the Kingman account?” Eric stood next to her desk with a file folder in his hand. She couldn’t imagine what was in the manila folder given that they did everything electronically.
“Sure.”
“So, I’m supposed to be doing some market research and put together a report analyzing the market data and trends, right?”
“That’s what a brand strategist does.” She had answered this question more than once. He seemed to need constant confirmation of his role. She couldn’t tell if he kept forgetting or was asking in hopes he’d get a different answer one of these days.
Eric scratched the back of his head. “Do we have any of that from maybe a similar account? I mean, no reason to reinvent the wheel if it already exists, right?”
If he ended one more sentence with the word right, Hadley was going to lose her mind. She tried hard not to sound too condescending even though she wanted to let him know his incompetence was the reason she’d be taking his job in a few weeks.
“Kingman is a unique brand that sells men’s shaving supplies and gift sets. We don’t work with any other companies that sell in that niche market. You’ll have to start fresh.”
“It sounds like you know a lot about them. That’s great!” It was clear the file folder in his hand was empty, a shameless prop to make him look like he was doing something. “Maybe you could help me out with this one. Put together a few things for me and I’ll do the analyzing part afterward.”
“I wish I could,” she said with a frown. “But Tyler just roped me into another project. I’m going to be out of the office for a couple weeks.”
“A new project?” Veronica sounded panicked.
“Don’t worry,” Hadley reassured her. “Tyler and I will be handling this one by ourselves. We won’t be asking you to do anything. Stay focused on the Paint-A-Lot redesign.”
Eric wouldn’t leave. “You sure you can’t get me started on this Kingman thing before you move on to whatever Tyler has you doing? I’ll run out and get you some coffee from that place you like on the corner.”
Hadley couldn’t hold back a sigh. What did it matter? The truth was she would be handling the Kingman account as soon as she got back from Montana and took over Eric’s job. Her job. “Let me see what I can do.”
“Thank you! You are the best. She’s the best, right?” Eric scanned the room for someone to agree.
“She’d be better if she’d let us use her Hollywood connections,” Lee said from his desk. He’d been giving her a hard time ever since Veronica let it out of the bag that Hadley’s older brother was Asher Sullivan, star of TV’s popular family drama When We Were Young.
“I heard there are already rumors your brother is a shoo-in for an Emmy this year,” Eric said before his eyes went wide. “Hey, I bet your brother shaves, right? Maybe he’d want to be the spokesman for Kingman.”
He was unbelievable. Did he know anything about the client? “I’m going to assume you’ve at least glanced at Kingman’s financials, so you know Asher is definitely not in their budget.”
“But he’s your brother, right? You could talk him into doing it for a steal.”
Wrong. Hadley did not mix business with her personal life. Asher was her brother, not a potential spokesman for a client. “I have a ton of work to do, especially if you want me to gather some market data for you.”
“That’s her way of saying no, Eric,” Lee said, clueing him in.
An email popped up from Tyler. Hadley opened it to find a confirmation notice for their flight to Billings, Montana, one week from today.
She bit down on her bottom lip. Hadley didn’t get personal when it came to business. Apart from pretending to be her boss’s fiancée in order to get the job she deserved.
What could possibly go wrong?
“DID YOU SERIOUSLY buy one first-class ticket?” Hadley watched as he handed his suitcase over to be weighed.
“I always fly first class,” he said, ignoring her obvious reason for asking.
“Are you really the type of man who would let your fiancée sit in the back of the plane while you’re pampered in first class?”
The woman from the airline tagging his bag gave Tyler a well-deserved dirty look. Hadley had no issue with shaming him.
Tyler, however, appeared completely unfazed. “You’re not my fiancée until we step foot on Blackwell land.”
“So there’s still time to change my mind?” Hadley lifted her suitcase onto the scale.
Tyler slid his driver’s license back into his wallet. “Don’t start with me before we even leave Portland.”
“You can’t marry him,” the woman behind the counter whispered. “You deserve better than that.”
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t marry him even if he had bought me a first-class ticket.” Tyler Blackwell was the last man on earth she’d want to end up spending her life with.
He was already headed toward the security checkpoint. Hadley weaved through the crowd of anxious travelers to catch up.
“You’re a real charmer, Ty,” she said just as her carry-on with its one bad wheel veered left when she wanted it to go right. It crossed paths with an older gentleman walking past her, ramming him in the leg.
Hadley apologized profusely as Tyler took the bag from her and carried it to the security line. “How was that for charming?” he asked as he handed it back.
“If that’s all you got for charm, our engagement is doomed.”
“I’m fine with that. It only needs to survive the next two weeks. After that, we go back to boss and employee.”
“Boss and brand strategist.”
“Boss and whatever you want to be called.” He got out of the line. “I have precheck. I’ll meet you at the gate. Try not to take out any other unsuspecting passengers with that thing,” he said, pointing at her bag.
“I’ll try.” Hadley had to keep her eye on the prize. Two weeks and she would be promoted. It didn’t matter if Tyler was so standoffish. She wasn’t his real fiancée. They didn’t have to sit by each other or walk through the airport side by side. She was fine with the fact that the act began and ended at the ranch.
Once through security, she stopped and bought a coffee. There was no reason to buy one for Tyler since he’d be sipping whatever his heart desired once he boarded the plane. They weren’t together until they were on Blackwell land—his words, not hers.
She lugged her defective bag to the gate and took a seat without even bothering to look for Tyler. She stared down at the ring on her finger. A fake diamond ring for a fake wedding. Tyler had bought it a couple of days ago. It was so cheap Hadley wouldn’t get it wet for fear it would turn her finger green or something.
How was she going to pull this off? Her phone chimed with a text from her best friend, Maggie, asking for an update on this nightmare adventure. Maggie already thought Hadley was taking a risk by going on this trip without having the promotion secured. She feared that Tyler might not hold up his end of the deal. What if Kellen wouldn’t agree with the change?
He’s sitting in first class without me, she texted.
Are you kidding me? Maggie wrote back.
Doesn’t matter. I’m going to enjoy my alone time while I can, Hadley messaged.
I swear if he doesn’t give you a promotion for this, you