[Event to Remember 01.0] An Event to Remember...or Forget

by Melissa Baldwin

  When he walks into Carrie’s office, he gives me a puzzled look, and I just smile.

  We review the plans for Saturday night, and I try to remember that last time Carrie came to one of our events. Of course, this one is hardly any work, and we’re basically just there for some set-up and to make sure things go smoothly. In other words, to watch—babysit—Carrie’s crazy friends.

  As soon as we finish, Carrie leaves for one of her many appointments. Not five seconds later, Craig starts grilling me about our meeting.

  “Did she mention anything about selling the company? Was she acting strange?” he asks eagerly.

  “We just chatted about the charity event,” I say nonchalantly. “She seemed pretty normal to me. Well, as normal as Carrie can be. She didn’t say one word about selling. Although, I doubt she would. Sorry, my friend. Maybe she was just having a bad day? Face it. There might not be a huge scandal. I know that’s disappointing for you to hear,” I say with a smile.

  “No way! There’s something going on, and I will find out what it is,” he insists.

  “Whatever. Just don’t let it affect your work.” I head back to my office to call Luke to tell him about the raise. I still think Carrie must know something. Why would she just randomly give me a raise? I try Luke’s cell and get his voicemail, so I send a text.

  Guilt creeps in even more. Is it wrong that I accepted a raise from her knowing that I’m leaving and taking one of her best staff members with me? I only have a few weeks left. I can do this. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is the best thing for my future.

  My phone buzzes with a text from Abby.

  Free tonight? Dinner?

  I haven’t seen Abby since Ace crashed our night out. I text her back and figure out when to meet, then send a text to Madison to invite her. I’m not sure if she’ll actually come since she’s pretty preoccupied with her wedding. She can be a bit overzealous, and unlike me, she’s not organized at all. Other than to reserve the venue, she hasn’t asked me to do much. We’re supposed to start going over colors, food, and entertainment soon. I know she’s been doing some planning on the side. She asked me the other night if I would be too busy to plan, and I’ll admit I was a little offended. I would never put another event before my best friend’s wedding. I didn’t say anything at the time, but I pretty was annoyed. It was one of those moments when you pretend to go back in time and say the things you wish you had said. Regardless, I hope she’ll join us.

  I’m about to leave the office when I get an email from Ace asking me if I would get a message to Luke. Apparently, Luke has been dodging him, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I know Luke is busy because even I’m having a hard time getting in touch with him.

  I write Ace back and tell him not to take it personally and that I’ll do what I can, but Luke is extremely overwhelmed with some new clients. Technically, I’m not lying. I just leave out the part that Luke hates him with a passion. Maybe I should tell him that Luke thinks he wants to steal me away like he did with that girl in Barcelona. But some things are better left unsaid.

  On my way to dinner, Madison responds that she’s going to join us. I get really excited because I can’t remember the last time the three of us spent time together.

  When I arrive, Abby is already waiting at our table. She’s glowing and sporting a very cute, tiny baby bump. I give her a hug and rub her baby belly.

  “How long until we find out?” I sit down and grab a menu. I can’t wait to start buying for this little one. I’m thinking—and hoping—it’s a girl. I saw the most adorable purple UGG boots, and I’m dying to buy them for someone.

  “The doctor moved it up. I guess I’m further along than we thought. We find out on Wednesday!”

  “Wednesday? Oh, I can’t wait!” I jump up and hug her again.

  “Hey, what’s all the excitement? I could hear you from the door.” Madison sits down and smiles.

  Abby shares her news again, and we start taking guesses on if the baby is a boy or girl. This feels just like old times, and I imagine that I’m watching one of those video montages going through pictures of my past.

  “Sienna, I have news for you,” Abby says, interrupting my memories. “I was talking to Matt, and you aren’t going to believe this, but if the baby is a boy, we’re going to name him Ace. Isn’t that funny?”

  I choke on my water, literally. “What? Why?” I ask through my coughing.

