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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Juliet
After a long, successful brunch, I’m exhausted but on cloud nine.
Marjorie wouldn’t stop singing our praises for how quickly we set up and how great everything looked with barely twenty-four hours’ notice. Not to mention that we stayed under the budget she gave us. That part isn’t her expectation but more of a personal challenge that Shawnie and I like to shoot for.
It’s great to feel like I’m not just the wife of a player who got handed the job, but someone competent enough to handle the tasks that Marjorie wants done.
“I knew you were the right choice from the moment you walked out of our office,” Marjorie says.
“That means more than you can know,” I tell her. “I sort of figured I got the job because I’m Ryker’s wife.”
“Absolutely not, my dear. You were already my top candidate but when I saw Ryker propose on the ice, I didn’t think there was any reason to make you wait to hear back,” she says. “We love hiring from within if we have someone competent to do the job. We just got lucky that you were one and the same.”
My heart warms at her words.
All this time I thought I was only barely on the cusp of making it to the top five candidates who applied for the position. I thought I was the outlier—the event firm that came to the table with the least to offer. And now to hear that we were her first pick… I can’t describe the feeling of accomplishment that I set myself apart and that she could see our worth in that meeting.
I look over at Shawnie who’s grabbing the last box of rental items she picked up this morning for the brunch event.
She smiles wide at me, overhearing the conversation.
“That means the world to us. We really appreciate the opportunity you’ve given Elite,” I say, including Shawnie since I couldn’t do this without her.
As happy as I am to celebrate this win with Shawnie, there’s one person and I can’t wait to share the news with on yet another success.
Ryker.
I grab the last couple of items off the table and Shawnie and I walk out of the Hawkeyes building.
We load up our vehicles and then we say goodbye.
I pull my phone out of my purse the second I can and see the time is three pm. Since I left home at seven am, I haven’t seen Ryker since last night and I can’t wait for that raincheck.
Sitting in the driver seat while Shawnie takes off out of the parking lot, I hit redial on my phone and call Ryker.
“We’re sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again.”
What?
That can’t be.
I pull the phone from my ear and go through my contacts instead of recent calls and select Ryker’s name again.
But I get the same error.
Something must be wrong with the cell towers because this makes no sense unless he forgot to pay his cell phone bill. That seems like a silly oversight, but I suppose it happens.
I put my car in drive and head home. I’m not sure if he’ll be there but his car isn’t in the Hawkeyes parking lot, so I know he isn’t here working out with the guys.
Pulling into the parking garage of The Commons, his parking spot is empty. I know his car wasn’t at the stadium and it’s not here either.
Ryker has meetings all over town regularly but now I wish I had asked him what he was planning to do today. Maybe he already knows about his cell phone issues and is down at his cell phone provider getting it resolved.
I get out of my car and head upstairs. All I can do now is wait for him to return home.
Walking into the apartment, I call out his name just in case he parked on the street today.
