From This Moment

by Sean D. Young

  Ivy gave a generous smile. “Jonathan, I’d like you to meet Lauren Kabins. Lauren, this is Jonathan Damon, one of the owners.”

  Jonathan offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kabins. Congratulations on your engagement.”

  Lauren accepted Jonathan’s hand. “Thank you, Mr. Damon. This is a lovely place.”

  Releasing her hand, Jonathan glanced back and forth between Ivy and Lauren. “Ladies, follow me and we can get started.”

  Ivy walked behind Jonathan and Lauren. As she watched Jonathan interact with the client, she noticed the swagger in his walk.

  She admired the way his shoulders fit his gray suit jacket, and his posture was that of pride and professionalism. He exuded confidence, and there was nothing about his body language, eyes, or the way he spoke that indicated a personal relationship between them. He was all business. And she liked it.

  Jonathan stopped in front of the ballroom door. “I thought we would have our meeting in the ballroom that’s available for your date.”

  Lauren looked over at Ivy for approval. “That’s fine with me. You come highly recommended by Ms. Hart,” Lauren said innocently.

  Jonathan gave Ivy a big smile. “Thank you, we try to please.”

  Once he opened the double oak doors, Ivy heard Lauren gasp.

  Even empty, the Embassy ballroom was stunning. The high vaulted ceilings projected a sense of openness and comfort. Shiny brass chandeliers throughout, two marble bar areas and a hardwood parquet dance floor that covered the entire length of the room.

  The lonely table in the large space had been setup with a diamond white pin-tucked table cloth and paired with diamond white, brushed satin bag-style chair covers and a purple sash with a diamond chair cover brooch to hold it together.

  Jonathan assisted Lauren out of her coat and placed it over one of the other empty seats at the table. He offered her a seat, pulling it from underneath the round table. Once she was seated, he did the same for Ivy, before taking his own seat next to her.

  Lauren looked around the room, and then inspected the table that had been set with clear charger plates with gold beaded trim, Waterford crystal, beautiful flatware and white bone china.

  “This is gorgeous,” Lauren said, gently rubbing the see-through gold lamé table overlay.

  “We keep a display table to give the clients examples of table setting styles. We change the look every other week to give it some variety.” Jonathan explained picking up several leaflets about the facility, handing them to her. “All of our events come with butler styled passed hors d’oeuvres, so we can check that off the list.”

  Since Lauren had a short timeline, Ivy wanted to find out her plans and expectations. “Lauren, how many guests are you anticipating?”

  “About one hundred.”

  “Do you have a budget?” Ivy needed to know how much money she had to work with so she could make smart decisions when planning the wedding.

  “My fiancée told me to get what I wanted?” Lauren giggled and then pulled out a folder with a protective cover.

  She handed it to Ivy. “I’ve written down my wishes and gathered photos of dresses, cakes, flowers and wedding favors.”

  Ivy placed the folder between her and Jonathan so that they could scan through it together.

  Flipping the pages, Ivy gave Jonathan a quick glance to make sure she he was keeping up.

  Closing the cover, she turned her attention back to Lauren. “Wow, this is a very detailed plan. Are any of these requests negotiable?”

  A big grin grew on Lauren’s face as she moved her head from side to side. “No. I want every one,” she said with certainty. “My fiancée said I could have what ever I wanted, so I’m going all the way. You only get married once, right?”

  Ivy looked at Jonathan again, hoping his facial expression would reveal what he was thinking. Hopefully, he thought the same as she did . . . Lauren Kabins was spoiled.

  Both Ivy and Jonathan responded in unison. “Right.”

  “Are you sure you want to stick with lime green and peach for your wedding colors?”

  “My fiancé loves green and I love peach, so I just thought they would look good together.”

  Ivy thought the combination was hideous, but she would keep her opinion to herself. Instead she asked, “Do you have an accent color you’d like to add?”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  Jonathan picked up a Magic Moments menu and scanned the food list on the page. “Now let’s talk about your menu options.”

