I can’t say any of these thoughts to Maddy, or she’ll call me jealous again. It’s just after seeing fairytale-worthy Christie and Ash, I’m just done with couples parading in front of me. At least when I watch a movie there’s a layer of distance between me and the characters.
While we eat dinner, Aunt Maddy’s phone beeps and vibrates on the kitchen counter. She gets up to look at it and her casual demeanor swiftly changes.
“Oh my gosh!” Maddy squeals at her phone. “It’s a text from Christie. Her mom said there’s an upcoming garden party that’s not finalized. We could be a contender for catering!”
“Whoa. It really is who you know,” I reply.
David gets up and cuddles up to her. “Congratulations, honey.”
“Don’t congratulate me yet,” Aunt Maddy says, staring at her phone. “There’s a lot of work to do with the menu plan and interviewing the organizers. It’s a different plan for whether it’s a sit-down meal, or walking horderves, or both.” She lowers her phone with a devastated expression. “Oh my gosh.”
“What is it?” David and I chime in at once.
Aunt Maddy’s elongated face turns to David. “I can’t go to Hawaii.”
David puffs a nervous laugh. “What? Why not?”
Maddy raises her phone with urgency. “Hello? A huge catering opportunity has popped up and I need to put my best game plan together. How will it look if I’m on vacation instead of meeting with prospective clients?”
“But you don’t even have a date or numbers yet,” David replies. “There’s no need to panic.”
Aunt Maddy paces away from him, landing by the sofa. “How can you say that? This is a big break for me.” She looks at me with anxious eyes. “For us. I can’t risk this.”
“Honey,” David says softly, moving toward her.
“No,” I say, halting David. “Let me.”
I move over to Aunt Maddy, and she takes some steady breaths.
I take both her hands in mine and exhale hard. “Aunt Maddy, you should go to Hawaii.”
She grips onto me tightly and whispers, “This is the part where you get to tell me to stay.”
I frown. “I know. But if you stay, I know you’ll regret it. I don’t want you to feel like that.”
“But this job could be huge for us. I can’t risk losing it before my foot’s even in the door.”
“Aunty, we live in the digital age. You can use a video call for the meeting.”
“But I can’t virtually give them food to try.”
“No, but me, Laura, Jake, and even Kylie can work on the food. You can be the virtual charisma.”
Aunt Maddy shakes her head, eyes filled with worry. “I need to oversee what’s being plated up if they’re trying our food for the first time.”
“No, Aunty, you don’t. Trust us. If you tell us what to do, we can do it. We’ve got your back.”
“Oh my gosh,” Maddy murmurs. “Since when did you get so grown up?”
I giggle. “I guess the moment you got that text.”
Aunt Maddy wraps her arms around me, shivering as her breath patters against my shoulder. “Thanks, baby. I trust you.”
David’s antsy presence lingers beside us. “So, Hawaii is still on?”
Maddy giggles, pulling out of the hug. “Yes, Hawaii is still on.”
Oh crud. What did I agree to? Not only am I losing Maddy, but now I’m coordinating a menu plan? Oh well, at least it gives me an excuse to take time off from studying.
