I roll my eyes. “Apparently, her therapist is helping her overcome her issues. Who knows? It’s not like she can be trusted anyway. By any chance did she tell you what she wants to talk to me about?” This really stinks, I thought she would leave me alone after I agreed to make peace. Obviously, that’s not the case.
She shakes her head. “No, she just asked when you would be in and that she’d come back.”
Seriously, this never ends.
“That’s just the way I wanted to start off my work day,” I say sarcastically. “Oh well, I can’t worry about it and we have a lot to get done, so let’s just get to work.”
We sit down and go over a few upcoming events and I pull out my folders for Faith, Fashion, and Hope. That event is looming and I don’t want to get so sidetracked that it falls through the cracks. Since this was the event that really kick-started my career, we need to step up our game even more this year.
“Anything from Craig?” Nicole asks after we’re quietly working.
I look up from my laptop and groan. “Yes, he sent me a short and sweet text that he was reviewing my requests and would be in touch.” I laugh. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell me he was having an attorney look it over, you never know with Craig.” I pause. “Honestly, there were four or five things on that list, nothing that should require more than a few minutes of thought. He’s completely overreacting to this and I should know . . . being that I’m the queen of overreacting.”
Nicole laughs. “I admit it’s been kind of sad without him around here. He did make things interesting.”
I frown. I completely agree with her. Maybe I’m taking this too far. Maybe I’m trying to force something that’s not meant to be. Craig is who he is and I knew that when I hired him. Maybe he’s right and I have changed.
“Not that I want to bring this up again, but didn’t Carrie start a new company with her friends?” Nicole asks.
I’m still thinking about the Craig situation. She’s switching topics from one stressful situation to another. Although, she makes a good point and I should have asked Carrie more about that when she cornered me in the coffee shop.
I nod. “I think so but that’s thing with Carrie, she always has her hands and her money in lots of different ventures, so you never know what she’s focusing on. You have to give her credit, though, she has made her own success. The problem is that she can’t get out of her own way.”
Nicole looks deep in thought. “So, all of a sudden she wants to make peace with you and now she’s showing up here? Don’t you think she’s up to something?”
That is exactly what I’m afraid of, that Carrie is either setting me up or trying to butter me up for something. It could be something very simple or it could be huge, you just never know.
“Possibly,” I say flatly. “But I’ve given too much of my attention to Carrie. There’s nothing I can do other than wait to find out what kind of new drama she’s trying to bring into my life.”
“Why do you think she keeps coming back?” Nicole asks.
I’m so tired of talking about this. She must sense my frustration. “Sorry I keep bringing it up, but I’m really curious,” she apologizes.
I chew on my pen cap. “Why do I think she keeps coming back?” I reiterate her question. “I have a few theories but I can’t be sure. As I said, you never know with Carrie and there’s always the chance that she doesn’t have an agenda at all.”
I wish I could take my own advice. I’m always spouting off stuff about trying not to let things worry me, and what do I do? Worry. And speaking of worrying, when I check my phone I find three texts from Ace asking me to call him when I get a chance. I have a feeling I know what this is about. I’m sure Maureen filled him in on our day yesterday, including her blabbing about Lisa and the “almost” engagement.
I tell Nicole that I have to return a call and close my office door. I try calling Ace back but he doesn’t answer. I’m sorry that he has to stress about this on his first day with his mom, but then again, he was the one who left out that little piece of information.
My thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Come on in, Nicole,” I call.
I look up, but it’s not Nicole, it’s Ace.
“Hey,” I say, getting up from my chair. “I just tried calling you back. What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be spending the day with your mom.”
He comes in and closes the door behind him.
“I am, but I had to see you first,” he says dramatically.
“Okay,” I say calmly.
He sits down in the chair across from me and runs his hand through his hair. I notice he does that when he gets nervous. The only time I’ve ever seen him nervous is when he’s talking to me about something important. When it comes to his career, he never seems nervous, or at least he doesn’t show it.
“I’m so sorry. I had every intention of telling you that I was planning to propose to Lisa,” he says slowly. “When I initially told you the story, you were so distraught and I didn’t want to add any more pain. You’ve been through enough.”
I put my hand on his arm. “I know.”
“I honestly thought it didn’t matter because I never went through with it. Even to this day Lisa doesn’t know I had a ring.” He pauses. “Yesterday, when you and Mum were talking about Lisa, she assumed I told you everything. Now she feels terrible, too, and all of this is my fault. I should have just been honest.”
Ace and I sit in silence. But it’s not a bad silence—at least I don’t think so.
“Ace, it’s okay,” I tell him. “Am I happy that you were going to propose to her—of course not . . . but I can’t change that. I wish this would have stayed in the past but it didn’t.”
He grabs my hand and leans in to me. Our lips are so close they’re almost touching and my heart speeds up as it always does when Ace is so close to me.
“Sienna, I have never been as sure of anything in my life as I am about our future,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry.”
