“Which brother?”
“Gray. He has the best party house. His ground floor is practically all open plan. I’m so glad you can come. Everybody will be there.” Her face dropped. “Well everybody except Cam. Can you believe he had to go back to Boston on my birthday weekend? It’s the first time in about twenty years he’s not playing on a Sunday, and then this happens.”
Mia gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry. That sucks.”
“Yeah, well he’d better bring me back a nice present from Boston. That’s all I’m saying.”
For a second, Mia thought about messaging Cam to remind him about Becca’s birthday gift. But that wasn’t her job, was it? It was confusing, because this morning he sent her a long video message wishing her good luck on her presentation, the way any boyfriend would.
But he’s not your boyfriend. No, he wasn’t.
Even if her heart told her it would be so good.
She wouldn’t send him a message about Becca. Instead she’d concentrate on this presentation and then spend some time with the boys this weekend. They’d enjoy it at Gray’s house – he was one of their favorite singers, after all.
“Well I’ll be bringing a gift,” Mia promised her. “Is there anything else I should bring?”
“Just yourself.” Becca hugged her. “I’m so glad you can come. The others will be, too.”
“Mia?” A voice echoed across the large distilling room. Mia turned to see Nathan standing at the door. His usual attire of pants and a polo shirt had been replaced by a striking grey suit and navy tie. “We’re ready for you now.”
“Is it the big board meeting?” Becca asked. “Oh, good luck.”
“Thanks.” Mia smiled at her. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”
“Let’s turn to advertising,” Mia said, facing the board again. It consisted of eight people – Eliana and Nathan, plus Eliana’s son Daniel, whose face was on the television screen hanging from the ceiling, having dialed in from Scotland. Then there was Eliana’s stepson, Lawrence and her stepdaughter Nina, both of whom had inherited shares in the company when their father died. As well as the chief financial officer, the head of production, the director of logistics, and another dial in, this time G. Scott Carter’s sales director, who was currently in Japan.
“I have a mock up of some billboard ads we’re planning to run, along with a two minute long form advertisement that will run in movie theaters. We’ll edit it for television and streaming services. The aim is to build the brand around a personality, the way Aviation Gin was built around Ryan Reynolds, and Longbranch Bourbon was built around Matthew McConaughey.”
“Don’t they own the companies?” Daniel asked, his voice crackling over the speakers.
“Ryan Reynolds recently sold Aviation Gin, and Matthew McConaughey worked in collaboration with Longbranch. I’d propose we do the same with the person we choose to head up the advertising. You’ll see in your packs that I’ve created a shortlist of potential celebrity endorsements, all of whom have indicated interest through their management companies.”
“Samuel Forest,” Nathan murmured. “He’s a good choice. Didn’t he win the Masters last year?”
Mia nodded. “He’s the number one golfer in the US right now. He’s successful, rich, and living the dream. That’s the kind of person our target customers admire. Who they want to be.”
“I like Sarah Rosewood,” Daniel said. “Having a woman head the campaign feels fresh and new.”
“A woman’s been running this damn distillery for the past ten years,” Eliana reminded him. “Nothing fresh about that.”
Mia bit down a smile at their family banter. “Sarah is a bold choice,” she told them. “There’s a whole demographic we haven’t managed to tap yet, and she could help us. Make whiskey as cool as gin. Something people want to be seen drinking. She’d add an edge to the campaign that Samuel wouldn’t.”
“I like the third one,” Eliana said, her voice firm. “He’s local, he’s successful, and he’s damn hot.”
“Mom!” Nathan winced. “Seriously?”
“What can I say, Gray Hartson turns every woman into a cougar.”
“He’s also Becca’s brother. Ugh, Mom.” Nathan shook his head.
Gray had been Mia’s first choice. She’d had to keep it under wraps. She hadn’t even told Cam, let alone anybody else that they’d approached Gray’s management team to gauge his interest.
Luckily, he was very interested. He wanted to know more about the blend, the rest of the marketing campaign, all of it.
“There’s something very useful about him being local,” Mia agreed. “We can make it about him growing up around here, falling in love with the brand. It even fits with his graveled voice.”
“Arrange for him to come in next week,” Eliana suggested. “Let’s see how interested he is. I’ll meet with him one on one.”