[Event to Remember 01.0] An Event to Remember...or Forget

by Melissa Baldwin

  “I just can’t believe this baby is in your tummy,” I say as I flip through the pictures.

  “That’s what I keep saying too. Matt was so funny today. He kept repeating ‘it’s a boy’ over and over,” she says, giggling.

  “Little Ace is going to be so loved.” Wow, I actually called him by his name for the first time. I guess I’ll get used to it over time, but I still want to try to talk her out of it.

  “So, have you guys thought of any other names? Maybe we should get you one of those baby name books?” I plead.

  “Funny and no. My baby’s name is Ace Matthew, and we’re not changing it. Why do you have such an issue with this name?”

  “I don’t have an issue . . .” I trail off. “It’s just . . . it will always be a reminder.”

  “A reminder of what?” she asks, raising her eyebrows.

  Ugh. Why am I trying so hard to hide my feelings from her?

  Her smug expression says she’s already figured me out.

  “A reminder of Ace. I’m really attracted to him, and I know I shouldn’t because I have a boyfriend whom I do love.” I pause. “The problem is, Luke has been so emotionally unavailable lately that I don’t feel like I’m important to him at all. When I talk to Ace, I feel like he wants to talk to me. I feel like I’m important to him.” I stop and wait for her to say something, but she doesn’t. “I know what you’re thinking. I can tell by the way you’re looking at me. You think I’ve completely lost my mind, right?” I wait for Abby’s response, but she’s still silent.

  “Say something!” I beg.

  “Sienna, does Luke make you happy? I mean, really happy? My mom always used to tell me that there’s more than one person for everybody. She said that it was possible to find happiness with different people. Do you remember when I dated Joey for a few years?”

  I nod my head. Joey was Abby’s first boyfriend. We all thought they would get married and live happily ever after.

  “At one time, I thought we would be together forever. Things didn’t work out, but if they had, I’m sure I would’ve been happy and had a wonderful life. Then I met Matt, and now I can’t imagine sharing my life with anyone else. He’s my soul mate.”

  She takes my hand and squeezes it tight. “My point is that I’m sure you and Luke would have a wonderful and happy life. Just make sure there’s not something even more amazing out there.” She gives me a warm smile. I know she’s right. Once I get through next weekend, I need to sit down with Luke and tell him how I’m feeling.

  “So, are you going to offer me some chili or let me starve?” I say, changing the subject.

  “Of course,” she says, laughing. “Come on.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” Abby says when we sit down to eat. “Has any of this ever come up in conversation with Ace? I mean, I’m sure the thought has crossed his mind as well.”

  I nod. “Yes, one time, and we both agreed that even though we’re attracted to each other, nothing would ever come of it. Ace is Luke’s friend, and after what happened when they were younger, I know he’d never let anything progress between us. So, I guess it really doesn’t matter what my feelings are.”

  Abby and I talk for a while, and I eat my weight in chili. I feel so much better after getting things off my chest. I know once Luke and I have a heart-to-heart, things will improve for us. I’m one-hundred percent committed to making our relationship better. I just hope he feels the same way.

  When I get home, I leave a message for Luke. I follow up on a few emails and make some notes for the next day. For the first time in a few weeks, I feel like one way or another, everything is going to be okay.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, I wake up feeling well rested. No bad dreams, no insomnia, and I make it to my morning spinning class. I’m also very careful not to speed on my way to work. I feel like today is going to be a great day.

  I’m the first one at the office, and the peace and quiet is nice. I set the date to move furniture into my new office for a few weeks out. That will give me time to close out Faith, Fashion, and Hope before I resign. After that, I think I need to take a few days off, maybe go to Vegas with Luke if he’s still taking weekend trips there. That’s one thing I’m really looking forward to. Working for Carrie’s Classic Events doesn’t allow for any vacation time. Of course, how could I since Carrie is on a trip almost every weekend? I’m also planning on meeting up with my parents in Florida when they get there in a few months. I think a few days at Walt Disney World would be awesome. I’ve always wanted to go there. I grew up going to Disneyland here in Southern California, but I have heard the Florida one is better—if that’s even possible?

