Bliss, Inc. (Indigo Love Spectrum)

by Chamein Canton

  Joshua was astounded. “That’s in Harlem.”

  The information perked Max’s ears up.

  “I want to be a high school history teacher. I’m going to major in history at Cornell,” Max said.

  “So you want to teach, too?”

  “Yes,” Max said emphatically.

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Where did you go to college?” Max asked.

  “I majored in history at Brown.”

  Paige looked over her shoulder as she took out the utensils. She could see Joshua’s chest fill up. Here we go, she thought as she went to the dining room.

  “That’s my alma mater. I majored in political science.”

  Paige walked back into the kitchen.

  “Hey, Paige, you’re having a bunch of Ivy Leaguers to dinner,” Joshua joked.

  He turned to Matthew. “You know she’s a Harvard grad.”

  Paige tossed the salad in the bowl. “All right, let’s just take it down a notch. Max, go on upstairs and get cleaned up for dinner.”

  “Okay, Mom.” He raced upstairs.

  “As for you gentlemen, you can have a seat at the dining room table. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes.”

  A few minutes later as Paige was taking the food out of the oven she heard all of them talking at the table about sports, school, politics, and the like. She hadn’t needed to worry about them getting along, after all.

  * * *

  After an evening of male bonding Paige and Matthew were alone at the train station.

  “Well, did that go better than you thought it would?”

  “It did. It helped that you went to Brown. That’s all Joshua needed to hear.”

  “Speaking of the Ivy League, I didn’t know you went to Harvard.”

  She nodded. “Being a wedding planner is a far cry from my days in law school.”

  “You’re the total package, aren’t you? You’re smart, successful, and very sexy.” He winked.

  “Why, thank you.”

  “And let’s not forget what a great mom you are. Your son is headed off to an Ivy League college.”

  Paige beamed. “It feels good but it’s going to take some getting used to for me. It will be strange without him here.”

  He leaned in and kissed her. “I’m sorry. I’ve been waiting to do that all evening.”

  “So have I.”

  Their kiss turned into a make-out session complete with fogged up car windows.

  Paige reluctantly pulled away. “We’d better stop before you miss your train.”

  “Forget the train. I don’t want to miss more of you.” He looked at his train schedule. “There’s another train in an hour.”

  “Maybe so, but I have an early appointment in the city tomorrow.”

  “I see. What fun are you getting into tomorrow?”

  “We have a date with the florist to the stars and society, Nathan Parker.”

  “All right, since you put it that way.” He opened the door. “How about one more kiss for the road?”

  “You’re incorrigible,” she laughed.

  Their lips touched ever so lightly and they soon found themselves in another passionate embrace.

  They pulled away from each other. “If we keep this up I’ll never make this train.”

  “I know.”

  “Okay, baby. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  He blew a kiss to her as he went up the escalator. Paige stayed in the parking lot until the train came two minutes later.

  “What a man,” she sighed.

  A little later on that evening Paige wrote notes for her visit to Parker’s Perfect Petals while Max played video games in his room.

  The phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Paige?”

  “Yes, Joshua. Do you want to speak with Max?”

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  Paige put her notebook down. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

  “This new guy of yours.”

  Paige crossed her arms. “What about him?”

  “Listen, there is no need for you to get defensive.”

  “That remains to be seen,” she said cooly.

  “I just wanted to know how serious you are about him. He’s going to be around Max, right?”

  “Yes.” She shook her head. “Joshua, you met Matthew in person. Does he seem like he’d be a bad influence on Max?”

  “No, but I had to ask.”

  Paige felt the anger building inside of her. “You asked. Are you satisfied?”

  “I’m just exercising my rights as Max’s father. I just want to make sure this young white guy is on the up and up.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this about Matthew being young or white?”

  “It has nothing to do with that at all.”

  “It better not, considering your wife is white and younger than the both of us.” Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, she thought.

