CHAPTER 1
Nia
She did these events every other week, with the exception of a couple of times a year when she took extended vacations for herself and around the holidays, because, in the past, a lot of people had said that they would attend but they had ended up canceling, choosing to spend time with their families instead. Due to that, she had stopped offering anything around Thanksgiving in the US and the December holidays everywhere, but that was fine with her. It allowed her more time to have her own holidays and vacations, and it didn’t impact the bottom line very much.
Not that Nia needed to worry about that. Money had not been an issue for her for the past couple of decades or so, and she’d made enough to stop doing this and just relax at home if she chose to. She could always still own the business but have someone else run the events for her, but she liked being present for them, so even though she had considered making plans to stop, she hadn’t written anything out or gotten too serious about it.
As Nia sat behind her desk at her in-home office, staring at the old-fashioned bulletin board on wheels that could be moved wherever she needed it, she thought about the next group and if she had it right. This one had been challenging, but she was pretty sure she would have at least three out of four correct here.Even if it was only fifty-fifty, that would still be good, and her track record was already so solid that if it only ended with one out of four, it would not tank her percentage too much. Yes, she liked that she was generally right, but it was about more than that for her. She helped people in a way that no one else did or could, because not only was she good at this, but she was also the only one who offered it quite this way. It meant she had a very niche clientele and had to be clever with her marketing, but she always managed to find new clients somehow, and she was still in business after all these years.
She picked up her phone and checked her computer screen for the number on the application because everyone had to apply and be accepted, no matter who they were or who they knew. There were no exceptions. There were also no exceptions on things like STI testing and the important details that helped her sort and match the applicants to the proper event. Some people complained about the process, her waitlist, and how long it might take them to get in, but they rarely backed out, primarily only if they found someone else first. Sometimes, those relationships lasted, and she never heard from those applicants again, but more often than not, they just reapplied later, requesting to have their same spot on her waitlist.
Her waitlist wasn’t a first come, first served, though. It was based on the needs of the group at the specific event, and she normally started with the person who was next up on her list, yes, but then, she had to find the rest of the group, making sure everyone complemented one another appropriately, until she had the right mix. It was painstaking work that required time, which was one of the reasons she charged so much, but it was also one of the reasons it worked well and mattered more to her when it was all said and done.
“Hello. This is Nia from–”
“Oh! Nia? Really?” the woman asked excitedly.
“Yes,” she said with a little laugh. “I was calling to let you know that I’m having an event in two weeks, and I’d like to invite you to join.”
“Two weeks?”
“Yes. Are you able to attend?”
This happened every time. People often applied months in advance, and by the time she had them picked, it would be weeks before the event, so she had to wait while they figured out if they could still go. Rarely did someone turn her down, and that was usually only because of something they absolutely could not get out of. One woman had even accepted Nia’s offer and turned down attending her cousin’s wedding, but another woman had had a funeral that obviously could not be rescheduled, so Nia had had to put her back on the waitlist and spend time finding someone else who could work for that event.
“I can do it, yes. I’ll move some things around.”
“Great,” Nia said. “I will get you the information and a secure link for payment. You’ll need to pay within the next forty-eight hours, or your spot will go to someone else, unfortunately. You can let us book your flight for you or book it on your own, but please read those instructions carefully. Our option includes a first-class ticket that we have exclusive rates for, but you can choose that or not. If you have any food allergies or any special dietary requests, please indicate that on the registration form. Lastly, we have events planned for each day. They will be listed on the itinerary. If you’re unable to join any of them for any reason, please indicate that as well so that we can plan for that. The activities are group-based or pair-based, so we need to know in advance. There’s no additional charge for the activities, just FYI. They’re included in your event fee.”
She had given this speech over and over again for years now and always would because when she’d tried not doing it for a while and just asked people to read all of the paperwork anddetails thoroughly, she’d found that they were often too excited to do so, which had resulted in them forgetting to tell her that they were a vegetarian or couldn’t go rock climbing or forgot to book a flight because they had just assumed that she was doing that for them. After a few of those incidents, she’d learned her lesson and gone back to giving the speech
“Sounds great. I’ll pay as soon as I get the link. And I’ll take the flight booking thing. That’ll make things easier on me.”
“Okay. Select that option when you pay and indicate a window or aisle seat and any food requirements or needs for the flight. I look forward to seeing you soon, and if you have any questions, please just reply to the email and let me know.”
“I will,” the woman replied, still sounding very excited, which Nia was used to because that was how they all sounded when she called.
“She’s going to forget something…” she said to herself after they hung up.
She worked with various contractors, like caterers and event planners, along with a property rental company and a small airline, but she was a one-woman show by choice when it came to all the administrative work, so she made a mental note to add more red and bold to the text in her emails to try to help the women follow all of her important instructions.
“On to the next one,” she said and picked up the phone again.
CHAPTER 2
Gage
“Gage, you lied.”
“I didn’t lie.”
“Yes, you did,” Sasha said.
“No, I just didn’t tell the whole truth.” She pulled open her top drawer and asked, “Which ones should I bring? All of them seems excessive, but none seems like a major oversight on my part.”
“You aren’t supposed to bring your own toys. I read the information in that email.”
“It said things would be provided, yes, but I don’t want to risk that what I want might not be there.”
