An Event to Remember. . .or Forget (Event to Remember Series Book 1)

by Baldwin, Melissa

  “Sorry, ladies, I have a very professional relationship with Carrie. Her life is private, and I make an effort to stay out of it. Have you all had a chance to leave a birthday message for Abby on a chalkboard yet? Remember, this night is all about her.” I can tell they are not satisfied with my response, but at least they back off.

  With the exception of the paparazzi attack, the party is a hit! I give out quite a few business cards, and Madison not only has people interested in her cookies, but also some possible clients for the salon.

  Abby comes up to me numerous times throughout the night to thank me and starts crying every time. The DJ plays on, and the guests are having a great time. As I look around, I’m reminded why I chose this profession. I love seeing people have fun and share these moments with loved ones. It makes me feel so good to make this happen. Near the end of the party, I see Abby go to DJ Tyrone’s booth and ask to make an announcement.

  “Excuse me everyone,” Abby is whispering softly into the microphone and the crowd gets quiet. “I just want to say a few things. To my awesome husband, Matt, thank you so much for the most memorable birthday. I am so grateful to all of you for coming. Again the most heartfelt thanks to Sienna Harris for planning and organizing the most creative and perfect party, where are you Sienna?” she yells into the microphone. I raise my hand from the back of the room, and everyone turns in my direction. Applause and cheers break out, and I feel so exhilarated.

  “Happy Birthday, Abby!” I yell. Everyone in the crowd cheers, “Happy Birthday!”

  Abby raises her hand to say something else and everyone gets quiet. “I want to say one more thing, because you are all such an important part of our lives. We would like to announce that we are expecting our first child later this year!” More cheers ring out.

  Wow, this is so exciting. Everyone is going up to congratulate her. I decide to wait until the excitement dies down.

  “Can you believe it?” says Madison, running up to me. “Our first friend to become a mom, how awesome is this?”

  “I know, I want to get the details, but let’s wait until things calm down,” I say.

  Not long after Abby’s announcement, the guests start to slowly leave, so I stand near the exit and thank everyone. I’m watching Abby, and I can already tell that she is glowing. She must be so ecstatic. I stroll outside and look up into the sky. It is a beautiful night, and it turned out just as I had planned. It would have been even more perfect if Luke had shown up. I got a text from him about an hour ago that he was held up with the investors at the restaurant. He went on and on begging me to forgive him. I responded with a simple, “I understand.”

  But I don’t understand, and I’m mad. He failed to follow through once again. For as long as I can remember, I have concentrated on building my career, my reputation, and now my company. Things are turning out like I have always wanted, and I want someone to share that with.

  “Sienna, are you OK?” I turn to see Abby standing next to me.

  “What? Oh, yes, of course. AHHHH!” I scream as I give her a hug. “I am so excited for you. Now I know why you can’t stop crying tonight,” I say, laughing.

  “Yes, the hormones are a bit crazy, but what you did tonight was so perfect. I really don’t know how to thank you,” she says, giving me another hug.

  “I did want to ask you though, where is Luke? Is everything OK?” I can tell she is concerned.

  “Yes, everything is OK. He just had a schedule conflict unfortunately and was not able to make it tonight. He said to wish you Happy Birthday.” Just then, a few other people interrupt us when they come at Abby, screaming and hugging her. I excuse myself to check on the cleanup.

  I’m taking linens off tables when Luke comes running in. “Sienna, I’m so sorry. I really tried to get here sooner. I just saw Abby outside.” I’m not sure what to say to him, so I keep folding linens.

  “Well, you tried to get here. Right?” I say doubtfully.

  “Yes! Of course,” he replies. He walks over to me and leans in to hug me. I can’t really bring myself to hug him back. “I am going to make it up to you, I promise. We will have the perfect anniversary,” he whispers as he hugs me.

  “Did Abby tell you her news?” I ask as I pull away. “She is expecting a baby later this year. Can you believe it?” I wait for his response.