  “No. I know you would never bring just anyone around Max.” He backed off a little.

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I guess I’m just feeling a little threatened seeing the way Max responded to Matthew.”

  “You don’t have to feel threatened, Joshua, you’re Max’s dad and that’s never going to change. Matthew isn’t interested in upstaging you, he’s a thoughtful person.”

  “I know you’re right. He doesn’t seem to be your typical trust fund baby. And I have seen some real monsters over the years.”

  “I’m sure you have.”

  “You’re heading into different water here, Paige. Granted Tara is white, but she isn’t society register white.”

  “Don’t tell her that.” Paige chuckled.

  Joshua stifled his laugh. “Okay, Paige, play nice.”

  “I’m sorry. You opened the door and I had to walk through.”

  “Okay. Just be aware of everything.”

  “I know.” She paused. “Are you feeling better now?”

  “Yes. Thanks.”

  “Not a problem. So do you want to speak to your son? I think he’s still playing video games.”

  “It’s a school night, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. But his first class is a study hall, and as a senior he has the option to go in later.”

  “God, high school has changed.”

  “Tell me about it. I’ll get Max.”

  “Thanks.”

  Paige called for Max to pick up the phone and went back to making notes. She was relieved Joshua didn’t have a problem with Matthew being white, considering his wife was as white as they came. Tara’s family was from Sweden and she was a natural blonde. However, in contrast to the vision of buxom Swedes, Tara was boob challenged until she met Joshua and he paid for her silicone transformation, making him the envy of all his partners. So Paige was genuinely surprised he could feel insecure about the way Max saw him. Although Max was like most teenagers—unable to see the world past the tip of their noses—he adored his parents and wanted to make them proud. Still, every now and then a little reminder helped.

  CHAPTER 13

  Paige stood outside of the famed Parker’s Perfect Petals. Anyone who was anyone called on Nathan Parker for his unrivaled artistry with flowers. In fact his calendar booked up to a year plus in advance. Some brides even changed their wedding date just to be sure they could get Nathan.

  However, you had to be an A-list celebrity or Forbes 100 company CEO in order to meet with the man himself; the Smythe family name qualified the Kleins and Paige to an actual face-to-face meeting.

  Pacing Paige checked her watch, wondering where the Kleins were. Nathan Parker was a real stickler for time. A minute later the car pulled up to the curb to let Mrs. Klein out.

  Dressed perfectly, Mrs. Klein walked up to Paige. “Good morning, Paige. I’m sorry if I kept you waiting.”

  “That’s okay. Where’s Jennifer?”

 
Mrs. Klein was perturbed. “She’ll be along in a few minutes, I hope. She was moving very slowly this morning.”

  “I see. Have you talked more about her bridal party?”

  “It’s managed to become a real bone of contention. She doesn’t want one, and I think it would be a shame to go against tradition.”

  “Well, Mrs. Klein, a number of society weddings have scaled back their bridal parties.”

  “Really?” She seemed interested.

  “Oh yes. Less is more is the rule of the day. This way there is more attention focused on the couple.”

  She could see the wheels as they turned in Mrs. Klein’s head. Paige pressed on. “I like to call big bridal parties the circus train parties.”

  “Why do you call them that?”

  “I liken it to the circus train coming to town. At first you’re really excited to see all the different animal and clown cars. Then after a while the novelty wears off and you wait for the caboose. Now it could be the most beautiful caboose on earth, but you don’t notice because you’re happy you got to the end and you can get on to where you were going.”

  “That’s a very effective analogy, Paige.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I don’t want her entrance to be anticlimactic.”

  “Exactly.”

  Just then a car with Jennifer pulled up and she stepped out. “Sorry I’m late, Paige.”

  “That’s okay. We aren’t late yet. I was just talking to your mom.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ve changed my mind about the wedding party. I think a small party is more intimate and tasteful.”

  Jennifer threw her arms around her mother. “Thank you, Mom.”

