I feel bad. The truth is I’ve been distracted since my visit with Mrs. Rothera. After I left her place, I started recalling different interactions I’ve had with her. I always thought she was nosy, like she was watching us come and go or maybe listening through the air vents. The thought never crossed my mind that she had secret powers to see things happening.
“We’ll think of something,” I tell her. “We still have time,” I say. glancing at my calendar.
“You keep saying that, and we don’t have that much time, especially if we want to plan a party,” she says innocently. Party? Who said anything about a party?
“No way. I don’t think so,” I tell her. “I’m about to start a huge project with work. The last thing I need to do is commit to planning a party.”
I hear pots and pans banging around in the background. “Don’t worry. I will do the planning, and it will be awesome. We just have to find a place to have it.”
Hah! I know what she means by that; in other words, I have to find a place to have it.
“I don’t know . . .” I trail off.
“Come on, it will be fun, and what better way to celebrate your exciting new single life than a Halloween party. It would be the perfect place to meet someone.”
Okay, on that note, it’s time for me to end this call. I check the time. I have to meet Melanie in forty-five minutes. We’ve been communicating back and forth via email for the last few days, and it’s like she’s a different person than the one I met at Alexander’s. I’m hoping that she’s accepted the fact that I’m going to be around for a while, meaning while I’m decorating (not because of Alexander). Otherwise, this is going to be a long few months.
“Oh fine, plan the party but remember this is all you.” I agree. “Oh, and no tootsie roll or gum ball machine costumes.”
She snickers. “Deal.”
How does Angie always talk me into this stuff? The last brilliant idea she had was starting an online travel planning company. I thought she was crazy, but I’m happy to say that Friendship Travel is still doing very well. Angie is now running it by herself. I became hands-off when business started picking up for Summer Interiors. Angie has always embraced her entrepreneurial spirit, even in high school when she made a killing with friendship bracelets and headbands. Maybe a Halloween party won’t be so bad, if anything, it’s something else to look forward to.
~*~*~
I don’t know what kind of game this girl is playing? I’ve been waiting outside Alexander’s house for fifteen minutes and Melanie is nowhere to be found. After pounding on the door for the third time, she finally opens it.
“There you are,” she says. “I just sent Alexander a message asking if he heard from you. I thought you were a no-show.”
Is she kidding?
“Melanie, I’ve been here for fifteen minutes,” I say emphatically. “I called and texted you, and I’ve been pounding on the door.”
She gives me a doubtful look. “I didn’t get anything.” She pauses. “Oh well, you’re here now.”
She holds the door open for me. I could stand here and argue with her, but I know it’s not worth it. I walk into the house and she closes the door behind me.
I follow her into the kitchen. She sits down at the table where her laptop is open. I set up right next to her, and she’s watching me the whole time. It’s a little awkward for a few moments, but rather than draw any attention to it, I get right to work. I need to try my best to let her know that I’m here to do my job, and I have no intention of stealing her crush away.
“Since we’re starting with the office, this is what I came up with. This is exactly what I was talking to Alexander about,” I say, turning my laptop toward her. She looks and nods her head. She’s obviously impressed but I’m not expecting her to admit it.
“What do you think?” I ask, trying to make it sound like her opinion is very important. I hate kissing up to her, but I don’t know what else to do.
“Nice,” she replies. I think I notice a tiny trace of a smile. She quickly goes back to her computer.
“So, how long have you worked with Alexander?” I ask, trying to make conversation.
I should have known that a mention of their relationship (professional or not) would make her more willing to talk.
“We’ve worked together for three years,” she says with a smile (a real smile this time). “I did my internship with his company and I was assigned to work with Alexander. Upon completion of the internship, I was offered a position with his company but I stayed with him. I can’t beat the pay or the freedom.”
I nod. “Freedom is a big deal. Being able to make your own schedule is awesome.”
She’s looking at something on her laptop and her expression changes. And just like that the wall comes down again. I don’t know what changed all of a sudden.
“Is everything okay?” I ask her.
She gets up from the table. “Yep. Just great.”
We work silently for the next hour. I walk around the house, taking some pictures and measurements. I’m busy making notes in one of the guest rooms when I hear a man’s voice.
“Hi, Summer,” Alexander says as he walks into the room, and for a few seconds, I feel my pulse speed up. This is a welcome surprise. Not only because he looks amazing in his suit, but I don’t know how much more of Melanie’s silence and cold shoulder I can take today.
