“Even if you wanted to, huh?” He gave me a little smile. “Well. Okay then. Guess we’ll just work together, then.” Dominic gave me a forced smile, and he tried to give me a playful shove, but when he pushed my arm the coffee splashed out of my mug and on to my blouse, in a horrifying repeat of our first meeting, but this time with a stain.
I gasped. So did he. “What are you doing—“ I began, but this time he started babbling.
“Oh, oh no, that was not supposed to happen. Here – let me grab you a towel. Oh, man, at least I didn’t knock you over this time too, right? You must totally hate me right now. Here, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped, grabbing the towel from him. “Coffee leaves stains, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, really. I’ll pay to have it dry cleaned. And I’ll buy you a cupcake, too, just to apologize, nothing more.”
“I have a sweater in my bag. I’ll change in to that and let this soak in the bathroom sink. It shouldn’t need to be dry cleaned.” I didn’t need him doing me any more favors. I grabbed my half-empty mug and began stomping towards the hallway where the offices were located.
“Hey, wait, Natalie, just a sec!”
I turned around to see what he wanted. “Yes?”
“So, the birthday party is a go, then?” asked Dominic, like he hadn’t just tried to ask me out on a date, and hadn’t then spilled coffee all over me. “Can I start planning? I was going to hire one of those people who dress up as princesses and do face painting and all that jazz.”
Unbelievable. I was actually beginning to wonder if I had just imagined him asking me out, and then backtracking. He had switched back so easily to planning Lillian Wachowski’s party. Well, if he wanted to spend his time planning a birthday party for a three-year-old, let him. It would keep him busy and out of my hair, and he was right, the pictures would be a hit on Instagram. “Fine. Do whatever you want. Just so you know, the budget that Hartley House will be able to contribute will be something like fifty dollars. We’ll have to talk to Ryan, but I can’t see it being much more than that. So if you want a big pony cake and face-painting princesses, that’s going to have to come out of your own pocket. Okay?”
My logic was holding strong. Since he made a ton of money throwing a ball for the Tigers, he could spend some of it on all the face-painting princesses he wanted.
“Understood,” said Dominic quickly.
“And,” I added, spotting a sink full of dishes out of the corner of my eye, “if you truly want to be helpful around here, you can empty the dishwasher from last night and then clean up all that mess from breakfast.”
“Got it,” said Dominic. “Anything else?”
He was so completely infuriating. Just how he stood there, looking at me with those calm eyes. He wasn’t rattled at all by what had just happened. Did he have ice water running in his veins or something? “I’ll let you know if I can think of anything else you can do to help,” I snapped, and walked out of the kitchen towards the bathroom with as much authority as I could muster.
Luckily for my coworkers, I didn’t see anybody else on my way to the bathroom. I could hear Ryan talking to Teresa in her office, so I grabbed my tote bag and hurried to the bathroom. I had a sweater at the bottom of my bag and even though it didn’t really go with my pants like the blouse did, I threw it on anyway so I could rinse out the blouse in the sink. What did it matter what I looked like anyway? I wasn’t trying to impress anybody. I left my wet blouse hanging up in the bathroom, hoping Teresa or Claudia wouldn’t see it, then hurried back to my desk.
Ryan was back by then. “Am I crazy?” he asked. “Weren’t you wearing a different shirt this morning?”
“Spilled coffee on it,” I said shortly.
“Man, you’re having some bad luck with that lately,” he said.
I ignored his comment. “Ryan, do we have anything in the budget for a party?”
“Party for who?”
“Lillian Wachowski’s birthday is coming up. It’s the day before her brother Ethan’s bone marrow transplant. I doubt Amy and Chris are going to be in a place, emotionally, to do much for her, so we might throw her a small party.”
“Aw, that’s nice,” said Ryan. “I’ll check the budget. We’ll definitely have something. I’m talking dollar store decorations and a box of cake mix from the grocery store, at least.”
