Page 74 of Some Kinda Romance

36

SERENITY

Julie and I woke up together, both a little hungover as we sat up when our respective alarms went off. We were in my living room, having passed out while watching a movie after Dash had left.

She groaned as she stretched her arms above her head. Then she gently cradled her palm over her forehead and let out a whimper. “Ouch. That hurts.”

“We need a greasy breakfast. ASAP.” I forced myself to stand up, pushing the throw blanket I’d slept under off my legs and then nearly tripping over it as I made my feet move. “That’s it, Jules. No more drinking on school nights.”

She laughed, but the sound stopped abruptly and turned into another groan as she stumbled to her feet as well. “It’s not that bad. We’ll be fine. Like you said, we’ll have a greasy breakfast, pop some aspirin and by noon, you’ll be ready for cocktails.”

“Doubt it,” I said, carefully walking to the kitchen to get some coffee started. “Dash really came back last night, right? That wasn’t a dream?”

“Nope,” she replied, pulling a face as she followed me to the kitchen. “I thought you were done with him, though? Didn’t you say he was only out for himself? I have vague memories of you saying that. Repeatedly.”

“I did say it. Repeatedly.” I chuckled. “He apologized, though. He figured out that he did something wrong and what it was. Then he came right back here to tell me. Plastered, but he came back.”

“Well, it’s not like we were entirely sober either.” She chewed on her cheek for a moment before she sighed. “I’m glad he came around, but you need to talk to him, babe. He can’t keep putting you through the wringer like he has been. It’s not right.”

“I know,” I said, not about to start making excuses for him. “He’s trying, but I’ll talk to him. We’ll get it cleared up.”

She nodded. Then we both went to take showers and I loaned her some clothes for the day. We grabbed our coffee on our way out, then stopped for that greasy breakfast before we went to the office.

“What’s on your agenda for the day?” she asked. “Nothing too strenuous, I hope. You haven’t got the St. Clairs coming in, right?”

“Nope, not today, but I am meeting with a new potential client that I’m pretty excited about,” I admitted, a little thrill running through me as I glanced at her. “I haven’t told anyone about it yet, but this client is considering booking our catering services for a huge event that’s going to be televised. If I get this contract…”

“It’ll be great for business,” she finished for me, giving my shoulder a playful punch as we walked into the building. “Go get ‘em, tiger. I know you can do this. Reel in another whale for mama.”

I laughed, flinching a little when my headache made a sudden return. “Crap. I need to grab some painkillers before I go into this meeting. No one is charming when there’s a tiny dragon in their skulls breathing fire on their brains.”

She hummed her agreement and we separated when she took off to her office while I went on to my own. After taking some tablets, I gulped down an entire bottle of water and checked my emails before it was time to go.

The client was meeting me upstairs at our rooftop venue, and she arrived only minutes after I did. She was an older woman, but she and I hit it off immediately, and she loved the venue as well as the idea we had for catering options.

“Let’s do this,” she said once we were done. “I had my doubts about you, Ms. Halverson, but I want the venue. Consider us a confirmed booking.”

Relief and triumph raced through me, putting a massive grin on my face as I walked her out and said goodbye. Little by little, I was winning over those who doubted me. This was just one small victory, but it was another feather in my cap and I was damn proud of it.

Dash had told me to give myself time and to show myself a little grace and so far, doing just that seemed to be helping. It hadn’t been much time, sure, but Rome also hadn’t been built in a day. This was a big client and it was going to be a major win for us when we pulled it off.

In a much better mood and my hangover gone thanks to the rush of adrenaline, I was all smiles as I headed up to my office. As I walked in, my phone chimed and the message I received gave me yet another reason to smile.

Dash: Good morning, gorgeous. Can I take you to lunch today?

Me: Yes, please. At 1?

Dash: You got it. Can’t wait.

Julie walked into my office as I set my phone down on my desk, her eyebrows rising when she saw my smile. “Please tell me that means we got the contract.”

“We got the contract,” I said dutifully and she squealed, racing over to hug me. I hugged her back, chuckling. “The client loves everything and she told me to confirm their booking. Amelia will send her the paperwork later today, but I’m pretty sure she’s going to sign and pay the deposit.”

“Go team!” Julie whooped but headed back to the door instead of taking a seat. “I need to get back to work, but I’m really proud of you. We’re movin’ on up, baby.”

“That we are.” I laughed. “Now I just need to get my personal life on the same positive trajectory and you need to stop going on dates with narcissists.”

She fired a finger gun at me. “I’m working on it, but in the meantime, have you heard from him again after last night?”