  Mrs. Klein hugged her. “You’re welcome. But you should really thank Paige. She convinced me.”

  “Thank you, Paige.”

  You’re welcome.” Paige took a good look at Jennifer. She was in jeans and a blue shirt. “How are you, Jennifer?”

  “Tired. Who gets up this early to talk about flowers?”

  Mrs. Klein’s relaxed mood evaporated. “It’s bad enough that you’re in jeans for this appointment. The least you can do is change your attitude since your future mother-in-law pulled some strings to even get this appointment. Don’t be an ingrate.” Her tone was firm.

  Jennifer rolled her eyes. Sensing that things could escalate, Paige quickly stepped in between them to open the door. “Shall we, ladies?”

  Nathan Parker’s showroom was filled with spectacular floral arrangements. Brightly colored tropical flowers formed a floral trellis to welcome them into the inner floral sanctuary. Paige noticed how he used houseplants to bring an earthiness to his floral whimsy.

  “This is amazing,” Paige sighed.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this.” Mrs. Klein, too, was in awe.

  Paige took a closer look at one of the plants. “My parents have this very plant in their house.”

  “So your parents have a green thumb?”

  “Indeed they do, Mrs. Klein. Whatever they bring into the house grows like ivy. My sister and I renamed the sunroom. We call it America’s first rainforest.”

  “Is that a fact?” Mrs. Klein asked, amused.

  “Of course I didn’t inherit their ability. Plants come to my house to die.”

  Mrs. Klein and Jennifer laughed. “You can’t be that bad,” Jennifer chuckled.

  “Oh, yes, I can. My parents staged a plant intervention and relieved me of all the plants in my house. Now those same plants have grown spectacularly.”

  “Good morning, ladies.” Tall, trim, and tan, just a little grey at the temples, a meticulously dressed Nathan Parker entered the showroom.

  Paige held her hand out. “Good morning, Mr. Parker. I’m Paige Baldwin. We spoke on the phone.”

  Nathan gently kissed her hand. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you. May I call you Paige?”

  “Certainly.”

  “Please call me Nathan.” An assistant appeared. “Ladies, my assistant George will take your coats.”

  “Thank you.” Paige smiled. With her Kenneth Cole coat off, Paige made quite an impression in a curve-enhancing navy blue suit.

  “Now that’s what you should have looked like today,” Mrs. Klein said sharply to her daughter.

  Jennifer rolled her eyes as she took her coat off and handed it to George.

  Paige turned to Mrs. Klein and Jennifer. “Nathan, this is Mrs. Klein and our bride-to-be, Jennifer Klein.”

  “It’s a pleasure to make both of your acquaintance.” He kissed their hands.

  “Thank you, Nathan.” Mrs. Klein smiled.

  “If you ladies will follow me I have some samples made up just for you.”

  “Wonderful,” Paige said as she followed him.

  Nathan nudged Paige. “You know, Paige, you are quite a little dish, so curvy, refined, and elegant.” In addition to being a world-class florist Nathan was also a notorious flirt.

  Paige blushed.

  When they entered the room Nathan had three styles of arrangements for them to view.

  “Oh my, all of them are quite beautiful.” Paige turned to Jennifer. “You have arrangements for classic, romantic, and contemporary themed weddings. What do you think, Jennifer?”

  “They’re all pretty.”

  “True. Still, we have to think about the venue, which is the Waldorf. It’s a venue that brings out romance from a time gone by, like the Gilded Age. You and Michael are a romantic couple; you have that look of love about you.”

  Jennifer began to lighten up.

  “The romantic setting Nathan has here celebrates the grandeur of love and romance with its tall centerpieces of off-white flowers balanced with rich colored roses and calla lilies. It’s simply gorgeous.”

  Jennifer softened up. “It is pretty, and I do like the colors.”

  “It’s a great conversation piece that doesn’t impede the flow of conversation between your guests.”