“Great,” I said, shifting in my chair to try and find a less uncomfortable position. “It doesn’t have to be much to make her feel special.”
“Little kids are easily impressed,” Ryan agreed. “Was the party your idea?.”
I hated to admit that the new volunteer had better ideas than me, but I couldn’t take credit for an idea that wasn’t mine. “No,” I said reluctantly. “It was Dominic’s.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow and smirked. He saw my scowl and turned his head back to his work. Smart guy.
9
I spent most of the rest of the day at my desk, hiding from Dominic. I organized my desk, did some paperwork, and spent several minutes scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, telling myself it counted as work because I was on Hartley House’s account, going through our followers and following most of them back. Dominic, presumably, cleaned up the kitchen and then started planning a toddler’s birthday party, because I didn’t hear from him for the rest of the day.
The next day, Teresa was sitting in her office with the door wide open when I came in. “Natalie!” she yelled as soon as she saw me. “Can you come in here once you’re settled? I want to talk to you.”
“Sure, Teresa,” I said cheerfully, but inside I immediately began panicking. Had Dominic complained to her about me? Truthfully, I hadn’t been that polite to him the past few days.
Had she gotten wind of Lillian Wachowski’s birthday party and was going to yell at me for not clearing it with her first? I should have cleared it with her first. I hadn’t even mentioned it to her. I’d asked Ryan about a budget for the party, but hadn’t even mentioned it to Teresa. Teresa did not like being out of the loop.
By the time I’d taken off my coat and switched my boots for a pair of flats I kept at work, I’d worked myself up in to a tizzy. I desperately wanted to swing by the kitchen and grab some coffee for strength before going in to Teresa’s office, but I didn’t want to run in to Dominic. Talking to him would leave me even more frazzled. When I couldn’t think of any more reasons for putting it off, I took a deep breath and walked in to her office, like it was a lion’s den.
“Morning, Teresa,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Did you leave a shirt in the bathroom yesterday?” she asked me, holding out my blouse from yesterday.
I exhaled. That was all? “Oops, I did. I totally forgot about it. I spilled hot coffee all over it so I washed it out in the sink and put on a sweater I had in my bag. I must’ve forgotten it in the bathroom. Thanks.” I reached out and took the blouse from her. “Is that all?”
“No,” said Teresa. “I just wanted to talk with you about how things are going. How’s Dominic settling in?”
“Great,” I said, faking the cheerfulness in my voice. “He asked me yesterday about having a birthday party for Lillian Wachowski. Her birthday is the day before Ethan’s bone marrow transplant is scheduled. He thinks we should do something to make it special for her. Ryan’s given us a small budget but Dominic is willing to spend some of his own money, too. He thinks the pictures from the party will be a hit on Instagram.”
Teresa nodded. “That sounds great. Getting some attention online is good, but remember, ultimately our goal is to take our likes and shares online and turn them in to sponsorships, donations, and community engagement. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed, a bit discouraged that Teresa didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the birthday party as Ryan had been. “It does take time to build up to asking for donations. We can’t ask for donations as soon as people like our page. I know it’s important, but it’s a process.”
&nb
sp; “Okay, then,” said Teresa. “I’ll check in with you later today.” She turned towards her computer, and I recognized that I’d been dismissed. I went back to my desk, mumbling a hello to Ryan as I passed him at his hallway desk.
Back in my closet, I sat at my desk trying to plot out my next step. I pulled my phone back out and began the mindless social media scroll, glancing at pictures and articles without really seeing them. There was a cat video, there was a news article about local politicians, there was a viral blog post, there was Kelli Carter showing off some hair serum that was amazing. According to her, the company had totally not given the product to her at all. She’d found it on her own and the product had absolutely changed her life. Then there was a funny meme about Wednesdays.
