Not Quite Sheer Happiness (Event to Remember Series Book 3)

by Melissa Baldwin

  “Okay.”

  “Are you nervous about getting married?” he asks. “You just seem so stressed out.” I don’t know how to answer this. I don’t think nervous is the right word.

  “No,” I insist. “I mean, I don’t think I’m nervous exactly.” I hang my head and tears fill my eyes.

  I can’t bear to look at Ace while I’m having this emotional breakdown. The truth is I’m scared . . . more like terrified that something is going to go wrong. I’m always waiting and wondering when something is going to interfere with my happiness. There was a time that I actually believed that Luke and I were going to get married and nothing could have prepared me for when I found out about him and Carrie. I just hate that this experience is still affecting my future. I should be planning my wedding right now. I deserve this happiness but instead I’m sitting here crying and having wacky dreams.

  Ace is sitting next to me, rubbing my back while I cry. I have to give him an explanation.

  “I’m just scared,” I say finally. “I’m scared of planning our wedding and then something happening to destroy it.” I wipe under my eyes with my fingers. “Look what happened with Madison and Cole’s wedding, that was almost a train wreck.”

  He gives me a half smile.

  “It wasn’t that bad and look how everything turned out.” He pauses. “So let me get this straight, you’ve been avoiding any wedding plans for fear of it falling apart.” I nod slowly.

  He pulls me toward his chest and wraps his arms around me. I feel so safe and at peace in his arms, like nothing can hurt me or us. We sit like this for a while and I start to feel better. I finally pull away from him.

  “I want you to know that I want to marry you more than anything. Please don’t think this has anything to do with us.”

  He flashes me his gorgeous smile with his perfect teeth. I’ve never asked him if they are veneers, but they’re so perfect that they have to be.

  “That’s all that matters to me,” he says softly.

  I reach up and rub my hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. Thank you for being so patient with me.”

  I head to the kitchen to get a snack. When I return, Ace changes the subject. He tells me about a situation that went down in one of his offices in Chicago. Apparently, it included a bitter love triangle that turned into a hostage situation just like you would see on TV. That’s really scary that things could get that out of hand, but it happens. And here I am stressing out over an argument in my tiny little office.

  “Oh, I keep meaning to ask you, is Abby all right?” he asks.

  I’m completely surprised by his question.

  “She was the last time I saw her, why?”

  He gives me a curious look. “I’m not sure. When I was talking to Matt the other day, he eluded to something about her going through a hard time? I figured you would know.”

  Poor Abby. I’ve been trying so hard not to throw my problems on her that I’ve completely been ignoring her.

  “I don’t remember if I told you but Abby, Madison, and I were out a few weeks ago. Abby had too much to drink and she started going on about being tired and that everyone expects her to be the one to fix all their problems.” I pause. “That’s another thing I’ve been worrying about. I feel so bad about not being a better friend to her. Anytime things are going wrong, I turn to Abby and expect her to fix it. Madison, too. I just feel like I need to do something for her.”

  All of a sudden, Ace hops up from the couch to grab his phone. He starts scrolling through, obviously looking for something. “I have an idea,” he says as he continues looking at his phone. I’m intrigued by his excitement.

  “What?” I ask excitedly.

  “We are going to take Abby and Matt out on the town,” he says proudly. “It will probably do you some good also.”

  Ace works his usual magic and calls Matt to set it up. Maybe he’s right; a fun night will do me some good.

  *~*~*

  “Are you seriously thinking about firing Craig?” Madie asks. “Wow, I leave town and all hell breaks loose. First Abby melts down, and then you and Craig get into a major fight. And to top it off, Susan has completely taken over my house. We really made a mistake by giving her free reign.”

  Hah! We all told Madie that it would backfire on her but she was being her typical stubborn self.

  “You know me better than that, I would never follow through on firing Craig,” I insist. “But I do need to have a talk with him. Lately, it feels like he’s just collecting a paycheck. He doesn’t have the same spark that he used to have. Maybe he’s getting burned out and doesn’t even realize it. It happens and I know that.”

