Today's Reading
But next, Cole said, "That's why I'm giving you this. The guy we're profiling for this promo is a bona fide hero. So you should go to Florida and make the official video—but, while you're there, do a 'Day in the Life' with him on the side."
Ah. What was it I just said about saying yes and figuring it out later?
Okay, fine. This guy being a guy was problematic. But I'd seen enough opportunities come and go to keep that to myself.
"What kind of hero is he?" I asked.
"You definitely saw it on the news. It was everywhere a few years back. He saved a golden retriever that fell off a cliff."
I sat up. "Jennifer Aniston's dog?"
"Yeah."
"I know that video," I said. "That video was everywhere!"
"Right? I know. It would have been everywhere anyway because the footage was so dramatic—"
I was nodding now. "He got lowered down to the beach on that wire, and then he climbed all the way back up to that tiny ledge—"
"A hundred feet—"
"And the dog was in so much pain, it was snapping—"
"And he hummed the song 'Heart and Soul' over and over until it felt safe."
I nodded. As heroes went, this one was pretty top-notch. "Remember that little paw he splinted?" I said.
Cole nodded. "And then he put the dog in a rescue basket, and climbed in with him, and did the hoist."
Guess Cole had seen it a few times, too.
"What was his name again?" I asked, like it was on the tip of my memory.
"The media nicknamed him Puppy Love."
"Tom something," I said, thinking.
But now Cole tilted his head at me. "Wait. Did you watch it all those times and never realize that was the Coast Guard?"
I tried to think of a more respectable answer than yes. "I knew he was some type of rescuer person?"
Cole shook his head. "This is why they need promo videos."
I waved my hands. "Look, I wasn't focused on the military details. I was focused on the heartwarming... -ness."
To my surprise, Cole accepted that. "It was very heartwarming," he said, in a tone like maybe it was a little too heartwarming.
"That video would've been huge no matter what," I said. "But then add Jennifer Aniston into the mix? That moment when he delivers the dog into her arms—and she's crying?"
Wasn't that what we were all looking for? Something real?
"That's great television," Cole agreed.
A pleasant moment of harmony.
Then I said, "And the swimmer they want us to profile just happens to be him?"
"It's not a coincidence. It's because it's him. It's a recruiting video, after all."
"But..." I thought back. "Didn't that guy refuse to do interviews?"
"Correct."
"What changed his mind?"
Cole cocked his head, like Hello? "His superior officer changed his mind."
"I seem to remember him saying, 'I'm not a hero. I was just doing my job.'"
"That's absolutely something he would say," Cole said. Then he added, "Though he doesn't usually say much," like he knew him or something.
I waited for more.
But Cole just went on, "So getting him in your YouTube series would be a great catch. Like, a career-saving catch. If this guy did a 'Day in the Life' with you, it would take over the internet. You'd be on easy street."
This excerpt ends on page 10 of the hardcover edition.
Monday we begin the book How to Court a Rake by Bronwyn Scott.
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