Page 66 of Wanting You

Mom: But I’d really like it if you would bring your boyfriend with you. Everyone’s been talking about him, but you haven’t brought him to meet me.

The groan was out before she could stop it.

Chloe: I was trying to be respectful. I didn’t think you’d want to meet anyone new until you were fully healed.

Mom: You’re so sweet, and with any other person, you’d be right. I was so worried when you told me that you and Evan had broken up. But I hear Tanner is quite an amazing man. I really would love to meet him.

Chloe: I’ll see what I can do.

Just then, her doorbell rang.

Saved by the bell.

Chloe: I’ve got to go. Tanner’s here to pick me up. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you!

Mom: Love you too!

Tossing her phone into her purse, she walked over and opened the door. “Hey! Just let me grab my coat and I’ll be all set.”

“You look beautiful,” he told her, and she felt herself blush.

Locking up, they walked out to his car and it wasn’t until they were pulling out of the driveway that she asked, “Is it unusual for something like this to come up on short notice? You know, with a pro shop asking you to come in for an event?”

He shrugged. “This is the first time something like this has ever happened, but considering it’s fairly local, I didn’t mind. Any publicity is good publicity, right?”

She didn’t honestly know, but if he was okay with it, who was she to argue?

“What kind of things do you think they’ll talk about?”

For the rest of the drive, he explained what it was like to be a spokesperson. All she could do was sit back and listen, because it was a lot to take in.

“Basically,” he went on, “celebrity branding or celebrity endorsement is a form of advertising campaign and marketing strategy that uses a person’s fame or social status to promote a brand or product. Since my name is widely known in the skiing world, it makes sense that they’d want someone with my reputation and skill to promote a certain brand of gear. In the interview, I’ll be sure to brag about how great their company is, and hopefully it will garner a lot of sales for them.”

“And do you really use their products? Like exclusively?”

He shrugged. “Not exclusively, but I have used them.”

“Oh.”

“It’s not like I have to only use their gear,” he went on. “But I get to test new products and they get pictures of me using it, so it lends some authenticity to the campaign. Once it snows here, I’m sure I’ll go up and they’ll want pictures of me using some of the gear out on the slopes.”

She nodded and within minutes they were pulling up to the lodge and the valet was helping them out. “Thank you,” Chloe said softly as she climbed out of the car. Tanner was right there to take her hand and lead her inside. There was a team of people waiting for them and it was a little like an out-of-body experience.

“Tanner! So good to see you!”

“Tanner! Thank you so much for coming!”

“Tanner! We have some great idea for photos up in the shop if you’re ready!”

And before she knew it, Tanner was being whisked away and she was left to simply follow the crowd.

This felt great, he thought. It had been a long time since he’d felt so valued and appreciated, and he was beyond grateful that he could take advantage of this opportunity. They had taken a ton of photos up in the pro shop—there was a new clothing line that they wanted to get pictures of him in—and all the while, they asked him about how much he was looking forward to skiing here once the first snow hit.

Naturally, he had gushed over all of it—the clothes and how much he couldn’t wait to get his gear on and be the first one down the mountain—and the management and PR team were eating it up. Now they were all sitting around a massive table down in the same restaurant he and Chloe had dined at a few weeks ago, and they were conducting the interview while they ate. It wasn’t his favorite way to be interviewed, but the food and wine were fantastic, and everyone was having a great time.

Except Chloe.

One look at her and he could tell she was miserable. She was eating silently, only making eye contact with her plate, and he didn’t want to say anything to call attention to it and risk embarrassing her.

---