Chapter 83
We all settled into my apartment, the tension in the room almost tangible. After I offered snacks and
beverage, Penny wasted no time in getting down to business.
“Here’s what I’m thinking. Timothy, you need to address the rumors head–on. Go out there and
admit that you weren’t ready to settle down. After the Evie and Alex situation, you realized it was
time to get serious.
As I poured two sses of water for them, I listened in to Penny’s highly animated. strategy. I bit my
lip, my worry for Timothy’s reputation mixing with my own difort at the suggestion that we had
been dating. But Penny was right – we needed a strategy that would stick, whether it aligned with
our personal truths or
not.
I handed Penny her water as she continued, her voice steady. “And, Timothy, it wouldn’t hurt for you
to get involved in somemunity service again. Clean up your image, make it more wholesome.
The increased visibility will help put you back in a positive light.”
Timothy’s gaze remained fixed on Penny, a mixture of uncertainty and reluctant eptance in his
eyes. “And you think this will work?”
Penny’s smile was confident. “It’s a start. We can shape the narrative, but you’ll need tomit to
it, Timothy.”
Penny’s expertise was undeniable, and she seemed trustworthy enough. Of course, time would tell
if that was true or not, but it didn’t hurt to try. After the milkshake incident, I needed a poprity
boost myself.
“What about their little romance angle?” I interrupted, cing my hands in myp as I settled beside
Timothy. “Will the love triangle disappear?”
Penny hummed thoughtfully. “Likely not. Stories like that stick harder than hot glue, but you can
always twist the story a little. That’s why reframing Timothy’s redemption arc could help you both.” I
nodded in understanding, deciding to stay quiet for the rest of the meeting. It would have been good
to involve Timothy from the start, but thankfully he seemed more receptive to having a PR agent of
sorts.
If this was what it took to help Timothy regain control of his public image, then so be it. In the world
of media and perception, sometimes the story that stuck was
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more important than the truth. And as much as it twisted my stomach to admit it, Penny was right –
we had to do what was necessary to navigate this storm.
After Penny left, a sense of unease settled in the room like an uninvited guest. Timothy’s skeptical
expression mirrored my own doubts about whether we could truly trust her. As we exchanged
nces, he finally broke the silence.
“I don’t know about that Penny woman, Evie. Can we really trust her?”
I sighed, my shoulders slumping under the weight of our situation. “Timothy, we don’t have a lot of
options here. She’s our best bet at the moment.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I just don’t like feeling like we’re putting our reputations in someone
else’s hands.”
Before I could respond, the front door swung open and Aria came storming in, several shopping
bags dangling from her fingers.
“Evie, you’ll never believe the sales they had at Foxxy. I got this cute halter top at half the price!”
She waltzed into the living room and dropped her bags on the floor. That was the moment she
spotted Timothy on the couch, who was eyeballing the bags she had hauled inside. Aria returned
the look of shock.
“Uh, Timothy, hi!” She cleared her throat and looked over at me. “Did I interrupt something?
I felt my knee bump into Timothy’s as I faced Aria, and that was when I realized how close we hd
been sitting. I quickly stood up and brushed the non–existent dust off my pants. “No, you didn’t
interrupt at all. We were just brainstorming.”
Aria’s curiosity was piqued as she eyed us suspiciously. “Brainstorming? About what?”
I waved a hand at Timothy. “Well, we were trying to think of ways for Timothy to clean up his image,
given the recent media attention.”
Aria’s eyes lit up with excitement as she joined the conversation. “Oh, I love brainstorming! So,
what ideas do you have?”
Timothy’s expression warmed then, and it seemed that Aria’s enthusiasm lowered his guard. He
knew how much I trusted her, which eased his fears far more than my uncertainty with Penny. “We
were talking about charities I could contribute to,” Timothy exined, “to show that I’m giving back
to themunity.”
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Aria’s face brightened, and she pped her hands together. “Oh, that’s a great idea! Any thoughts
on what charity you’d work with?”
Timothy tapped his chin. “I guess there are a lot to choose from. It definitely has to be family
friendly,” he said.
