Page 30 of Derivation

“Nope. Literal garbage. I even thought about throwing the entire dry-erase board away, but it wouldn’t fit in the trash bin.”

“That seems dramatic,” Gabi replied before she handed the phone back to Sarai.

“Well, I’m in marketing, so…”

Sarai looked down at her phone, added her food to the cart, and placed the order.

“Can I know what the idea was?” Gabi asked.

“I wanted to get a few influencers from other countries to help beef up downloads in our other markets, along with one or two who live here but are from another place initially; so, someone who moved here and had to learn English as a second language. I wanted them all to post about the app.”

“Sarai, that’s not garbage. That’s a good idea.”

“I don’t know. It feels off somehow.”

“Off somehow is not garbage. It just needs more work. May I?” Gabi asked, nodding to the rolling board behind her.

“Sure.”

Gabi picked up Sarai’s red marker, wrote ‘Influencers’ on the board, and set the marker down on the rack before she turned around to Sarai.

“I don’t know what you had written up here before – I’m sure it was way more than that – but you shouldn’t throw out an idea just because it needs work.”

“I know I’m in marketing, but I kind of hate influencer culture. That’s the real problem.”

Gabi chuckled and asked, “You do?”

“Yeah, can’t stand it. It bugs me that I have to send Instagram DMs to people or emails to their agents asking them for a post or a video of them talking about the app while they’re putting on their makeup or something. I get it; it’s a whole thing now. But I’m not a fan.”

“Me neither,” she shared as she sat down at a desk chair next to Sarai, who was leaning back against her desk. “But if you put those thoughts away, do you have a list of possible influencers who could work or be interested?”

“I’ve got about ten to narrow down further because we can’t afford all of them. I think it could move some needles, but not by much, which is another reason I wasn’t going to do it. I need something bigger; something that’s still affordable and that would move all the needles, you know?”

“Do you want to run some other ideas by me? I’m happy to be a fresh set of eyes or ears,” she offered.

“I need some more time with this, but thanks. After dinner, do you want some help unpacking? I could use a break from this.”

“I’d love that. Maybe you could ruin the ending of another book for me while we do it.”

“I thought you’d read it already. You said you’d read the book,” Sarai defended.

“Two books with the same title… Who knew?”

“Just read the book anyway. You’ll like it.”

“I will,” she said. “Once I’m moved in, I’ll have more time.”

“I will refrain from talking about any other books until you do, but I have a box of them in my closet that I haven’t read in years, so let me know if you want to borrow another one.”

“You’ve got a box of lesbian romance novels in your closet?”

“Yeah, yeah. I get the joke, Gabi.”

Sarai patted her on the shoulder as she laughed.

CHAPTER 9

“Yeah, I’ve got it,” Arlowe said.