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

by Melissa Baldwin

  “You’re doing a wonderful job. I really don’t know what to say,” he replies while staring at the floor.

  “I would rather not talk about it right now. Dinner is getting ready to start.”

  “Of course. I’ll see you later.” He starts to walk away. I grab his arm.

  “Thank you for checking on me—and for everything.”

  He gives me a warm smile and walks away.

  I take a deep breath and hurry to the kitchen to check on dinner. The servers are ready, and the food looks fantastic. I won’t deny that I’m trying to avoid sitting down at my table. Craig will probably see right through my act. I have no idea if Luke is still here. I could always make up a reason stay in the kitchen, but I need to be in the ballroom for the Cantons.

  I refuse to let Carrie win. I refuse to hide. This is my event, and I will do whatever I can to enjoy it.

  When I finally make my way to the table, Luke isn’t there. Craig is sitting with a few committee members.

  “Where have you been?” he asks, giving me a curious look.

  “I was checking on things in the kitchen. I’m not feeling well at all, so I’m trying to not get too close to anyone.” I force a smile.

  “Where’s Luke?” he asks, looking around. Hearing his name feels like I’m being kicked in the stomach over and over.

  “There was an emergency, and he had to leave.”

  Just then, our celebrity host welcomes everyone to the event. Perfect timing.

  The rest of the night is a success. The schedule flows perfectly, the musical guests are fantastic, and so much money has been raised to help the children. I get very emotional during the program when sweet little Faith comes out on stage. I’ve been holding in tears for most of the night, but this gives me the chance to let them flow. I try to collect myself, and then I hear my name being called.

  “Sienna Harris, can you please come to the stage?” Mr. Canton says. I look around as Craig nudges me to go. I dab my eyes again and make my way to the stage.

  “Excuse me, friends. On behalf of Faith, Fashion, and Hope, we would like to recognize Sienna Harris and her team for planning this magical evening. She has spent countless hours putting up with us to make this event a success. She sees our vision, and we appreciate all that she’s done.”

  I’m literally shaking, probably from the combination of nerves, caffeine, and cold medicine. I give a little wave while applause rings out. I thank them all as I make my way back to our table.

  “That was so awesome!” Craig exclaims. “The best part is that Carrie is so pissed. Look at her. I’m so happy right now,” he says joyfully.

  “I’m glad you’re so amused by all of this. Now let’s go check on the auction and visit with people.” I walk past Carrie’s table, trying not to acknowledge her existence. She’s still glaring at me out of the corner of my eye. Ignore her, Sienna! Ignore her.

  A few hours later, I take off my shoes and sit down at a table. I lay my head down and let out a huge sigh. I did it! I really did it! The event was perfect despite my personal life being in shambles.

  “OMG, we did it!” Craig yells as he sits down next to me. “What a fabulous night! Carrie was out of here like a bat out of hell. Not that I expected her to help with cleanup or anything. I’m sure she’s fuming after Mr. Canton’s shout out to you. Did she say anything to you?” Craig continues talking a mile a minute.

  I don’t say anything to him—not only because I barely have a voice left, but also because I don’t really know what to say. I have to tell him what happened though.

  “Hey, are you okay? I keep forgetting that you’re sick.” He rubs my back.

  “No. I’m not okay.” I struggle to lift up my head. “Something happened earlier tonight, and it’s pretty bad.”

  “What are you talking about?” Craig asks curiously.

  “Do you remember at the beginning of the meet and greet when we were looking for Carrie? Well . . .”

  I stumble my way through the whole story, and a look of shock comes over his face. I’ve never known Craig to be so quiet for this long.

  “Is this some kind of a joke? Carrie and Luke? No way,” he says finally.

  “Really, Craig. Do you think that I’m that sick and twisted to make this up?”

  “You held this in all night?” he asks softly.

  I nod my head. “Now you know why I got so emotional during the program. As touching as it was, I’m pretty much a hot mess. But I just couldn’t let them take this night from me.”