“You could choose something based off your own interests,” I added. “What are some of your more
wholesome hobbies?”
He started to smile, poking my knee with his finger. “Are you saying hockey isn’t wholesome?” Aria
noticed the gesture and her eyes met mine as she smirked. I felt my cheeks begin to heat up and I
shifted away from Timothy’s touch with a grunt.
“Do you know how many people lose their teeth in hockey? Or wind up with broken ribs?” I asked.
“Something else.”
Timothy hummed in thought and leaned back against the couch. After pondering for a few
moments, his eyes lit up. “I like walking my dog, Duke,” he said.
Aria nodded, tapping her fingers together. We watched as her face shifted between looking
conflicted and looking inspired. Eventually, she snapped her fingers.
“You know what would be amazing? If we did a dog wash fundraiser for the local animal shelter.
People love supporting causes like that!”
I couldn’t help but smile at Aria’s enthusiasm. “That’s actually a fantastic suggestion.”
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Timothy seemed to be warming up to the idea, his expression less guarded. “A dog wash
fundraiser, huh? It’s different, but I like it.”
The atmosphere in the room seemed to lift as Aria’s idea hung in the air like a ray of sunshine
breaking through the clouds. Timothy’s brows furrowed for a moment, his mind clearly considering
the suggestion. “A dog wash fundraiser, huh? It’s different, but I like it.”
Aria practically bounced with excitement, her enthusiasm contagious. “Yes! It’s a win–win. We’ll
raise funds for the shelter, and it’ll be a great way to show your involvement in themunity,
Timothy.”
I couldn’t help but nod in agreement, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “Aria’s right. Plus, it’s
a cause that resonates with a lot of people. Animals always tug at the heartstrings.”
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Timothy’s skepticism seemed to be melting away as he sat up, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Alright, let’s say I’m on board with this idea. What’s the next step?”
Aria pped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I can start spreading the word
on social media. You know how much influence you have. among your fans. They’ll be thrilled to
support something like this.”
Timothy’s lips quirked into a half–smile, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “I never thought a dog
wash would be the solution to my image problem.”
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Ariaughed, her energy infectious. “Well, sometimes the unexpected solutions are the best ones.” I
chimed in, my mind already racing with ideas. “I can design some eye–catching fliers for the event.
We’ll need to make sure the event details are clear and enticing.”
Timothy nodded in agreement, his hesitation reced by a growing sense of purpose. “Sounds like
a n. But what if most people don’t read the fliers?”
Aria’s grin was practically ear–to–ear. “That’s where social mediaes in. We’ll
create event 1
share posts with catchy captions, and encourage everyone to spread the word. Trust me, it’ll catch
on.”
As we delved into the logistics of the fundraiser, I couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of
determination. Despite the challenges we were facing, this idea seemed to be a beacon of hope, a
chance to steer the narrative back towards something positive.
Hours flew by as we discussed ns, brainstormed ideas, and evenughed at some of the sillier
suggestions Aria threw into the mix. The weight that had been pressing down on us seemed to lift.
With a sense of renewed energy, we stood up and shared a determined look. The road ahead might
still be uncertain, but we were facing it together, armed with a dog wash fundraiser and a whole lot
of determination. As we headed off to put our ns into action, I couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of
optimism for what the future might hold.
Aria practically bounced with excitement. “I can help organize it! And I’ll spread the news through
social media and among the other Timothy fans. Trust me, it’ll be a hit!”
As I listened to Aria’s ns, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of hope. Maybe this
A
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fundraiser was just the thing we needed to shift the focus away from the recent media storm and
onto a positive cause. Timothy seemed to be on board as well, his skepticism momentarily forgotten
as he got caught up in Aria’s contagious energy.
As Aria continued to excitedly outline her ns, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe,
things were starting to look up. The road ahead might still be uncertain, but in this moment, with
Aria’s unwavering enthusiasm and Timothy’s tentative agreement, it felt like we were taking a step
in the right direction.
“I guess we’re really doing this,” I said, smiling wide. “And I think we need to get Penny in on this.”
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