  “Believe it or not, it doesn’t have anything to do with your friend. It really is a great name.”

  “Who’s Ace?” Madison asks before taking a sip of Diet Coke.

  Crap! I keep forgetting I haven’t shared the whole Ace story with Madison.

  “First of all, Abby, Ace is a client not a friend.”

  “Of course, he is,” she replies with a smile.

  “Hello, who is Ace?” Madison asks more emphatically the second time.

  I tell the whole story about Ace starting from the date night at Venice. I tell them all about Luke’s obsessive hatred/jealousy of him, and I add in Luke’s heartbreak story about the girl who was ‘stolen’ from him.

  “Can you believe that Luke is so paranoid now that he thinks Ace is trying to steal me away?”

  “I need to see this guy. Call and invite him out,” Madison says excitedly.

  “What? You’re crazy! I’m not calling him. I have no reason to call him. Besides, I had to email him a few hours ago for work, and that’s enough for one day.”

  “Call and ask him if he can get us into Venice tonight,” says Abby excitedly. “I’ve been dying to go there! Please, Sienna? Before I get hugely pregnant and then have a newborn. Please?”

  My two best friends just stare and wait.

  “Okay, okay.”

  Abby and Madison give each other a high five.

  “I hate you both.” I scroll through my phone to find his number. His phone goes straight to voicemail, so I leave a message and take a deep breath after I hang up. This just feels wrong. If anything Luke says is true, I should not feed into his ego.

  “There, are you two happy? He didn’t answer, so can we just forget it? Let’s talk wedding.” I look at Madison. “Where should we—”

  My phone rings, and we all freeze.

  “Hello,” I answer.

  “Sienna, I got your message. What can I do for you?” I can almost feel his million-dollar smile through the phone.

  “Ace, I’m sorry to bother you. Can I ask you a huge favor?”

  “Of course.”

  A little over an hour later, we pull up to Venice. We all had to make quick stops at home to change. Ace is going to meet us there to get us in. Our story is that we are out to celebrate Madie’s engagement and Abby’s pregnancy—which is true, sort of. I couldn’t tell him the main reason we wanted to go there was so Madison could see him. Although, it was kind of exhilarating to be spontaneous and go out at the last minute. It reminded me of our college days when we would go dancing at eleven thirty at night. We all look really good considering we got ready in a mad rush.

  When we walk into the lobby, Abby and Madison gasp. I can’t say I blame them; it looks even more grand than the first time I was here. I go up to the desk and ask for Ace. A few minutes later, I see him coming up one of the staircases.

  “Hello, ladies. You all look really fantastic.”

  “Nice to see you again,” Abby says as he gives her a hug.

  “Ace, thank you so much for doing this. It’s usually impossible for the three of us to get together, and both of the girls have been dying to see this place. Sorry for the last-minute call,” I say as he leans in to hug me. I pull away quickly. “Ace, this is our friend Madison. She just got engaged, and we’re here to celebrate.”

  “So nice to meet you. I really appreciate this,” Madison says as she gives him the once-over.

  “No bother. I have told Sienna that anytime she needs anything to let me know.” He gives a huge smile showing his perfect teeth. “She and her company ar
e doing us a big favor.”

  I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly.

  “Come, let’s get your table.” He leads us down one of the staircases, and again, we have a perfect location right in front of the dance floor. I know the girls are going to be talking about this night for years. I just have to remind them not to do it in front of Luke.

  “Do you mind if I stay a few minutes?” he asks.

  “Not at all,” Madison says.

  “Of course not,” adds Abby.

  “So,” Abby begins. “You aren’t going to believe this, but my husband and I were discussing baby names, and if our little one is a boy, we’re planning to name him Ace. We both really like it, and we hadn’t decided on a boy name yet.”

  “That’s fantastic!” he beams.

  I actually thought she was joking. I should have known better.

  “Ace, tell me what you do. How long are you staying in town?” Madison asks before giving me a pointed look—not the first since we’ve arrived either.

