Love Like Yours

“Cool. Let’s go to a store after work tomorrow,” Bryn said.

Keira nodded. “Thanks, sis.”

“No problem,” Bryn replied. “And don’t worry, my taste is very modern. Very young. Nothing vintage. Nothing old. There’s nothing even remotely grandpa about my taste.”

Keira sucked in her cheeks and took a deep breath. Of course. This was Bryn. She was never going to let Keira live her grandpa comment down.

Chapter five

Rather than her alarm waking her the next morning, it was Keira’s cell phone ringing incessantly that pulled her from her slumber. She rolled over on her mattress and grabbed her phone from where it was lying on the floor, plugged into the socket beside her. Elliot’s name was flashing up at her. It was another personal call; not coming from the Viatorum office line but his own number.

Keira groaned when she saw that it wasn’t even six a.m. She was used to early starts for work, particularly when traveling was involved, but Elliot seemed to be crossing professional boundaries more and more often.

Keira hit the green button.

“Have you been online yet today?” Elliot asked immediately, before Keira had even had a chance to speak.

“I haven’t even opened my curtains,” Keira replied a little drily, “so, no, not yet. Why?”

Elliot’s voice came through the other line, fast and somewhat manic. “It’s your article, Keira. The online version went live at midnight. It’s a hit! What do people say these days… it’s gone viral.”

Keira sat bolt upright, completely awake now. “Really?”

“I should never have doubted you,” Elliot continued. “You do know your readers. I suppose the heterosexual female twenty-five-plus demographic isn’t as straightforward these days as it used to be.”

Keira held herself back from saying “Told you so.” Even if she’d wanted to she wouldn’t have gotten the chance; Elliot was still speaking a mile a minute.

“I’m going to need you to commit to slightly longer hours. We have a really demanding schedule. Don’t worry, I’ll compensate you generously. We can talk raises once things have settled down a little, but for now we’re going to have to ride the wave, okay?”

“What wave?” Keira asked, frowning.

“The media have gotten hold of the story. They love the Romance Guru. Everyone wants to meet the real person behind the stories. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing with talk shows wanting to book you, hence me being on my personal line; I didn’t want to clog up the office number.”

Keira shook her head and rubbed the frown from between her eyes. “Are you serious?” she asked. Typically, her first instinct was fear. Where Elliot saw an opportunity, she saw spotlights and scrutiny.

“When it comes to Viatorum, I never joke,” Elliot replied. “Can you get in ASAP? We have so much to get through. Heather’s organizing the press tour as we speak.”

Keira was stunned speechless. It didn’t seem like she had much choice in the matter, and maybe that was for the best. If her instinct was telling her to run for the hills, then she ought to challenge it. There wasn’t a better way to gain independence than to stand solo in front of the world with her story! Besides, if she ever wanted to step away from the company and go it alone, she’d get far more success with a large fan base and exposure than she ever would by simply quitting.

And, Keira thought, a little slyly, she could certainly use this as leverage to increase her salary going forward.

“I’m on my way,” she told Elliot.

She hung up and jumped off the mattress, hurrying over to the suitcase that still contained all her clothing. Without drawers or a closet to put anything in, Keira had opted not to bring any of her stuff back from Mallory’s last night, instead deciding it could wait until after her shopping trip with Bryn. But she was regretting that a little now. She didn’t have anything particularly businesslike to wear. Even if she was just going to her usual office and usual desk with her usual colleagues today, she wanted to present herself a little better than usual. Maybe she’d get some new outfits with Bryn this evening as well as furniture.

Once she’d dressed, she hurried for the door. As she went, her phone began pinging with text messages from friends and family. They must have started getting up for the day and noticed that she was splashed all over social media.

When did u get famous? came a text from Shelby.

Sis, you’re a celeb!! Bryn sent. Followed by: You’d better not upstage me at my wedding!!

Keira smiled to herself as the messages poured in.

So that’s where I’ve been going wrong? I should’ve been approaching it the “Scandinavian way”? Maxine texted her.

Scandinavian love sounds great and all, but I do want grandchildren someday, darling, so there are going to have to be some strings attached, Mallory wrote.

Keira rolled her eyes and laughed to herself.

