind items.” Dina smacked a kiss over the phone. “And it’s your success, babe. I’m already figuring out which office you’ll take over when you get your promotion.”

A little thrill ran up my leg. It almost soothed my unease about Conor and Ashley playing kissy face for clicks and likes. Almost.

Dina slurped something—probably her triple-shot oat milk vanilla latte, extra hot, one pump hazelnut, light foam. I knew it by heart because I’d ordered it enough for her. The order for my assistant would be a lot easier—iced coffee. Maybe I’d add a shot of syrup just to give her something to remember.

Dina interrupted my daydream. “I was actually calling about the tour bus. It’s remodeled, ready, and parked in the studio lot near the airport. After the concert at The Greek, you’ll be taking it down to San Diego.”

“We?” I reached for my glass and nearly knocked it over. Wine and Rocky Road—dinner of champions...and stressed-out publicists—assistant publicists.

“Figure of speech. We’re all in this together, right? Your success is our success and all that. Nolan’s going to be on the bus documenting everything. He’ll even take a few videos to post between concerts. You might need to take the bus a few times if it’s faster to get to the venue than flying.”

“You want me on the bus with Conor and Ashley.” I gulped the wine, the liquid bitter against my sugar-coated tongue.

“Yeah, about that.” Dina cleared her throat. “Ashley is making noises about flying to all the venues, but you can figure that out. You got her to go all in on the fake dating. Also, Ji-yoon is out. Her management has her on a whole other schedule for this tour. She’ll be flying in for most of the shows and staying at different hotels.”

I didn’t want to tell Dina that Conor convinced Ashley to go all in—and the only ploy he used was to sweep her into an embrace. I couldn’t blame Ashley. There was something about a Conor Flynn embrace that blocked out the rest of the world and every problem in it.

“You’re off to a buzzy start, Noelle. When you have PopWiz posting an item, you’ve entered the pop culture landscape. It’ll get easier when the tour starts. I see you nailed down the event with the radio station before the first concert. Make sure Conor and Ashley play up their connection. You’ll have the fans shipping Conley...or is it Ashnor, in no time. Get them invested. Ticket sales are starting to pick up.”

I liked Connell better. Who was I kidding? I was an assistant publicist. I did not warrant a shipping moniker with a popstar.

“I’m on it, Dina. I have a good feeling about this tour, and I’m excited about the bus.” I pushed up from my couch, startling Jane, who probably figured I was there for the long haul. I dumped the remainder of my wine into the sink and rinsed out the glass. “Can I go to the studio tomorrow to check out the bus?”

“Absolutely. It’s going to be your home on and off for the next few months.”