No Strings__ - By Janelle Denison Page 0,45
it just depends on what the vice president is looking for and what appeals to him the most,” she said of their individual ideas. “And we have no idea what the boys are doing, either.”
They’d nicknamed the two executives with the Metro Ad Agency “the boys,” even though they knew their names—Darryl and Ken. While she and Aiden had seen them around the resort, they hadn’t fraternized with the enemy, and they’d been careful about keeping their own advertising concepts under wraps.
Aiden rubbed his thumb along his jaw, the brief hesitation glimmering in his gaze giving way to something more decisive. “Would you like to see my PowerPoint presentation? I’d really like to get your take on it.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. Yes, they’d verbally discussed their campaigns over the past few days, but she hadn’t expected him to share such an integral part of his presentation with her. It was such a huge show of trust on his part, and she was dying to see what he’d come up with.
“Yes, I’d love to.”
He withdrew the small flash drive from the side of his laptop and slid it across the conference table to her. She connected the memory stick to her own computer, and within seconds the program streamed onto her monitor in a compilation of slides spotlighting some of the resort’s most spectacular amenities, and featuring photographs of the tropical landscaping, gorgeous beaches and couples enjoying many of the recreational offerings.
The pictures that Ricardo had taken for Aiden conjured excitement and passion, and he’d used them in a way that was romantic and seductive. The presentation segued into a video interview with Hattie in her greenhouse. With a sparkle in her deep brown eyes, Hattie introduced herself as the island’s resident matchmaker and spoke about seeing that magic spark between two people and knowing when a couple was meant to be together.
In another clip, upon Hattie’s urging, a young man and woman gently grasped the stamen of that pink hybrid flower Chloe and Aiden had also touched. The stem turned a deep, dark crimson in both places, and with a satisfied smile Hattie pronounced them soul mates...if they opened up their hearts and believed.
Chloe believed, and that knowledge sent a crazy, unexpected surge of adrenaline rushing through her veins. She might have been doubtful about that flower and Hattie’s prediction that first day in the greenhouse, but her shifting feelings for Aiden supported the older woman’s claim that he could possibly be the one for her.
In her head, she could deny the inevitable all she wanted, but in reality she knew it was too late. There was no stopping the emotions blossoming deep in her heart when it came to the man sitting across the table from her. It was a frightening realization, because she had no idea how he felt about her.
Aiden’s presentation offered hope and romantic possibilities to singles wanting to fall in love, and the irony of Aiden’s core message to his target audience wasn’t lost on Chloe. He was hinging his campaign on Hattie and her matchmaking intuition, yet he clearly didn’t really believe that the older woman had the ability to see a couple’s fate. For him, Hattie was nothing more than an advertising tactic to romanticize the St. Raphael Resort and the island itself.
As a marketing ploy, it worked, and Chloe knew in her gut that between her flash mob idea and Aiden’s more traditional approach, his packed an emotional punch that would be difficult for her to trump. Not that she wouldn’t do everything in her power to sell her concept and give Aiden a fight to the finish. Being competitive was in her nature, and ultimately she wanted the St. Raphael account and the bonus that came with it.
“So, what do you think?”
Chloe didn’t miss the anxious note to Aiden’s voice, as if her opinion mattered to him. Glancing up from her monitor, she met his gaze and gave him the truth. “I think it’s phenomenal.”
The stiff set of his shoulders relaxed. “Really?”
She smiled. “Yes, really. But how is it that you and your presentation made me believe in Hattie and the magic of this island when you have your doubts?”
“I’m creating a perception of the resort and engaging the consumer,” he said with a nonchalant shrug. “That’s what you and I do. I don’t have to believe in the product in order to sell it. As long as it works for the resort and their matchmaking theme, that’s all that