B-Roll to B-Sides: Older Man, Younger Woman Instalove Romance (PR Girls & Instalove Book 2)

by Haley Travis

  Baffled, I went to the kitchen to find the coffee pot half full, with a note in front of it. “Thanks for a great night. I had to go home to change before work. Talk to you soon.”

  There was no apparent reason for the note to worry me, but it did.

  It was too businesslike.

  Dammit.

  Maybe Brynn was worried about how we’d work together now that we were clearly a couple.

  At least, it was clear to me. Was there any chance that it wasn’t crystal clear to her?

  9

  _____

  Brynn

  Maybe I was a coward for running off, but I really did need to grab a fresh outfit for work.

  No matter what was happening between Owen and I, it was clearly too soon to tell anyone else.

  Just because my mind was spinning with new feelings was no excuse to be unprofessional.

  It was also far too early to show our bosses a rough cut of the documentary, but I got an email from Owen around noon. I loved how he sent the email with the video link to both of our bosses to keep them informed.

  Considering that it was a fifteen-minute short, showing them the first five minutes was a nice preview.

  It was absolutely incredible. His visual style had the exact energy and whimsical flow that I’d been hoping for, and his attention to detail was stunning. Every frame could have been a poster for the documentary itself. This cute little ad had morphed into a proper short film, displaying true love for music on vinyl.

  I had just finished re-watching the clip a second time when Jonathan came around the corner and stuck his head in my cubicle. “Great work, Brynn,” he smiled. “It seems like you have Silversong Records completely under control.”

  “Thanks. Yeah, I think it’s really coming together.”

  “Cool. I’m dropping another project on you then. Don’t worry – you have two months lead time, and there will be other things coming your way.”

  He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I’ll email you the details in a minute. It’s a filthy rich sixteen-year old’s birthday event. Basically, you’ll need to take her list of demands, coordinate with her mother, and just see how much can reasonably be booked.”

  I couldn’t help laughing out loud. “This will be wonderful or terrible. No in-between.”

  “I know the family. We throw big corporate events for them, so they’re pretty reasonable. It should be a breeze for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Jonathon flashed the wide smile that made him look like a kindly uncle. “I’m glad you’re getting along so well with Owen. Having close ties with Teal Dot Media is always a good thing.”

  He left before I could ask what he meant. All of the salespeople and managers seemed obsessed with our own company relations. I guess I still didn’t quite understand that part of it yet.

  While going through the rest of my work, a heavy feeling was gathering in the pit of my stomach. Owen had been so sweet to me. I should have at least signed that note with a heart or something cute. Would he be upset that I left without kissing him goodbye?

  I didn’t know the rules of relationships. Would he expect us to act like a couple in public immediately? Would he be angry or disappointed if I didn’t? There was no book to read on this sort of thing.

  Although if there was, I could just ask Corina. I swear that girl was a walking library.

  By three in the afternoon, I couldn’t stand the tension anymore, so I sent Owen a text.

  Me: Hi! That clip looked incredible. My boss was really impressed, and so was I.

  His reply came in seconds, which made me grin at my phone.

  Owen: Hey. I’m thrilled that you’re happy. Are you satisfied with everything else?

  That was clever of him to be discreet, since I was at work. My fingers tapped on the side of a phone for a moment while I pondered how to answer.

  Me: Yes. It’s a very new project for me, so I’m still nervous about some of the basics. But I’m enjoying the process so far.

  Owen: I’m delighted to hear that. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to make things go more smoothly for you. This is our individual project. We can write our creative brief and outline however we like, and set all of our own deadlines. Right?

  I loved how he understood me so well, making me feel safe.

  Me: Yes. Absolutely. Also, the code you’ll need for the documents I’m sending over will be xoxo.

  Owen: xoxo. Understood.

  Laughing to myself, I sifted through the Silversong Records photos they’d finally sent us from their archives, selecting the most relevant photo albums. For a moment, I was about to send him a link to the cloud drive. But he’d always picked me up, and been so proactive about everything.

  Why shouldn’t I just deliver it in person and surprise him? He’d definitely ask me to dinner, and I could explain that I was still nervous about our relationship being public for at least a few months.

  With a flash drive in my purse and a plan in my head, I left for his office feeling like everything was right in the world.

  10

  _____

  Owen

  Catching up on email, I realized that I was grinning like an idiot at my laptop. That incredible night with Brynn completely energized me. Now that I knew she was simply nervous about how to proceed, I could find ways to help her along.

  It was a lot of responsibility being a woman’s first real relationship, but I had to do everything right so that I could ensure it would be her last one, too.

