Forging Splendor

by S R Nulton

  That was actually the last question I expected. Or, rather, it was phrased differently than I expected and with much less accusation. Honestly, it made me think about my answer a bit more carefully instead of jumping in defensively.

  “It… it needed to be done. I mean, I have a whole slew of other reasons that I could give you, but I think that is at the heart of it. You needed the help and I was able to give it to you.” I bit my lip and considered for a moment, but then decided to be brave and ask, “When do you need me out?”

  That seemed to shake him. So much so that he blurted out, “Never,” and then stammered for a minute trying to figure out what he really meant to say. “Not, never. I mean, of course at some point, but not right now… what I’m trying to say is I’m not asking you to leave. I’m asking you to take the job you came here to do. You are clearly capable of running my life without making a big deal out of it, and you’ve got no idea how nice that is.”

  My eyes were probably huge at that moment. They felt huge. And sweaty, but that wasn’t related except that I could blame my workout for my stinging eyes. I totally wasn’t tearing up in relief! “Thank you! I mean, I know how hard this is on you, but I can’t even begin to say how much I appreciate this opportunity!”

  He sighed and relaxed. “Good. I hope that it won’t take too long to inform your prospective employers.”

  “Not long at all.” He eyed me carefully as he considered my swift response. I twitched a bit under his gaze before admitting, “I haven’t actually applied anywhere else. I got a bit… consumed with your project and forgot.”

  Ethan grinned, his smile creating a white crescent in his beard. “Alright, let’s talk particulars. How much are we going to need to do to get back to where we need to be?”

  “Not much, actually,” I told him, relaxing back into my own chair. “Most of the programs you are using right now are working great. They automatically update the server, which means I won’t have to interrupt you while you’re working to talk about paperwork. It also made it easy to keep you updated on your schedule. There are a few things we will have to go over, just so I can get them squared away properly, but nothing major.”

  He frowned again. “How did you manage to get everything done without talking to me, by the way? I know most of those files were a mess and there’s no way that my computer helped you figure everything out.”

  “Nope. I asked your boss.”

  “My boss?” I started laughing as I saw his face. It was twisted in the most ridiculous grimace!

  “Yep. Your boss. Rosa.”

  His face smoothed and a chuckle built before bursting from him, making his dark eyes sparkle. I’d never seen him look so attractive before and I didn’t quite know what to with that thought.

  ~

  Life sped up again, and quickly. Ethan had a show in the city planned for the first weekend in May and there was still a lot to do.

  The first step was unearthing the protocol binder that was supposed to tell me what my responsibilities were. It took two days to find, mostly because it had somehow gotten jammed behind the filing cabinet and then I realized it wasn’t going to be much help. Most of it needed to be rewritten because it was five years out of date. Honestly, the thing was a mess. I had to go talk to Rosa to find out what the procedures actually were, which cost me quite a bit of dignity. It turns out it was also my responsibility to watch her dancing around, praising God in Spanish for keeping me there and for my being obedient. There was more involved, but as soon as I heard ‘amor’, I stopped trying to translate. Not that I really could, considering I took German in high school. As it was, my face felt sunburned because of the blush I was rocking.

  After that I had to contact the gallery that was putting on the show and confirm all the arrangements were in order. Which led to a bigger problem.

  Apparently, they had lost their main artist coordinator and she’d taken their contact information with her when she was fired. They had been desperately trying to find out who was in the show and how to contact them for the last two weeks! And in that time, at least one artist had to drop out. They were basically begging for more artwork. A quick conversation with Ethan let me assure them that he had back-up pieces ready and waiting to be added to the exhibit.

  When I called back the next day to tell them when the pieces would ship out, I discovered that their old employee had also canceled the party planner and caterer. Not only that, but the gallery owner was about to have a meltdown because no other planners seemed to be available on such short notice.

  “Good thing I have connections,” I muttered as I dialed Bloom’s number.

  “Good morning! Avondale Planning, Thalia speaking. I can help you today!” my older sister said with a smile.

  “Hey Bloom! I need some help,” I responded, using my sister’s nickname. She and her roommates had really gotten into watching Winx Club in college and they decided to take nicknames from each of their favorite characters. Their inside joke stuck and never went away, and it meant that basically everyone called them by their nicknames.

  “Aggy! What’s up?”

  “I need you guys to plan a party for the first Saturday in May. It’s an art show and a disgruntled ex-employee tried to take it down.”

  I heard papers flipping on the other end of the line and knew that Bloom was checking her calendar. They were so busy that they could hardly remember what was happening the next day, so she was religious in writing everything down in that planner. It always made me laugh, that a planner needed her planner. Bloom never seemed to appreciate the joke though.

  “It looks like you’re in luck! There was a wedding planned for that day, but the plans got canceled and we never filled the spot. The couple decided to elope rather than deal with an overly picky mother-in-law and a spinster sister who was living vicariously through the bride.”

  I snorted. “Wise choice.” We’d seen more than a few of those over the years and the wedding never ended up being a happy day if intense steps weren’t taken. It was unfortunate that the bride had to deal with both of them at the same time, but she’d apparently been smart enough to read the warning signs and get out while she could.

