“Assuming we can find someone who will take the PM job on insanely short notice and be okay with no full-time perks.”
Sharon snorted. “Sounds easy enough.”
The elevator pinged as we arrived in the lobby. I stepped forward and was immediately met with a barrier and a squeal.
An intern holding a coffee cup carrier had rushed onto the elevator and collided with me. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as the lava hot liquid soared in my direction. I threw my bag out in front of me for protection right before the coffee made contact with me.
“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I’m so sorry.” The intern was frantically picking up the now almost empty cups.
“You should wait to see if people are coming off the elevator before you burst into it,” Sharon told her, irritated.
“I know, I’m such an idiot. I was running late. I’m so sorry.”
I looked down to see that I was basically unscathed, except my bag was soaked with coffee.
“It’s alright. Just be more careful next time.” I smiled at her, still remembering what it felt like to be young, ambitious, and nervous as hell to mess anything up.
She apologized several times before rushing out the door to get replacement beverages.
“Let’s hop in the bathroom before lunch. I need to clean off my bag.”
Sharon and I steered ourselves down the hallway and into the luxurious marble bathroom located in the lobby.
I grabbed some paper towels and set my bag on the counter to inspect it. It was a nice bag, but I bought it years ago. It already had a decent amount of wear and tear. I started to dab at it and then peeked inside to see if any damage was done there. As soon as I saw it, the blood drained from my face.
“Shit,” I said.
“What?” Sharon stopped primping her hair in the mirror and gave me her full attention as I held out my gorgeous silver dress, now covered in coffee stains.
She gasped. “Was that what you were going to wear tonight?”
I nodded, trying not to panic. “I meant to hang it up in my office, but I got so sidetracked when Mike told me about the Colorado Property I completely forgot.”
“What are you going to do? You can’t get engaged in that.”
I groaned. “Maybe this is a sign. Garrett was never going to propose to me tonight. This is the universe punishing me for my optimism.”
“Um, first off, even if there is only a one percent chance of you getting engaged tonight, you absolutely cannot wear a stained dress. Second, it’s not optimistic to think that your boyfriend ofalmost a decadeis going to propose.”
I chewed my lip, weighing my options.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do lunch. I’ve got to run home and get a new dress before my next meeting,” I said, already rushing out of the bathroom.
“Run like the wind,” she called.
ChapterFive
Racing home,I kept glancing at the time. I knew I was cutting it close to my next meeting, but I’d be damned if I was going to get engaged in a coffee-soaked dress.
Suddenly it hit me, and warmth flooded into my stomach.
I was going to get engaged to the man I’d been with since college. I was going to have the beach wedding of my dreams. I was going to get to call someone my fiancé. Then, soon, my husband.
Since I was a little girl, I had dreamed of my wedding, and I had been planning it ever since. Despite it being normal now for my generation to not marry, or wait until they’re older, I had always wanted to get married young. So, it surprised everyone when I fell in love with someone who had no timer on such things.
But now the moment I had been waiting for was here. The moment that would send my life spiraling in the direction I had been dying to go ever since I met Garrett.
I bit back my grin as I pulled into a street parking spot in front of our apartment. I rushed up the one flight of stairs and opened the door, ready to be in and out of there as quickly as possible.
