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

by Melissa Baldwin

  We end up having a really fun night, and I like Jeff. He’s warm and friendly and has a great sense of humor.

  Madison and I excuse ourselves to go to the bathroom, or in girl terms, ‘to talk.’ Seriously, why do women always go to the bathroom together on dates? This will always be one of the great mysteries of the universe. It’s common knowledge what happens, and it’s not to use the bathroom. As soon as we’re a far enough away from the guys Madison asks me what I think of Jeff.

  “I’m having a great time. He’s very easy to talk to and a lot of fun.” I can almost see the little wheels moving inside her head. She really wants this to happen, meaning she wants Jeff and I to start dating, get married, and live happily ever after.

  “Do you think you would go out with him again?” she asks excitedly.

  “Well, considering he lives hundreds of miles away, I don’t think it will be a regular weekly occurrence,” I remind her. “But if he comes to town again, I would go out with him.”

  The truth is I really am having a great time despite being a little preoccupied with my surroundings. I can’t help but have memories of being here with Luke, and with Carrie for the Lucinda party. I also met Ace here, and no matter what, he’s turned out to be a good friend. That’s it though, we’re friends, and so far, nothing more has come of it.

  Suddenly, I come to a realization, or some may call it an epiphany. If it’s okay for me to go out with Jeff, then it’s certainly okay for me to go out with Ace. If the situation ever presents itself, that is. Maybe I’m not engaged or married or expecting a baby, but I’m in a good place in my life. I have wonderful family and friends, and a successful business that is taking off. I may not have planned it this way, but that’s okay.

  “You ready to go back out there?” Madison says, interrupting my epiphany.

  “What? Oh. Yes! Let’s go.”

  After Venice, we all hang out at our house playing cards for hours. I realize how fun it is to be able to hang out and not worry about my boyfriend and best friend arguing. We could never have done this when I was dating Luke. After tonight, I realize what I missed out on for all those months. I walk Jeff out when it’s time for them to leave.

  “Thanks for enduring a blind date,” he says with a big smile. “Trust me, I wasn’t too excited about it either at first.”

  I laugh. “I hope it wasn’t too obvious when you got here. I really did have a great time though.”

  “Me, too. Can we keep in touch?” he asks.

  “Definitely! I was hoping you would ask,” I say, smiling.

  He leans in and kisses me on the cheek then walks away.

  When I finally fall asleep after dealing with Madison and all of her questions about Jeff, I feel calm and happy. This is exactly what I’ve been striving for—sheer happiness.

  Epilogue

  I call Nicole a few weeks after the launch, and I thought she might cry when I asked her to come in for an unofficial interview. She was so happy when I offered her a job as a part of our event staff and not as anyone’s personal assistant/slave. I actually joked with Craig that I may need an assistant and that he would be the best choice. He threatened to quit.

  Ace finally returned from the UK, and his company cocktail party was this past weekend. We had been flirting back and forth quite a bit during the few last-minute planning meetings. He did seem a tiny bit disappointed when Craig made a point of announcing that Jeff was on the phone for me. That started a complete Spanish Inquisition from Ace all about ‘who this Jeff bloke was.’ He was obviously jealous, but he tried to hide it. It wasn’t until the end of his launch party that he officially asked me out on a date.

  So, I managed to go from serious relationship to broken-hearted and single to juggling two men all within a matter of months. I’ve placed several calls to my mom for advice on what to do, and she continually reminds me that I’ll make the right decision. Her go-to answer is really starting to bug me.

  The gossip on the street is that Luke and Carrie moved to Palm Springs and started an advertising firm. Although the real story is that it’s Carrie’s company, and Luke is now her personal assistant/slave. Either way, karma will always catch up to you. And I can’t wait for it to catch up to Carrie and Luke.

  Poor Abby is due to give birth to baby Ace any day now. I jump every time she calls thinking she’s on her way to the hospital. She has gone from glowing pregnant mommy to miserable pregnant mommy very quickly. Ace also insists he needs to be notified as soon as baby Ace is born because, after all, he is his namesake.

  Jeff is coming to visit soon for Cole’s birthday and has asked me to be his date. I said yes, and Ace is not very happy about that. I know at some point I need to choose, but for now, things are good. I’ll just add that to my to-do list. Speaking of my to-do list, I removed ‘Go to therapy.’ I may need to add it again at some point down the road, but for now, I can live without it.

  If I’ve learned anything from the past few months, it’s that things don’t always go as we plan, and that’s okay. It’s how we handle what life throws at us and who is there to support us in the end.

  On that note, today’s to-do list:

  You never know.

  The End

  Dear Reader

  I hope you enjoyed An Event to Remember . . . or Forget. Please take a few minutes to leave a review on Amazon and don’t forget to visit my website to sign up for my newsletter.

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  Turn the page for the beginning of Wedding Haters, book two in the Event to Remember series!

