Page 38 of Caught A Vibe

“I see. So you can’t deliver everything, but what if you could deliver some of the things?”

“What good would that do? People will get pissed off if they see other people getting goodies and they aren’t.”

“Not if you focus on sending out the ones to the big influencers, celebrities, and media folks you met who happen to be on the list. People always think those folks get stuff earlier. And if they’re already on your preorder list, you aren’t sacrificing stock.”

Puzzle pieces shift and move in my head as I struggle to wrap my mind around the proposed plan. It’s completely different than what I had planned, and I don’t have the brainpower to think through it clearly right now. Dash keeps talking, but I only catch bits and pieces.

“…keep the buzz going, and if you keep it exclusive, it should be small enough that we could handle the shipping from here.”

I’ve had my eye on the goal of shipping out one hundred percent of preorders on time for so long, this shift is disorienting. Could it work? Is it feasible? This is just the kind of solution that I was looking for though. A sidestep that is manageable but doesn’t pull us too far off course.

I hadn’t expected him to have a viable solution, and here he is stepping up with a possible winner. I need to vet it with Nic and the team. Just figuring out if this is a possibility is making my head hurt. The logistical questions and current Covid restrictions swirl in my mind, and I want to cry. Dash’s warm hand rubs my back, and the comfort helps calm the hive of angry wasps swarming in my skull long enough that I can stop the spiral.

I have the units in LA. Can we liberate a crate or two? I can’t ship out thousands by myself, but if I could ship out, say, twenty to targeted users, maybe even some of the connections I made through my interviews…it just might work.

“You’re a genius.”

“Nah, just thinking it through from another angle.” Dash sits back in his chair and takes his hand with him. I instantly miss the connection.

“I’m usually excellent at pivots, but my brain still isn’t a hundred percent. And I’ve been staring at the forest for so long, I’ve forgotten there are trees I can climb. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” He smiles and retreats to the couch.

I think about all of the pleasure he’s forgone over the last month, both while taking care of me and by agreeing to keep anything more than friendship in cold storage while we are living together. That’s a lot of pleasure we’ve missed out on.

That part of my brain perks up with a vengeance. There is something intensely sexy about a man who put his entire life on hold because I needed him. He has taken such good care of me, and as I side-eye him sprawled on my couch, I really want totake careof him too.

I’m not sure I’m ready to start a real relationship with him staying here in my space. But I am also still ridiculously turned on by him, and he’s been such a sweetheart taking care of me.

Like the thousand-piece puzzle I started and had to set aside, this feels like another problem with a lot of moving pieces that I can’t quite sort through right now. But also like the puzzle, I’m hopeful we’ll find solutions together.

Dash

Isettle back on the couch, ridiculously pleased that one of my ideas might be helpful. I’ve largely kept my nose out of her business. After all, what do I know about the sex toy market? But she’d looked so beaten down I had to try.

One thing my brain is never short on is ideas. Execution is another matter entirely, but I am a great brainstormer. Hell, some days my head feels like my own personal hurricane. The fact that my suggestion might actually help makes me feel ten feet tall.

Taking care of Penny while she was sick but being unable to make her feel better was humbling. I’ve never worked harder and felt more helpless in my life. This is a nice change of pace.

The pesky voice inside my head keeps piping up. The one that tells me there’s nothing she could possibly see in me, and I should cut and run before I get in too deep. I refuse to listen. This…thing…still has potential. I have never been this attracted to someone before. I just need to give her enough time and reasons to feel the same.

I watch from the couch as she takes my idea and runs with it. She gets Nicola on the phone, sends an email to the warehouse, and starts making a list of influencers and press who should get one, muttering under her breath all the while. She is incredible. What’s it like to have an idea, make a plan of action, and then see it through to completion in one sitting?

That ability eludes me, despite years of searching, but I could watch her do it for hours.

“Are you hungry?” she asks, pulling me from my musings.

I realize I’ve been watching her for nearly half an hour, absorbing every detail. “Sure, I could eat.”

“Want to order Thai?”

“On it.” I open the delivery app on my phone. “Spicy pad thai with shrimp and tom yam soup?”

“That’s right. You remembered.” She smiles and turns back to her laptop.

My chest warms at her praise. I add my order and send it off. This is what I can do for her. I can take care of her needs and support her path to success. Speaking of success, I forcibly turn my attention back to the article I need to finish on the ten best streaming services. Fixating on how amazing she is will have to wait.

Penny

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