Page 58 of Just for the Cameras
I can’t do this to her.
I don’t know her really well, but what I do know from the short amount of time I’ve spent with her is that she doesn’t have a thick skin. She takes everything to heart, and there is no way in hell that she’ll be able to handle something like this. Jesus Christ, when I came here today, I was going to talk about shutting down the entire account because of how it took off; the public is far too fascinated by one picture. So rolling out a PR relationship seems like the last thing we should be doing, especially with highly sensitive Maple.
Gretchen turns to Maple and says, “A PR relationship would bealluding to a romantic relationship between you and Graydon for the public eye. It’s beneficial to both parties.”
“You want people thinking we’re in a romantic relationship?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“No,” I reply. “Once again, not happening.”
Maple’s eyes shoot to mine and grow insecure in a flash, the pain I saw just a few moments ago reemerging all over again.
It’s not like that, Maple. I’m protecting you.
“He’s right.” She clears her throat. “Not happening. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable, and clearly, I’m not the type of person he’d want to be seen with in a romantic sense.”
Actually, she’s exactly who I would want to be seen with romantically.
Blond hair. Beautiful eyes. Killer ass. Dimples that will bring you to your knees. Cute and innocent but also feisty. If I were actually on the hunt for a relationship and I weren’t so fucking annoyed with the entire situation that I’m in, I’d ask her out. But that’s not the case.
“Oh stop, you two look great together.” Gretchen waves her hand in dismissal. “But listen, we have to go about this in the right way.”
“We’re not going about this,” I say. “There’s no point in adding the burden of a PR relationship. I don’t see how this will favor the team by any means. If she were a well-liked celebrity, sure, that makes sense, it’s done all the time, but she’s just a zookeeper.”
Maple’s eyes fall to her lap as she says, “He’s right. I’mjusta zookeeper.”
My teeth grind together, because once again I’ve made an insult that I apparently didn’t know I was making.
“That’s the brilliance of it all,” Gretchen says. “There’s relatability there because she’s not a celebrity. Trust me, by just scrolling through the comments, we can tell that this will be a big win for the team, especially if we get her involved at training camp and have her attend games.”
“Um, not that I want this to happen, but there needs to be something for the flamingos too,” she says.
“Of course. That’s why he’ll be attending all the fundraising events as previously discussed. Also, Welcott was telling me that he’s so enthralled with the potential of this that if it goes well, he’ll be making a sizable donation to your cause.”
Of course he would.
I drag my hand over my face. Jesus.
“Who is Welcott?” Maple asks, looking between the two of us.
“The owner of the Foghorns,” I answer, knowing that there is no chance in hell I’ll be able to get out of this now.
When Gretchen said, “front office,” my initial thought was that it was just PR and marketing. I had no fucking idea this went all the way up to Darby Welcott.
“Oh, he’s…he’s aware?” Maple asks.
Gretchen nods. “Very aware and loving it. We’ve already seen an uptick in follows on the team account. Therefore, we’re riding this, but like I said, we need to be careful. We need to go at this slowly, not confirm or deny anything, continue to post from Flock and Tackle and keep followers on their toes, feeding them what they want, and then when the season starts, possibly go public after she attends one of your games.”
No, I will not let this happen. There is so much that comes with a PR relationship that will hurt her, that will mess with her mind. I might be an asshole, but Maple…she…she deserves so much more than being roped into a shitstorm like this.
I shake my head. “This is so fucked up. She should be able to live her own life. She shouldn’t have to—”
“How much of a donation?” Maple asks, her eyes landing on Gretchen.
No, Maple.
A slow smile pulls on Gretchen’s lips. “I’m not sure, but he said significant since he knows what he’s asking of you. I do believe he’ll want some form of acknowledgment, like a building named after him, but no, I don’t know how much.”
