Perfect on Paper Read Online Free PDF Page B

three times the size of mine. He had light brown eyes and a flawless complexion the color of, well, the mocha I was drinking.
    Just then Davey Mason and Kent walked in behind him.
    “Top of the morning, Waverly,” Davey said, looking up and down at my outfit. “And can you please fetch me a double tall latte and a scone?”
    “Don’t start,” I said, pointing at him.
    He laughed. “I see you’ve met our guest of honor?”
    I nodded. “Yep, we go way back to about one minute ago. Hey, how was the King?” Davey and Penelope French had flown in from JAG’s San Francisco headquarters a couple days earlier to oversee the setting up of the booth, and Davey had popped over to Graceland for a visit. Yes, Graceland.
    He sat down next to me. “It jailhouse rocked, Bryson. Did you get your goodie basket at the hotel?”
    “Yes, what a great idea,” I said. “I already inhaled a bag of cashews. I doubt anything will be left of that basket by the time I check out on Saturday.”
    He scratched the back of his head and nodded. “At first I vetoed the idea, but I changed my mind when Penelope pointed out that the same bag of cashews in the minibar would cost my marketing budget five dollars. At Costco they’re only a buck.”
    I punched him lightly in the shoulder. “You’re a ruthless businessman, Mr. Mason. But then again, that’s probably why you own and I rent.”
    Davey looked around the table. “So, is everyone ready? The media’s already lining up outside like a bunch of dorks in costume at a Star Wars premiere, so it’s going to be a busy day,” he said.
    I turned to face Shane. “I guess this media crush won’t be anything new for you. Do you mind press interviews?”
    He leaned back in his chair and put his gigantic hands on his humongous knees. “Not really. It can be a little draining, but I’m willing to suck it up for a couple days to get the word out on the new shoe.”
    “Cool, that will make our job a lot easier,” I said. “As Davey has probably told you, Kent and I will take turns managing your interviews, and Davey will be here to answer questions regarding the design or marketing of the shoes. We’ll try to limit each interview to fifteen minutes to keep them from getting too boring. Here’s a copy of today’s schedule, and we’ll give you a heads-up on any late additions. I hope it’s not too much.”
    “It’ll be a layup,” Davey said, pretending to shoot a basket.
    “Got it,” Shane said. “Thanks.”
    He was thanking us? Was he for real? So polite! So grounded! So unusual for a professional athlete! No multiple gold chains, and he even appeared to be tattoo-free.

    At 9 a.m. sharp, the show doors opened, and the chaos began. It was like the running of the bulls as the huge arena filled up almost immediately. Kent and I watched it all as we stood at the front of the JAG booth and waited for our first press appointment to show up.
    “Hey, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room for a minute. I’ll be right back,” I said.
    “Don’t get lost,” he said.
    I headed to the back of the pavilion and put my hand on my hair as I walked to gauge the static. Walking on trade show carpets was like a high school physics experiment.
    On the way back from the restroom I grabbed a couple fun-size Milky Ways from the freebie bowl at the booth of a small exercise equipment company. I unwrapped one and popped it in my mouth, which I immediately regretted because I proceeded to start choking. I coughed and pounded on my chest a couple times until the half-chewed Milky Way flew out and into my hand. I stopped and glanced around for a napkin or a trash can but didn’t see one anywhere, so I tossed the Milky Way back in my mouth and started chewing on it again. I knew that was pretty gross, but hey, candy is candy, right?
    I started back toward the JAG booth and hoped Gabrielle Simone wouldn’t see me on the way. My eyes were totally watering, and I was sure my face was red and puffy. Just