  “Exactly,” Nathan agreed.

  “I can have these flowers even in the winter?”

  “We import flowers from all over the world. We can get you any flower you want.”

  “I’m sold,” Mrs. Klein said.

  “So am I.”

  Paige was pleased to get Jennifer and her mother to agree on something.

  “Do you have any bouquets made?” Jennifer asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I do.”

  He came back with varying sizes of hand-tied bouquets. Jennifer immediately went for the largest one.

  “This one is gorgeous.” Her eyes lit up.

  “It is nice, Jennifer, but do me a favor. Hold it waist high for sixty seconds,” Paige said.

  Jennifer looked at her strangely. “Why?”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll see.”

  Jennifer held the large bouquet while Paige timed it on her watch.

  Jennifer got restless. “It isn’t sixty seconds yet?”

  “Nope, it’s only been ten seconds.”

  Another few seconds went by. “Is it time now?”

  Paige looked at her watch again. ”You have thirty more seconds.”

  Jennifer was dying to put the flowers down.

  “Three, two, one. Time’s up.”

  Jennifer couldn’t put the bouquet down fast enough.

  “Heavy, wasn’t it?” Paige asked.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s why I wanted you to hold it for a minute. I wanted you to experience what your wrists and arms will go through. A lot of brides want big bouquets but they forget they’ll be holding them before, during, and after the wedding.”

  Nathan clapped. “I knew I liked you, Paige. That’s a very astute observation.”

  “It comes from years of picking up bridal bouquets.”

  Nathan picked up a smaller bouquet. “How about this bouquet? It’s just like the one you had, only a little smaller.”

  Jennifer held the flowers. “That feels better. Can we go with this for me
and my maid of honor?”

  “Sure. We’ll give you a more dramatic arrangement and tone it down a bit for your attendant.”

  “It sounds like we have a deal, Nathan. How about we look over your contract?”

  “Wonderful. If you would please follow me to my office we can get the paperwork out of the way.”

  The women followed Nathan back to his office. Having taken care of the dress, flowers, and reception venue, Paige felt they were on track. She made notes in her BlackBerry. I pray the rest of this goes smoothly. Paige looked toward the heavens.

  Once all the papers were signed, Mrs. Klein, Jennifer, and Paige went outside. Their car pulled up.

  “Mrs. Klein, if you don’t mind, I’d like to borrow Jennifer for a while for a little girl talk.”

  She smiled. “I don’t mind at all.”

  “Is that okay with you, Jennifer?”

  “Sure.”

  Mrs. Klein got into the waiting car. “Make sure you call Jason when you’re ready.”

  “Have a good day, Mrs. Klein.”

  “Thank you, Paige. I’ll see you later, Jennifer.”

  Jennifer waved as the car door closed and pulled away.

  Paige turned to Jennifer. “Okay, Jennifer, you and I have a date with a burger.”

  * * *

  Lunch in hand Matthew walked into the teacher’s lounge. Rob “Nye” Christian, the physics instructor, was making copies.

  “How’s it going, Nye?” Matthew asked as he sat down.

  “Not bad. I really enjoyed the few days off.”

  Matthew smiled. “So did I. Frankly I could use a few more days.”

  Nye stopped copying and looked at Matthew. “You do look rested,” he said coyly.

  Matthew laughed. “What are you implying, Mr. Christian?”

  “You know I’m a scientist. You’re giving off a happy and let’s just say satisfied vibe.”

  “Since when did ‘vibe’ become a scientific term?”

  “Since I just said it was.” Nye laughed.

  “Scientific or not, I am one happy fellow.”

  Grace Leonard, the art teacher, poked her head in. “Matthew, are you in there?”

  “Yeah, Grace?”

  “There’s someone here to see you. He says he’s your brother, and since he looks like you I’m going to send him in.”

  Michael walked in. “Hey, big brother.”

  “Hey, Mike. What brings you to my neck of the woods?”