  I open my fridge and stand at the door looking for something. I have no idea what I’m looking for.

  “So, he accused you of being mean to him because of his friendship with Lisa? Man, I really need to meet this Lisa girl, I feel like she’s a celebrity,” she says sarcastically.

  I groan. She’s definitely not a celebrity, at least not to me.

  “Or maybe I should invite Luke and Ellie to go out. I’d be interested to see how Luke reacts to Lisa being in town, and it sure would be fun to watch Ellie squirm.” She giggles and I can’t disagree.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I agree. “But to answer your question, Lisa’s not a celebrity. At least not a real one, even though she seems like one to everyone I know. Between Luke and Ace fighting over her and now Craig totally kissing her ass, you would think she has some kind of magical power over every man in my life.”

  I finally choose a container of turkey lunchmeat and start eating out of the package. “By the way, when are you coming home for good? Aren’t you near the end of the tour?”

  Madison starts telling me about their last stops on tour, and before I know it, I eat the entire package of turkey meat. I tell her about Ace’s idea to take Abby and Matt out and she agrees that it needs to be done.

  “Seriously, though, if you think about it, when are they ever alone without the kids? Probably hardly ever, so this is a great idea. I’m just jealous I can’t be there with you guys.”

  I wish she could go with us, too. Madison, Abby, and I have always had a great relationship. It’s a common misconception that three’s a crowd and that someone is always left out. That’s not the case for the three of us; after all, there were four best friends on Sex and the City. Madison and I have always been best friends since we were young and then Abby got into the mix several years ago. We all have an equal bond and have our own individual friendships within our group friendship.

  “Me, too,” I reply. “At least the tour is almost over and you can come back to your life. Hopefully you will be able to get your house back,” I say with a giggle.

  She groans. “I know. My palms are already starting to sweat. Speaking of homes, have you and Ace decided where you’re going to live? Are you moving into his place?”

  That’s a good question. We briefly discussed me moving into his place but haven’t finalized anything.

  “Probably,” I say. “His place is much bigger and nicer than mine.”

  “Or maybe you can find a house near ours. We could get Abby and Matt to find a new place, too, and then we can all live close by and have one of those compounds.” She giggles. “People will think we’re a cult.”

  I laugh. As much fun as it would be to live right near Madison, her mother-in-law lives a few houses down and that would drive me crazy.

  “Hmm . . . the idea of the cult is very intriguing, but I’m pretty sure we will live at Ace’s place at least for a while.”

  Speaking of a new place, I really hate moving. That’s just another thing to stress out about.

  *~*~*

  “Nicole,” I call. “Did you see the email about the changes for the party tomorrow?”

  This morning has been so crazy that I’ve had time to take one sip of coffee and one bite of my bagel that’s now stale. Craig is a no-show again, and I’ve left two messages for him. I have n
o idea what to think. Is this his way of telling me he’s quitting or is he just taking his time to cool off? Or maybe he really did run off to Cabo for his much-needed vacation?

  Our next event is a 40th birthday party tomorrow night and the host has been emailing several changes starting at six thirty this morning. Nicole has been on top of everything. She really has fallen perfectly into her new role here. I should have made that move a long time ago.

  “On it,” she calls.

  I glance at my never-ending to-do list and add a new item to it:

  Search for new employees, post ad

  Suddenly, I get an idea. I jump up from my chair.

  “Nicole, who was that friend of yours who helped us at the Grazian wedding?”

  That wedding was one of our higher profile events and it went very well. Nicole brought in a friend who just graduated and she did an excellent job. Maybe she needs a job.

  “Do you mean Tracy?” she asks curiously.

  “Yes, Tracy. I was just thinking about how much help she was that weekend. Is she looking for a job?”

  Her eyes open. “I think she is; she’s been doing some temp work while she’s been looking. I know she really wanted to get into the hotel industry, but I can talk to her.”

