LITMIR.BIZ

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paused. Anything? That was a generous offer. “Seriously?”

      “I promise.”

      He believed her, but that didn’t mean he should agree. “This is going to blow up in our faces.”

      Her eyes twinkled when she realized he was weakening. “No one will know.”

      Jason scoffed at her prediction. “You are transforming yourself into a wild party girl. Someone is going to notice.”

      “It’ll only be temporary.” She clasped her hands together, silently begging him to agree. “You can spare a week.”

      “There is no such thing as a temporary reputation.” He’d been labeled as the golden boy in middle school and everyone in town still expected him to succeed in everything he did.

      “I got it!” Claire’s eyes grew round as the excitement built inside her. “I’ll tell everyone I went off the rails and you pulled me back from the brink of self-destruction. You’ll be the hero in the story.”

      Claire loved storytelling in her social media campaigns but this was different. “No one is going to believe that.”

      “Please, I can spin a story,” Claire said with quiet confidence. “Max doesn’t agree with some of my methods or my emphasis on storytelling. This is my chance to show him that I know what I’m talking about. So what do you say? Are you in?”

      Jason sighed and raked his hand through his hair. It was clearly important to Claire to show her expertise to this so-called legend. But Jason didn’t trust the guy’s motives. He doubted there was a legitimate job offer at the end of the test. Claire was naive and her ambitions were blinding her to the risks. He needed to watch over Claire and make sure she didn’t do something that could hurt her in the long run.

      “I’m in,” he said with great reluctance. “What all does Max want you to do? Start from the beginning.”

       2

      “REALLY? YOU’RE IN?” Claire was surprised by Jason’s answer. He was obviously not thrilled about her plan and she’d figured she’d have to do a lot more convincing. She doubted he would go back on his word but she couldn’t take any chances with so much at stake. “I can’t afford for you to have second thoughts.”

      “What’s there to think about?” he asked as he sat down on the bar stool. “You need my help and I need yours.”

      Claire frowned. Was it really that simple for him? “That’s it?”

      “That’s it.”

      She bit her lip before she asked any more questions. The last thing she wanted to do was point out the inconveniences and potential problems. “You won’t regret it.” She grabbed her messenger bag and hurriedly opened it. “I will make this up to you.”

      “We’ll see.” Jason rubbed his hands over his face and sighed deeply. “How much of a reinvention are we talking about? Is it just a new wardrobe or do you have to create a secret life?”

      “Something in between.” Claire stopped pulling her laptop computer out of her bag. She tried to remember what she had told Max about her wild life. “I was dipping my toes in the reinvention idea and said I’d joined a Roller Derby team. If anyone asks, my Roller Derby name is Claire Carnage.”

      Jason started to laugh and Claire enjoyed watching him. He tossed back his head, the lines around his eyes deepened and the sound of his laugh encouraged others to join in.

      “And he believed you?” he asked.

      “I do an e-newsletter for a local derby team, so I was convincing. But it was hard coming up with a name. Kim got that off a name generator.”

      “My sister is helping you with this?” He sat up straight. “Then why do you need me?”

      “Because Kim is on the other side of the state.” And her best friend was against this project. She didn’t like the sound of Max Blair, either, and she predicted that all of this would turn into a mess.

      Jason’s eyes widened with concern as he watched her set up her computer, notepads and a collection of highlighters on the bar. “Wait, what is all this?”

      “I always carry these things in my bag. You never know when an idea is going to strike,” she explained as she placed a file folder on the bar. “Let’s put together a strategy for the week.”

      “No, no, no.” He started waving his hands. “None of this is necessary. You don’t plan a bad reputation.”

      “Of course you do. That is, you do if you want to control the message you’re sending out. Which I do.” Claire opened up the folder and pulled out a checklist she had created for her reinvention. She was going to treat this just like a social media campaign for one of her clients.

      The idea of reinventing herself was both intriguing and overwhelming. She wanted to be noticed for her work. Yet in order to do that, she had to put herself out there. Physically and sexually. Have people look at her. Talk about her. So it was critical that she present herself in a controlled environment where no one could see her weaknesses.

      “You don’t need sticky notes and...” He pointed at one of the papers in the file folder. “Is that a calendar?”

      She closed her messenger bag and carefully considered her next words. “I know it seems like a lot of work—”

      “It is a lot of work for something that’s not going to last after next week.”

      “How much effort do you think I’m going to put in for your party next weekend?” she asked as she set her hands on her hips. “And that’s an event which only lasts one night.”

      “That’s different,” he argued. “You are dealing with more people when you’re putting together a party. This is just one guy we’re talking about.”

      “And this guy is an expert on creating an image. He knows all the tricks in the business.” Claire hadn’t really considered that until just now. She let out a shaky breath. “He’s going to look for any chinks in my armor. This reinvention has to be solid. Perfect.”

      “Then you need to rethink this.”

      “No, I need to be prepared.” That had always helped her in the past. “I promise, Jason, I’m not expecting you to fill out the spreadsheets and—”

      “Spreadsheets?” He said the word in horror. “Okay, time-out.”

      She glanced at her impromptu workstation. Everything seemed to be in order. “What’s wrong?”

      He shook his head. “I can’t work like this. I won’t. It will drive me crazy.”

      “Don’t worry, I’ll do most of it.”

      “I’m serious, Claire.” He rested his hand against her arm. “If you want my help to create a temporary and fake reputation, then we’re doing it my way.”

      “Your way,” Claire repeated dully. She didn’t like relinquishing control or conforming to someone else’s work system. “And that means...?”

      “We wing it.”

      She winced and pulled away from him. That was the worst plan. “Jason, how long have you known me?”

      “I’m not sure.” He was obviously puzzled by her question. “How long have you and Kim been friends?”

      “Since the first day I moved into town. I guess that would make it since kindergarten. And in all that time have you ever seen me wing it? Improvise? Go with the flow?”

      Jason gave a shrug. “I haven’t noticed.”

      She gritted her teeth. Of course he wouldn’t notice her. She was on the sidelines of his life while he frequently

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