Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57423 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 230(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
“She thinks it could be someone else? Someone new?” She hated the fact that there was absolutely more than one person out there who wanted to bring her down a rung. “I get a lot of hate mail. Some of them are harmless. Some of them feel… Well, they spark that fear instinct you talked about.”
“Is there a reason you didn’t send them to me?”
“Because I don’t keep them,” she admitted. “Like I said, there’s a lot of them. I delete the emails and throw away the letters. I don’t like having them hanging around. It would be like a weight on me. But my direct messages are still on my social pages.”
“Yeah, I checked those out. You get a lot of hate online.”
She wondered if those assholes would soon find West’s socials and give him a big dose, too.
Did she have any right to drag him into her world?
“I think that’s all part of being a celebrity online,” she explained. “Everyone gets it. Some people don’t see us as real living human beings. We’re characters to them, and that makes it okay to put all their hate and anxiety on us. To others, they feel like they know us so well we’re best friends. When you don’t acknowledge that relationship, they get offended. It’s a tightrope.”
Taggart sighed. “It sounds like hell to me.”
“That part is, but I also get to do something I love, something I’ve wanted all of my life.” As long as she could remember, being in front of that camera, bringing characters to life, had been her passion. It had been hard to be the one who wanted it while her sister had it.
“Your sister got out of the business.”
“It wasn’t really her passion. It might have been if she’d come into it when she was older. Brynn is a very artistic person, and she was a good actress, but her childhood was a lot of work. I resented her a little when I was younger, but by the time we were teenagers, I wanted to take some of the burden from her. I was her assistant for a long time. I think it’s why I don’t have one. I know how hard that job can be. Even if you’ve got a great boss, you can feel invisible.”
“Some people prefer to be behind the scenes,” Taggart pointed out. “They usually pair well with partners who like to be the center of attention.”
He’d been so nice to her that she wanted some advice. “What do I do if my haters find West online?”
Taggart’s lips tugged up. “Can they find him? I don’t think West has a bunch of social media pages.”
“What?”
The door opened, and West looked out, a brow rising. “Am I missing a meeting?”
Big Tag held both hands up as if to declare himself perfectly harmless. “Not at all. I was just updating our client on the fact that she’s going to be handled by you and Tessa only for a little while. I’ll work Jamal into the mix when he finishes up his current job.”
“What happened to Matt? I was going to talk to you about him today.” West joined them on the balcony. “What he did last night was unacceptable.”
“Precisely why I fired his ass,” Taggart replied. “Now Ally here is worried her legions of haters are going to find your Instagram and overload it with criticism your tender feelings won’t be able to handle.”
West’s expression went confused. “What is Instagram?”
Ally rolled her eyes. “That’s bullshit.”
He grinned, a heart-stoppingly adorable expression. “I know what it is but baby, I don’t have one of those. I am not the kind of guy who spends all his time taking pics of his food and posting it online. I do not see the point.”
She stared at him for a moment, wondering what century he was living in. “You don’t have a single social media page?”
West seemed to search his memory. “I think I had a Vine for a couple of months.”
She shuddered. “I don’t understand.”
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have to. You have enough social media for all of us. The point, though, is that first of all, I don’t have a bunch of tender feelings. I leave that to the big boss.”
Taggart nodded. “I’m known for my delicate emotional state.”
Sarcasm was big with these people. She liked that, but she wanted things to be clear. “So they won’t be able to scare you off by trolling you?”
“The best way to avoid a troll is to not go over any bridges,” West said. “Some dude in a bar told me that. Of course, he also claimed to be a werewolf, but I did think it was relatable advice. I don’t have bridges for them to set up shop on, so we’re good. And if you’re worried about how I’ll deal with photographers who show up, you’ll find I’m cool under pressure.”