Never Ever Forever by Karina May

Author:Karina May
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Published: 2023-11-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

‘Have you seen the videos of you on TikTok, Markus? There’s a hashtag and everything – #Markushadalittlelamb. Isn’t it perfect?’ Cedric whirls into the studio in a flurry of excitement. He turns to me. ‘You’re the brains behind it all, Rosie. If it wasn’t for your fast thinking, we would never have had that footage. There’s more than 50,000 videos on the hashtag. The kids are having so much fun duetting it.’

It’s nice to get some credit, but it’s even sweeter to hear that a whole week after our Mr Scarecrow’s excursion we’re still receiving attention. The show has already been picked up by some of the surrounding regional stations. Next stop, state-wide syndication. Dad and Naomi had phoned excitedly to tell me they’d heard the show on their road trip down to Kiama. They’d gone for a weekend down south to check out Berry Book Barn, a beautiful bookshop with cathedral ceilings and exposed timber beams – and the perfect wedding venue. It’s the type of place I’d always pictured for my own wedding.

‘I couldn’t agree more – it’s all because of you, Rosie.’ I feel Markus’s eyes on me.

Squash has made a full recovery, and there hasn’t been so much as a wink from Markus in my direction – just a welcome Nespresso quietly delivered to my desk each morning he’s in the studio. It seems like we’ve finally made some headway.

I also spoke to Cedric about ditching the whole Markus and Rosie romance narrative. He was happy to oblige given the public interest in Markus’s eligibility.

‘Seriously, Rosie, we’ve got listeners tuning in to see where shirtless Markus is going to pop up next!’

Our audience is growing daily, and Cedric has given me the important task of scouting a location for our next on-air field trip. I’m in my element, with multiple spreadsheets on the go detailing costs and logistics. I’m in search of the ultimate backdrop. I may have left behind my marketing career, but I could never leave behind its teachings. Markus’s abs aside, the birth of Janet Junior pulled at the heartstrings because it was so real. Authentic content moves people in a way that makes it more shareable. The difficulty is in planning that authenticity. I’ve been struggling to come up with a scenario that doesn’t feel manufactured. If I know one thing, it’s that our listeners don’t want to be fooled.

I’ve been staying well past the show wrap time, doing research and working with Stacey to try to dream up the perfect location. It’s left no time for dating, which actually hasn’t fazed me in the slightest. At least my time is being put to good use.

‘So, where are we off to, Rosie?’ Cedric asks.

‘I’m still compiling a shortlist. Obviously somewhere with animals, which really narrows things down. But I was thinking maybe the duck pond in Lawson Park? It would be great if we could have Markus discovering a brood of ducklings learning to paddle, but we’d want it all to be completely natural and not staged or anything.

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