  “Indeed. Well, you know the deal. We need where, when, who, how many, price range, and color scheme. Aaaaaaand, GO!”

  “Ha! I will forward you the address and such after I hang up but it’s in a converted warehouse, so getting the trucks in won’t be an issue. They have an industrial kitchen rented out for the party already. It’s located next door, so Joy shouldn’t need to complain about things being lukewarm and the thick walls will make sure her cursing doesn’t bother any of the guests.”

  My sister Joy was a chef and rarely seemed to act like her name would indicate. She was known to curse out the servers and sous-chefs at every party they hosted, but no one seemed upset with her afterward. In fact, most of those employees regularly requested to work for her again and none of us could quite figure out why. It was an odd dynamic, one that needed heavy insulation, but it seemed to work so we didn’t complain. Much.

  “Color scheme is black and old gold. The glassware, plates, utensils and napkins are all there already, as are half the decorations. The guests will be moneyed–“

  “Obviously,” she drawled.

  “–but not generally snobby, from what Ethan’s said. They are actual art lovers, not people trying to impress their neighbors, and they enjoy the lack of gimmicks and glam. Subtle is key and letting the art take center stage. Basically, everything you excel at. And yes, I am buttering you up, but not for the reason you think. Price range is up near the top, but you will have to talk to the gallery owner for the specifics, and as for how many? At least 70. Maybe more. There is no way of being sure because the guest list disappeared at the same time as everything else.”

  “Ooooo,” Bloom said with understanding and I could practically see her wince from where I sat. “Another Natasha?”

  “Pretty much.” Natasha was a former employee o
f Avondale Planning that disappeared with a ton of information and money, only to show up again on the other side of town, running a competing company, using our business’ clients. There was a lawsuit, lots of damage to our reputation, and it all ended when I started working for JJ and getting better jobs for my sisters. Bloom and Joy were able to handle the party, but I wanted to suck up a bit so that they would stow the complaining that usually happened around a last minute event. The fact that it was a Natasha just made my job easier.

  “Alright, well you just need to send me the rest of the info and I’ll get Joy in on it. We should have a nice spread. Finger foods or full dinner?”

  “Eh… a bit of both. You know how it is. Some people want to graze, some want to sit down for prime rib. Fancy appetizers and simple but filling foods will probably cover all bases. And Joy’s desserts, as always. I’m pretty sure they would rebel if we didn’t give them dessert.”

  “Got it. We can totally do that, and the potential new clients will be more than welcome. We’ve just about replaced JJ’s friends, but we still need a few more to get rid of the last of the prima donnas. Okay, now that business is concluded, tell me more about what’s going out there! You’ve been avoiding actual phone calls and sticking to texts, which you only do when you don’t want to explain yourself, so it’s time to fess up. What are you doing? Where are you? And who is the new boss?”

  I bit my lip and looked around the office, trying to decide how much to say. “No new boss… I’m kinda working for Ethan.”

  There was silence on the other end of the line. “What? You don’t mean Ethan Black, your boss’ son, do you? JJ’s ex-husband? That Ethan? How on earth did that happen? Wait, didn’t you say that your assigned boss refused to let you stay?”

  “Yeeeeeaaahhhh, about that. I told you Mr. Montgomery wanted me to spy on my new boss, right? Well, he did. I just neglected to mention that the boss was his son. And he let me stay until I could find another job.”

  “Which you didn’t because you were too busy cleaning up his life, right? That is so you. So, let me see if I have this straight. You are currently employed and living with the witch’s ex and were sent to spy on him by his father. The father that he doesn’t share a last name with, despite the fact that his parents were married and had kids before and after he was born.” She paused. “Do you think that you may be a part of a hidden camera-reality-soap opera show? Because I’m pretty sure that is the only explanation.”

  Giggles burst out of me as I thought about it. “I know, right? Everything is so dramatic! I’m pretty sure that’s why Ethan avoids his family. I mean, seriously, who spies on their own grown son except rulers worried about a military coup or characters in one of those seedy, daytime TV shows?”

  We laughed for a while before calming down. For some reason, once the silliness of the situation was out, all I felt was sad for them. For the entire family. There was obviously something very wrong there, and while I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, I knew that it had driven quite the wedge between them.

  “Just be careful, Aggy,” Bloom warned, practically reading my thoughts. “You tend to want to fix people’s problems and I don’t want you swept away in the craziness of that group. Plus, anyone who would willingly marry a horribly person like JJ, well their judgment is highly suspect.”

  “Bloom, I don’t think he meant to marry her. I’m pretty sure that something fishy happened there because neither of them has been able to really describe why they got married. And even if he did, he is older and hopefully wiser now. He can learn from his mistakes.”

  “And his genetics?”

  “Yes, and his genetics.” I looked up and saw Ethan standing in the doorway, sad look in his eyes. “Hey, hun? I gotta go. Thanks for doing this for me!”

  “No prob! See you in a few weeks, yeah? And don’t forget to answer your phone you dork! We care about you and want to know what’s going on.” And with that, she was gone.