  “Wait a minute!” he exclaims. “Palm Springs! I never thought . . .”

  “I know. Me either. Now you know why Luke wasn’t here tonight. I didn’t tell him to leave, but he left at some point. So, your conspiracy theory was right. Carrie has a mystery man, and he just happens to be my boyfriend.”

  “Hmmm,” Craig says thoughtfully. “I think it’s time for some karma. You know I have some good revenge stories.”

  I try to stop him, but he keeps rambling on, “Did I ever tell you what my cousin did to get back at his girlfriend for cheating? This is the best story. After he found out about her double life, he went to the bathroom in her purse. And not number one. That’s right, number two!” He holds up two fingers.

  “Whatever! That didn’t happen!” I shriek.

  “It most certainly did, and it was the best revenge ever!” he says proudly.

  I’m so disgusted right now. At first, I think he’s making this up. Craig has a pretty active imagination, but then he sends a text to his cousin, and a few minutes later he responds confirming the crazy story.

  “Well, I can promise you that I have no plans to go to the bathroom in Carrie’s purse,” I reply, making a face. “Although, can you imagine her finding that in her Birkin bag? That would definitely be a memorable moment.” I’m laughing so hard that I start coughing again. I really needed a good laugh after all the crying.

  “Seriously, though, I think our resignation will be revenge enough, and any guilt I have felt about it is a very, very distant memory. Anyway, let’s get this place cleaned up.”

  The volunteers are still hard at work with the cleanup. I’m beyond delirious now, but I manage to gather the remainder of the auction items and pledge cards. I have a meeting next week with the Cantons to close everything out and hopefully discuss the Sheer Happiness launch.

  A little while later, I drag myself up to my hotel. I finally check my phone for the first time since finding Luke and Carrie. I have missed calls from Madison, my parents, and Luke. I’m so emotionally drained that I don’t call any of them back. It can wait until tomorrow. As soon as I lie down, I the tears begin to flow, and I cry myself to sleep.

  The next morning, I wake up with a massive headache. I actually got a decent night’s sleep, probably because I almost overdosed on Nyquil. I order breakfast and turn on the TV. All of the events of last night come rushing back to me, and I feel a huge lump in my throat. How could he do this to me? When did it start? As much as I don’t want to see him right now, I want some answers. I call Madison, and of course, she already knows what happened. I knew Craig would call her.

  “I’ve been so worried about you,” she yells. “Why didn’t you call me to come stay with you?”

  “I know, I thought about it, but I was so tired. So, I guess I owe you a big apology for all the times I yelled at you. You were right all along,” I say finally. “Go ahead and get it over with, I chose another bad one.”

  “You don’t owe me an apology. I know I like to be right sometimes but—”

  “Sometimes?” I interrupt.

  “Okay, all the time. But this is one time I would give anything to be wrong,” she insists.

  “I know, me too. I haven’t officially broken things off with him yet. I want some answers first.” I take another bite of my oatmeal. The warmth feels good on my throat.

  “Wait a minute. You’re not taking him back, right?” she asks firmly.

  “Oh, not a chance in hell,” I r
eply. “This has been long overdue, especially after Palm Springs. Anyway, I’ll be home later. We can talk more then.”

  I get off the phone and listen to all my messages. There’s one from Luke saying that he wants to talk. This ought to be very interesting. I wonder what kind of explanation he’ll give to try to get out of this mess. I think I’ll let him sit on it for another day or so.

  I take my time getting ready and packing up. A few hours later, I head home.

  As I’m driving, I start to wonder if Luke said anything to Carrie about me resigning. I can’t believe I didn’t think about this before. He couldn’t have told her because she would have said something by now, right? I wonder how she could face me and have no remorse at all. She has to know I can’t work for her anymore. This is so overwhelming, and soon I’ll be single again. I’ll be a twenty-seven-and-a-half-year-old old maid. It’s a good thing I hate cats, so at least I’ll never be an old, single cat lady. This is definitely not how I planned things. Although, if I have learned anything recently, it’s that you can’t plan everything.