  “At this point, I’m not sure how long I will stay, but probably for a while. My company would like to open a few consulting firms throughout the States. This is our first location here. We have business in the UK and Australia. I do consulting for international businesses that want to branch out. I’ve already had great success here thanks to Sienna and her contacts.” He gives me a warm smile.

  “Yes, that’s our Sienna. She knows everybody,” Madison replies.

  Throughout the night, we all tell stories about our younger days. He talks more about Luke and their summer in Europe. We talk and laugh for what seems like hours.

  “There is one story I’m not very proud of,” he says. “There was a girl in Barcelona; I know Luke really liked her. One night we were out at the pub. She repeatedly flirted with me when we spent time with her and her friends. I knew Luke liked her, but she was relentless. Not long after that, we started to go out. We really liked each other, and I still feel terrible about that. She actually ended up leaving me for another bloke a few months later. I suppose I deserved that though. Regardless, I must apologize to Luke about that. He’s a good mate, and when you’re young, you make the wrong choices.”

  When he finishes his story, I notice both Madison and Abby were listening as closely as I was. I can’t believe he shared that.

  “I think you should talk to Luke about this, just to make yourself feel better,” I say quickly.

  I really don’t want to tell him that Luke is holding a huge grudge over this girl. Who is she anyway, Gisele Bündchen? I need to see a picture of her. She must have been amazing for these guys to still be hung up on her after all these years. I’m almost jealous of her.

  “Well, I’ve taken up much of your ladies’ night. I have a few other friends to visit, but I will stop by again before I leave.”

  Ace walks over to another table and is greeted with cheers. You would think he was an A-list actor the way people act around him. He may even give Cole a run for his money. I could definitely see him being voted ‘most popular’ or ‘best looking.’

  Once he’s a safe distance away, Abby and Madison both start talking at once.

  “He’s so hot.”

  “I love his accent.”

  “I can’t believe that about Luke and the girl.”

  “Sienna, he likes you, but he’s obviously trying to fight it because of what happened with Luke in the past.”

  My head spins as they talk.

  “Guys, he’s a client. That’s it. I love Luke, and I have no plans to go out with Ace. Ever.”

  “And you.” I point at Abby. “Are you seriously naming your baby ‘Ace?’ You’ve known this guy for five minutes.”

  “We sure are. Matt and I love the name regardless of your friend.”

  “Client,” I repeat.

  She rolls her eyes.

  We stay at Venice a while longer. Ace has the chef send over the most amazing desserts, and I guess I will have to start my no-sugar diet again tomorrow. As we get ready to leave, Ace comes over to say goodbye.

  “Sienna, can I have a moment?”

  My friends look at me, and four eyebrows raise at once.

  “Um, sure.”

  “I just wanted to ask you not to say anything to Luke. I plan to talk to him myself, but I don’t want to make a big deal about it. I’m sure he doesn’t even remember. This is one of those things that I have needed to get off my chest for a long time.”

  For the first time since meeting Ace, I notice a touch of vulnerability. It’s so refreshing.

  “Oh, of course not. Thank you again for tonight. We had a great time. We’ll be in touch.” I turn to leave, and Ace grabs my hand. I look back, and our eyes meet.

  He looks like he’s about to say something else, but quickly drops my hand.

  “Anytime, of course. Have a wonderful night,” he says quickly and hurries away.

  My feet are frozen to the ground. Did we just have a moment? I feel like I’m in a movie right now. When I finally collect myself, I walk back to my friends who are both giving me funny looks. “Don’t either of you say a word, or I will never speak to you again.” I walk past them and out the door.

  On the way home, I pull out my phone. Luke must be really busy. He never called or texted back. For a second, paranoia sets in, and I hope he didn’t somehow hear that I called Ace. I try calling again, and when he finally answers, and I can tell I woke him up.

  “Hello? Sienna, is everything okay? It’s really late.”

  “Hey, yes, everything is fine. I just hadn’t heard back from you. I went out with Abby and Madie tonight. Is everything okay at work?”