I don’t say a word. I place my hands on his cheeks. Before I know it, we’re kissing and I forget all about Lisa and some engagement that never was. We’re startled by a knock at the door. I throw my head back in frustration.
“I will be right there, Nicole,” I yell. I look at Ace and he nods. “I will let you get back to work. Can you come over tonight? Please? Mum is having dinner with a friend.”
I give him one more kiss. “I would love that.”
When Ace and I walk out of my office, we’re greeted by Nicole who has the same worried look on her face that she had when I arrived this morning. And I can see why. Carrie is back already.
“Carrie,” I exclaim.
Ace frowns. “What the hell are you doing here?” he snaps. “I will see you out, let’s go or I’d be happy to have the police escort you out if need be.”
Carrie ignores him. “Sienna, I’m sorry to interrupt. Obviously, you’re very . . . busy.” She smirks and looks Ace up and down a few times. “Anyway, I only need a few minutes.”
“She has nothing to say to you,” Ace yells. “Get out.”
I can tell she’s fighting the urge to say something rude, but she continues to ignore him. “Please. A few minutes.”
I’m probably going to regret this but I agree to hear her out. Ace looks shocked.
“Sienna, you know I stay out of your business, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to entertain . . .” He pauses as he gives Carrie a disgusted look. “Certain people.”
“I will be fine,” I assure him. “If I hear her out, then maybe she will leave. I will see you tonight.”
He doesn’t look convinced. “Well, I think I might hang around for a few minutes, if that’s okay?”
I remind him about his mom, but he insists on staying. I don’t have the time to argue with him, especially because I know it won’t do any good. He makes himself comfortable on the couch, so I ask Carrie to follow me to my office. Nicole is stil
l watching everything looking like a deer caught in headlights.
“All right, Carrie, make this fast, I have a long list of work to get done,” I tell her as I sit down behind my desk.
I watch her looking curiously around my office as she sits down in a chair. “I must tell you, Sienna, I’m very impressed with you. You’ve done very well for yourself.”
Compliments aren’t exactly Carrie’s thing, so of course I’m skeptical of her.
“Thanks,” I say shortly. “Now, what is it that you want to discuss?”
She smiles. “You’ve always been so efficient. That’s one of the reasons I hired you so many years ago.”
And here we go, the reminder that she gave me my first job in this industry. Manipulation was always one of her tactics.
“Okay, Carrie, that’s enough . . . please get on with it or you can go ahead and leave.”
She opens her mouth to say something but stops and closes her eyes. I can hear her counting to ten. That must be some kind of exercise from her therapist. When she opens her eyes, she smiles.
“Yes,” she says quickly. “As you know, I’m still in the hospitality industry. I’m part owner in several hotels and we’re looking to partner up with an event planning company to handle any events we host.” She stops and looks around again. “It’s no secret that you’ve made this company a success in a short amount of time, so I was wondering if there was any chance that Sheer Happiness would partner with us.” She holds up her hand. “Now before you say anything, please let me finish.”
Am I hallucinating? I’m expecting to wake up at any moment. She can’t be asking me to work with her again.
“This wouldn’t be an everyday occurrence. Sheer Happiness would just be the go-to company for our customers.”
I’m so confused. It sounds like she wants to refer customers to Sheer Happiness. I don’t quite understand why this would require us to “partner” up. At the same time, I don’t want my company to have any connection to Carrie. She may have some important connections but her reputation hasn’t always been the best.
“Carrie, I appreciate you trying to make up for the past but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to partner or collaborate on anything,” I say firmly. “If you choose to refer people to my company, that’s your decision but that doesn’t require us to work together.”
She quietly looks down at her hands. “Well, you don’t have to decide today. So I will check back with you soon.” Before I can say anything, she practically flies out of my office and out the front door. Ace runs into my office.
“Are you all right?” he asks worriedly. “What did she want?”
I tell him about our conversation, and he starts to laugh.
“That makes no sense,” he says. “It’s very apparent that she’s trying to worm her way back into your life.”
Of course, she is, I think to myself. Ace walks over to me and guides me to my feet so he can wrap his arms around me.
“I love you. Please just stay away from her.”
I nod.
“I better go, but I will see you tonight.” He gives me a long passionate kiss.
After he leaves I think about my conversation with Carrie. I wonder if it is possible that she really is trying to make peace. Maybe, just maybe, she’s trying to make up for the past. I know the chances are unlikely, but who knows?
“Sienna?” Nicole says, bringing my attention back to the present.
“Don’t worry, Nicole. Everything is fine,” I tell her. She gives me a nervous smile and heads back to her desk.
No matter what happens now, nothing can change the past. And that not only goes for my situation with Carrie but for Ace and Lisa, too.
*~*~*
Lately, it seems like I’m always dealing with some kind of messy situation. The day calmed down after Carrie left the office, and I’m looking forward to spending time with Ace tonight. When I arrive at his house, I check my emails, and sure enough, I find one from Kami. I’ve been dreading this since Abby told me that she wanted me to plan her wedding. I have no idea what to do.
I find Ace hard at work at his computer. I sit down dramatically on the couch.