  “Wow, that is great! Very exciting,” he says. “Do you need some help with the cleanup?” he asks.

  “Sure!” I reply. As he is helping me with the cleanup, he tells me all about the restaurant and his night. Honestly, I’m only half-listening. I’m not sure what’s happening. This relationship was going so well, and now something seems different. I‘m sure I’m just mad that he didn’t make it tonight. I try to put it out of my head and focus on the week to come.

  I see Madison looking over, giving Luke dirty looks. Thankfully, she remains on her best behavior as there are still some other guests milling around. I see Luke say hi to her, and she says hi very coldly. I can tell it is killing her not to rip his head off, but she keeps her cool. Luke seems to be going out of his way to be nice to Madison. He even pulls her aside and starts talking to her. Her body language starts to change as he is talking, and I can see her face soften just a little bit. I even see her crack a tiny smile (very tiny). A few minutes go by, and then he starts to turn around and walk toward me. I quickly turn away because I don’t want him to think I was watching the whole time.

  “I think I smoothed things over with Madison. She can be tough, but I know I deserve it. I really am so sorry. I should have been here with you tonight.”

  “Yes, you should have, but hopefully with the amount of cards I gave out tonight, you will be attending many more events with me.” I give him a tiny smile.

  “I know! I’m really proud of you.” He leans in and gives me a kiss. I’m immediately reminded what a great kisser he is.

  The rest of the night is really fun. Madison and Cole help us finish the cleanup, and then the four of us order pizza. It really ends up being a wonderful night—not exactly how I had planned, but almost perfect.

  The next morning, I’m up bright and early. I’m meeting Craig at the hotel to make sure everything is ready for the Samson engagement party. I’m in such a great mood, and Craig can tell right away.

  “Someone is happy today,” he says as he gives me a kiss on the cheek. “How was the party?”

  “The party was a huge success. I met a lot of people, and I have a feeling we are going to be VERY busy.”

  “Fabulous!” Craig says, giving me a high five. “Now tell me, did Mr. Perfect show up?”

  “Well, I don’t know about Mr. Perfect, but Luke arrived at the end of the event,” I reply, laughing. “Before you say anything, it’s OK, we discussed it, and he even talked to Madison. Things are better. I really don’t plan on bringing it up again, and I want to enjoy our anniversary this week.”

  “Oh yeah, the hot date at Venice. He does score some brownie points with that one,” Craig says, giving me a wink. “Any idea of what else he has planned? Just dinner?” he says, raising his eyebrows.

  “Not sure,” I say, looking at my checklist. “That’s enough of the third degree. How did setup go last night?” We head to the ballroom, and when we walk through the double doors, I immediately get excited. This is one of my favorite parts of my job. I love seeing all of our creativity put into action. The ballroom has been transformed into a perfect beach scene, and I am so pleased with all of the extra details. The linens are yellow and turquoise; the table centerpieces are glass bowls filled with sand and seashells. There are beautiful Adirondack chairs placed strategically around the room.

  “Craig, everything looks perfect! This makes me want to take a trip to the islands.”

  “Let’s go! We can have Nicole book it on Carrie’s credit card, and she will never know,” he yells excitedly, and I know he is not kidding.

  “That’s not a bad idea. Let’s get through tonight, and we’ll talk about it,” I rep
ly half-kidding and half-serious. She really would never know.

  We spend the day finishing all the extra details. It’s always fun to work with Craig; he’s like another brother, and we work very well together. We talk a lot about the company launch. The truth is, I never asked Craig to resign from Carrie’s. When I made the decision to go off on my own, I kept it to myself for a while as I worked out the early details. I talked to my parents first and asked their advice. My parents are laid back and careful to respect my decisions because I have always been very independent and a planner. They did express some concerns about this considering I have such a good setup at Carrie’s. This, of course, was the hardest part for me because I am basically running her company for her, and have carte blanche over creative decisions. I struggled with doubts of failing on my own, but no matter what, I want to be on my own. I may fail, but I have to try. Luke also questioned my decision to leave. He initially thought I was crazy, but after a while, he was more open to the idea. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks I’m making a huge mistake.