  “Hmmm? Oh, yeah, fine. I’m just exhausted. Can I call you in the morning?”

  “Sure. I’m sorry for waking you, love you.”

  When I get home, I crawl straight into bed and lie awake for a long time. I’ve been doing this a lot lately. I feel so unsettled right now. I’ve been fighting the connection I have with Ace since the night I met him. Until tonight, I thought it was a silly little crush, but now I’m not sure. I have no idea what I’m feeling. I’m usually so decisive and have a plan for every aspect of my life. Why is this happening?

  Chapter Eight

  I wake up in a horrible mood. I miss my normal, perfectly planned, day-to-day life, and I haven’t even been to my early morning spin class in forever. Perhaps it’s the lack of sleep. Normally, I’m good on only a few hours of sleep, but it’s happening way too often lately. I need to get it together.

  “Good morning,” Madison calls from the kitchen.

  “Hey.” I walk into the kitchen to make a protein shake. I don’t say anything else, and I notice Madison giving me a funny look. “What? It’s seven a.m. Are you planning on giving me a lecture?” I snap.

  “I’m worried about you. Something is off, and I know you better than I know myself.”

  “Nothing is off. I’m just very tired, I have a busy day ahead, and the countdown is on to Faith, Fashion, and Hope.”

  “No, this isn’t about work, and you know it. What’s going on with Ace? And Luke?” She actually sounds concerned. And then it happens. I start to cry. I hardly ever cry.

  “I don’t knnooowwww.” I put my head on the counter as I sob. “I love Luke, I really do. This Ace thing has thrown me for a loop. I’ve been having doubts about my relationship with Luke for a while. Abby is having a baby, and she’s happy. You’re engaged, and Travis is engaged. I need to find a new roommate or move. Maybe I just have bad PMS.”

  As my verbal throw-up continues, Madison listens with a look of shock and rubs my back. This is very much out of character for me. I’m usually the one that’s always put together and taking care of everyone and everything else. I feel like everything is falling apart.

  “I’m so sorry. I know we haven’t even had a chance to talk about our living situation. I feel like I’m leaving you high and dry. I think Cole and I are going to get a new place together instead of me moving in with him. What are you
thinking?” Tears well in her eyes.

  Great, if she cries, I’ll cry more. I hate crying.

  “I’m not sure yet. They have those really nice condos that are close to my new office. I’m going to check those out.” I take a deep breath together and wipe my eyes. It’s so typical of me. I have a meltdown, get it together, and am back on track quickly. Maybe I need therapy.

  “We have plenty of time, though, and I’ll help you find something. Maybe we can move in there too. And Abby doesn’t live far.”

  I can tell she’s trying very hard to lift my spirits, and I appreciate the fact that there’s been no mention of Luke. I was worried that she was going to take that bit of info and run with it.

  “That would be nice,” I say, smiling. “Anyway, I better get ready for work. Thanks for listening, and please don’t tell anyone I cried, or I will tell everyone your secret cookie ingredient. I mean it—all over Facebook.”

  “I promise,” she says, raising both of her hands. I can tell she wants to say something else, but she stops herself.

  When I finally do get to the office, Craig and Nicole are already on an anti-Carrie tirade. From what I gather, it has something to do with Carrie asking Nicole to book a last-minute trip for Carrie and a guest. Nicole asked who the guest would be, and Carrie went ballistic on her again. I listened for a few seconds then went to my office and shut the door. I have no patience for their nonsense today.

  I call Luke, and he answers right away.

  “Babe, I’m so sorry I was asleep last night. How was your night with the girls?”

  “It was great. But, I had a bit of a meltdown this morning. Madison and I started discussing living arrangements after she gets married.”

  “What do you mean you had a meltdown?” he asks worriedly. “I hadn’t even thought about your living situation. I’m sorry.”

  “I know. It’s a lot to think about.” I start checking my emails. “Anyway, I just wanted to say good morning. I miss you.”