“What are you doing here?”
He clasps his hands. “My appointments didn’t last as long as I expected, so I was able to make it home earlier. I sent Melanie a message, didn’t she tell you?”
So that explains her sudden change of attitude. I’ve gone out of my way to be nice to her, so I’m not sure what else I can do. When Alexander and I head back to the kitchen, Melanie is slumped over the table.
“Summer has a great eye. So far she’s living up to her name,” he announces. I sit back down at the table and Melanie doesn’t acknowledge me. Alexander excuses himself to change his clothes, and rather than waste my time forcing a conversation, I don’t say anything to Melanie.
When Alexander returns to the kitchen, my mouth drops open so I quickly cover my mouth with my hand. He’s changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt that clings to his chest. I notice that Melanie is watching my reaction out of the corner of my eye, so I drag my attention away from Alexander and his toned physique.
Before I know it, five o’clock rolls around and I’m still working. We’ve gone through every room from ceiling to floor. Melanie left around four and it was very obvious she was hoping I would be leaving at the same time.
“You must be starving,” Alexander says. “Would you like me to order something . . . or do you have to leave?”
Hmm . . . believe it or not, this is a difficult decision. I could stay here and have dinner in this beautiful kitchen or I could go home to my lonely, empty apartment. Not to mention possibly running into Mrs. Rothera and her new magical psychic powers. At the same time, staying here would go against my plan of staying focused on this job and not crossing over into a nonprofessional situation. Before I can respond, he’s on the phone ordering food from a local Greek restaurant. I guess I’m staying for dinner.
~*~*~
I shouldn’t be having this much fun, but I am. First of all, Alexander ordered the most amazing Greek food. I feel like an absolute pig because I have devoured everything. I’m really enjoying hanging out with Alexander; he’s nice and really down-to-earth. Come to think of it, he’s nothing like I expected he would be when they first contacted me about this job. I guess I was expecting someone more hands-off and distant.
“Are you happy living in the suburbs? It’s a big difference from city life,” I say, taking another bite of my baklava. I have a feeling I will be frequenting It’s All Greek quite often after this evening.
He nods. “I’m enjoying the quiet, that’s for sure. But it does get a little lonely being that all my friends are still in the city.”
We’re interrupted by the sound of
my phone buzzing. I’ve been ignoring my phone for most of the evening.
“Sorry. I should check my messages.” When I look at it, I have three texts and one voice mail from Angie. I have no doubt she’s in full Halloween-planning mode.
“Everything okay?” he asks. “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you for too long.”
I shake my head. “Oh, it’s totally fine. It’s just my friend Angie; she’s obsessing over Halloween. It’s nothing unusual.”
His eyes light up. “I don’t blame her. Halloween is my favorite holiday.” I stare at him intently. This guy is officially too good to be true—first Grease 2 and now Halloween.
“I totally agree, but Angie just has more free time on her hands than I do and she seems to forget that a lot.” I tell him all about our years of celebrating Halloween and about her idea to actually throw a party this year.
“She promised she’d plan the whole night and all I’d have to do is find a place to host it.” I take a sip of my water.
Alexander gives a thoughtful look. “You can have it here if you want,” he says nonchalantly. I’m so shocked by his offer that I spit my water out all over the table.
“Oh crap. I’m sorry,” I say as I quickly wipe the table. “Alexander, I appreciate your offer but that’s a huge undertaking.”
He holds up his hands. “No, it’s really not. My ex and I hosted parties all the time in the city. And didn’t I just tell you I was lonely. I would love to meet some new people, and I could invite some friends to come down from the city.”
He’s totally serious. I don’t know what to say.
“There is one thing . . .” He hesitates. “Do you think we could have a few of the rooms decorated by then? At least downstairs.”
I open my calendar. “I think so. I will have to get items ordered ASAP, but I think it’s do-able.”
He smiles excitedly. “That’s great. I think a party is exactly what I need.”
“Me, too. We could do some amazing fall and Halloween décor. I mean, if you want. Although Angie should be taking care of decorations,” I add.
He nods as he picks up his phone. “Sounds good. Now I just have to come up with a good costume.”
For some reason, Jake pops into my head right at that moment. Why does this happen at the worst time? My mind wanders back to last Halloween. Jake was such a pain about dressing up for an event we were all attending. Of course, Angie and I had our plan and Jake just wanted to wear a shirt that said, “This Is My Costume.”