  Lauren interrupted him before he could go any further. “I’m going to leave that up to you and Ms. Hart. I don’t have time to choose. I’ve given you a list of the things I like, so if you could work with her, she can tell me.”

  Ivy gave her most professional smile. “Of course he can. Jonathan and I can pull together a proposal giving you two choices for the entire day from the information you’ve provided to us. Give us forty-eight hours. After you’ve reviewed the proposals and chosen your favorite, we’ll execute.”

  Lauren pushed her chair back from the table. “That sounds like music to my ears. I can’t wait.”

  She inhaled deeply before releasing it. “Thank you both for meeting with me. I’m relieved and happy that I’ve got competent people to help me.”

  Jonathan stood first, and then assisted Ivy with her chair. “We’re going to do our very best to meet all your wishes.”

  Lauren picked up her purse and slung it on her arm. “I have so many things to do before the wedding and the move. By the time we get married we will have only one week to make sure the apartment is empty.”

  “I’ll keep in touch. I’m glad you were able to see the ballroom,” Ivy replied.

  Lauren glanced around the room once again. “Me, too.” She looked back at Ivy and asked, “When do I come in to see you again?”

  “I’ll e-mail you with the proposals. If you agree, you will need to come to my office to make your selections.”

  “We will need a deposit to hold the date,” Jonathan said as a reminder.

  Lauren sat back down, opened her purse, and retrieved her designer wallet that matched her handbag. Removing her silver Cross pen from the holder, she flipped up the flap covering her checkbook. “I’ll write you a check for $2,500 now and we can discuss my balance after I see your proposals.”

  She scribbled on a blank check, tore it out and handed it to Jonathan.

  She stood to her feet again. “You can give the receipt to Ivy. I need to leave now. I promised my fiancée that I would meet him at the jewelers. We’re picking out rings today.”

  Ivy pulled out several pieces of paper that had been stapled together and handed it to Lauren. “I’m sorry, Lauren, I should have given this to you when we started the meeting. I completely forgot. She handed the young woman the papers. “Here is some information on my company for your reading pleasure. Something so you can get to know what services we provide. There isn’t a price listed for my services because I have to review your notes and make sure we can meet all your requests with the current staff that I have right now.”

  Lauren nodded. “I understand. I’ll take it home to review it.”

  Ivy extended her hand to her newest client. “We’ll discuss coordination fees once you’ve reviewed the proposals. And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lauren.”

  Lauren accepted. “Likewise.” She reached over and offered Jonathan a hearty handshake as well.

  “Let me walk you to your car,” Jonathan offered.

  “Thanks, Jonathan, but I can find it.”

  “No, I insist.” He helped her with her coat and then turned to Ivy.

  “Don’t leave just yet. I wanted to talk to you about a planning schedule.”

  Ivy re-took her seat. She picked up Lauren’s wish list, which seemed more like a wish book with all the pages that were in the folder. She and Jonathan definitely needed to work quickly with the req
uests Lauren gave them; they were going to have to use their precious time to their advantage.

  * * *

  When Jonathan returned he found Ivy with her elbow on the table and her head propped up with her right hand, her eyes closed. The room was quiet and he figured she took the opportunity to relax. His brother told him that Rose couldn’t stop talking about the increase in business since Ivy’s win.

  He didn’t want to wake her, so he quietly removed the chair from under the table next to her and sat down. A smile touched his lips as he gazed down at the relaxed expression on Ivy’s face. It was so different from the way she’d looked weeks before. He studied her features carefully.

  With her eyes closed and hair pulled back, the light cover of makeup on her café au lait skin made her look angelic. It reminded him of the night they made love in Las Vegas, but that time her hair was loose, full and free.

  As he sat quietly watching her rest, Jonathan slowly regained confidence in his decision to prove to her that their marriage could work. He realized he had a long way to go in order to convince Ivy that saying ‘I do’ was worth it.

  Slowly, her eyes opened and Ivy sat up straight.

  Jonathan scooted closer to her. “You look tired. Do you want to go over this stuff later?”