  Back to Craig, once I really started to move forward with plans, I had mentioned the possibility of my leaving while we were working on a setup. Right away, his response was that he was coming with me, no matter what. I warned him of the risks involved in starting fresh and leaving the security of Carrie’s. He has been on board since day one and has not wavered at all. We have no contracts or non-competes with Carrie, so there are no legal issues. That leaves the moral issues of course. I don’t really worry about that part because Carrie is hardly involved anymore. Most of the clients that we have acquired are due to my hard work and dedication. I’m sure quite a few of them will stay with me when I launch my business. And I’m also sure that there will be some that will continue to use Carrie’s because of her personal connections.

  So, after much planning (of course) and time, Sheer Happiness Events was born. Yes, that is the name of my company. I chose this name because, aside from the fact that my initials are S.H., I love witnessing the happiness and joy of my clients and friends at these events. That’s why I chose this profession. And watching Abby at her party last night is a perfect testament to that love.

  The Samson engagement party goes very well except for a few minor things that Craig did not follow up on. This was very surprising to me because he is usually spot on with every detail. Although in his defense, they were last minute requests from the client and were simply overlooked. I think I smoothed things over, but hopefully there is no fallout. I finally get home around 1:00 a.m., and I literally fall into bed. I barely remember getting home.

  CHAPTER 4

  The next week is busy and full of planning Faith, Fashion, and Hope. Carrie actually showed up at the office one day; we briefly discussed the event, and then she left to go see her psychic.

  I was so anxious all week for my big anniversary date and the plans for the charity event. This event is important in so many ways, and I want everything to be perfect. On Wednesday, while on my way to meet with the committee, I actually got STUCK in the elevator for what seemed like hours (it was actually only about 20 minutes). But still, I panicked and called Madison, crying. She thought it was pretty funny considering the building only has two floors, and I was stuck between them. I was convinced that I was having a panic attack, and that it would take days to get me out. I actually had a panic attack for real once, right before one of my first events. Scariest thing ever!

  Anyway, Luke has been pretty vague about the details of Friday. I do think Madison knows something about it, but she’s not spilling. She did say he recruited her to help with something. Luke has been so busy that we haven’t seen each other, so I haven’t been able to “persuade” him to tell me more. After I arrive home from work on Thursday, I call Luke.

  “Hello, stranger,” I say when he picks up the phone. “I miss you.”

  “Hey, I know it’s been a crazy week. Are you feeling better?” he asks.

  “What do mean?” I ask, not sure what he is referring to.

  “The elevator trauma,” he replies sarcastically.

  “Oh yeah. I’m fine. Why don’t we talk about tomorrow night instead,” I say, trying to change the subject. I admit I’m a little embarrassed about my overreaction.

  “Not so fast. All you need to know is that I will pick you up at seven, and there is nothing else to talk about until then. I have some work to finish up, but I will call you later.” He hurries me off the phone.

  Friday is the longest day ever, and I admit I was not very productive at work today. However, I did get a pedicure and a facial, and I only feel a little bit guilty. In my defense, I don’t do things like this THAT often. On my way home, I stop by Madison’s salon so she can do my hair. Even she is excited for the big date, which surprises me.

  “Are you going to text me when you get there? I want a full report,” she says as she flat irons my hair.

  “I promise you, I will.” I have told her this a thousand times, and she still keeps asking me every five seconds. I give her a thank you hug. On the way home, I listen to Bob Marley. Bob always calms my nerves.

  Venice has only been open for a few short months, and it is next to impossible to get reservations. I’ve heard that it’s a throwback to the days of supper clubs with dinner, music, and dancing. I googled the pictures, and it looks amazing.