  I put my phone down and looked at my boss. “Hey. I just got us a new party planner and caterer for the art show. My sisters had a cancelation and are going to cover for us.”

  He nodded but said nothing. Just before he turned to leave, he looked at me and said, “I did.”

  “You did what?” I asked with a frown.

  “Learn from my mistakes. And I most definitely learned from my genetics.”

  ~

  He needed to double check with Agatha about if they needed extra pieces for the show, and how many. When he couldn’t get her on the phone he decided just to head to the house and talk to her in person. Ethan knew she was talking to the gallery that day and he didn’t want to get caught up in his work and forget important details. He had a tendency to do that if he didn’t deal with them immediately. It was why he loved smart phones so much. He could put the information in there and then trust that the alarm would remind him of it when needed.

  He could hear her giggling as he walked through the kitchen and stood outside the office door. It was a refreshing sound in his quiet home, bouncing off the high ceilings and shimmering like sunlight on crushed crystals. It made him want to sculpt something new and light. She seemed to bring that out of him like no one else. If he weren’t careful, he’d wake up to discover she’d become his muse, and that was never a good idea. Once a muse left so did the ideas and he couldn’t afford that.

  “Bloom, I don’t think he meant to marry her,” Agatha said. “I’m pretty sure that something fishy happened there because neither of them has been able to really describe why they got married. And even if he did, he is older and hopefully wiser now. He can learn from his mistakes.”

  Ethan’s heart dropped as he heard her words. He hated when people talked about why he married his ex. Then again, most people were wondering why she had married him, not the other way around. And Agatha was the only person to realize that it was strange neither of them remembered the event.

  “Yes, and his genetics,” Agatha drawled, clearly amused by whomever was on the other end of the line.

  That shook him. Whoever was on that phone seemed to really understand that his family was part of his problem. So few noticed that. They all seemed to concentrate on the gossip and the money, not the idea that they were real people with real problems and real consequences for those around them. Geo had told him all about the fallout when his father came home with another illegitimate child and how it affected the whole family. Or when his perfectionist mother attempted to mold them into whatever she saw as the ideal and they rushed to fix themselves. When his older brother decided that he wanted Ethan’s wife? Well, everyone knew how that turned out.

  They didn’t live in a vacuum or in a movie. Actions had very real consequences, no matter what your income bracket.

  Agatha turned and spotted him watching her, jumping ever so slightly. Ethan doubted even she noticed her flinch. He did though. Clearly she didn’t like the idea of him listening in. Or maybe she didn’t want to hurt him. It was so hard to tell…

  “Hey, hun? I gotta go. Thanks for doing this for me!” She put her phone down like it was made of crystal and looked at me. “Hey. I just got us a new party planner and caterer for the art show. My sisters had a cancelation and are going to cover for us.”

  Ethan nodded but said nothing. There was too much to process before he could talk to her about what he’d heard, but he knew she needed to hear something or she’d think he was angry, so he stopped just before leaving and said, “I did.”

  “You did what?” she asked, her golden brows drawing together over her eyes. They were such an unusual shade. Not blue. More like aqua. She had the color palate of a tropical beach: white sands, golden sun, aqua water and pink flowers blooming on her cheeks.

  Then he realized she’d asked him a question.

  “Learn from my mistakes. And I most definitely learned from my genetics.” And he had. He definitely had.

  CHAPTER 5: SHOWTIME

  THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT was an interesting place. Half of it wa
s rundown and looked awful, but the other half had been revitalized and sported interesting murals that spanned entire blocks, new eateries, upscale lofts and some artfully crafted streetlights to make the place safer to walk through. Honestly, I was super impressed by it.

  I was not so impressed by the industrial kitchen next door. It wasn’t really the kitchen’s fault though. It was the language being thrown around in there.

  “What the” a pan being dropped cut off Joy’s expletive, “are you thinking you idiot! I said simmer! Not BOIL! Do you know what you could have done to my masterpiece by BOILING IT!” Something else was thrown or dropped, but it didn’t sound like anyone was hurt. This time.

  “Joy!” I called out as I entered. “Stop terrorizing the staff and tell me what your ETA is!”

  “Aggy? Aggy! What are you doing here so early?!” she asked as she hugged me. For someone so small, she had a very tight grip.

  “Seeing the installation and making sure nothing else disappeared with the gallery’s employee.” I stepped back and looked at my second oldest sister.

  Joy was a bit of a conundrum. Looking at her, you’d have no idea what a firecracker she was. She was small in every way but personality and voice. She topped out at about 5’2” and was maybe 115 pounds soaking wet. She was also crazy about food. Like psycho at times. She was one of the best catering chefs in the country and she knew it. Her harsh personality in the kitchen contrasted starkly with her pixie like looks and made people a bit afraid of her.

  On the bright side, her culinary accomplishments meant that her staff feared and idolized her in equal measure. It meant they were never short on workers willing to be verbally abused to witness her genius.

  “Well, you can go over there and stir that near disaster of a sauce Gerald just tried to pass off as correct. And don’t let it boil.”

  “Yes ma’am!” I said with a salute. “So how is business?”