  Ivy placed her hand over her mouth to cover a yawn. “We better get started.” She picked up the folder, quickly skimming through the pages again. “This is a big request for such a small window of time.”

  “You’re right, but we don’t have to go through it here. You can go home, rest for a while and I can come over later. We may even be able to complete it tonight.”

  “Sure, we can work on this tonight. Come over at about seven.”

  Jonathan hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until she responded. His eyes twinkled and his smile turned into a full grin as he lifted himself out of his seat. He was relieved that she didn’t turn him down, because, after all, to her it was business. But for him, tonight was yet another opportunity for him to get close to her. He wasn’t going to blow it; he was going to make it count in his favor. And if he was lucky, Ivy wouldn’t mention anything else about an annulment.

  Placing his hand lightly on her shoulder, he said, “Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you later.”

  Ivy stood. Jonathan picked up her wool swing coat from the back of the chair and held it open so that she could slip it on.

  Ivy picked up the folder and held it securely to her side.

  Jonathan slipped his arms around her shoulders. “You’re not too tired to drive, are you?”

  “Oh, no, I’m fine. I really just wanted to rest my eyes a bit. I’m rejuvenated.”

  Ivy looked him in the face. “Jonathan, did you see that list?” She shook her head at the long list of things the bride wanted.

  “Sure did. The woman wants everything and the kitchen sink in three weeks.”

  “Where are we going to find plaid chair covers?” Ivy wondered why the young woman picked something so uncommon and hideous.

  “Who does that?” Jonathan shook his head.

  They both laughed, and Ivy shook her head as she moved away from the table. “I’ve got to stop by the office before I go home, so I’ll see you later.”

  Chapter 5

  Jonathan sifted through the many take-out menus in his kitchen drawer. He had no idea what Ivy’s favorite foods were, so he settled on ordering from his favorite Chinese restaurant. He gave the girl his selections for pickup, since the place was on his way to Ivy’s house.

  Jonathan lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment on the far west side of the city. Unlike the stereotypical messy bachelor, he’d neatly decorated his place with neutral and earth tone colors. He had custom black leather furniture, a home entertainment system complete with surround sound and a big-screen plasma television.

  One bedroom served as his home office, but with a daybed, just in case he had an overnight guest.

  A masculine king-size bed with black and tan bedding was the focal point in his bedroom.

  He’d gone home to take a shower and change out of his business suit into something casual for his evening with Ivy. Just as he was about to step out of his slacks, he heard the buzzing of his cell phone. He glanced over on the night stand where he’d left it and could see the light from the screen. But he ignored it and continued to undress. Taking off his pants and underwear, he dropped them in a cloth bag with other garments to be laundered.

  Walking from his bedroom to the adjoining bathroom, he twisted the knob in the shower, testing the warmth of the water before stepping under the powerful spray.

  After taking a quick shower, he got out, wrapped a dark blue bath sheet around his waist and went to find something to wear.

  Jonathan didn’t deny that he wanted to impress Ivy, give her a glimpse of his personal style. After standing in front of his closet staring for longer than he would have liked, he decided on a pair of black jeans and white button-down shirt, black cardigan and his black cowboy boots.

  Because he had dry skin, he grabbed the bottle of moisturizing body lotion and creamed his skin before he got dressed.

  Picking up his cell phone, he scrolled through to review his missed calls. To his surprise, the caller hadn’t been Ivy, but his brother.

  Marc Damon stood six feet, two inches tall with the same dark chocolate brown coloring as his baby brother. Marc was Jonathan’s partner, and also chef at Magic Moments. He and Jonathan shared a special bond. Their mother Ruth died of cancer, and their father died eight months later. They went to live with their aunt and uncle, but promised that they would always been there for each other. He’d have to call his brother later.

  Jonathan checked his profile in the mirror before he grabbed his jacket, wallet and keys and headed for the door.

  Jonathan pulled up to Ivy’s condo with mixed emotions. He hoped his coming over wouldn’t make Ivy have a flashback to that dark place that she seemed to have overcome.