Even Felix sent messages of support, although Keira suspected he didn’t have any social media profiles and had just been prompted by Bryn to do so.

She smiled to herself as she dashed out of the apartment and hurried toward the subway.

“Hey! Romance Guru!” someone shouted.

She turned to see the coffee seller in his little truck.

“I got your drink ready for you! Caramel macchiato with cream!”

He waved an extra-large cup of coffee at her. Keira grinned and went over to take it.

“Thanks,” she laughed, reaching in her pocket for some cash.

“On the house,” he said with a wink. “Just tell everyone you get your coffee from Bobby’s, okay?”

“I will,” Keira said, taking the coffee.

If there was only one perk to come out of the exposure, free coffee wasn’t one to be scoffed at.

Keira strode away, coffee in hand, and headed down to the subway. Finally she got the chance to check her phone and see for herself what everyone else was reading about her. On all her social feeds there were positive mentions of her article, with thousands upon thousands of comments below from women who’d been inspired and empowered by her stories. Women who’d been ridiculed for breaking off engagements, ones who’d lost lovers due to jobs, due to distance, due to clashes over money and careers. She’d had no idea so many people felt so isolated because of their bad luck in love, and that she’d inadvertently created a community where they felt able to reach out and share their stories.

When she checked her work emails, she was shocked to see that some journalists had managed to get directly through to her, rather than going via Heather or the receptionist, and she had numerous requests for appearances and advice.

Coming up, over and over again, was this term: The Scandinavian Way. Everyone was acting like she’d invented the light bulb, and she didn’t want to claim credit for something she’d merely observed. She’d never meant to start a trend or to get famous.

As the train jostled her about, Keira could hardly believe what she was reading, or what was happening. She was touched and overwhelmed by it all.

And as if to make everything more emotional than it already was, a message came through on her phone from Milo. She didn’t even hesitate before opening it.

Great article! So proud of you!

Keira grinned to herself. Not for making Milo proud, although she was glad he’d enjoyed her piece, but because for the first time after meeting a guy and breaking up, she didn’t feel her heart sink when reading his text.

Quickly, she wrote back, Thank you! Busy atm, but catch up soon.

Then she rode the rest of the way to work, her mind spinning with excitement.

*

Keira entered the office to find it in a frenzy. The phone was ringing off the hook and people were dashing about all over the place. Elliot immediately came out of his office, grinning, and whisked Keira into the conference room before she had a chance to catch her breath.

She walked in and saw the room was full of people, all unfamiliar.

“Uh… hello,” she said, tentatively, as Elliot pulled a chair for her.

“Keira, so great to meet you,” a man with dark auburn hair said. “I’m Rick, your new publicist. This is Sally.” He gestured to a woman with thick curls and bright red lips sitting beside him. “She’s my assistant and will handle your timetable.”

“Nice to meet you,” Keira said, shaking each of their hands in turn. “And the rest of you guys?”

“The new editorial team!” Elliot beamed, throwing his arms wide.

“Team?” Keira asked. So far, Nina had been the editor of Viatorum, then as things had picked up she’d been given a group of interns to assist her, but nothing like this, nothing professional. Keira realized then that Nina wasn’t sitting around the table with the editorial team. “Where’s Nina?”

“At her desk,” Elliot said, simply, as though it were a bizarre question to ask.

“She’s still editor, isn’t she?” Keira asked. The thought of her friend being demoted because of her success sat uncomfortably with her.

“Of course,” Elliot said. “She’s editor of the print part of the magazine. Which now accounts for approximately ten percent of our sales. It’s all about the Internet team now, the only subscription model, the social media bite-sized articles. That’s what the new team will be handling from now on.”

Keira looked around at all the unfamiliar faces. It felt odd that Elliot hadn’t thought to promote any of the people they currently had in the office, or to have Nina oversee the online editing. It didn’t seem fair. She understood that Elliot would want the best and brightest money could afford, but she’d never have gotten to where she had if no one had taken a risk on her.

Rick cleared his throat then. “Shall we get down to business? Sally, can you give Keira the low-down on her publicity appearances?”

Sally seemed like an even more efficient version of Heather, if such a person could exist, because she appeared to have preempted Rick’s question and turned her attention to a neat notebook sitting in front of her.

