“I’ll see you tonight,” she says shyly, tilting her face up in anticipation. I press my lips to hers, the tips of our tongues greeting briefly before she pulls away and slowly walks toward the swinging doors. Holding onto her fingers, I wait until the last possible second before pulling her back in close.
I nuzzle her nose. “Tonight,” I say, more for myself than for her. I nestle my lips against hers one more time before letting her go.
Tonight. So much hangs on tonight.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
KAYLA
“Surprise!” Patti says from behind me. I turn to look at her, mouth gaping as I stand between the dining room and patio. I knew the internship board may use some of our ideas for the event tonight, but this is something else.
Every round table is covered with the exact royal blue scalloped tablecloths and warm yellow tea light center pieces I submitted with my portfolio. The large menu displayed in the foyer is a handwritten version of my own. Even the place settings, gold-leafed China, soft gold-colored silverware—everything—is how I’d imagined it in my head.
“Patti, what? This is?—”
“Your portfolio,” she finishes, grinning ear to ear. “The internship board was very impressed with your level of detail. The way you organized your presentation—showing your process of sketching and linking it to real-world examples—was excellent. They especially loved the tiered pricing structure you included and praised your use of comparison within each tier. From the small details like your table tracking cards for each server, to the logic you used when numbering the tables, it’s all very well done. It’s exactly how they would like event planning interns to presentideas to potential clients.” She smiles expectantly as she looks at me.
“Event planning? But this is a catering internship…” My face scrunches as I try to make sense of what she’s saying.
“We both know you don’t want to do catering, Kayla, and it’s clear you have exceptional skill with planning and management. I’ve been lobbying all year for the board to expand our internship program with you in mind, andyouwill be the first event planning intern for our EP division.” She grins, watching as I take in all the information she’s just dropped on me. I got the internship. No, I got abetterinternship, one that will directly translate to what I want to be doing with my life.
Looking up with tears in my eyes, I shake my head as I try to form words. “I…you… Thank you. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Hey, you did the hard work. I’ve watched you go above and beyond for years to get here. You deserve this, Kayla.” She smiles warmly, squeezing my shoulder before walking away.
My hands tremble as I look around Trancy Hall slack-jawed, fully appreciating all the time and effort I put in to get here.I did it. All the double diner shifts, camp counseling, management positions on campus, and even babysitting have paid off. Today might be the best day of my life.
The alarm on my phone snaps me out of my trance, signaling ten minutes until the start of the catering staff meeting. I scramble to the back of the kitchen and grab my uniform before finding a bathroom to change in.
“Hey, girl,” Ashlie greets me as I reenter the kitchen, wearing an outfit identical to mine and the other servers. Her hair is securely out of the way, and she’s wearing a white button-down shirt fitted with a bowtie, a V-neck pinstripe black vest with gold buttons lining down the torso, and black slacks with black dress shoes. We line up against the wall as Patti prepares to give her pre-event pep talk.
“There will be a lot of people here tonight who expect you togive them what they ask for quickly and accurately. No matter how unreasonable the request is, you will do what is in your power to meet it. We want Seaside Catering to gain referrals from everyone in this venue based on our customer service. Everyone here tonight has verified they are over twenty-one, so keep the drinks flowing until nine-thirty p.m. Things to remember: No drama, minimize conflicts, the customer is always right. And most importantly, all tips you receive are yours to keep. The doors will open in ten minutes, and the company has requested a mingling cocktail hour before dinner is served.” She takes a breath and smiles at the staff lined up in front of her.
Patti’s being a hard-ass tonight, which is expected considering this is her reputation on the line. It’s empowering to watch her slip into boss mode when I see her young Mrs. Claus personality at the diner every day. She’s mastered the art of balancing warmth and professionalism, something I try to emulate in my own professional persona.
“And now for the exciting news.” Patti pivots. “I want to introduce our three newest interns. Ryan and Riley will be joining us on the catering team, and Kayla has been offered our newest internship, learning the ropes as an event planner.”
Clapping bounces off the walls of the empty dining room while everyone offers congratulations to the three of us. Ashlie throws her arm around my shoulder in a side hug. This excitement still feels surreal. If I weren’t looking around at my portfolio come to life, I’d have a hard time believing any of it. The clock chiming on the wall snaps me out of my celebratory daze, signaling the opening of the front doors.
In no time at all, people dressed in formalwear more expensive than the clothes in my closet combined enter the dining room. As the tables fill, our line of staff dwindles until we’re all running drink orders back and forth between the bar.
I see Kendall, Russell, and Christine in passing as I work my way through the rapidly filling dining room. Camryn and Tamryn are hunkered down at a table on the patio, so I’m sure Maggie issomewhere around here too. I don’t have time to worry about her, though, with the fast pace of the cocktail hour occupying all my thoughts.
Near the beginning of dinner, I run into Chase. He’s leaning against a wall, hands in his pockets, wearing a navy-blue suit and tie with a crisp white shirt underneath. His hair is slicked back out of his face, and those ocean blues mixed with his crooked smile are threatening to distract me. He looks so damn handsome; I’m tempted to pull him into a closet somewhere.
Chase snags me by the elbow, tugging me out of the pathway of the other waitstaff. “I know you’re working, but I wanted to sayhibefore you got too busy,” he says with a grin. His fingers caress the back of my arm. “And I wanted to hear about the internship.”
“Hi.” I respond, my voice rushed as it mimics the pace in the dining room. “I can give more details later, but?—”
Glasses crashing behind the bar shifts my attention back to the dining room. Patti rushes to the bartender’s aid, giving me a few extra seconds to talk. I slide my eyes back to Chase, and we stare at each other for a few seconds, trying to keep our smiles polite and our distance professional since we’re both at work. “I’ll fill you in about the internship later.” Stepping closer to him, I deliver a message I hope he thinks about until he takes me home tonight. “And I think you should keep the suit on when we get back to your place,” I whisper, giggling at the way his eyebrows shoot upward.
“You got it.” He winks, squeezing my arm before heading off toward the ballroom. My stomach flips over three times as I watch him walk away, heart thumping at the realization that he’s mine and I’m wholeheartedly his.
I love him, and I’m his.
“Whew, I forget how good he looks in a suit,” a cool voice says from behind me. I turn to see Maggie, biting her lip as her eyes follow Chase walking down the hallway. My first instinct isto sneer.
She’s not going to ruin this night for me.
