Page 35 of Honey Bun
I hadn’t expected that. He was amazing, and one more work favor for him would be easy. I asked, “With…?”
He took the seat next to me. “You’re great with party planning, and I want to throw Joel and Kendal a New York wedding.”
I shivered. The last wedding I’d been at was my own, and I’d been in tears that were not happy ones. “I thought they were already married.”
“They married recently at the courthouse, and Kendal mentioned at breakfast that she’d missed out on having her mother there. We’ll invite clients. My mother will be thrilled. She doesn’t have the time to plan a full wedding. So, can you? I’ll clear the schedule you need.”
My stomach flipped. “Plan the wedding of someone I hardly know?”
He leaned closer, and the air smelled of his woodsy cologne that made my knees weak. “Planning events is your talent, and this would bring together our clients from China and the UK, as Joel is my partner.”
My cheeks grew hot, and I glanced down. Maybe it was time to plan a wedding that was for happy people. I said, “I can’t say no to you.”
His smile brightened. “So you’ll do it?”
Maybe this morning I’d wanted to run because I was nervous about seeing Arman again, which was bad.I shouldn’t always run away from life. Especially when I have everything I want.
I relaxed. “Of course. I’ll need to talk to Kendal right away, as it’s her day we’re discussing.”
He sat back. “Amazing. What did you want to talk to me about?”
The right thing to do for my daughter and me and whether I should leave you now.
Near Arman, I was a better version of myself. Maybe everything would work out. My cheeks were warmer, and I avoided his gaze. “Last night… I… umm…”
He stood and took my hand. “We’ll discuss that over dinner and drinks and our night at the museum.”
One night with just him and me. He’d planned a date. I stood up and headed toward the door. My heart was too out of step to make sense of my life at the moment.
At the doorway, I turned toward him again. “Did you know your mother was in town tonight?”
“I did. How did you know?”
“Apparently, she and Aurora have exchanged phone numbers,” I said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“Well, that’s good, then. Right. My mother loves playing grandmother. She never had a daughter, so she’s enjoying time with Aurora.”
I sighed. As a girl, I’d wanted Roxanne to be my mom, so I didn’t blame my daughter. Nothing ever set Roxanne off, ever.
I quietly said, “She loves her too. Okay. I guess I have a lot of work today.”
I started to leave, but then Arman said, “I’ll grab you in a few hours to take you to Kendal personally, and after, we’ll head to the MoMA. I have some errands that could also use your tender touch.”
We were at work, and so far, we hadn’t flirted or done anything.
“Send me whatever you need me to do.” I glanced over my shoulder at Arman, and my heart stirred. “And I’ll be ready then.”
Honestly, as I took to my desk, I knew I had no idea what the right thing to do was. But leaving him that day wasn’t a possibility. The rest, I guessed, would work itself out when I gained some clarity.
Madeleine
After a few short trips to meetings with potential clients, I snuck in a quick shopping trip for Roxanne’s upcoming birthday. As the work dwindled, we left early and met with Joel and his new wife at an upscale Chinese restaurant that was large and spacious and felt like a temple because of its lighting and the decor. The moment we sat, I focused all my attention on Kendal to really get a feel for the plans.
As we finished our lunches, I took out my phone to take notes and fired off my big questions. “Band or DJ?”
The waiter brought a mango crème brûlées for me and Arman and matcha lava cakes for Kendal and Joel. I refused to turn toward Arman and get distracted even if we ordered the same thing.
Once the server left, Kendal said, “DJ. I want it to be fun, and a band sounds pretentious.”