“Breakfast New York, News 24, Daily Roundup, Good Morning USA, Helen & Phil In the Morning, Katie & Joe In the Evening…”

As she listened to Sally reel them off, Keira mind boggled. All these talk shows and new organizations wanted her on their shows? She started to feel sick with nerves.

“Are you good at press work?” Rick asked, once Sally was finally finished listing TV shows.

“I have no idea,” Keira told him. “I’ve never been on TV.”

“That’s fine,” Rick said in his no-nonsense business tone. “I’ll train you. Sally, book Keira onto Helen and Phil In the Morning for tomorrow. That’s a great teething show. The interviews are short and quite informal. And importantly, prerecorded. So it’s a win-win. We’ll move onto live once we’ve seen how you perform there, so Sally, get some afternoon slots lined up as well.”

Sally didn’t even waste a second. Her cell phone was up to her ear immediately, and within moments she was talking rapidly into it. Keira could hardly get her head around how quickly everything was moving. She looked over at Elliot, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat, clearly loving the sudden increase in pace and pressure. Unlike Keira, he thrived on this kind of stuff. But Keira couldn’t help but feel a bit like some kind of pawn in a game. She’d always felt like that with Viatorum, even when it had just been Elliot and Nina calling the shots. But now with this whole team of people scheduling her life it felt even worse.

“We’d better get to work on the training,” Rick said then, folding up his papers and standing.

“I have to leave at five tonight,” Keira suddenly blurted. “I have a shopping trip with my sister.”

Everyone stopped and looked at her suspiciously.

“Uh, yes, of course,” Rick said, smoothing his jacket down.

Keira could tell immediately that they’d been expecting her to give up all her free time, that they hadn’t even given a second thought to what she wanted. They’d all just assumed she’d go with the flow, follow their demands and have no input of her own.

Rick looked at Sally. “Make sure everything winds down by five.”

Sally nodded.

With the meeting adjourned, the new editorial team rose to leave the conference room. Keira was about to leave when Elliot addressed her.

“Can I have a moment of your time, Keira? Privately?”

Keira looked at Rick, who seemed to be the person calling the shots these days.

“Of course,” he said, even more stiffly than when she’d asked to leave at five.

Everyone left the room and it was just Elliot and Keira left.

“What’s up?” she asked him.

“I know this is all a bit much,” Elliot began. “Your article has caused a stir.”

“Among the staff?”

“Oh, I don’t care about that,” Elliot said. “Jealousy can be a great motivator. No, a stir amongst advertisers.”

“Oh,” Keira said, a little confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean they’re willing to pay vast sums more to appear in Viatorum than they used to. I mean there’s a bidding war going on for advertising space in our next issue and on our website. We’re getting a lot of attention.”

“That’s great,” Keira said. “What’s that got to do with me?”

Elliot laughed. “You’re not very business savvy, are you, Keira?”

She shrugged. “There’s a reason I became a writer.”

“Good point.” He chuckled again. “Keira, I’m saying you’re bringing increased revenue into the company. So you deserve a reward.”

It began to sink in then. “You mean like a bonus?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, then slid it across the glass table top to Keira.

She picked it up. It was a check. Keira read the sum.

“Five hundred dollars? Thanks, that’ll pay for my new furniture.”

Elliot frowned. “No, Keira. It’s five thousand dollars.”

Keira almost choked. She did a double take at the check. Indeed, the figure was five thousand, not five hundred.

“Wow. Well… I don’t know what to say. Thanks so much.”

Elliot nodded. “If you keep this up, Keira, there’ll be plenty more where that came from.”

Feeling triumphant, Keira folded the check and put it in her pocket. Maybe going viral wasn’t all bad. Though the thought of being on TV terrified her, the check in her pocket certainly went some way to make up for it.

Chapter six

The rest of the day was a blur for Keira. From interview practice with Rick and Sally (which felt more like interrogations), introductions to plucky new editorial staff whose names Keira forgot the moment she was told them, and back-to-back meetings, she didn’t even get a lunch break, or a chance to speak to Nina.

