Page 172 of Ten Day Affair

At least I’ve got that.

“It’s Izzy’s night,” I say again. “She deserves perfection.”

I nudge the pot again. If I can get it just right, maybe the rest of my life will follow.

I plant my hands on my hips and let my gaze sweep over the yard.

“Elley-Bell. We’ve been at this for over four hours.” Charity wipes sweat from her forehead. “Everyone is exhausted, and it’s hot as hell. Don’t you think we’re done? I mean, it looks good to me. Better than good.”

I know most people don’t have my insane meticulousness, but this is the one party we are throwing for our best friend. I want to tell them to suck it up, but I smile instead.

“We’re so close, y’all. This looks amazing. Seriously. Just a few more touches and we can call it. Deal?”

Vic, our most dramatic male friend in our group, groans from the bar as he swipes his hat on the bar. “Why does that sound exactly like what you said an hour ago? Is this someSeverancenightmare?”

Charity laughs. “God, I’m obsessed with that show. The goats still haunt me.”

"Right? And Milchick? I swear he's way more involved than we know."

“I’m counting down the days to the next drop,” Charity says, fanning herself with a napkin. “Obsessed doesn’t even cover it.”

“What are y’all talking about?” I eye the runner on the table, half interested.

“Severance,Apple TV+,” Sophie jumps in. “Elle, don’t tell me you haven’t seen it.”

“Who has time for TV? Y’all need to get a life,” I chortle. “After you fix that light strand, of course. Chop-chop.”

Vic grunts. “She wouldn’t like it anyway. Too much mystery. Not enough dolphins.”

Sophie raises that one eyebrow she’s so good at doing as she nudges one of the big planters. “I don’t know. I think Elle might love it. Endless rules. Color-coded departments. You’d have that place running smoother than Lumon’s creepy wellness floor.”

I act like I’m considering what they are talking about, but my eyes are already moving. I can’t help it.

“Vic, the lights. See that strand by the fence? It’s sagging at the end. Can you pull it tighter? It’ll balance the whole thing.”

He mutters something under his breath, but he’s already reaching for the ladder. Such a good boy!

“Charity, love of my life and table-setter extraordinaire…”

“You know just how to butter me up.”

“The runner’s bunched on the buffet corner. It’ll show in pictures.”

Charity groans but smooths it out. “You’re lucky I love you. And fine, you're right. Barely.”

“I do appreciate it.”

“And Sophie, the pot by the far corner. You did amazing with those, by the way. They frame the patio like they were created for this exact purpose.”

“My specialty!”

“The one with the ivy needs to shift it toward the post just a bit, right? Or am I imagining things? From here, it doesn’t look like it’s lined up with the other one.”

Sophie gives me a long look, but there’s a smile at the edge of it. “You missed your calling. You should’ve been an event planner.”

I shrug, wiping my hands on my shorts. “I’d work myself into an early grave if I did this for a living. It’s never done. Never perfect enough. I need order I can actually control.”

Sophie drags a chair across the patio, loud on the herringbone brick. “Jury’s still out. You may just get yourself that if you don’t chill soon.”