  I am ready to go at 6:45; I’m wearing a new, black pantsuit that has been sitting in my closet for months with the tags still on, waiting for the perfect night to be worn. It was one of those impulse buys, and on sale. The shoes are my favorite though, of course; my new four-and-a-half-inch platform heels from Nordstrom.

  Luke arrives a few minutes late with a dozen roses in hand. “I love them, thank you!” I say, giving him a big hug and kiss.

  “Happy Anniversary! You look beautiful,” he says, holding out my hand. “Are you ready, or do you want to just stay in tonight?” he says with a wink.

  “Very funny! I’m dying to see this place. Madison wants me to text her when we get there.” I’m almost running to the car.

  “What do you mean she wants you to text her?”

  “She just wants details of what it looks like inside, come on!” I can’t get in the car fast enough.

  “It’s our anniversary date, are you really going to text her?” he asks after he gets in the car.

  “Sure, why not. It will just take a second. Is that a big deal?” I’m not positive, but I think he is annoyed.

  “Whatever.” He starts the car. OK, so this is not the way I wanted tonight to start, I really didn’t think it was a big deal.

  “Did you get things finished for that new client?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Not yet. They are pretty difficult. It’s going to be a lot of work in the coming weeks. It looks like I will have to travel for some meetings because they are not very flexible,” he replies. “I just need to focus on the end result. If we land this account, it will be our biggest deal ever,” he adds nervously.

  “I am sure it will go great. WHEN you land that account, we will have a lot to celebrate in the coming months, especially once Sheer Happiness is launched,” I say excitedly.

  I look up and we are pulling into the parking lot. The valet guy comes over to our car and opens the door. “Buona sera,” he says as I get out of the car. Luke takes my hand and we enter a beautiful room with high ceilings. The lobby is on a balcony overlooking the restaurant where there is a brass band playing music from the big band era and a huge dance floor.

  “Reservations for Price,” I overhear Luke tell the hostess.

  “Mr. Price, your table will be available in just a few minutes, please make yourselves comfortable.”

  The waiting area is full of big, cushy love seats, and the décor is very Mediterranean with rich shades of gold, red, and brown. It is so warm and inviting. I have to text Madison, so I tell Luke I need to use the restroom and check my makeup. I’m sure he knows I’m lying, but who cares.

  There
is a very sweet attendant handing out hot hand towels in the restroom, which is probably the size of my apartment. It has so many products that it could very well be a beauty supply store.

  I pull out my phone to text Madison.

  BEST PLACE EVER!

  I put my phone back in my Tory Burch clutch purse (a small splurge, but I bought it at the outlets), check my makeup and hair, and head back to Luke.

  As I am walking back to him, I notice that he is talking to someone. His body language says it all; he does not like this person. I walk up and stand beside him to see who this person is.

  I think my heart stops beating for a minute.

  I look up to see the most handsome man I have ever seen in my life; he smiles at me and his eyes actually sparkle. I am NOT KIDDING! I feel like I have landed in a Disney movie.

  “Luke, who is this beautiful woman standing here?” he asks with the hottest Australian accent I have ever heard. “Good for you, mate!”

  “Hello, I am Ace Eckelund. I am Luke’s mate from our summer of soccer in Europe. I am sure he has mentioned me?”

  How do I answer this? I could say, yes, he has mentioned you, and he says you were the biggest ass he has ever met. However, he admitted that you really are a nice guy, and he is just jealous because you were so talented and all the girls wanted you, including me right now. What? I need to think of something quick because this is the longest silence. Ever.

  “Um, yes he has briefly. I am Sienna, Luke’s . . . girlfriend.” Why did I just hesitate? I am on an anniversary date with my boyfriend. “It’s nice to meet you.” I reach out to shake his hand, and I swear my stomach does a backflip.

  “This is brilliant! What are the chances of running into you here? I am with my brother and sister-in-law. I would love to catch up. Will you join us? My sister-in-law’s uncle is the head chef. Please join us,” he says as he smiles at me again.