  “Good morning,” Craig yells. “You’re here early.” He pops his head in my door. “Is it safe? Are you happy Sienna today or bad mood Sienna?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, feeling slightly offended. Maybe I have been in a bad mood lately. The more I think about it, I probably should sign up for one of those motivational seminars, or at least watch some videos online. It couldn’t hurt.

  “Well . . .”

  “I get it. I know I haven’t been myself lately. I think the stress of everything has been weighing on me, but I’m back on track. Soooo, let’s rock out this event and get the hell out of here.” We give each other a high five. Craig wanders out of my office, and I open my email.

  The first email is from Mr. Canton’s assistant.

  Sienna,

  Thank you for sending over all of the remaining paperwork. Unfortunately, Carrie failed to sign the attached two documents. I tried to contact her by phone and email and have gotten out of office responses. I need these documents ASAP in order to finalize everything. Please get these back to me—the sooner the better.

  Much Appreciated,

  Maria

  My heart sinks as I grab my phone to call Carrie. I get the same out of office response. I leave an urgent voice message and text.

  “Craig, is Nicole here yet?” I call.

  “Not yet.”

  “Please tell her to come in here as soon as she gets here. I need to get the info of whatever spa Carrie is visiting this weekend. She dropped the ball again, and I need her signature ASAP. I begged her to review all that paperwork.”

  “You could always sign for her,” Craig says as he pops his head in my office again. “No one would know the difference. Typical Carrie. It’s Friday morning, and she’ll probably be unreachable till Monday.”

  “No way! I’m not forging any documents, especially considering I’m quitting in a little over a week. And please follow up on the printing. I’m starting to get nervous about how long that’s taking.”

  I rub my temples. I’ve got to get in touch with Carrie. My whole career could depend on this.

  Nicole finally comes strolling in a little after ten. She always does this when Carrie is out of the office.

  “Nicole, I need the info of where Carrie is staying,” I demand.

  “Sienna, you know I can’t disclose that information. She gave me strict orders. She’ll fire me for sure.”

  I grit my teeth.

  “Nicole, she won’t fire you, and if she did, do you really care? I promise I won’t use it unless I haven’t heard back from her by this afternoon.” I practically have to get on my hands and knees and beg her to turn over the information. She finally gives it to me, and it turns out Carrie’s at a resort and spa in Palm Springs, which isn’t that far away. At least she thought enough not to go hundreds of miles away a week before a huge event.

  I respond to Maria and let her know I’ll get the info signed and sent back over as soon as I can. I know myself all too well that if I don’t get it today, I will stress about it all weekend. I try to focus on work and not worry about it, but I have a bad feeling.

  I’ve never actually tried to get in touch with Carrie while she was on one of her weekends away. It’s not that I’m worried about her getting mad, the worst thing she could do would be to fir
e me, and it doesn’t really matter at this point.

  Craig and I have had many conversations about what goes on at her spa weekends. We’re pretty sure that Carrie, Lucinda, Gwendolyn, and Elizabeth sit around and eat overpriced meals, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, get head-to-toe spa treatments, and gossip about everyone else they know. She’s never invited me to attend, and it’s not that I want to go. Although, it would be fun to see the making of what could be another train wreck reality show. Craig has always wanted to go, and if I can’t get her on the phone today, we may have to take a road trip.

  “Craig, can you come to my office?” I call over the phone intercom.

  “Here I am.” He comes in eating a bowl of cereal.

  “What are you eating?”

  “Um, Lucky Charms. Don’t judge me, okay? It’s my guilty pleasure.”

  “Whatever,” I say shaking my head. “So, Carrie hasn’t called me back yet. I’m starting to panic. I need those documents signed today. I’m going to try her at the resort, but if I can’t get in touch with her, we’re taking a road trip.”