  “That would be great. If she’s interested, just have her send me her resume. I have a feeling I need to build our staff.”

  She gets a concerned look on her face. “Does that mean that Craig is not coming back?”

  I frown. “I don’t know because he won’t call me back. I guess he’s still mad at me for whatever reason. I’m just wondering if he’s burnt out of this industry. I know he’s been trying to get back into acting for a while. Maybe that’s what he needs to be doing.”

  I walk into my office and a tear falls down my cheek. Dang. I feel like I’m crying a lot these days. Maybe I’m making up for all the years I didn’t cry. I know I have no reason to feel bad because I didn’t do anything wrong, but I hate feeling like I’m losing a friend.

  Chapter 14

  “I have a surprise for you,” Ace says excitedly. I give him a curious look. I’m not much of a fan of surprises.

  We just finished breakfast for dinner. I know that’s kind of lame but I love it. I had to convince Ace that it’s a normal thing and that it’s okay to eat pancakes, eggs, and bacon for dinner. We always did this growing up and I love this tradition.

  “You can relax, it’s a good surprise. At least, I think it is,” he says with a grin.

  I didn’t even say anything. He knows me so well.

  “Okay, I’m relaxed,” I say slowly. “What’s the surprise?”

  He purses his lips and gives me a doubtful look.

  “I am,” I insist.

  “All right. The surprise is . . . my mum is coming to visit next week. She’s coming with two of her friends because she hates traveling alone, and she can’t wait to meet you.”

  Yes! I finally get to meet Ace’s mom, the woman who raised my amazing man. I feel like I know Ace as well as I know myself, but this is the one aspect of his life that I feel has been missing. The few times I’ve spoken with her she’s been very nice but meeting someone in person is different.

  “Really?” I squeal. “That’s awesome. I really needed some good news today.”

  I explain about Craig avoiding my calls and not showing up for work. As sad as it is, I’m afraid this may be the end of our working relationship.

  Ace takes a sip of his wine. “You are letting him go now, right?”

  I shift uncomfortably in my chair. “Yes.”

  He reaches for my hand. “I know this is difficult but his behavior is unacceptable. You have no other choice.”

  I know he’s right, and when it comes to business, Ace gets very passionate. I’ve asked his advice on a few different situations and he’s always been very respectful with my choices. I’m curious as to what happens after we’re married: does Sheer Happiness become his company, too?

  We have briefly discussed our finances, and according to Ace, what’s his is mine, too. One night we were out to dinner and Madison and Craig asked him if he was going to ask me to sign a prenup and he spit out his drink. Needless to say, it has never come up again. All of that his and hers crap seems way too overwhelming to me.

  “I know,” I agree.

  “Anyway, so about Mum’s visit,” he says, thankfully changing the subject, “I have switched around my schedule and I will only be traveling one of the days she is here. I was hoping you could spend that day with her? She said she would be happy to help with the wedding plans in any way, but don’t feel obligated. She knows that’s your specialty.”

  I tell him that I will plan a very special day for us. I want to build a relationship with her because I know how important she is to Ace. The news of Maureen’s visit has really perked me up. To top that off, I get a text from Nicole telling me that her friend Tracy is very interested and will be sending me her resume.

  “Awesome,” I exclaim after reading her text. I excitedly tell Ace that I’ve already begun my search for new employees. This is a huge step for me, bringing in new people. I check my emails to see if she sent anything yet. I don’t find anything from Tracy but there is a reminder from Lisa about the dinner. I totally forgot to ask Ace, but I guess now is as good a time as any.

  “You’re home Friday night, right?” I ask. Ace has started loading the dishwasher.

  “Yes, I am,” he says. “Did you make plans for us?”

  I nod. “Sort of.” I force a smile. “We’ve been invited to a networking dinner at Lisa’s firm. I told her we would go if you were in town.”

