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She glared at him. “Don’t even try it.”
He chuckled. “We’re not there yet, but it’s on the table.”
His shoulder looked less angry this morning, and after re-wrapping it before leaving his folks’ house, they’d decided he could wait on a doctor. They drove for a few hours, then stopped for lunch. After eating, they stayed in the booth to work for a bit—her on her videos, him on who the culprit could be.
“Who’s this?” he turned his laptop to show her a picture.
“That’s Gabbi, one of my competitors. I thought you ruled all of them out.”
“No, this person behind her.” He pointed to someone in the background. “He’s in several of Gabbi’s videos.”
Daisy squinted at the picture. “That’s Gabbi’s best friend, Lance. He’s kind of her sidekick.”
“Hm. Something about him bothers me.”
“Okay,” Daisy said, dragging out the word, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.
She purchased a map at a gas station and swung her finger around to pick their next destination.
“Looks like we’re heading to the beach,” Daisy said, plopping her finger down in the middle of the Atlantic. “Which sounds great. After all that running around yesterday, I could use a day lounging in the sun.”
He shrugged. “Why do we keep coming inland if we’re just going to end up on the coast again? Can we at least headnortheast this time?”
“Sure,” she said. “If we drive straight through, we could be on a beach in Delaware by late afternoon.”
“Why do I get the feeling ‘straight through’ means something different to you than it does to me?”
“Next big store you pass, let’s stop to buy a couple of towels and a small cooler.”
“I knew it.”
They got all they needed, drove more-or-less straight through, found a beach, and set up camp. He held the camera while she filmed a video romping around on the beach, building a sandcastle, pitching a vitamin water, and begging for votes. When she finished, they took a dip and then laid on their towels to dry off in the sun.
“What’s with the act in your videos?” Noah asked. “You’re smart and can be serious. Why not show that side of you?”
“That’s not what people want, and I have to strike while the iron’s hot. I mean, all this,” she circled a hand around her face, “won’t last forever.”
“You almost sound bitter that you’re pretty.”
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
He raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for an explanation.
“I’m not naive enough to think people watch my videos solely for their informative content. I’ve got to do what sells. What will make money. Plus, right now, I don’t just want this award.” She paused. “Ineedit. Not only for my business, but to prove to myself and my family that I’m not a screw-up. At least not anymore.”
“You think that’s how they see you?”
“You don’t understand. My whole family is successful. Kate is a fabulous real estate agent who married a wealthy real estate investor. Together, they produced the cutest baby this side of the Rockies. Lucy owns two coffee shops, married an heir to the Stargaze Hotel fortune, and will have a baby just as perfect as Kate’s next month. My sister Emma has the most successful accounting firm in town and married a New York Times best-selling author. They are cooking up brilliant baby number three.” She paused and took an exaggerated breath before continuing. “Lizzie owns the most popular bar in New Bern. My dad made a ton of money in various businesses before becoming the mayor, and my mom is just the most wonderful person to ever have lived. I’m the youngest and have a lot to live up to.”
“Is that why you moved away?”
“Like my sister says, Parkers don’t take Ls.” She shook her head. “If they only knew how many losses I took abroad. I left so I wouldn’t have to compete.”
“Except life’s not a competition.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to figure that out. I’d like to do more serious content,” she admitted. “That’s why I need to win this award so badly. If I can cement myself as a fixture on the internet—make a real name for myself—then it wouldn’t hurt if I lost some of my audience by shifting subject matter.”
“I see.”