  A Peek at Wedding Haters

  Event to Remember series, Book 2

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  This could very well be the most amazing place in the universe. I’m still in awe that this is happening to me. I would keep pinching myself, but I’m starting to get weird marks on my arms, and pretty soon, people are going to start talking. I don’t know what exactly they would say, but you never know with all the haters out there. I actually just read one of those funny e-cards on Facebook and it said, “Cheers to my haters, the best is yet to come.” I admit I have a (small) addiction to those funny e-cards.

  I walk around the ballroom and envision my wedding day—too bad October seems so far away. I’m not the most patient person in the world. OK, truth be told, I’m not patient at all. My fiancé Cole on the other hand is extremely patient, or it could be that he is so laid back that patience is not of any importance to him. He’s a stand-up comedian, and as you can imagine, he hardly takes anything seriously. However, his marriage proposal was a big production.

  After one of his shows, he actually hired people to approach him and ask him for his autograph. He introduced me as his girlfriend and then said, “I’m hoping she will become my fiancée tonight.” The lady he hired then proceeded to take off her wedding ring and tell him to kneel down and ask me. It turns out she had my ring the whole time. People were cheering, and I sat there like an idiot wondering exactly what had happened. OK, I know how this sounds, but it really was the most romantic and fun thing that has ever happened to me. I’m sure it will be a story that our great-great-great-grandchildren will talk about.

  “Madie, earth to Madie. Hello, wake up?” I notice my best friend Sienna is waving her hand frantically trying to get my attention.

  “Well? Are you happy with everything so far?” she asks smugly as she folds her arms. She’s obviously proud of herself and already knows what my answer is going to be.

  “Are you kidding? Yes!” I exclaim.

  The truth is I’m beyond pleased with everything. Sienna recently launched her own event planning company, and she has done really well so far. She spent years working for a well-known event company and possibly the most horrible human being to ever walk the earth. Since then, she has built a name for herself, and it has paid off. And now my wedding is turning into one of the bigge
st events of the century. Who knew?

  I wish I could say that I haven’t been one of those bridezillas you hear about. But that would be a lie. I mean, I’m not completely impossible or anything like that. I would say indecisive would be a more fitting word. In my defense, unlike the majority of the state of California, I’m planning on doing this only once. That means only one wedding, one marriage, to one man for the rest of my life.

  As I walk around, I remember when I was growing up I had pictured myself dancing under twinkling Christmas lights in a recreation center or maybe a church gym. Not that there is anything wrong with having a wedding in either of those places, believe me I would marry Cole in a parking lot if I had to. I guess to some people a wedding in the ballroom of a hotel may not be that glamorous, but to me it is. I feel like royalty!

  There’s only one problem; I’m having a difficult time choosing everything that I want. Like I said, I tend to be a tad bit indecisive. But honestly, why do I only have to choose one dress or one cake? There are so many possibilities out there, and thankfully, Sienna is level-headed enough to keep me grounded. I have a feeling I’m about to drive her to start drinking, a lot.

  I take a break from my daydreaming to glance at my phone. A feeling of dread comes over me as I’m thrown back into reality. Crap! I’m going to be late for my next appointment.

  “AHHHH!” I scream. “I have to go. Mrs. Wilson is going to be at the salon in twenty minutes.”

  “See you later.” I hear Sienna yell as I sprint out of the ballroom. I’m a freelance hair stylist and Mrs. Wilson is a “special” client. In other words, she’s also a close friend of my grandmother’s, and I will hear about it until the end of time if she is unhappy or if I’m late. Every time I see her name on my schedule, I feel like I should take a Xanax. I have a very good reputation and a wonderful clientele, but when my grandmother refers her friends, I become a hot mess. The most interesting part is that my grandmother has never come to me to get her hair done. Not that I’m surprised about that.

  I absolutely love doing hair; it’s my passion. Well, it’s one of my passions. My other passion is baking. Many people are shocked when they hear this. About a year ago, I started decorating cookies and somehow started a side cookie business. Looking back, I’m not even sure how it all came about. It started with a few birthday parties and showers, and then it happened, my big break. Several months ago, I was “discovered” at my friend Abby’s birthday party. Which brings us to now; in a few weeks, my cookie creations will be featured in Bev’s Sweet Treats in Beverly Hills. Yes, as in 90210! I still haven’t decided on an official name for this business. Really though, I’m not even sure if it is a business or a hobby or what? I had some business cards made that say Cookies by Madie, but I think I need to get a little more creative and choose an official name. Cookies by Madie sounds really boring and lame, or so I’ve been told.

  All of this excitement and my recent success have definitely pleased my grandmother, which doesn’t happen very often. I have disappointed her a few times throughout my adult life. My decision to drop out of college to go to cosmetology school was the big one. Especially because my overachieving cousins Ellie and Stephy chose “respectable” careers. Those careers being accounting and architecture. My parents tell me that she loves me the same, but I’ve never felt that way. Needless to say, my choice in having my wedding reception at the Four Seasons and my cookies featured in a Beverly Hills bakery brought my status up from pure disappointment to somewhat acceptable. Don’t get me wrong, I know she loves me, but I think she loves my cousins a little more. I know I may sound like a spoiled child, but at least I admit I have childhood issues. Isn’t admitting it a step in the right direction or half the battle or some other old saying that is supposed to be therapeutic?