As soon as five o’clock arrived, Keira was out the door and heading home. She still couldn’t quite believe everything that was happening and her mind was a blur. Never in her life had she anticipated her writing career to take her in this direction. As she rode the subway home to her new apartment, it was with a sense of irony that she realized she hadn’t actually written a single word all day.

It was only once she was back in her new, bare apartment that Keira got the chance to really breathe. Even the darkness caused by her complete lack of lamps was something of a relief, as it helped dull the pounding headache her busy day had induced.

She kicked off her shoes and rubbed her sore ankles, then rested her head against the back of her front door. She let her eyelids close down and drifted into an exhaustion-induced half-awake state.

She was still pressed against the front door when the bell beside her buzzed. She jerked back to consciousness, remembering she had plans to see Bryn. Plans after work had never been an issue before, but Keira’s body was heavy and tired after the long day and she cursed herself for having made them in the first place.

She turned and opened the door to Bryn. Her sister was holding a plant in a vase.

“Housewarming gift!” Bryn exclaimed.

Keira smiled. “Come on in,” she said, beckoning.

It was her sister’s first time seeing the apartment. Bryn stepped inside and looked about her a little cautiously.

“Oh, it’s very… cute,” she commented, placing the plant onto the countertop.

Keira knew she was holding back from saying tiny, but at least it was a step in the right direction for Bryn to even hold her tongue. Knowing Bryn, she probably thought the place was a complete dump. She was trying to be nice, which, in itself, was a huge thing for Bryn!

“Wow, you have a view over Central Park,” Bryn added, walking up to the window and gazing out.

“Just about,” Keira replied.

“It’s a great view,” Bryn said with a nod.

At least that was truthful, Keira thought.

Bryn turned from the window then. “Right, we’d better get started,” she said. She dumped her purse on the floor, then bent down and fished out a measuring tape from inside. She pulled the tape and held it up. “We’ll need to measure everything. Walls. Windows. Everything.”

Keira raised an eyebrow. “That’s kind of thorough, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely,” Bryn replied. “I want this place to be as perfect as can be. I have a vision already. You know I love to decorate.”

Keira laughed aloud. “That’s fine. But remember this is my apartment, so don’t go too crazy.”

But there was no telling Bryn. She was already off with her measuring tape, humming to herself, a woman on a mission.

*

Once Bryn had gotten all the detailed measurements she felt necessary, they headed out in Bryn’s car to a furniture store. Bryn waltzed in ahead of Keira, clearly in heaven as she perused the aisles. They started in the dining room section.

“I forgot to ask,” Bryn said as they walked between the rows of tables and chair sets. “What’s your budget for the new place?”

Keira thought of the check from Elliot, which was still in her pocket. If he really meant there was more to come, then she could theoretically blow the whole lot. But Keira was far too sensible for that. Besides, she was so used to the rug being pulled out from beneath her feet that she could never let herself get that comfortable. The last time she’d had any large sum of money it had all been wasted on Shane’s canceled trip to New York City.

“Um, I have some savings,” Keira said, opting for a half truth. “But I’d prefer not to use too much of it. Let’s just keep it sensible.”

“Sure,” Bryn said, absent-mindedly, her attention already taken by a sleek glass bistro table and two matching glass and metal chairs. Clearly, Keira’s budget wasn’t at the forefront of Bryn’s mind.

“Isn’t this gorgeous?” Bryn said, turning to Keira with a big grin. “And it’s the perfect dimensions for the window. Imagine looking out at your view, a glass of wine in hand.”

Keira stuck her tongue out and grimaced. “That sounds more like you than me. It’s a bit too modern for my taste. You know I like vintage.”

“Just think, this will be vintage one day,” Bryn cajoled. “Eventually.”

Keira chuckled. “That’s not how it works and you know it. I’d prefer a chair with an ottoman in the window, covered in a checkered blanket and mismatched floral cushions. Somewhere I can sit and read, not somewhere to quaff wine.”

Now it was Bryn’s turn to grimace. “This is why I’m the one designing the place. If you were left to your own devices you’d probably cover the walls in fabric, stick a ton of cushions on the floor, and call it a day.”

Keira rolled her eyes at Bryn’s over exaggerated vision.

