“No,” I said casually. “I was just waiting for you to hurry up and finish washing your face so we can go. I have a ton to do now that you’re hot shit,” I teased.

Mmm, that ass though.

29

The moment we landed back in Austin, Texas, Oakley had to get to practice. After missing two days and a game, I pretty much assumed the coach would make him run until he puked. Gross. Shelby greeted me wearing clothes—thankfully—and I finally worked up the courage to give Dr. Haynes a call after a long shower and a pep talk in the mirror.

You are a divine goddess.

You fucking rocked this press circus.

Your ass looks great in those overpriced yoga pants.

Dr. Haynes answered on the second ring. “Miss Matthews. Surprised you’re calling.”

“What, did you think I was going to hide? I saw a problem, and I fixed it.” I decided to be confident right off the bat. I was totes rocking this. Dr. Haynes went silent, as if waiting for me to continue. “Although we got lucky with the video going viral, I managed the crisis accordingly. I spun the narrative to best project my client in a positive light. I used my resources to get him interviews with reputable sources and even managed to secure some inquiries about Oakley being the face of a few anti-bullying campaigns.”

“So why are you calling me, Miss Matthews?” Dr. Haynes asked.

I let out a sigh. “Because regardless of your recommendation, I know that I am damn good at this. I had really hoped to learn a lot from you this semester. I still think you’re a god in our industry, despite your shady tactics. But I don’t care if I have to start over with my internship. This is my dream job. I might have messed up, but I cleaned that mess up pretty damn well. I’m like the Hoover vac of publicists.”

Did I seriously just compare myself to a Hoover vac? Fuck.

Dr. Haynes replied. “That’s a very odd analogy, but I’d be inclined to agree.”

“Wh-what?” I asked. I wasn’t expecting him to agree with me.

“I got a call from the university president today, congratulating me on my work with you. They’ve also decided to donate funds to Daisy’s Promise as a gesture of good faith and support for the Davis family. The board and I really like how you managed the press storm. They also got a flood of interest from publications wanting to write pieces about how there is a culture of support on campus. I’ve already suggested you coordinate the efforts. You did good work. You got a little lucky, but that’s half the battle in this industry.”

I needed someone to pinch me. Was this real life?