  Somehow, I manage to beat Mrs. Wilson to the salon with about four minutes to spare. She’s notoriously punctual, so this is a surprise. I run around and grab my supplies to prepare for the next few grueling hours of my life.

  When she arrives, I can see that she’s in a good mood today. She asks all about my wedding plans, which is ridiculous because I know my grandmother has been giving her a play-by-play of every detail. Things get a little awkward when she starts asking me if her son and his wife will be seated at her table. I completely fumble over my words because I’m 100% sure that her son is not on my guest list. The truth is I don’t remember ever meeting her son. I start to panic, so I tell her I will have to “check on that.” If I was to tell her no, then she would call my grandmother and then Grandmother would call me. I know she would go on and on about how Mrs. Wilson is one of her greatest friends and how her son fixed Grandmother’s garbage disposal ten years ago, so of course he has to be on the guest list. Hopefully Sienna will come up with a genius plan to get us out of this.

  After I finish with my appointment, I find my phone and dial Cole’s number.

  “Hey, girl,” he answers with a raspy, deep voice. He says he’s trying to channel Ryan Gosling. I love when he does that.

  “Just finished with Mrs. Wilson,” I say as I start to clean up my station.

  “How is my girlfriend Helen?” he says sarcastically. Mrs. Wilson loves Cole. She says he reminds her of an old boyfriend she had many years ago. She always links her arms in his and giggles every time she’s around him.

  “She was in a good mood, but I’m sorry to tell you that she didn’t ask about you at all. Maybe she’s over you,” I say sarcastically.

  “What? I seriously doubt that,” he says with a laugh. “Hmmmm, I guess I will just have to marry you,” he adds.

  I smile to myself. I’m so in love with this man; he makes me happier than I ever thought I could be. Even when I’m mad at him, he still has some kind of magical power that makes me forget why I was ever mad. After I hang up, I start to reminisce about when we met. It was a little over two years ago. The truth is, at first, he annoyed me to no end, so annoying that every time I was around him I wanted to punch him. He was always sarcastic and never seemed to take anything seriously. Now looking back, those are some of the qualities that I love the most. His passion for life is one of the things that made me fall in love with him. He has such a positive energy, and he is one of those people that can make friends everywhere he goes. I wish I had his warmth and openness.

  Looking back at my dating history, there were times I thought I would never find someone so amazing. I think it’s safe to say that I had some of the absolute worst dating experiences ever. One day I woke up and realized that I was just wasting time. I pulled myself together and went after my dreams. Not long after, Cole came along and the rest is history.

  Buy now on Amazon

  Also by Melissa Baldwin

  On the Road to Love (Love in the City #1)

  All You Need is Love (Love in the City #2)

  Pushing Up Daisies Collection (Love in the City short story)

  One Way Ticket (written with Kate O’Keeffe)

  Movie Scripts and Madness: A Cozy Mystery

  Friends ForNever (From Gemma Halliday Publishing)

  An Event to Remember (Event to Remember #1)

  Wedding Haters (Event to Remember #2)

  Not Quite Sheer Happiness (Event to Remember #3)

  See You Soon Broadway (Broadway #1)

  See You Later Broadway (Broadway #2)

  Fall Into Magic (Seasons of Summer #1)

  Winter Can Wait (Seasons of Summer #2)

  To Spring With Love (Seasons of Summer #3)

  Return to Summer (Seasons of Summer #4)

  NOW AVAILABLE

  ONE WAY TICKET

  I’m excited to announce I’ve co-authored a title with the talented romantic comedy author Kate O’Keeffe. It’s called One Way Ticket and is available on Amazon right now.

  Buy on Amazon now!

  Would you switch lives with someone you just met?

  Sabrina Monroe, bride-to-be, and Addison Bloom, lost and looking for love, are on the run, wanting to escape to a n
ew life. As the two strangers talk at an airport, a crazy idea unfolds—one which might provide the answers they’ve both been looking for.

  Sabrina Monroe is poised and ready for her future as Mrs. Todd Edward Blakely. Everything seems perfect, but on the big day, suddenly she’s not so sure. Her nicely mapped out life ahead of her, she finds herself in her own movie scene as the runaway bride, climbing out of the bathroom window. All she can think is escape.

  Addison Bloom needs a life makeover. She’s travelled the world to find love—and failed. On her way back from yet another friend’s wedding, she’s starts to feel ill at the mere thought of seeing another veil that’s not hers. Should she go back to New Zealand and marry her former sweetheart, or stick it out looking for love in her new home?

  While pondering if she should keep chasing fairy tales or create her own fate, Addison meets a fully made up bride, short of breath, at the airport. Sabrina. As Sabrina and Addison talk, both can see that friendships and new love could be on the horizon if they’re prepared to switch lives and walk away from everything they know.

  Is there such a thing as a One Way Ticket to a new life, or will they find they’re running from themselves, not just the past?

  Buy on Amazon now!