  I needed her. Craved her. There was no other woman for me.

  Taking things slow and steady would be fine, if that’s what she needed.

  Through the wall I heard a big swell of laughter as a handful of businessmen all tried to sound important at once. The thought of running a company and dealing directly with clients filled me with disgust. I just wanted to create great work, and leave the fussy details and networking to someone else.

  The thought of digging for new clients made me queasy. I’d freelanced here and there, and that was the only part I truly hated. Working twenty-hour days? No problem. But walking into a pitch meeting and having to convince a stranger that I was the only possible choice, when I knew in my heart that three others could do the job just as well? Creepy.

  That’s the main reason I finally agreed to come to work here, even though there were a few serious problems between me and the man who took this company over from my father.

  I overheard the meeting wrap up, and after he ushered the clients out to the lobby, the CEO stuck his head in my office.

  “Hey, Shorty, what’s up?”

  I was now at least two inches taller than my big brother, but since my growth spurt happened much later than his, he had been convinced that I’d be small forever. He was now shorter than me, but much louder.

  Also, Joe had always prided himself on being a complete jackass.

  “What did you think of the documentary preview?” I asked.

  He leaned against my door frame with a shrug, looking every bit the weasel I knew him to be. “It’s alright. Did the ClickPoint people like it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then that’s all that matters.”

  That was another thing that made me sick about my brother. He honestly didn’t care about the quality of the work. His corporate environment, client parties, and the money were all that was important to him. He didn’t give a damn about the group’s reputation or if any team member produced work that was rushed or cheap, as long as we got paid.

  Joe turned to leave, then stuck his head back in. “That clip with the silhouette of people dancing. That was you and some random hottie, wasn’t it?”

  My back teeth ground together for a second, but I tried to stay calm. “That’s my girlfriend.”

  He snorted. “Sure.”

  I tried to turn back to my computer, but Joe was still staring, narrowing his eyes. “Dammit. You’re not going to quit and take off with her, are you?”


  “No. I’m staying right here, as long as you leave me alone to work.”

  “Old habits die hard,” he chuckled, finally leaving.

  Ignoring my brother was a time-honored skill at which I had had a lot of practice, but some days it was still tricky. Joe dated women as if he was test driving sports cars – always wanting something newer, faster, better. He actually referred to some of them with flashy car names, which sickened me.

  Sure, I’d dated a few girls and had gone a bit overboard. I couldn’t help it that I was looking for love. But I had been young and unstable, still finding myself. I stopped dating for quite a while after that, to focus on my work and figure out what I wanted in a woman.

  The work was going great, and now Brynn had popped into my life like a breath of much-needed fresh air.

  Seeing that it was five o’clock and I still had a few things to finish up, I went to the kitchen to get a coffee, chatting to a few coworkers as I made a fresh pot. On the way back, our receptionist Kathy stopped me.

  “A young lady named Brynn just arrived to see you. I asked her to wait in the small meeting room.”

  “Perfect, thanks.”

  Striding down the hall, I was just thinking of ways to ask Brynn to dinner in the guise of a business meeting when I heard Joe’s booming voice.

  “He dated Lydia for a month, and switched schools to be with her. Then there was Julietta – man, she was ugly. But Owen moved to her city for a few months until that fizzled.”

  Pushing the door the rest of the way open, he said, “I’m just saying not to get your hopes up, honey. He’s a guy who is obsessed for the short term, but never sticks around.”

  Joe was casually sitting on the table in front of Brynn, who looked absolutely horrified.

  “Get out,” I growled.

  He shrugged and left, as I sunk into a chair and took her hand, which was holding a flash drive.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. My brother is–”

  “I brought the Silversong photos for you,” she said, handing me the drive and pushing her chair a few inches away from me. I couldn’t stand the disappointment in her eyes as she stared at me. “So, you’ve dated a lot?”

  “Not really,” I said gently, trying a smile. “Those girls were a long time ago. I was young and didn’t know what I wanted.”

  “You must really have wanted someone to move to another city,” she said flatly.

  I shook my head. “It was more like...I was looking for excitement. For a change.”

  “A little infatuation that didn’t last,” she said softly, staring down at her hands. “You didn’t tell me that you worked for your brother.”

  “It’s a family company. I’m sorry it didn’t come up. Honestly, I always assume that people just know.”

  “He owns the whole company?”

  It was impossible to read her eyes when she finally looked up at me. “The two of us own it together. He runs it. We both own some other businesses too. When our father retired five years ago, he divided up his assets and passed them along. He wanted us to take over when he was still around to answer questions and be a consultant.”