“Maybe I can get a few friends to dress up as the T-Birds from Grease,” he says, snapping me out of my Jake daydream.
I try to hide my enthusiasm when he mentions Grease.
“You like Grease?” I ask, trying to act surprised. It’s not like I’m going to admit that I already knew that because I stalked him online.
He hangs his head. “Yeah . . . are you going to take my man card?”
I start to laugh. “I’m not sure.”
“And to be fair, I like Grease 2 more. It’s my favorite movie of all time,” he says.
I pretend to be shocked.
“Let me guess . . . Michelle Pfeiffer?” I say as I roll my eyes.
He snorts. “Of course.”
I knew it.
“You want to hear something funny,” I say, folding my napkin in my hand for the hundredth time. “Angie just mentioned us wearing Pink Ladies costumes. We did it like ten years ago and I told her it was played out.”
He leans back in shock. “I can’t believe you just said that. The movie is a classic. It will never be played out. Maybe you should consider it? We would probably look great together.” He stops talking suddenly, and I shift around in my seat. I know he didn’t mean to say that the way it came out.
My phone rings again just in time to startle me. Sure enough, it’s Angie again.
“I probably should answer.”
He nods quickly. “Absolutely. And give her the good news.” He gets up from the table and starts to clean up the dishes.
I try to contain my excitement as I watch Alexander walk around his kitchen. I have a feeling this Halloween is going to be one of the best yet.
Chapter Four
The next morning, I wake up extra early and lie in my bed for a few minutes. I think back over the events of yesterday. Professionally speaking, it was a great day with the exception of Melanie and her dirty looks. I got a lot accomplished at the house, and I have a good plan in place to get the rooms downstairs decorated before the party. On a personal level, I made a new friend, and that’s always a bonus. The nice thing is that I didn’t feel any pressure. Spending time with Alexander was like hanging with a good friend.
Angie was ecstatic when I told her about Alexander offering his house for the Halloween Bash, and of course she wanted to speak to him. I started laughing hysterically when he pulled the phone a few inches from his ear and I could still hear every word. I also cringed when she invited him to join us for lunch next week. She says it was to discuss the party, but I’ve been friends with her long enough to know that the curiosity is killing her and she wants to meet him in person. Not that I blame her, because regardless of him looking like Clark Kent (which he does), he’s really funny. He agreed to join us for lunch after he checked his schedule (the schedule Melanie keeps for him).
Speaking of Melanie, he did make a strange comment about her. I can’t remember how she came up, but I mentioned how dedicated she is to her job and his response was “almost too dedicated.” I didn’t want to pry, but it doesn’t take a genius to know what he meant by that remark. Regardless, she still works with him after three years so he obviously doesn’t mind her dedication. He would be a complete moron not to see how she feels about him, or he could just be a typical man.
Thankfully, after my eventful day yesterday, I will be running errands today so I won’t be seeing Melanie or Alexander. I think I will let him break the news to her about his offer to host our Halloween party. It will probably be better if I’m far away from that conversation.
~*~*~
I’m about to walk out the door when Angie shows up at my door. She’s wearing a tank top that says, “Yoga and Gangster Rap.” Somehow she always finds these cute and quirky things.
“Nice shirt. What are you doing here?” I ask, folding my arms. I really have to get to work, so I don’t have time to chat (or listen).
She walks past me and into my apartment. “Can’t I pay my best friend a visit?”
I look at my watch. “At nine o’clock in the morning? You know you could have called me.”
She completely ignores me and walks into the kitchen and opens my refrigerator. I don’t mind because we do this all the time. I’m just waiting patiently for her to ask me about last night.
“So,” she says.
I start to laugh. “So. Really, that’s all you have to say? Seriously, just ask me.”
The corner of her mouth curls up. “Okay, tell me HOW you persuaded your new client to host our Halloween party. I’m impressed, by the way.”
She pours herself a glass of orange juice and takes a sip. I lean against the counter. “I didn’t persuade him. He was telling me about moving out of the city and how it’s been lonely. You started texting me about the party and I told him. He offered to have the party there. That’s it.”
She looks at me in awe. “You’re good.”
“Ang, I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t do anything. Can we discuss this later? I really need to get to work.”
Fall Into Magic- A Novella Page 3