Page 66 of Fake It Till You Make It
“And that is better than fifteen thousand dollars, why?”
“Companies pay social media influencers—that’s you, well, Dr. Sexy Kitty Vet—to promote their product. This could be a bigger payday than we ever imagined.”
“Okay then. Let’s celebrate.” As the exam date approached, Amarie had put their one-on-one on a timer. Her nine o’clock alarm would signal her to pack up her books, hand them to him, and he, with a petrified yule log in his pants, would walk his girlfriend home in silent agony. It couldn’t happen. Not tonight. They had a future that required a new notebook, not just for the business, either. Tonight, he had a plan that would satisfy both their needs, especially the one clawing at them to answer the call of the wild, naked and horizontal.
“It’s already more than I hoped for.” Working side by side with Amarie, learning from her, had awakened a desire in him beyond the roadmap his father had left for him to follow. Eli didn’t necessarily enjoy the daily social media engagement demands, but he didn’t hate it, either. He was sharing himself in ways he’d never expected. And Service had embraced the vision, supporting him and Amarie as they worked together. She was one of them.
“People I’ve never met comment on videos like we’rebest friends.” Finding the ballad playlist, he punched the play icon. Soft notes written over piano chords filled the kitchen.
“Hey, I grew up an only child with questionable social skills. Until I met Vali, my online community were my friends.”
He loved that she shared this side of herself—the vulnerable woman who had to work hard to excel, who devised plans to reach her goals, even social ones. Most of his life, he’d emulated his father, but when he looked at Amarie, he wanted to be the man she would choose to spend her life with.
“You know, I feel like you are two different people. The way you describe yourself isn’t how I see you.”
“Thank the stars, you got this awesome version of me.”
“I do, you know, thank heaven for you, Amarie.” The added publicity saw the Calvary bank balance increasing at a steady trajectory. His chest had swelled with pride when payday arrived for his Amarie, his mom, and yeah, he even paid himself a little something this week.
“Explains the shirtless cooking.” She grinned, a blatant attempt at skirting the conversation about their relationship moving to the next level.
Tomorrow they’d be in his truck headed to the testing center in Morgantown for her licensure exam. Bursts of animated conversation separated by long stretches of silence, the second clue that nerves had walked home with them. Passing the test weighed heavy on her mind, but he thought her feelings for him might be tangled in the equation. Their kiss—scratch that, their kisses—over breakfast, in the office, on the farm, heck, Hiccup had taken to smooching the kittens, had become more urgent, demanding a deeper exploration of their attraction. So, this evening he set themood for seduction. Two logs crackled in the fireplace, the pop of kindling akin to the spark arcing between them. Autumn had reached the mountain early, bringing a blanket of orange and gold hues to the woodlands and cooler nights. The felines, intrigued by the dancing flames, used Hiccup’s hind legs to ladder up his spine, their fixed gazes following the shadows like a bouncing ball.
“What if Kitty Kibbles wants to cross-promote with us? Or host a live stream. If you do, the women will go crazy for you, Eli.”
“Will you?” He had his mind set on seeing one woman laid out naked in his bed.
“I adore you, Dr. Sexy Kitty. I venture to claim the title as your best fan,” she said, but failed to elaborate on his true question. How did she think of him, Eli Calvary?
What he knew: she liked kissing him. Touching him. But there were questions she left unanswered. “Look at how much your account has grown in three weeks. This could be the push we need to reach our goals, Eli.”
“Nope. Not going live. Besides, the TikTokers see everything I do, every single day.”
“But imagine if you talked with them. Not about animal care or the practice. Have you seen Tobias’s videos? His followers adore how he shares his feelings after the emergency callouts.”
“Good for him. The answer’s still no, but we have a bunch of reasons to celebrate. The auction, your exam in the morning, and that you finally listened to me and hit the submit button for a graduate nurse job.”
“I’m still nervous.”
He tossed chopped onions and mushrooms into the pan with the butter. When they hit the hot skillet, fragrant steam hit his nose.
“Woman, you know everything there is about patient safety and health maintenance.”
“Yum.” She inhaled. “Smells delicious over there.”
“Dinner’s almost ready.”
She closed her notebook. “I think you should offer Ruth a part-time job in the clinic.” Not the first time she’d suggested he hire her replacement.
He paused. “We run the clinic together.”
“I know. But I’m also done with the operating manual. It’ll give us more time to live stream content and interact with the followers. One more paycheck, I can get Prince out of the repair shop. I could showcase more of Noah’s work. There’s only so many shirtless poses he can share.”
He chuckled. “There’s no rush for your car. Has it been that bad riding shotgun with me?”
“No, but… you know. I’ll have to drive to my nursing job. When I get it,” she muttered, but he heard her loud and clear.
Work that didn’t involve him seeing her every day. What if she wanted to move off Calvary land? He’d encouraged her to apply for jobs in the neighboring Landing Falls. The tourists had transformed the once-quiet mountain town into rows of souvenir shops, eclectic coffee houses, and fancy eateries with menu items his college-educated vocabulary struggled to pronounce.
