As Danny headed to his bedroom, probably to start damage control, I piped up. “Hey, Danny?”
He turned. “Yeah?”
“Thanks, man. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He grinned, giving me a mock salute. “That’s why I’m the best, baby. Now get your ass in gear.”
As he disappeared into his bedroom, I pushed myself off the couch, trying to straighten my shoulders into a confidentposture. The sudden movement was a mistake. The room gave a violent lurch, and the blacksmith in my head, who’d been on a tea break, decided to get back to work with a vengeance. I grabbed the back of the couch, my knuckles white, waiting for my vision to stop swimming.
Time to be Sean McCrae, motivational speaker extraordinaire,I thought, my stomach churning in protest.The guy who could inspire anyone to be their best self.
Even if, right now, all I could inspire myself to do was find the nearest bottle of aspirin and a very, very dark room.
As Dannyand I pulled up to the venue, my stomach churned. The usual pre-speech jitters were amplified by the unusual sight of photographers and reporters clustered outside like vultures circling a carcass. I paused, trying to center myself.
“You’ve got this, man,” Danny said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Just another day at the office, right?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. We stepped out of the car, and camera flashes exploded around us. I plastered on my best media smile, waving to the crowd as Danny and I made our way inside.
The lobby was bustling with attendees; all dressed in their entrepreneurial best. As we weaved through the crowd, I caught snippets of conversation.
“Did you see that video?”
“I can’t believe he’d be so reckless...”
“Wonder who the mystery woman was...”
I felt my face heat up, but I kept my expression neutral. Just as we reached the door to the green room, a young woman approached me, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Mr. McCrae! I’m such a huge fan. I can’t wait for your talk.”
I smiled, genuinely touched. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
She leaned in, lowering her voice. “And don’t worry about that video. We all have wild nights sometimes, right?”
My smile froze on my face. “Right. Thanks.”
As soon as we were alone in the green room, I slumped into a chair. “Fuck, Danny. Everyone knows.”
He shrugged, looking annoyingly calm. “So what? Use it. You’re human, Sean. That’s relatable.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure they’ll love hearing about my drunken hookup with a stranger.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Not specifics, dumbass. But the idea that even successful people have moments of weakness? That’s gold.”
I mulled it over as I reviewed my notes. Hmm, he had a point. By the time the organizer came to fetch me, I had an idea.
I walked onto the stage, and was met with a sea of expectant faces, smartphones already raised, ready to capture any mistake.Shit. Three hundred people who’d paid good money to hear Sean McCrae’s wisdom. Three hundred people who’d probably all seen that damn video by now.
My prepared notes suddenly felt hollow in my pocket. I took a deep breath and stepped up to the microphone.
“Good morning, Glasgow!” I paused, letting my voice fill the room. A murmur of greeting rippled back. “You know, I had this whole speech prepared about perseverance and success.”
I pulled the notecards from my pocket, held them up foreveryone to see, then deliberately set them aside on the podium.
“But something happened yesterday that made me realize we need to talk about something else.”
The room went quiet. They were practically leaning forward in their seats.
