placing them in his outstretched ones. “I’d love to.”
He laughed. “Good, because we’re going to be spending even more time abroad sooner than we would’ve. I pitched your idea about finding local models for the campaign in the different countries. Jefferson loved it, but he told me to sign off on it if I wanted to, and I wanted to, so I did.”
“Look at you being the big boss and making all the big decisions.” I raised my glass again, smiling as I let it hang between us. “It’s official. You’re all grown up. Everything about you is big now.”
He rolled his eyes but chuckled as he lifted his glass to mine. “Here’s to our next big adventure. I hope you like reality TV shows because the audition process is going to feel a lot like being part of one.”
“May the odds be ever in our favor, then,” I said.
Dane laughed, shaking his head as he took my hand from across the table again. “Let’s hope it’s not a Hunger Games-esque reality show, but sure. The odds were in my favor when we found you. Let’s just hope they stay there.”
Chapter 38
DANE
A month after I’d signed off on the idea that we’d look for other models to represent Beautiful Moments with Leah, we were in Rome. We’d been traveling for three weeks and news that we were looking for more models for the campaign was spreading rapidly.
As soon as word had gotten out, it had become clear that people loved Leah’s idea as much as I had. The auditions had become so popular that we’d had to mobilize teams in our offices worldwide to help us sift through the applications.
Just like Leah had predicted, the search itself had generated a fanbase, and as a result, the demand for the product was still growing. A lot of people back at home were working with our manufacturing department to ensure that we’d have enough stock come launch day.
It was a pretty exciting time for Killen Cosmetics. We were being widely lauded for recognizing that a global product deserved global representation and for harnessing the power of social media for good in our campaign.
Applicants and fans alike set the internet on fire regularly with all their posts, and there were tons of video clips about the search going live every day. It was a thing of beauty to behold, and it had surprised everyone with how well it was going.
No one had been more surprised than Leah, who sat next to me at the auditions day in and day out. The applicants loved having her in the room with them, and even though it meant we had to allocate more time to each slot, she enjoyed engaging with them all.
Laughing in her seat next to mine, she leaned over to ask the applicant we were busy with her next question. “You’re not allergic to perfume by any chance, are you? It won’t be a no if you are. We just need to know if we’re going to have to start bulk ordering ointment and medicine to keep on hand during the shoots.”
The girl’s gaze dropped to Leah’s neck. Then she chuckled and replied in heavily accented English. “I’m not allergic to perfume, but I am allergic to bullshit. Do you know if they make medicine I can take for that yet?”
Leah laughed again—something she did freely and often with these girls—and shook her head. “No, but maybe we should look into trying to convince Killen to manufacture that next. It would be a real money spinner.”
“I’d be the Italian face of that for free,” the girl said, winking at Leah when the assistant at the venue told her that her time was up.
When she was gone, Leah turned in her seat to face me. I loved how open and exuberant she was these days. We’d had a bit of a bumpy road in the beginning when Jefferson had still been trying to dictate who she was supposed to be, but she’d really come into her own in the job since.
With her by my side, every day which could’ve been mundane and repetitive was fun and exciting. Even the traveling didn’t bother me so much anymore. Especially since I always tried to include at least one day at each destination when we would be free to do some sightseeing. I did it at my own cost, of course. But even organizing that one day wasn’t always easy. Not when the campaign and the search