“Also,” she said with a wicked grin, “Tyler said you came in yesterday morning with no jacket on.” Tyler was our assistant, fresh out of college and whip-smart. They’d mastered the job in one day, and knew every move made in this place. Of course they’d spotted me without my jacket and made a note of it on their mental checklist.
“Look, it wasn’t a big deal,” I conceded. “It was definitely not romantic.”
Eleanor’s brow tightened, and she squinted at me. “I didn’t ask you if it was romantic.”
I waved her off. “All that happened was a woman’s dress got stuck in the door and ripped straight down the back—can you believe that? So I let her have my coat to wear.” I crossed my arms defensively again. “I didn’t know it would make the New York Post.”
“So you’re okay with people knowing it’s you in this picture, then?” she asked.
“Yes, of course. It’s not a big deal, but for the love of god, please stop badgering me about it. I have work to do.”
“Okay, good, because New York News called to book you on their morning show, and I said yes.”
She said the words at twice her normal speed.
My mouth dropped open in disbelief. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”
“Tyler said a producer had emailed the general account. I had them forward it to me.”
“You said you got a call.”
“Well, first I emailed the producer back. Then she called. They tracked down the woman too.”
I shook my head. “Then call them back and say no, Eleanor. This kind of thing is your specialty, not mine. You’re the one who did the Ted Talk.” I felt the anxiety creeping across my skin. “You, of all people, should know I have zero ability to speak in front of a crowd. Live television will be a disaster.”
“It’s a five-minute spot, Hayes. You say hi, she says hi, you laugh, you answer a couple questions. You’ll blink, and it will be done.” She said this like she was teaching a child how to tie their shoes.
“I don’t think I’ve ever watched New York News in my life,” I said, racking my brain for a time when I’d flipped to our local cable news station. ESPN, yes. CNN, sure. But NYN? Maybe for weather, once.
“Well, you’re missing out. Pete Killian is a New York icon.” She swooned, placing a hand to her heart. “A legend. Statue of Liberty levels of New-Yorky-ness, the Empire State Building of people—”
“Okay, I get it,” I said, exasperated. “I get it. But it still sounds excruciating.”
“Oh, Hayes, come on. You’ll be fine.” She shooed a hand in my direction. “But also, Paul thinks it’s a good idea. For promoting the business. I looped him in.”
Paul, the publicist we’d hired after the Forbes list had come out. Of course.
“We’re paying him too much money to just ignore him, Hayes,” she said in her quiet, firm voice.
“Okay,” I said begrudgingly. “For the business. That’s it.”
I walked out, headed next door to my office, and tried to think about the conference call happening in just a few minutes. But instead, my thoughts shifted back to the woman on the train.
The thought of seeing her again shook my insides like a martini, left me feeling excited, buzzed, nervous. But what was most frustrating is that I couldn’t solve the equation, couldn’t answer the question of why she was making me feel this way. I needed to clear my head, resettle, reorganize my brain so that I could focus on the day ahead.
For a split second, I thought about heading back outside, pushing through the glass doors and out into the heavy spring air to take a lap around the block. Instead, I sat down, took a deep breath, and did what I did best: I got to work.
Chapter Three
Franny
“Why did I agree to do this again?” I asked Cleo, who was bent over a plastic folding table set up in the corner of the NYN greenroom, smearing cream cheese on an everything bagel. “I haven’t been on TV since I was interviewed by the local news in third grade about why New Haven pizza is the best in America. And I had a crumb under my nose the whole time, and for the rest of elementary school, kids called me ‘Booger.’ That should have been an omen or something.”
“How the hell have I never heard that story before?” Cleo asked with a guffaw. “That’s hilarious.”
“Because it was traumatizing, and I’ve tried everything in my power to forget it. And of course my mom texted me about it today.”