  It’s now Monday morning and the first day back at work after the big event. My voice has not completely returned, but at least I’m feeling a little bit better. I spent the majority of Sunday resting both physically and emotionally. I still haven’t talked to Luke.

  Craig is already at the office when I arrive.

  “Hey, I wasn’t sure if you were planning on coming in today.”

  “Yes, well, there’s still work to be completed. Let’s work on the auction and pledge totals. I’m meeting with the Cantons tomorrow morning. We also need to organize and stock the décor closet, I want to make sure everything is accounted for. We don’t need Carrie claiming we stole anything, not that she even knows what’s in there.”

  “Oh, please, after what she’s done? She has no right to say anything. Which, by the way, reminds me. Have you thought any more about my revenge idea?” he says, giving me a wicked smile.

  “Um, no. Also, I’d rather not discuss Carrie and the events from the other night. Let’s just finish everything so we can move on,” I plead.

  I have a busy and uneventful morning until around two p.m. when Luke shows up. I definitely wasn’t expecting him to show up here.

  “Oh, hello, Luke. Who are you here to see, Sienna or Carrie?” Craig snips.

  Luke grimaces but ignores Craig’s comment. “Sienna, I’d like to talk to you. I want to explain.”

  “What’s there to explain? You’re disgusting,” Craig yells.

  “Craig, I got this,” I whisper and turn to Luke. “Let’s get this over with, I’ve got a lot of work to do,” I say as I walk into my office. He follows me quietly and sits down.

  “Thanks for talking to me. I want to explain how all of this happened.” He takes a deep breath and starts talking.

  “A while ago, I started researching the possibility of opening my own advertising firm. I’ve been considering getting out on my own, especially after we lost that huge account. Once things started moving along for you with Sheer Happiness, I got a little envious, so I started looking for investors. One night I was out at a meeting with potential investors, and they also happened to be friends of Carrie’s. When Carrie heard my plans, she expressed a lot of interest in my idea.” He stops. “I’m not sure if you know this, but she’s looking into selling this company.”

  “I had a feeling she was. Anyway, continue,” I say firmly.

  “Okay. So she and the other friend invited me to come down to Palm Springs to discuss the plans. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to upset you. I know how things have been with her, and I didn’t want to add to that stress. It started out as strictly business, and then it started to become a weekly trip. I had no intention of anything ever happening until she basically gave me an ultimatum, and I did what I thought I had to do. I told her that was it, but she doesn’t accept rejection very well.” He stops talking and stares at the floor.

  I stare at him with my arms folded, taking in everything he just said. “So, you’re telling me that you cheated on me with my boss to get her to invest in an idea for a company. Did I get that right?”

  “Yes,” he replies. “I’m so sorry. I want you to know that I really do love you. I just made a bad decision.”

  “A bad decision?” I repeat. “Wow. You’re the most pathetic human being I’ve ever met. Get out of my office and out of my life.”

  He doesn’t move. “I understand,” he finally says. “Hopefully, in time, you’ll forgive me, and maybe we could start over?” he asks, sounding hopeful.

  Is he serious?

  “Never,” I reply. “Get out.”

  He stands up to leave, and I suddenly remember something. I jump up from my chair.

  “Luke, wait.”

  He turns back to face me.

  “Don’t forget this,” I say as I toss him the nameplate he gave me for our anniversary.

  He looks at it for a few seconds before turning to leave.

  I quietly sit back down at my desk. At first, I don’t feel anything, but the tears slowly roll down my cheeks. Not because of what he has done to me, but because I wasted almost a full year of my life.

  A few minutes later, Craig comes in and sits down. He doesn’t say anything at first. “You okay?” he asks.

  “I’ll be fine,” I say, wiping my eyes. “Can you call Carrie? Tell her I want a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and tell her it’s to close out the Faith, Fashion, and Hope. It’s time for me to put in my resignation.”