“How was your day with your mom?” I ask.
He closes his laptop and joins me on the couch. “Our day was wonderful, but what about you? It’s obvious something’s bothering you. It’s not Carrie, is it?”
I shake my head. “No, I actually wish it was Carrie. I just got an email from Abby’s friend Kami. She wants me to plan her wedding.”
Ace shutters. “Oh.”
I force a smile. “Yep. I just don’t know what to do. I hardly know Kami, so why do I have to be the one to crush this poor girl’s dream? I absolutely can’t do this wedding, but Abby already talked to her and now she’s expecting it.”
Ace looks like he’s deep in thought. “Let’s go out. I think you need it.”
*~*~*
An hour later, we’re enjoying a fabulous meal and Ace was 100% right, I really did need to get out. We’re joking about his mother walking in on us this morning. Out of the corner of my eye I see Craig standing next to the bar. He’s laughing loudly and being his usual jovial self. Hmm . . . he obviously isn’t that worried about his job or money. Ace looks over his shoulder to where I’m staring.
“Oh no, I’m sorry, love. This dinner was supposed to take your mind off of work.”
I shrug my shoulders. “It’s perfectly fine. I’m just happy to be here with you.”
A few minutes later Craig sees me and walks over to our table.
“Hey, stranger,” he says as he gives me a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve been meaning to come by the office to get everything squared away. I was actually planning to stop by tomorrow.”
Yeah right, I think to myself but I just smile. “That’s great.”
After some awkward small talk, he says good-bye and heads back to the bar. I see Ace staring at me. “Are you planning on keeping Craig on your staff?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I guess I will hear what he has to say tomorrow,” I tell him. “The thing is, when Craig is focused, he’s a fantastic employee. I know I shouldn’t reward him for his behavior, but it would be a loss from a creativity standpoint. On a good note, I’m meeting with Nicole’s friend Tracy tomorrow. Regardless, my team is growing with or without Craig.”
No matter what Craig has to say, I think Sheer Happiness is in need of some fresh blood and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
On our way home from the restaurant, Ace is talking a mile a minute but I’m distracted. He asks me what I’m thinking about.
“I was just thinking about something your mother said,” I say.
Ace doesn’t take his eyes off the road. “Is this something else about Lisa?”
“Actually, no,” I tell him. I notice his shoulders relax. He must have tensed up when I mentioned my time with Maureen.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can, and I promise I will tell you the truth. The whole truth.” He laughs nervously.
I squeeze his arm.
“Do you think having a big wedding is really worth it? Or do you think something small and intimate is better?”
We pull up at his place, but he doesn’t turn off the car. Ace looks confused. “What are you saying?”
“Oh, I’m not saying that I don’t want a wedding,” I insist. “I was just surprised that your mom made this suggestion. I would have thought she would want to see her baby boy get married.”
Ace looks out the window. “Mum has always been very supportive. I’m sure she will be fine with whatever we decide.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Do you not want a big wedding?” I ask. “I was just wondering if she asked me because of something you said.”
He shakes his head. “Absolutely not.”
Hmm . . . so she must have come up with that on her own.
“So, you’re okay with having a big fancy wedding?” I ask.
He leans his head against the seat and looks into my eyes. “I’m fine with having any kind of wedding you want, either big and fancy or small and intimate. But, remember you promised me that we wouldn’t be making any plans until you were ready.”
I nod. “Of course, I remember. And I am ready, so let’s pick a venue tonight,” I say excitedly.
He grabs my hand and kisses it. “You know I would marry you anywhere. Even that tacky pink hotel where Madison had her wedding.” He cracks a smile.
Poor Madie, I think to myself.
“Whatever you do, never let her hear you say that,” I demand. “That’s still a very sensitive subject.”
He pretends to zip his lips and gives me a sly smile.
Chapter 18
“I’ve been so excited for today to come,” Tracy says when she sits down. “When Nicole told me that you were looking to hire someone, I freaked out. Sheer Happiness is famous.”
Famous? I think to myself. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not.
I’ve only met Tracy the one time she helped us with an event, and honestly, it was so busy and I was so frazzled that I didn’t have much of a chance to talk to her. She’s been here all of five minutes and I’m already so impressed. She’s outgoing and bubbly and I think she would be a lot of fun to have around the office.
I left Craig two messages asking him to get back to me so I can proceed as far as his position goes. I have no idea what to think and I’m really disappointed in him.
I tell Tracy all about what her responsibilities would entail and she doesn’t bat an eye. She’s been an admin assistant for ten months at her current place of employment and that’s basically what she would do for me right now. And I already know that she and Nicole work well together, so it’s a no-brainer. I offer her the job on the spot and she happily accepts.
“I know this is totally unprofessional, but . . . yay,” she cheers. I laugh. I think she is just the person we need to liven things up around here.
When Tracy and I walk out of my office, I’m surprised to find Craig sitting with Nicole. Wow, I can’t believe he actually showed up.
Not Quite Sheer Happiness Page 14