  “Are you serious?” He sets his bowl on my desk and jumps up and down like a kid in a candy store. “We can crash the sorority weekend? This is my dream come true.”

  “Seeing Carrie at a spa is your dream come true?” I ask. “Wow, you need to find a hobby or something.”

  Poor Craig. Since his last relationship ended, he’s thrown himself into his work, but this is ridiculous.

  “Anyway, I’ll take her the documents and give them to her. You’re just coming along for the ride.” I’m praying she’ll call me back before we have to go down there though. I would rather spend my Friday night doing anything other than dealing with the wrath of Carrie.

  “I hope she doesn’t call back,” he insists. “But if she does, can we still go and spy on her?”

  “No,” I say not looking up from my computer screen.

  He groans. “You’re no fun.”

  Craig leaves my office, and I can’t help but giggle. It would be kind of fun, but I don’t tell him that.

  I send another text to Carrie’s phone. Madison calls me a little while later, and I tell her all about the unsigned documents, the missing Carrie, and that Craig and I may take a drive to Palm Springs later today.

  “It’s the last thing I want to do, but I have to get this done today for my sanity. You know me, I’ll stress about it all weekend.”

  “Yeah, you will. This is probably throwing your OCD into a complete tailspin,” she says, laughing.

  “Ha ha,” I say, not amused. “Anyway, it’s looking like we’ll be heading down there after work.”

  “Cole took me to an amazing little Italian restaurant near there. I’ll ask him the name,” she adds. “Wait a second, he’s working tonight. Can I crash your road trip?”

  “Seriously? This isn’t going to be fun,” I exclaim.

  “Well, let’s make it fun. Come on, you might as well make the best of it.”

  She’s right.

  “I guess we’re taking a road trip.”

  I smile to myself. This reminds me of the days when we would just be hanging at home and decide to pick up and stay at the beach. I miss those carefree days.”

  “That’s the spirit,” she says. “This will be a blast. We can stop at that restaurant on the way. My only request is that I wait in the car when you go in to see Carrie. I’m too much of a chicken to be there when you barge in on her weekend. And I already know her friends won’t be happy to see me.” She giggles.

  “I wish I could wait in the car with you. I would just get a courier, but I need these documents asap. At least with you guys coming, we can make a fun evening of it.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, I have to finish up. Meet us here at the office around four o’clock.”

  We hang up, and I tell Craig that Madison is coming with us.

  Honestly, you would think this is the greatest day of his life by the way he’s dancing around the office. In the meantime, I continue to leave several messages for Carrie. I would think she would check her phone at some point today.

  Nicole is a complete wreck when she finds out we’re going to the resort. Carrie hasn’t returned one single call or text. I even called the resort and was told that she asked not to be disturbed and would not be taking any calls. Knowing Carrie, she got my messages but probably thinks it can wait until Monday. I wouldn’t be surprised because on more than one occasion Carrie has told me that I overreact to things. In all fairness, she’s probably right, but I wouldn’t be that bad if I knew I could actually depend on her.

  Madison arrives at the office right around four p.m. On the way to the resort, we stop off at Marcello’s, and it’s just as amazing as Madison said it would be.

  We’re in the middle of a great game of ’80s music trivia when Madison asks about Ace. “Have you talked to him lately?” she says, turning to face me. If I weren’t driving in nightmare traffic, I would have turned and punched her. That was all she had to say to get Craig all fired up.

  “Yeah, I’m really interested in hearing more about the dreamy Mr. Eckelund,” Craig says, sticking his head in between the front seats. “I know we’re planning a launch for his company, but you haven’t said much more about him. It’s time for you to come clean.”

  “Come clean about what. There isn’t much to tell.” I turn and give Madison the evil eye. “We can’t officially plan that party until we’re working as Sheer Happiness Events. I already told you this, Craig.”