  Quickly dismissing that theory, he reminded himself that getting to know her was important. What did she do when she wasn’t working? What was her favorite color? What kind of movies did she like? Did she like butter on her toast? He wanted to wine and dine her, but he needed that information first.

  In his eyes, tonight he would start a journey of discovery. He hoped in the end they would live happily ever after.

  * * *

  Ivy was plain worn out from all her responsibilities the last couple of weeks. She had no idea that winning a contest would garner so much attention. She was grateful that business was picking up, but the show hadn’t started yet and her life already showed signs of chaos. Thank God her siblings did their part in their business or she would really be in trouble.

  Last night, she laid aside the information on the couples she’d be working with on the show at about two in the morning, when sleep finally claimed her.

  For the second night in a row she’d attempted to pull an all-nighter.

  Ivy didn’t mind working with Jonathan. In the past, when her back was against the wall with a wedding, he allowed her to pitch her ideas to him; if she missed something he’d usually find it.

  After her meeting with Jonathan and Lauren, Ivy had gone back to the office to get an update from her receptionist.

  She was relieved when Gwen told her that they had the phone calls under control. She’d followed her suggestion of splitting the calls up based on need. If they had generalized questions, Gwen answered them or transferred the caller to Ivy’s voicemail.

  There were six messages on her voicemail and Gwen had schedule three people to come in to meet with Ivy for next week. New clients made her happy, but she didn’t want to sacrifice quantity for quality.

  After she got home, she took a leisurely shower and then laid down for a nap. Once she got up, she felt refreshed and ready to work.

  She pulled out Lauren’s green folder and started reading from the first page. Ivy wondered if the woman truly expected to have everyt
hing she listed be a part of her wedding or if they were just wishes.

  Glancing at the list of ideas for the ceremony, dresses, invitations, decorations, reception, favors and cake, Ivy knew it all couldn’t be done in three weeks. Most of it didn’t even go together.

  Ivy was certain that she and Jonathan could come up with a cohesive and spectacular alternate plan that would please Lauren just as much.

  Ivy slipped on a pair of navy blue slacks and white pullover sweater. She liked walking barefoot in the house, so she didn’t bother to put on any shoes. As she slipped her diamond studs in her ears, she heard the doorbell.

  She walked to the door, quickly smoothed out the wrinkles in her pants, and looked through the peep hole to make sure it was Jonathan.

  She opened the door and stepped aside so that he could enter. He was carrying several large brown paper bags. She removed one of them from him arms to relieve him.

  “Something smells good in here,” she said, sniffing the bag as she walked through the great room to the large eat-in kitchen.

  “I had no clue the kind of take-out you like, so I hope you eat Chinese.” He placed the bag on the granite countertop.

  “Sure, I like Chinese food.” Ivy reached inside the cabinet to retrieve a couple of plates. She sat them next to the food.

  “I thought we’d work in the kitchen since it’s the biggest table I have. We can work better if we can spread things out.”

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Jonathan asked, removing the cartons of crab rangoons, shrimp egg foo young, shrimp fried rice, beef and broccoli and shrimp with garlic sauce from the paper bag.

  “I’m starving. It’s been so busy today, I don’t think I even ate lunch.” Ivy retrieved two large table spoons from the drawer and handed one to him.

  Jonathan spooned a generous amount of shrimp fried rice onto his plate. “I was over at Marc and Rose’s last night and she told me business has been hectic with all the phone calls and clients coming in for appointments.”

  “When I entered that contest, I did so because I wanted the world to see how good I was at wedding planning,” she said as she opened the lid on the carton of beef and broccoli. Licking the brown gravy from her finger, she continued. “I never thought people would be contacting us so quickly. We haven’t even taped the first episode and the phones are going crazy. I just want to make sure we keep things in perspective and don’t move too fast. Trying to accommodate everyone and losing the quality of work we’ve been known for isn’t an option for me. That’s our staying power.” She put a little of everything on her plate and went to the table with it.