  He gives me a casual smile. “That sounds like that would be really good for Sheer Happiness; you could meet a lot of prospective clients.”

  I shrug my shoulders. “For you, too, right? Lisa says there will be some good contacts there. I’m sure you could benefit from it as well.” Maybe I’m slowly getting over this Lisa stuff. I can actually say her name without cringing. That’s progress!

  Ace takes my hand and leads me to the couch. “I’m happy to go if you are comfortable with that.” I appreciate that he’s trying to reassure me. I still can’t believe how high maintenance I’ve become.

  I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest. “I’m totally fine with it,” I say.

  *~*~*

  I change my outfit three times while getting ready for this dinner party. I’m so frazzled, not only because of the party but also because Craig left me a message while I was in the shower. His message was confusing; it was something about needing time to think, Cabo, and another rum and Coke please. I’m assuming the request for a drink was for the bartender and not me.

  So basically, he took off on vacation and never called. He’s suddenly making it very easy for me to fire him.

  Ace picks me up in one of his company cars. I love it when he does this; it’s nice to just take it all in and enjoy being together. When we arrive at the party, the firm has rented out a banquet room. There is part of me that wonders why they didn’t ask me to plan it but sometimes it’s nice to just be a guest. And with the wedding we have tomorrow night, I probably wouldn’t have been able to swing it.

  As soon as we walk in, we see Lisa. I cringe as soon as I see her. She saunters casually toward us.

  “Sienna, Ace, welcome,” Lisa says warmly. Both Ace and I stare at her. She’s wearing a very short red dress, or maybe it’s a romper? I’m not sure exactly, but she better not bend over in front of Ace. She’s also wearing the tallest pair of red stilettos I’ve ever seen. I admit the shoe-obsessed part of me is swooning.

  “Thank you for inviting us,” I say with a fake smile. I gave myself a very long pep talk this morning and I fully intend to make it clear that I’m over the past.

  “Of course,” she says. “And, Ace, it’s nice to see you in town. I’m sure business is very good with as much as you’re gone.”

  He nods. “Business is fantastic. I’m very
lucky, other than having to be away from my love.” He winks at me and I smile smugly. I know I shouldn’t act this way but it’s nice to feel reassured. Lisa completely ignores his comment.

  “Speaking of business, I have someone who would like an introduction, you don’t mind, do you, Sienna?” Lisa and Ace look at me.

  “Not at all,” I say. Ace leans in and kisses me. I watch as he walks off with Lisa who’s talking up a storm.

  I get a drink and wander around to check out the décor and buffet. The décor is very simple yet elegant, and all of a sudden, I’m very curious as to who put this party together. I stand near the bar and people watch. I love people watching; it’s one of my favorite hobbies. I spot Ace across the room chatting with a few people; he’s so handsome and so sexy when he’s talking about his work. I try to distract my attention from Ace’s sexiness so I continue to scan the room. I spot Lisa in the corner talking to a tall, attractive man. Lisa looks tiny next to him; I wander over to take a closer look. As I get closer, I can see that she’s very upset, and I wonder if he’s the man she was involved with. It’s moments like these that I will miss Craig; he’s great to people watch with.

  “Sienna Harris, is that you?” I’m so distracted by watching Lisa that I jump. I turn around to see Kami Peters, a friend of Abby’s I’ve met a few times.

  “Kami, hi.” I quickly turn back to see Lisa and her friend, but they’re gone. Hmm . . . I’m curious.

  “I’m sorry I startled you. I wasn’t sure it was you at first,” she apologizes.

  I wonder where they went. Who was that man and why was Lisa so upset?

  “No problem,” I say as I try to forget about Lisa and her drama. “It’s nice to see you. When was the last time? Was it Abby’s shower?”

  She nods. “I think so. Isn’t baby Charlotte adorable? Abby brought the kids to the school about a month ago.” We chat about Abby and the kids and she asks about Sheer Happiness.

  “So what brings you here tonight?” she asks. “Did you plan this dinner?”