Wait a second. I scrolled back up and stared at the picture of Kelli Carter. Companies donated goods to people with huge social media followings all the time, in return for their product being promoted. Excitedly, I turned to my computer and searched for the email address of the bakery on Poplar Street that had done my nephew Owen’s birthday cake.
I started composing an email to them, asking if they would consider either donating or giving us a reduced price on a birthday cake for Lillian Wachowski, in return for us promoting their bakery to our seven thousand followers. I was amazed at that number. Seven thousand. More than five times the number of followers we’d had last week.
I felt a little weird asking for free stuff, but told myself the worst that could happen was they would say no. After I pressed send, I stood up triumphantly and headed towards the kitchen for some coffee.
The kitchen was empty, and I was a little disappointed. You didn’t want to see him this morning, I reminded myself. He’s a jerk and he laughs at you and spills things on you and then laughs again.
I should have gone back to my desk. I could tell Ryan about the possible deal on a cake I was working on. Ryan would be impressed, and that would leave more money in the budget for things like balloons and decorations and party hats.
But if Dominic was planning the party, he should probably know what I’d done, I reasoned. So it made sense for me to go looking for him. I’d brought a travel mug with a lid today, to ensure I didn’t get anything else spilled on me, and once it was full I headed out to search the house for him.
I checked the living room, and then headed upstairs. He wasn’t there either. I went back downstairs and looked in the kitchen again, and there he was, sitting at a table with Ryan drinking coffee and eating cinnamon buns.
“There you are,” I said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
“Sorry,” said Dominic, looking stricken. “I got here late, then I went to your desk to look for you, then I found Ryan and we came to have a snack. Want one?”
It was only a cinnamon bun. Of course I should take it, just to be polite. “Okay,” I said, taking the last one. “I was looking for you because I wanted to tell you that I just contacted that bakery I was telling you about, the one that did my nephew’s birthday cake? I reached out to them to see if they would consider giving us a discount on a cake in return for publicity on social media.”
“Oh, that’s awesome!” Dominic exclaimed. “Cakes are expensive, man. I think Lillian wants princesses and ponies on her cake. Maybe unicorns. Or unicorns and ponies. Definitely ponies, though. I’ll have to talk to her and double check.”
“Right,” I said. “And you had mentioned getting someone to dress up as a princess and do face painting? I might check around and see if I can find a local business that does that, then approach them with the same offer as the bakery. Publicity in exchange for reduced cost.”
“You’re so good at this,” said Dominic admiringly.
“Well, it is her job,” said Ryan.
I had forgotten that Ryan was still sitting at the table. I glared at him. “Thanks for the support, Ryan.”
“I meant, way to go,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of wiggle room for the party so whatever you can do to stretch that, go for it.”
“I’m not going to worry about the money,” said Dominic. “If there’s something we want that the budget won’t cover, I’ll make up the difference. Lillian deserves to have an epic birthday party. I think all the kids will enjoy it, too.”
“Is there anything else you wanted to do at the party I could try this negotiating tactic with?” I asked. “I don’t know, catering? A balloon guy? Bounce house?”
“Where are you going to put the bounce house?” asked Ryan. “It’s the middle of January. Can’t go outside. You’d have to rent a place.”
“Okay, maybe not a bounce house,” I said.
“Ice sculpture of a pony, maybe,” Ryan suggested.
“Oh! A Sno-Cone bar!” Dominic almost jumped out of his seat. “Or ice cream sundaes.”
“Also, what time are you thinking?” I asked. “Do you want the party on Lillian’s actual birthday? Or the day before?”
“Her birthday is a Sunday, right?” asked Dominic, calming down a little. “The day before Ethan’s bone marrow transplant?”
“That’s right, it’s in a week and a half.”
“Let’s just do it on the Sunday, then,” he said. “Give everyone something to take their minds off the transplant. Let’s say two o’clock. By then everyone should be back from church.”
“Most of the residents go to the early service at the hospital chapel. They’ll be at the hospital by then. The kids don’t always go with them. So any time after about noon will be good, I think. We may not have many adults here, but the kids should all be around.”
