Page 24 of Fake it For Good
“Just be natural,” he said. “You know what they say.”
“No, I don’t.”
“It’s like riding a bike,” he said. “You never forget. Just be natural. Smile, put your hand on her lower back, and act like you guys have seen each other naked.”
“I haven’t seen a naked woman since—well since I binged Game of Thrones.”
He cringed. “You make me sad.”
“Mr. Carver?”
One of the men who monitored the front door area approached us with Noelle behind him. She was wearing a pair of jeans, black boots, and a thick sweater.
“Hi.” She nervously waved.
“Hello,” I said. “Noelle, this is Denton Phillips.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Noelle,” Denton said and shook her hand.
“You’re the friend?” she asked without asking.
Denton winked. “I’mthefriend.”
She looked over and made sure the guy that brought her up was gone. “I told Denton about our revised plan,” I told her.
“And do you approve?” Noelle asked him.
“Absolutely,” Denton said. “I think it’s a good plan. I also approve of you guys spending time together. This guy can be a little stiff. I’m sure you’ll manage to soften him up a little.”
“I’ll do my best,” Noelle replied with a pretty smile.
“Alright, I’ll leave you to it,” Denton said. “This is where the magic happens.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing it,” Noelle replied. “I’m something of a toy connoisseur.”
“Really?” I asked.
“I hang out with a lot of kids and play with a lot of toys,” she answered.
“Do you know our toys?” I asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “I knowofthem, but they are a little on the expensive side. The organizations I work with can’t afford them. Some of the blocks and other toys are a hit. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but I only knowofthe toys.”
It was true. Our products were high end. They weren’t in every household because they were expensive. I was hoping we could work on that. “I understand,” I said. “Let’s go down and you can see what it is we do all day.”
We headed downstairs. “How often do you come here?” she asked.
“A few times a week.”
“Do you personally design the toys?” she asked.
I smirked. “No. I like to toss around ideas with the research and development team, but I don’t have a lot to do with the actual design.”
“Your company hasn’t jumped on the electronics bandwagon,” she pointed out. “Is that on purpose?”
“Yes,” I said. “We don’t want to be like every other toy on the market. We like the idea of sticking with the classics. We’ve got a few voice boxes in some dolls and lights and noise on some of the trucks, but that’s the extent. My team is pushing hard to get me to push out a line of robots and crap like that, but everyone has that.”
“I like the classics,” she said. “Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs are simple and fun. Half the fun of playing with Hot Wheels is making the noises.”
