Page 40 of Love Unexpected
I threw the ball across the office to the mini hoop mounted on the far wall and sat up. “And Steven is sick, and Mushroom is going to see his mom, and you refuse to leave Dani.”
Alex shrugged. “You didn’t exactly give us a lot of notice. You decided, what, yesterday, that you wanted to make this trip? People have lives, man. You can’t be mad about that.”
I ran a hand across my face. He was right, but it was still frustrating to have my momentum...stalled. At least Tyler could swing the trip. He’d do most of the filming. But experience had taught me I needed a co-pilot. I could handle solo stuff, but I was better when I had someone to banter with. Theoretically, when the new road trip segments started, that role would fall to the people we were working to connect. But on this trip, that person was me.
“You’re sure you can’t just do it alone?” Alex asked. “Or could Tyler just do both jobs? Be your co-pilot and do the filming at the same time?”
I shook my head. “Nah. Tyler’s not great on camera. And I really think the segments need a two-person dynamic.”
“What about one of the interns?” Alex asked.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. We’d had some amazing interns come throughRandom I.But the current crop was particularly...frustrating. Two of the five seemed more interested in Charleston nightlife than anything work-related. A third had a bad habit of hanging around the studio during filming and snorting loudly every time I said something funny. And the fifth had a blog he kept up as a “Random I”insider on which he discussed everything from the kinds of sandwiches I ordered for lunch to the color of my socks. It was trivial and totally inane stuff, so it didn’t really matter, it was justannoying.And the way he framed the information like people should actually care about what color my socks were? There was an inevitable level of celebrity tied with my job, but that didn’t mean I had to perpetuate it.
“I’d rather take Greg from Accounting than one of the interns.”
“Greg can’t do it either,” Alex said. He dropped his phone onto my desk and retrieved the basketball from where it had landed in the corner. He made a shot, the ball arcing across the room and swishing through the basket. “This week is spring break, and he’s got a kid. They’re doing a family thing.”
“Seriously? I can’t even get an accountant to go on my trip? It’s starting to feel like the entire office is conspiring against me. Doeseveryonehave plans?” I folded my arms across my chest and stared out across the warehouse. There were definitely fewer people in the office than usual, but that couldn’t be because of spring break, could it? Wasn’t that something that only mattered to people who had kids in school? Greg was more an anomaly than the norm in that respect. Quite a few people had babies, but I didn’t think many had school-aged kids at home. “Where is everybody?”
Alex shrugged. “It’s just that time of year, I guess. It starts to warm up and people start to use their vacation days.”
“And you approved themallbeing out at the same time?”
Alex tugged at the collar of his shirt then pushed his hands into his pockets. Was he uncomfortable? “Not everyone will be out all week,” he said, almost too casually. “And you have good people. Everything is still getting done.”
Maybe. But that didn’t do anything to solve my problem. I’d done a lot of random and impromptu trips over the years. And my original team had always been able to make it work. It was irritating enough knowing I was going to have to introduce a new person to viewers. I wanted it to at least be someone I knew.
“What about another YouTuber?” I asked. “I could call Rizzo.” We’d collaborated together in the past, so viewers would at least be familiar with his work. And he’d bring his own viewership, which could only help launch the new Connections segment.
“Right. Because Rizzo seems like the kind of guy who would fly all the way from California to Charleston just so he can cram himself into a Volkswagen Rabbit and drive twelve hundred miles with your sorry carcass.”
“Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence, man.”
“Sorry. I just don’t like Rizzo.”
I couldn’t exactly blame him. And if I really thought about it, Rizzowasn’tthe kind of person I wanted on my trip.
“Hey, what about Rosie?” Alex asked.
I shot him a look. That was a random suggestion. “From web design?” Rosie was at her desk, leaning toward Greta while they both looked at a tablet Rosie held in her hands.
“I only thought of her because she’sfromKansas,” Alex said. “That might make for some interesting conversation if she knows something about where you’re headed.”
“Right, but...would she do it?”
“It couldn’t hurt to ask. She’s got a pretty cool vibe. It would probably translate well to your viewers.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it would. But that doesn’t mean she’d be comfortable on camera. I get the sense that she’s pretty introverted.”
“Maybe,” Alex said. “But she’s also really funny. And it’s not like you’d be forcing her to interact with huge crowds of people. It’ll just be three of you in the car. I think she could handle it.”
It was a weird suggestion, and yet, having Rosie along might actually work. Shewasfunny. I’d had enough conversations with her to know that she was great at banter, that she had a quick wit and great comedic timing. At the same time, she’d turned down the opportunity to be on camera when I’d asked her to help with the Drake Martinson questions. And going on the road trip would require her to be on camera a lot more than that.
“I don’t know, man. I still don’t think she’d do it.”
Alex shrugged. “That only leaves the interns. You could always delay the trip a few weeks, then we can plan better, and Steven could make the trip with you.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to wait. I’d been waiting too long already. Now that I’d made the decision to meet Ana in person, I couldn’t make it happen fast enough.
