Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87091 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Opal looked seriously annoyed, but worried too. Crystal didn’t blame her. It wouldn’t do her any good if people thought she’d only got her start because she was sleeping with Damien. If Crystal had harbored the smallest suspicion that there was more than business between these two, it fizzled out, gone for good. She was almost amused at how vehemently Opal was being clear that she had no romantic feelings for Damien whatsoever. And it was pretty obvious from the way Damien was reacting that he felt the same way. Still, that wouldn’t derail the paparazzi, especially if they knew Opal was here on Damien’s property with him.
She thought about it. “I hear what you’re saying about ignoring it, Damien, and I think it would work… if we didn’t need to protect Opal’s reputation so fiercely.” She smiled at the girl. “But what we need is a strategy. Damage control. A PR campaign to reveal the truth.”
Damien looked downcast. “You don’t think it’ll just get lost in all the other garbage out there in gossip land?”
Crystal shook her head. “I think this is just the beginning. There are already paps outside. You need to set the record straight about who Opal is and why she’s here.”
Damien seemed to mull it over and then he nodded, just a small, reluctant incline of his head. “I’d hoped to just work together quietly until we had some great material and then we’d go public with Opal’s music. But if they’re already here, then I think you’re right. I’ll get my manager to put together a statement and we’ll issue it to the media.”
Opal just stared at him, her hands on her hips. “Issue a statement?” She sounded confused and very uninterested in this idea. “Like you’re the president?”
Crystal bit back a snort of laughter. Damien didn’t have a pushover in his protégée, that was for sure. “I have a better idea. How would you like to be on Celebrity Tonight?”
Damien looked confused, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. “The story isn’t about a secret romance. The story is about Damien Davenport paying it forward, mentoring a young musician who has talent.”
Damien’s brow creased and his confusion seemed to double. “But that’s exactly what I am doing. That’s the real story.”
Crystal stared at him, exasperated. “How long have you been in the public eye? Do you know nothing? The paparazzi don’t care remotely about the real story. They want the drama, they want the gossip, they want intrigue. You have to take charge of the narrative.”
Damien shook his curls. “I just want to make music.”
“Me too,” Opal agreed.
“Well, you’ll just have to make music with a reporter watching.” She was convinced she was right. She might not be a PR professional, but she’d dealt with plenty of intrusive paps while planning celebrity weddings. She suggested inviting Roxy Thanton, who’d interviewed Archer after he’d broken his leg on set, to do an exclusive feature and interview with both Damien and Opal. “You give her an exclusive peek at this amazing new talent you’ve spotted.”
Both parties looked less than thrilled, but Crystal knew it was their best option in order to get out in front of this.
Damien’s phone rang. He looked at the screen. “It’s my security guys,” he said. He took the call and discovered there was now a sizeable huddle of reporters and photographers at his front gate.
“Once the real story’s public,” Crystal said, “there won’t be much reason for them to hang around here. You can get your privacy back by going public with this. I know it sounds strange, but it makes sense.”
Damien agreed and, much more reluctantly, so did Opal. “I’m not ready for this,” she said, sounding panicked.
“You are ready. It’s going to be fine,” Damien assured her. “No one’s asking you to sing on TV. It’s just a story of your being so talented that I wanted to mentor you.”
Opal blew out a breath, then nodded. “Okay. I guess that’s better than some sleazy tabloid saying I’m your girlfriend.” She sounded so horrified by that idea that Crystal had to squelch a laugh.
Instead, she nodded briskly. “Okay, I’m going up to the house to make some calls. You guys keep working. I’ll be back when I know more.” Now all she had to do was convince a busy entertainment anchor that a quick trip up to Carmel would be worth her while.
Well, she thought as she marched toward the house, she’d wanted a busy day. It looked like she’d got one.
She called Erin and asked if she was free to meet her at Damien’s place for an emergency PR intervention. Before Erin could make any assumptions about why Crystal was at her brother’s house, she explained the whole story.
Erin groaned. “Oh no. I was afraid this would happen. I’ve been writing my feature about the dog of the week and not paying attention to the news feed. Poor Damien. How’s he taking it? And poor Opal. She’s barely touched down in Carmel and already she’s being hounded by the paps.”