  “I know that part. I mean, what’s your relationship with him for real? Not just the whole ‘he’s Luke’s friend’ story,” he asks.

  I take a deep breath, now is as good of a time as any to just be honest.

  I sigh deeply. “Fine, I’ve been attracted to Ace since the second I met him, and the feeling is mutual. I enjoy talking to him because he’s positive and cheerful. It always seems like he’s happy to talk to me, and he takes the time to ask about my life. At the same time, attraction isn’t love. I love Luke, and I realize it’s okay to feel attracted to someone else. It doesn’t always mean that something more would come about. So, yes, we’re attracted to each other, but that’s where it ends.”

  When I stop talking, both Madison and Craig are silent. Either they’re surprised at my explanation or surprised I was honest. Surprisingly, they don’t interrogate at all, and I let out a deep breath I’d been holding in.

  Following my admission, the conversation changes to Madison’s wedding. I’m just grateful to not be the topic of discussion any longer.

  After a few hours on the road, thanks to all the Friday night traffic, we finally arrive at the resort. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t help but feel envious of Carrie as we make our way to the concierge desk. I’m slaving away for her company, and she’s basking in luxury. Craig and Madison take a tour while I try to contact Carrie.

  I do have her room information that I practically had to kill Nicole for, but I’ll try every method I can to find her before showing up at her room.

  “Excuse me,” I ask as I approach the desk. “Can you please call Carrie Anderstone in Suite 1500? It’s an urgent business matter.”

  “One moment, madam,” says the desk attendant. I glance at his nametag, which reads, ‘My name is Emmitt. I’m here to assist you.’

  “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. However, I see a Do Not Disturb message on that suite. I’m afraid I have to honor our guests’ wishes. I’ll be happy to leave a note for when she comes by to check,” he says apologetically. “I believe Ms. Anderstone stops by in the morning or early afternoon.”

  “I’m afraid that’ll be too late. This is absolutely an emergency. Please. I will take full responsibility,” I beg.

  Finally, after several more minutes of begging, pleading, and even a little flirting, Emmitt places a call to Carrie’s room.

  Of course, she doesn’t answer, so he leaves a message for her. Crap! She’s probably out for the evenin
g. This really was a horrible idea. Why do I have to be so obsessive about things? I remind myself that this paperwork should’ve already been sent over. This is not my fault, but it’s my responsibility to do whatever I need to do in order to get things done.

  I sit down on a huge chaise lounge chair and try to figure out my next step. Of course, I can’t go to her room because she’s on a concierge floor, and I have no chance of getting past the elevator rent-a-cop. Even if I could, I don’t know if I would go through with it. Considering how private Carrie is, I know she would fire me on the spot regardless of the upcoming event. I can’t do that to the Cantons.

  I send Madison a text to meet me in the lobby. I’m really regretting this rash decision to come here. A few minutes later, Craig and Madison return raving about the resort.

  “Sienna, you need to see this place. We have to host some events here. It’s amazing,” Craig says as he sits down and sprawls out on one of the huge wingback chairs. “So, did you find Carrie? Did she go ballistic on you?”

  “No. But I did manage to beg my good friend Emmitt over there to call her room. He left her a message, and I’m sure he’ll get written up when she contacts the manager—and you know she will. This was just a bad idea from the start, so let’s just go home.” I grab my bag and look for my keys. “I’ll just send an email to Maria and let her know I’ll have the documents signed on Monday. Hopefully, that will be okay.”

  “Why don’t we just go up to her room?” asks Madison innocently. “We could pull the room service or housekeeping card just like on TV.”

  “No way!” exclaims Craig. “You don’t know Carrie like we do. She’ll fire us on the spot or have us arrested or maybe even killed.”

  We all laugh at that last part, but really you never know.

  “Don’t you think you two are overreacting? You have a legitimate reason to find her, and it will only take two seconds. What’s the big deal?”