Page 38 of A Fall to Remember

A look that Pete couldn’t read flashed across Shelby’s face.

Pete tried to hide his disappointment. So much for spending the next few hours getting to know Shelby better. This hadn’t gone to plan. No, not at all. He had wanted to get to know her better. Now he was stuck having dinner with a stranger.

29

SHELBY

Shelby wondered if Elise could read her expression. Elise had found Lacy—the woman Miranda had attempted to introduce Pete to. Wonderful. Perfect.

“Isn’t this great? People are going to lose their ever-loving minds on social media once they realize that Lacy is the woman from Aunt Mimi’s FaceTime call,” Elise said, gathering her things and moving them aside. She picked up Shelby’s place card. “I’ll go find Lacy’s name and switch places with her. You’ll want to film them, right?”

Shelby didn’t register that Elise was asking her a question. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the table or Pete’s hoodie and blanket. The table and farm were a spectacular backdrop. It wouldn’t take much to get viewers ready to book a ticket for next year. She didn’t even think she needed a filter. A hazy, orangish-purple light settled over the fields. Beeswax candles flickered on the table, and woodsmoke wafted in the distance from the outdoor grills where chefs in professional black coats were basting ribs.

“Shelby, is something wrong?” Elise asked, touching her arm to get her attention. “You do want to film them, right? Or do you need me to do that? You tell me. I’m at your service tonight. Does Jim need help with setting up Aunt Mimi’s shots?”

“Huh? No, sorry.” Shelby shook her head and took a long breath. She tried to hide her disappointment by plastering on a bright smile and giving Elise her full attention. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I was asking about filming Pete and Lacy,” Elise repeated for the third time.

“Yeah, that’s me. I’ve got it. Jim is a pro. We’ve already gone over the shots we need for tonight, so he’ll be fine.” Should she give Pete back the hoodie and blanket? He’d probably want to share them with Lacy.

“Look, there she is!” Elise clapped twice and pointed out a group of young women heading toward them. They looked like the influencers Shelby typically featured with their fall sweaters and knee-high boots.

Shelby immediately picked Lacy out of her friends—the adorable blond with the perky smile and perfect highlights. She was short and petite, with silky blond hair that fell in a neat bob to her shoulders. Lacy’s smile was almost blindingly white. There was no way she could achieve that without the help of bleach or peroxide. Voyager was going to love this. So would Miranda’s followers. Lacy looked like she’d grown up on the farm in her intentionally ripped jeans, wedge boots, and a cashmere tunic, paired with a felted wool cowboy hat and a tartan autumn scarf.

Can you say “Miss Americana”?

Shelby sighed and forced a smile. “She’s perfect.”

“Adorable. No wonder my aunt has been obsessed with introducing them.” Elise waved Lacy and her friends over. “She and Pete are going to look so cute together.”

“Yeah, they are. For sure.” Shelby hated that she felt spiky with envy. She tried to relax her jaw and remember to smile, but she found herself clenching everything tight and wishing she was anywhere but here right now. When Pete had suggested that she step in and be his date for the evening, there wasn’t a single cell in her body that resisted the idea. Of course, she’d had to put up a protest, pretend like she didn’t want to blur the lines between business and pleasure. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Why did nothing ever go her way?

“You must be Lacy,” Elise said, making introductions and taking charge.

Shelby wasn’t used to not having agency in situations like this, but she found herself at a temporary loss for words.

Why did Lacy have to be so sweet and feminine? How did she get that dewy skin and natural bronze on her cheeks?

Shelby tugged at the hem of her sundress, feeling self-conscious about her wavy curls and freckles.

“I couldn’t believe it when I started getting tagged in the video. My friends recognized Miranda and then pieced it together, like, wait, we were at the Green Grocer today, and that looks suspiciously like your hat, Lacy.” She clasped her hands together. Her face was shaped like a heart and looked as if it had been airbrushed. There wasn’t the faintest hint of a pore or blemish under her layers of makeup. “This is so fun. I can’t wait to meet Pete. Where is he?”

Where had Pete gone?

Shelby glanced around them and spotted him taking selfies with Miranda and some of her friends. They hadn’t even had a chance to re-strategize.

Enough, Shelby. Time to stop your pity party of one.

You’re here to land a promotion—do your job.

She squared her shoulders, grabbed her phone, and extended her hand, taking charge. “I’m Shelby from Voyager. I’ll be your point of contact tonight. Before we get started, I need you to sign a few forms. It’s standard stuff—permission to use anything we shoot and an NDA.”

“An NDA? This legit, okay.” She nodded like she understood, while fixing her hat. “Why do I need to sign that? Aren’t you going to share the videos on social?” Lacy asked.

There was something in her tone that put Shelby’s guard up. Was Lacy interested in getting to know Pete, or was she just excited about snagging her five minutes of internet fame?