“Alright, then. I think we could have it at lunch time. You think you can get us a deal on some pizzas?”
“I’ll come in to work on Sunday if there’s free cake and pizza,” said Ryan.
“What makes you think you’re invited?” I retorted. Ryan looked so stricken that I had to laugh at him. “Never mind, of course you’re invited. Just bring her a present and post some pictures on Instagram.”
“Everyone here is invited,” said Dominic. “It’s a date!”
I was looking at him when he said it. I turned away quickly, confused. “I have to go,” I said. “I have work to do.” And I hurried away from them before either one could say anything else to me.
10
It took a few days to hear back from everyone and hammer out the details, but once I had them, I almost broke Teresa’s office door down to tell her the news.
“Teresa! This is huge,” I said, banging her door open.
She peeled her eyes away from her computer screen long enough to look at me. “What’s going on?” she asked.
I closed the door behind me and sat down in the chair next to her desk. “It’s about Lillian Wachowski’s party this weekend,” I said. “I got the idea to approach some local vendors and see if they would be interested in either making a donation to her party or giving us a discount in exchange for us promoting their brand on social media.”
“Oh?” Teresa looked interested now. She tilted her head to the side, listening intently. “And how did that work out?”
“We got them. All of them,” I beamed, showing her my phone. “Look. My nephew’s birthday cake came from this bakery, it was amazing. She’s going to make us a cake with ponies and unicorns on it for half the price she normally charges. Dominic’s going to cover the rest,” I added quickly, since even at half price the cake would have taken up most of our budget. “We’re going to post a ton of pictures to all of our followers and tag the bakery in all of them.”
Teresa’s face lit up with a genuine smile. “Natalie, that’s fantastic!” she exclaimed. “Good for you. This is a great step forward.”
“That’s not all,” I said proudly. “I also worked out a deal with Princess Anastasia, this woman who dresses up as different princesses and does stuff like face painting and tea parties, that kind of thing. Dominic thinks Lillian will love her. I’m sure all the kids will. And a pizza place. I tried emailing a few pizza chains and ask
ing them if we could work something, but they were all national chains with big advertising budgets so we didn’t have much to offer them. But then I called Gino’s – this place in a strip mall in the business park near the ball park. And they were happy to give us some pizzas in exchange for some social media coverage.”
I thought Teresa’s eyes were going to pop out of her head. She jumped out of her seat and wrapped me in a big hug. “Amazing!” she crowed. “You’ve worked really hard on this, I can tell. Good for you.”
I puffed up under her praise. I knew I’d done great work, but hearing Teresa actually say those words out loud meant a lot to me. “Thanks,” I said. “I’m really pleased, too. Lillian’s going to have a great party.”
“How is the rest of the party coming along?” Teresa asked. “It’s going to be Sunday at lunchtime, I think you said?”
“That’s right,” I said. “Pizza and cake, balloons and face painting.”
“Do you have everything you need? I think we have plates and cups for everyone in the kitchen, but anything else you need?”
“I’m sure there’s some stuff to be picked up,” I said. “Dominic has been handling most of the planning.”
“Why don’t you guys go and get the rest of the party supplies today, then,” she suggested. “Ryan’s given you a budget, right? I’ll give you Hartley House’s bank card and you can buy what you need. Party hats, party blowers, balloons, all that stuff.”
“’You guys’?” I echoed. “You want me to take Dominic and go?”
“Well, you said he’s the one doing most of the planning, right?”
“Why doesn’t he just go on his own?” I asked.
“He’s been a great addition to the team, and I do trust him, but if I’m handing over Hartley House’s bank card I’d prefer that it’s to an actual employee. And, can we really trust a single man to know what to get?”
I frowned. “But he said he was going to use his money to cover anything else that we couldn’t get donated, so couldn’t he just go and—“
Good Works (Hero Hearts: Contemporary) Page 5
