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She looks at it briefly and waves me off. “Let’s not do any of that boring lawyer stuff. I’m a hugger. Are you a hugger?” She steps forward and wraps her arms around me, leaning side to side, before I can prepare.
“Um… sure.” I look at Andrew with a “save me” face.
“Well.” Andrew claps his hands in front of him. “I’ll leave you ladies to it.”
Bethaney pulls away from me. “Oh, no way! You have to stay. After all, you’re the one who knows Kenzie and I’d love to hear your ideas too, since you love Christmas as much as we do.”
I study Bethaney’s face for a beat before I realize she’s serious. No note of sarcasm is present in her tone, so I look slowly at Andrew with a raised eyebrow.
“Right. Be that as it may, I do have to prepare for a call this afternoon with a client—”
“I insist.” Bethany’s voice is a little harder now.
He must notice the change too because with a resigned sigh, he pulls a chair out from the table across from where my coat hangs.
I pull my notepad and pen from my bag and heave the bag onto the floor near my chair before taking a seat. Bethaney sits at the head of the long table, as though she’s looking out at her subjects even though it’s just Andrew and myself in the room. If I had to guess, the boardroom is a foreign place for her.
“Well, the best place to start is probably with you telling me the date of the party.” I look up at her with my pen poised over the paper.
“December 17th.” She smiles as if that’s not a little less than six weeks away while I try to keep my expression from showing the panic flaring inside me.
“All right. And Andrew mentioned that the last planner was no longer able to do the party. Did they have a conflict in their schedule or did something personal come up…”
“Oh no, she quit.” Bethaney rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat. “Said I had unrealistic expectations, but really, she just didn’t get my vision.” Her hands go out in front of her and spread open.
I glance at Andrew’s clenched hands and tight jaw. This isn’t new information to him. He knew the last event planner quit and failed to tell me. Suddenly, this feels more like a setup than an opportunity.
“Right… okay then. Do you already have a venue to hold the party?” I ask.
She nods with a big smile, as though she’s very pleased with herself. “It’s being held at the St. Regis in their roof ballroom.”
I nod, impressed. Of course, I’ve never done an event there, but I know the space and it’s gorgeous, with a real European flair. “Can I assume they’re handling the table setup and the catering?”
She shifts in her seat and glances at Andrew. “They’ll put the tables in place with basic tablecloths, but I didn’t like their options for food, so I told them we’d be bringing in outside catering.”
I stifle my wince. I can only imagine how the hotel felt about that. “If we could arrange something you were satisfied with with the hotel, would you be open to letting them handle the food? It would be more cost-effective and much easier to arrange on such short notice.”
Bethaney raises her chin and shrugs. “I suppose, but the guy there seems really intent on sticking with their standard fare and I want this party to be anything but standard.”
We go on to discuss the budget—bigger than I expected, and the number of guests—also bigger than I expected, then we get to the part where Bethaney explains her vision for the party to me. I get a really good idea why the last event planner quit. For a moment, I wonder if she’s related to my unicorn mom.
I keep my face neutral, nodding at all the appropriate times. I somehow stop myself from laughing when she tries to pull Andrew into the conversation by getting his take on what’s the better option, a Christmas carol sing-off or a dance-off.
“Yes, Andrew, I’m dying to get your opinion?” I lean forward with my arms crossed on the table. He’s put me in an impossible situation with this opportunity, so anytime I can make him squirm, I intend on taking full advantage.
“Both sound like great ideas, Bethaney.” He smiles at her, and even though I’ve never seen Andrew’s full smile, I’d bet my small studio apartment this isn’t it.
“I know, right? Both are amazing.” She shakes her head and looks around the room as though she can’t believe how intelligent she is.
When we conclude the meeting, I stand from the table and reach out to shake Bethaney’s hand again. “Thanks again for seeing me today. I’ll go over my notes and figure out what it’s going to take to put this all together and whether or not I have room in my schedule.”
She accepts my hand instead of insisting on a hug, but she clasps my hand between both of hers. “Oh please, you’re my only hope. This is the first party I’m in charge of and I need to do a better job than”—she leans in closer—“the ex,” she whispers.
For the first time, I see insecurity in her eyes. “I won’t take more than a day or two to get back to you.”
I give her a reassuring smile, but there’s still worry in her eyes and it tugs on my sympathies. Her desperation feels all too similar to my own when it comes to my career.
“I’ll walk you out.” Andrew comes beside me and motions for me to leave the boardroom first.