  “That explains your car and all of that expensive camera equipment. And the nice house.”

  “We’re fairly well off, if that’s what you mean,” I said slowly. “Do you care about that?”

  Her lips pressed into a firm line. “I find it odd that you didn’t mention the other businesses.”

  “It’s a dry cleaner, a nail salon, a few clothing stores, and some investments. I have great managers who run them, and I only have to check in twice a month. They don’t really interest me the way photography and film do.”

  Her bright eyes were usually so warm, but now seemed dull. “It’s apparently pretty hard to hold your interest for long. I was just a fun little distraction, wasn’t I?” she asked sadly.

  “Sweetheart, no.” I reached for her hand again, but she snatched it away.

  “You were excited about this project with me. But this relationship was only intended to last the length of the documentary. I get it.”

  She sighed, standing up and taking her purse. Those perfect lips opened, then closed again as she shook her head and left.

  I needed to follow her. Needed to rush after her, wrapping her in my arms and begging for forgiveness. But Brynn was shy, and I knew if I embarrassed her, or put her on the spot, she might never forgive me.

  Hopefully, after she had some time to cool down, I could text her and arrange a chat over coffee. If she didn’t speak to me after several days, I’d charge in like a maniac. Until then, I’d have to be patient.

  11

  _____

  Brynn

  Sometimes I am a courageous, hard-working young woman who speaks her mind. And sometimes, I’m the jerk who claims to be busy with work so that she barely answers someone’s texts for several days.

  Owen: Can we meet for a coffee after work?

  Me: Slammed with a new project.

  Owen: Perhaps tomorrow?

  Me: Frantic week.

  Owen: Okay. I hope that you’re taking care of yourself. I’ll email a link to the latest cut of the record manufacturing clip.

  Luckily, Owen didn’t sound angry, and gave me a bit of space. Walking into the diner for Thursday’s lunch, my eyes flicked over to the booth where Owen had been so sweet to me. A lump formed in my throat that was hard to dislodge.

  “There she is,” Jenna said brightly as I slipped into our usual booth.

  “Hey,” I said, as Corina came in just a few seconds behind me.

  Anna automatically brought over a tea and two coffees, then grinned at me. “I hope you’ll bring that hottie back. Honey, the way he stared at you!” She fanned herself with the menus before setting them down and walking to give another table of people their check.

  “You brought him here?” Corina smiled. “Don’t worry, we’re fine sharing our hangout with your new boyfriend.”

  “I’m not so sure about that now,” I said after a fortifying swig of coffee. “Things were going great, but then I found out he’s the brother of the guy who runs a media company my agency works with.”

  “Who cares?” Jenna asked. “When I started dating a client, you were all for it.”

  “I don’t care about the corporate stuff. I just find it weird that he didn’t tell me. Everything was going way too fast, anyway, so I’m taking a step back for a couple of days.”

  Corina nodded. “Okay, that’s sensible, I guess. Take a breath.”

  Jenna’s eyes locked on mine. “But you said that you two were getting along great. What happened?”

  My cheeks flamed. Staring down at the table, I couldn’t meet their eyes. “Some things happened that were very intense.”

  “You slept with him,” Corina said softly. When I finally looked up, they were both smiling.

  “It’s all right,” Jenna said. “It’s a lot to take in at first.”

  “There’s more,” I said. Thankfully Anna arrived to take our orders and give me a moment to collect myself.

  The second Anna left, Jenna said, “Okay, spill it.”

  I quickly recapped Owen’s brother’s embarrassing scene rambling about his ex-girlfriends, implying that he fell in love too fast and acted crazy. I left out the part where I had felt tiny and humiliated, and so awkward that I cringed in on myself every time I thought about it.

  “That’s weird,” Corina said, nodding into her teacup, “But not unforgivable.”

  “It sounds like he was chasing those girls,” Jenna added. “Do you want him to chase you?”

  My laugh was brittle. “He didn’t have to. There was a storm, and I used it as an excuse to jump into bed with him.”

  Jenna grinned. “That sounds kinda hot, actually.”

  “Do you regret it?” Corina asked, looking serious.

  “Not in the slightest,” I said, surprising myself with the truth. “It was one of those perfect nights. An incredible experience. No mat
ter what happens, I’ll always remember that.”

  “So what’s the problem?” Jenna asked.

  “He told me he loved me.”

  Corina looked at me strangely. “That absolutely deplorable monster. Shall we run him out of town?”