Page 43 of The Incredible Kindness of Paper
Everyone looked at the new arrival; he wasn’t one of the regular crew. But after a moment, Chloe recognized him.
“You’re the guy who feeds the pigeons every Saturday afternoon at my park! I was actually at your bakery the other day.”
“No kidding? I’m sorry I don’t remember; so many faces every day!” He executed a half bow. “I am Giovanni, at your service. Thelma the Terrier Lady told me about the paper rose that inspired her to start her business, and I mentioned that I had also found a flower that gave me the encouragement I needed with my new bakery. She told me who you were and that you were here every morning, so here I am with a token of my gratitude.” He opened the white box, which saidGiovanni’s Croissants & Baguetteson it, and revealed a heavenly selection of French and Italian pastries inside.
“Wow…” Chloe said.
“I’ve included one of my new specials—pain au chocolat with mulberry jam.”
Chloe’s stomach somersaulted. “What did you say?”
“Chocolate with a swirl of mulberry jam. Trust me, it’s amazing.”
Chloe stared at the bakery box, heart pounding.
“Anyway, Chloe,” Giovanni was saying, “I really needed to find you to thank you. You see, I had lost faith in myself, and I just needed someone—anyone—to believe in me. Your message was impactful, to say the least. Thank you.”
Beside her, Zac was beaming. “I’m proud of you.” He pulled out his phone and started taking pictures. Of the flowers, the tables and signs, the bakery box. Close-ups, wide-angles, from above and from straight on.
“Let’s get a group shot,” he said, directing them. Chloe was separatedfrom the chocolate croissant with mulberry jam that she desperately needed to taste. Not that it would confirm anything. But she’d run into Tolly at Giovanni’s bakery, and that flavor combination…
No. That was a tenuous and ridiculous connection.
Be reasonable, Clo!
The volunteers all huddled together obediently for the pictures. Zac was the kind of guy who was used to being in charge, and when he spoke, people generally fell in line and did as he bade.
Chloe let him take the group photo, but after he started singling people out to pose with their stacks of origami paper and then taking portrait mode shots of some of the paper flowers, she pulled him aside.
“Zac… What are you doing? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that you’re proud of me, but why so many photos?”
“We need to document your journey, Chloe. You need to be online—pictures, videos, the works. The public loves rags-to-riches narratives, and your story is prime fodder for them to gobble up. You were unceremoniously laid off and then—”
“Stop, Zac.”
He knit his brow. “What?”
“I don’t want to sell myself like that.”
“You’re not selling anything; it’s free to be online.”
Chloe made a face. “I know it’s free to be online. I mean, I don’t want to use my story as publicity.”
“Why not? Most people would kill for a narrative like yours. And you have to start now; you want to take advantage of being at the beginning of your journey so your audience can follow along. They’ll be more invested in you and—”
“And what?” Chloe said.
“You can leverage audience loyalty for even better monetization. Remember, we talked about this?”
Oh. So that’s what this is about.
“I remember,” she said. “But I haven’t made a decision yet.”
“Time’s ticking,” Zac said. “The world moves fast, Chloe. They might be interested in your project today, but in a week or two, you’ll be old news and they’ll be on to the next thing. I just don’t want you to miss out.”
She sighed. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“All right, but don’t think too long… If you don’t act soon, the window will close. Look, I’ve got to get to the office now, but let’s talk more about this later.” He kissed her on the forehead.