  When Craig leaves, I start to clean out my office. I’m amazed at the amount of junk I’ve collected in just a few years. While I’m packing up my stuff, I think what Luke said. He actually thought I would forgive him and take him back? He’s not as smart as I gave him credit for.

  In the bottom of one of my drawers, I find an envelope of photos. They are pictures of Carrie and me at one of the first events we did together. I slowly tear them up, one-by-one, and with each picture, I feel a little bit better. I’m sure this is some kind of therapy—or a good way to express my emotions. I add another item to my to-do list.

  Go to therapy

  Craig comes back into my office. “Carrie said she’ll be here in a few days to interview new assistants and we can meet then. I think we should warn those poor girls of what’s in store for them. Don’t you?” He sits down and looks through the stuff on my desk. “We need to tell them what this job includes. Job description includes late nights, weekends, and may include losing boyfriend to boss.” He gives a little giggle until he catches my eye. “I’m sorry. That was harsh.”

  “It’s ok. I can’t believe all of this junk,” I say, changing the subject.

  “I cleaned out my desk a few weeks ago,” Craig says proudly. “I already have one foot out the door. What have you been waiting for?”

  “Good question. Granted, I’ve been a little busy,” I add.

  “I have a question for you,” Craig says as he stands up. “Now that you and Luke are finished, have you thought about giving things a try with Ace Eckelund? He really came through for us this weekend.”

  I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me about Ace.

  “Craig, my relationship just officially ended an hour ago. I just found out my boyfriend cheated on me with our boss. I’m about to resign from a company I have worked with for over five years. I’m not in any kind of a mental state to start a new relationship.”

  “I guess you have a good point,” he replies. “But you never know what can happen in the future.”

  “That’s right, you don’t.”

  Craig leaves for the night, and once again, I’m by myself. I continue to clean out my office in between the tears. My phone rings, and I see that Abby is calling. I forgot that she’s been out of town visiting family. Wow, I have a lot to tell her.

  She’s completely silent at first. But then she offers the typical ‘sorry this happened’ comment followed by a few words of encouragement. We make plans
to get together later in the week.

  I tape up a few small boxes of stuff that I’m taking with me. It’s finally starting to feel real. I’m moving on, and I don’t want to look back.

  The next morning, I have a great meeting with the Cantons. We discuss how successful Faith, Fashion, and Hope was, and they ask if Sheer Happiness will plan next year’s event. I feel so honored and thank them over and over again.

  I inform them that I’m officially resigning from Carrie’s this week. And I try to hide my excitement when they tell me to select a few possible dates for my launch party.

  When I leave the meeting, I’m so rejuvenated that I actually forget about the whole Carrie/Luke nightmare. Then I notice I have three missed calls from Craig. Here he goes again with his idea of urgent. I call him back right away.

  “Tell me what is so urgent this time,” I say as soon as he answers.

  “I did it. I quit,” he says excitedly. “It was awesome. I told her I’ve decided to explore new horizons, and she told me I was making a mistake. I should get an Oscar for my performance,” he says with a giggle. “When I left, she was about to interview a poor, unsuspecting victim.” Then he whispers, “When are you going to do it? And are you going to say anything about what happened with Luke?”

  “Of course, I am,” I reply. “On a different note, I had a great meeting with the Cantons, and I have really, really exciting news. They’ve asked Sheer Happiness to plan the event next year,” I say proudly.

  “That’s awesome! This is the best day ever.” He sounds out of breath, which means he’s probably dancing around the room. “Good luck. I’m off to celebrate my freedom.”

  “Enjoy it now because it’s back to work very soon, and we’re going to take off running,” I tell him. “We have a few of events lined up, but we need to find new business.”

  When I arrive at the office, my heart is beating a mile a minute. Just seeing Carrie’s car parked outside makes me want to throw up. When I get inside, I see that her office door is closed. I take a few deep breaths and head to my office. I take care of a few things on my to-do list and check my emails. An email from Ace is waiting for me. My stomach does a little flip.