I walked alongside him, trying to match his long stride as he headed up the sidewalk.
“So…does PR approve?” I needled.
“Yes, as long as we go big.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that your dad’s party should go completely viral.”
“The press is already hyping it up as a heartwarming story. And with you joining the cast, it’ll skyrocket overnight.”
“It’s going to be a media frenzy if I join and give you my one hundred percent. Are you sure you want me to?”
“I’m positive. And everyone already saw you win the ‘groom’ spot on Live with Kelly and Michael. ”
“I know my involvement will bring a level of attention you’re not used to.”
“Really, it’s fine. And I’m sure PR told you it could potentially benefit your image and brand.”
“Well, yeah. But that’s not why I’m doing this and you know it.”
“I know,” I said.
The last thing I wanted was a media circus around at my dad’s last hurrah, everyone talking about his death like he was just some kind of news scoop instead of a real person who was really dying and trying to give his little girl something to remember him by. But on the other hand, my dad loved all this attention and that the story was inspiring, that we could turn a bad situation into something so heartwarming.
Luke shifted his stance. “We’ll do a few talk shows, and you can talk about how much this all means to your dad. Maybe you can even pull out a snapshot of us at prom or something. You still have some pictures, right?”
“I think so,” I said, wishing I’d followed my gut instincts and burned them long ago, “but what about—”
Cutting me off, he answered the question before I asked it. “Don’t worry. Your dad won’t have to do any more interviews or anything. I know that newspaper story already caught the attention of some, but if I’m involved, I guarantee we’ll have vendors falling all over themselves to make this as special as you want it to be. They’ll comp flowers, food, anything to be part of it. It’ll save you a fortune. All you’ve got to do is stand there and smile, and you’ll be able to give your dad the wedding reception of his dreams, give him everything he wants.”
“Not everything,” I said.
“I know,” he said, suddenly solemn. “It won’t buy him a cure, but we can at least make the day unforgettable, as special as you want it to be, with no limitations. I love your father, and I know you know how I feel about you. I’ll help you any way I can. This is a process, and I know it’s hard for you, but I can make it easier.”
“Are you trying to sell me something?” I asked, smirking at him.
“Sorry. I guess I sorta default to persuasion. It’s an occupational hazard.”
“I don’t really want more publicity then I already have, but I guess it’s a must if you’re going to do this favor for me. I mean, if I want you to be the stand-in, I have to accept you on your terms.”
“You never could before,” he said. As soon as the words left his lips, he shook his head and looked at the ground, as if he regretted every syllable. “Sorry, JJ. I-I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You can say anything you want. You think I should’ve accepted you on your terms and continued with the long distant relationship where you never paid attention to me. But I think I’m worth more than that. Hey, we’re not together. You’re merely…an old friend, helping me out the best way you know how. And that’s beyond sweet. I’ll just say thank you and leave the personal baggage at the door.”
“I appreciate that, as I’m sure you have a lot of harsher things you want to say to me. I was very selfish, to say the least. I know that now, and I’m still sorry.”
“We were really young, and we probably weren’t our best selves. Let’s leave it at that. I’m facing my dad’s mortality, so I can afford to be philosophical about little crap like that.”
“Our long history is just little crap
“So…does PR approve?” I needled.
“Yes, as long as we go big.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that your dad’s party should go completely viral.”
“The press is already hyping it up as a heartwarming story. And with you joining the cast, it’ll skyrocket overnight.”
“It’s going to be a media frenzy if I join and give you my one hundred percent. Are you sure you want me to?”
“I’m positive. And everyone already saw you win the ‘groom’ spot on Live with Kelly and Michael. ”
“I know my involvement will bring a level of attention you’re not used to.”
“Really, it’s fine. And I’m sure PR told you it could potentially benefit your image and brand.”
“Well, yeah. But that’s not why I’m doing this and you know it.”
“I know,” I said.
The last thing I wanted was a media circus around at my dad’s last hurrah, everyone talking about his death like he was just some kind of news scoop instead of a real person who was really dying and trying to give his little girl something to remember him by. But on the other hand, my dad loved all this attention and that the story was inspiring, that we could turn a bad situation into something so heartwarming.
Luke shifted his stance. “We’ll do a few talk shows, and you can talk about how much this all means to your dad. Maybe you can even pull out a snapshot of us at prom or something. You still have some pictures, right?”
“I think so,” I said, wishing I’d followed my gut instincts and burned them long ago, “but what about—”
Cutting me off, he answered the question before I asked it. “Don’t worry. Your dad won’t have to do any more interviews or anything. I know that newspaper story already caught the attention of some, but if I’m involved, I guarantee we’ll have vendors falling all over themselves to make this as special as you want it to be. They’ll comp flowers, food, anything to be part of it. It’ll save you a fortune. All you’ve got to do is stand there and smile, and you’ll be able to give your dad the wedding reception of his dreams, give him everything he wants.”
“Not everything,” I said.
“I know,” he said, suddenly solemn. “It won’t buy him a cure, but we can at least make the day unforgettable, as special as you want it to be, with no limitations. I love your father, and I know you know how I feel about you. I’ll help you any way I can. This is a process, and I know it’s hard for you, but I can make it easier.”
“Are you trying to sell me something?” I asked, smirking at him.
“Sorry. I guess I sorta default to persuasion. It’s an occupational hazard.”
“I don’t really want more publicity then I already have, but I guess it’s a must if you’re going to do this favor for me. I mean, if I want you to be the stand-in, I have to accept you on your terms.”
“You never could before,” he said. As soon as the words left his lips, he shook his head and looked at the ground, as if he regretted every syllable. “Sorry, JJ. I-I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You can say anything you want. You think I should’ve accepted you on your terms and continued with the long distant relationship where you never paid attention to me. But I think I’m worth more than that. Hey, we’re not together. You’re merely…an old friend, helping me out the best way you know how. And that’s beyond sweet. I’ll just say thank you and leave the personal baggage at the door.”
“I appreciate that, as I’m sure you have a lot of harsher things you want to say to me. I was very selfish, to say the least. I know that now, and I’m still sorry.”
“We were really young, and we probably weren’t our best selves. Let’s leave it at that. I’m facing my dad’s mortality, so I can afford to be philosophical about little crap like that.”
“Our long history is just little crap
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