“Come on, sis. I have this all worked out,” Bryn continued. “And this table is absolutely perfect for my vision.” She rested her hands on the glass table top. “It speaks to me. You have to get it.”

Keira shook her head and let out a sigh. Shopping with Bryn was going to be a lot tougher than she’d expected.

Just then, a woman from the other end of the aisle approached them. She had an eager expression on her face. Keira’s first instinct was that she was a salesperson paid solely on commission, about to tell her all about a fantastic deal she just couldn’t miss out on. But the woman said something that threw Keira completely off kilter.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but are you Keira from Viatorum?” she asked.

Keira stared at her, shocked. Though she’d been recognized before in public, it had usually been while abroad. Something about it happening in her own neighborhood, while she was doing something as mundane as shopping, made it even more jarring.

“Yes, I am,” she said, feeling the blush rise in her cheeks.

“I’m a huge fan,” the woman gushed. “Would you mind if I took a picture?”

Keira looked at Bryn, who was grinning widely. Finally Keira shrugged. “I guess. Sure.”

“I’ll take it,” Bryn offered without missing a beat. “Then you can be in it too.”

The woman thanked her, then slung her arm around Keira’s shoulders and pressed her cheek against Keira’s for the shot. It was uncomfortably close and familiar and Keira felt very awkward.

“Can you sign my copy of Viatorum?” the woman added. “I have the old one before they changed the cover.”

Keira did her best to hide the grimace, but it always stung when she was confronted with the image of her and Cristiano, in movie-star black-and-white, kissing on the rooftops of Paris.

Quickly, she scrawled her name across the magazine, obscuring part of her features in the process.

“Amazing, thank you,” the woman said. “I only came here for some new bath towels. My friends are going to be so jealous!”

She scurried away, leaving Keira facing Bryn awkwardly.

“Oh. My. Goodness,” Bryn said. “You are literally a superstar now.”

Keira rolled her eyes. “Hardly. A few people recognize me, that’s all.” She thought about her scheduled TV appearance the next morning. After that, a whole load more people would recognize her. If she’d had as much recognition from just the black-and-white image on the cover, it was only going to get worse once she appeared in full color on people’s breakfast TV.

“You look worried,” Bryn said, taking her arm. They started strolling along the aisles.

“It’s just that a lot is changing with work,” Keira said. “My career isn’t going where I thought it would.”

“Because you get to be on TV?” Bryn asked incredulously.

“I never said it was bad,” Keira corrected. “Just different. I mean, I’m quiet and bookish. You’re the loud, confident one. If either of us should be on TV, it should be you.”

Bryn made a pfft noise. “You’re ridiculous. Just go with the flow, sis. Enjoy the journey.”

They turned into the living room section, where the aisles were filled with couches.

“I’m trying,” Keira told her. “You know how stressed I get. How tightly wound I can be. Relaxing doesn’t come easy to me.”

“You’d relax more easily if you bought this delightful two-seater,” Bryn said, gesturing to a bright red velvet couch.

Keira laughed. “Absolutely not!”

Bryn just sighed. “You don’t understand my vision,” she said theatrically.

She looped arms with Keira again and they strolled onward.

“Do you really believe that stuff you wrote?” Bryn asked Keira as they went. “Your theory about love and not having strings attached? Being independent?”

Keira wondered if she was asking in relation to her recent engagement. Just as Keira had worked out that love didn’t have to mean the entangling of two lives into a single entity, Bryn had flipped her own style on its head in order to settle down.

“You used to think it,” Keira reminded her.

Bryn shrugged. “I know. But it’s a lonely way to be. I always envied what you had with Zach.”

This was news to Keira.

“You did?” she asked. “But you teased me relentlessly. Said I was old before my time.”

“I thought I had all the answers,” Bryn explained. “But really I was just scared of commitment. As much as I hate to admit it, our mom is right, about how her divorce put me off marriage. I didn’t want to rely on anyone because I saw what happened to her. But now I can see how great it is having a guy around, having someone to come home to, to rely on. This whole Scandinavian trend you’ve started seems so lonely to me. Too casual. Like, where’s the security?”

Keira was surprised to hear so much musing coming from Bryn. Her sister was more of a doer than a thinker, and it shocked her to hear how deeply she’d thought this through.