Sweet Read Free Page B

says it. Makes me laugh.
    And she laughs, too.
    There’s a sparkle in her eye.
    I think I just made her day, which makes me feel good. She reminds me of my cousin, Lizette. About the same age and everything.
    â€œOf course Solu will deliver!” says a creaky old guy in a suit. He walks right into our shot.
    Tamara is right behind him, mouthing something to me. I can’t understand what it is.
    â€œI’m Tom Fiorelli,” I say, extending my hand.
    â€œTimothy Almstead. And this is Dr. Elise Zhang.” He gestures to a cherubic Asian woman with tortoiseshell glasses.
    I get what Tamara’s mouthing to me: OWNER.
    Of course! Almstead is the CEO of Pipop, the country’s most famous beverage company and favorite soda of almost everyone on the globe, at last survey.
    â€œMr. Almstead, what a pleasure to meet you,” I say. “And Dr. Zhang, congratulations.”
    Dr. Zhang is short and wearing an ill-fitting dress and smiling like she alone knows the secret to happiness. She pumps my hand five times.
    She should be happy. Zhang’s the mastermind behind Solu—the one who got the formula right. Her face is on the cover of this week’s Time magazine.
    Tamara is not so gently edging Claire and her mom away from us.
    â€œYoung man, I had the idea that you should interview me,” Almstead says. “I think people will want to know about Dr. Zhang and myself, don’t you think?”
    â€œOf course,” Tamara answers for me. “It was on the schedule for tomorrow. We have a room booked. But, um, if this is convenient for you, we can do it right here—”
    â€œCarpe diem!” Almstead chirps. “When you get to be eighty-three, like me, you don’t set stock on ‘see you later’!”
    He smiles. I think I like him. He’s a bit dotty, and a bit mischievous.
    I take another swig of water. I need to get this right. From what Tamara told me, Almstead wanted to hire Ryan Seacrest to do the coverage, but the cruise’s publicist, Rich, sold me. Told Almstead I would appeal to both the American youth culture, and to the older generations, who had watched me grow up on Andersons.
    Tamara also made it clear that this was a big break for me and I’d better not blow it.
    I take a breath, run my fingers through my hair, and reset my position, gesturing for Almstead and Zhang to step closer to me, against the rail. A small crowd has gathered.
    I nod to Tamara.
    She says roll, Cubby says rolling, and we’re off.
    â€œI’m Tom Fiorelli, coming to you from the deck of the Extravagance , and I have the pleasure of speaking to the two people who’ve brought us all here today: Mr. Timothy Almstead, America’s ‘Soda Pop King’ and the president of the Solu Corporation and CEO of Pipop; and Dr. Elise Zhang, the chief scientist of the Solu Corporation.”
    They answer with some “pleased to be here”s.
    â€œTell us, Mr. Almstead,” I continue. “What’s in store for the five hundred people who’ve come aboard today?”
    â€œFine dining. Shuffleboard. Some snappy shows featuring half-dressed showgirls.”
    He’s playing with me.
    â€œReally? Is that all?” I ask, pimping him a little.
    â€œWhy no. Funny you should ask. Every single passenger aboard is going to lose five to ten percent of their body fat, Tom. That’s a guarantee.”
    The people around us give a little cheer.
    â€œPeople on board are pretty excited about it,” I say.
    â€œAs they should be!” Almstead replies.
    Time to get Zhang in.
    â€œDr. Zhang, you developed the formula for Solu. Tell us, what makes Solu different from other weight-loss products?”
    â€œThe first difference is that Solu works,” she says. More cheers. “Solu safely and effectively shrinks fat cells. These excess fat molecules are voided harmlessly through normal physical elimination. Most importantly, once the