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Although still in its infancy, Bay Banquets had already had a lot of positive interest in the area after she’d decided to keep her efforts local. She’d distributed her leaflets in the selection of cafés and art galleries in nearby Half Moon Bay and the other little towns dotted up the coast, and contacted a string of small local businesses that might be interested in using an events planner. She’d done an interview in the town newspaper to attract private clients and her website had gone live three weeks ago. She’d already sourced an amazing florist, and a couple of good-priced catering firms in nearby Redwood City, and checked out a selection of great hospitality venues. And last week she’d signed her first contract, with a wonderful couple of ageing flower children who wanted to renew their vows while paragliding in Big Sur! She grinned at the trouble she’d been having finding a minister willing to paraglide with them.
Sure, it was early days yet, and the turnover wouldn’t be enough to produce a decent salary until next year, but she could already see that she was providing a niche service in the area that hadn’t been filled. As long as she could offer original, efficient, well-planned events with a significant wow factor while also being rigorously cost effective, she could make Bay Banquets work.
She wanted to pay her way. It was as simple as that. It was important to her to be independent, or as independent as she could be. And it irked her that Nate didn’t seem to understand that, or didn’t want to understand that. But she figured it was up to her to make him.
‘Oh, so it’s Nate now, is it?’ Eva said, fluttering her eyelashes outrageously. ‘Do you get to see much of Firecracker Guy, then, now you’re living on his estate?’
‘A bit,’ Tess said, being deliberately evasive. She hadn’t mentioned her and Nate’s ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement to Eva, because Eva was a hopeless romantic and Tess knew she would blow it completely out of proportion.
‘How much is a bit?’
‘A bit’s a bit.’ Tess concentrated on stuffing the towels she planned to take to the pool into a tote bag. ‘He owns this place, so I do see him occasionally.’ Which was something of an understatement, but one she could live with. ‘And he’s been coming to all the scans and antenatal appointments.’
‘He has? But that’s wonderful.’ Eva said, her eyes going all soft and glowy.
Time to change the subject before Eva started getting mushy on her, too.
‘Here, let me take him.’ She lifted Carmine out of Eva’s arms, an evasive action guaranteed to get her friend’s attention. ‘Why don’t I go check Carmine’s nappy while you change into your costume? You did bring it, right?’
‘Affirmative.’ Eva whipped the striped one-piece out of the enormous bag she carried everywhere with her, and which seemed to contain everything bar the kitchen sink. ‘Although you could have mentioned the pool! I had visions of us swan-diving off the cliffs.’
Tess grinned. ‘We can do that another day.’ She bounced Carmine on her hip, who chortled. ‘When Carmy here’s old enough to join us.’
Eva laughed, hefting the sack of all things off her shoulder and passing it to Tess. ‘There are spare diapers in there if you need them.’ She buried her nose in her son’s padded bottom and took a sniff. ‘But I think you may have lucked out.’
‘Hallelujah!’ Tess said, considering it a job well done when Eva headed off to the bathroom without any more mention of her Firecracker Guy.
* * *
Ten minutes later, though, it turned out the job hadn’t been quite as well done as she’d thought.
Tess taped Carmine’s fresh nappy in place and bent down to blow a raspberry on his soft little tummy, but drew back at the loud clucking sound coming from the doorway.
Eva stood with her shoulder propped against the doorframe, a bottle of Nate’s cologne dangling from her fingers. ‘When exactly did you start using aftershave?’
Tess climbed off the bed, and took the bottle from Eva. ‘What were you doing? Poking around in my bathroom cabinets?’ she demanded, but her cheeks were already flaming.
‘I didn’t have to poke. It was on the shelf above the shower in plain sight. And more to the point, you’re blushing,’ Eva commented as Tess marched past her and headed down the hall to the bathroom.
Tess pressed her palms to scorching cheeks as she caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror.
‘And you never blush,’ her friend added from the doorway with Carmine perched on her hip.
She did now.
Great, Eva was never going to drop this!
‘So I’m assuming that belongs to Firecracker Guy?’ Eva continued.
Tess shoved Nate’s aftershave into the cabinet, and let out a long-suffering sigh as she spied the excited smile on Eva’s face. ‘His name’s Nate.’
Eva’s grin got bigger. ‘And...?’
‘And, don’t make a big deal about it. He sleeps over sometimes, that’s all.’
Eva bounced up on her toes, making Carmine clap excitedly. ‘That’s fantastic! You’re an item. And you’re going to have a baby.’ Her eyes went all dreamy, just as Tess had feared. ‘Tess, I should be mad. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this monumental development. And why haven’t I met him yet?’
‘I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d do this.’ She huffed, her chin starting to quiver for no apparent reason whatsoever. ‘We’re not an item. It’s not a monumental development. It’s just sex.’
