Page 53 of Misfortune and Mr. Right

Aspyn turns toward the camera and shouts, “I’m untethered! No more carbs! No more shakes! I’m ditching the kale! Untethered has freeeeeed me!”

She looks more than a little crazed. Actually, I’d say she’s manic.

“Okay …” I say. “That’s not ideal.”

Logan clicks to another open tab on his laptop. It’s full of memes.Untethered or Unhinged?is the caption on a few of them.

“That hashtag is already trending,” Charlie says. Then he adds an Italian expletive. “Cavolo!”

I smile at Charlie. He keeps things entertaining, that’s for sure.

When Logan clicks to the next open tab, the screen fills with videos stitching Aspyn’s reel. Logan selects each one in succession. Some imitate Aspyn, people are throwing all sorts of things: socks, donuts, rolls of toilet paper. Those mostly end with the audio of Aspyn saying, “I’m untethered!” One reel has a woman stuffing her face with cake, and Aspyn’s voice closes the reel, saying, “No more carbs!”

“Not the brand representation we were hoping for,” Logan says sternly. “We’ve got some damage control to execute today.”

His voice is steady. Where Charlie is nervously pacing behind me, Logan is the picture of calm, cool, and collected. I honestly believe we’re going to get past this. I look up and accidentally glance into those eyes of his. Logan holds my gaze.

We’re on the same side of the fence this time.

Do I trust him? No.

But I believe he’ll bail out our client, and I know he wants my input and expertise to get that job done today. This isn’t about besting one another. It’s about grabbing buckets and putting out a fire—together.

We work through lunch, ordering a delivery of salads and some more coffee to keep us fueled. By midafternoon, we’ve commissioned a handful of influencers to launch a series of counter-campaigns, shedding a less unhinged light on Untethered and their personalized approach to wellness and fitness.

“Joe Mercurius is on board,” I say, setting my phone on the table and stretching my arms overhead.

“Good work,” Logan says without looking at me. He’s focused on his laptop screen, working on the landing page for the Untethered website, which clearly lays out their thoughts about bread, protein shakes, and kale.

My phone rings.

I pick it up. It’s my sister.

“What’s up, Lynette?” I answer.

“Olivia. Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t know if you’d answer.”

“What’s up?”

“Mr. Shapiro called an emergency teacher meeting for this afternoon. I have to stay late. Cassidy needs to be picked up. Can you get out of work early?”

“I’ve got you,” I promise Lynette. “Just go to your meeting. I’ll get Cassidy.”

“Thank you. Thank you. I owe you big time. I’ll come by and get her from you as soon as I’m out.”

“Take your time. And you don’t owe me. She’s my niece. I love spending time with her.”

“Okay. Well, I’d better go. Recess is almost over.”

“See you tonight.”

I set my phone down. Logan’s staring at me.

“My sister. I need to pick my niece up. We’ve got things under control here. Right?”

“We do.” He nods. “Thanks for all you’ve done today.”

“Thanks for everythingyou’vedone,” I answer him. The words feel unnatural.

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