“Is it weird if I say I’m actually a little nervous?” I loop my arm through his once I have the three buttons on my coat secured.
We begin our descent down the hall, arm in arm, my small red purse over my opposite shoulder. “Not at all. You spent a lot of time on this, and it’s your biggest event yet. That’s something to be proud of, Mar. I’m proud of you.”
We approach his Lamborghini in the apartment's parking garage. “I just hope it goes smoothly. We’ve never had this many pairings at one event. Hopefully, Kirstin is happy. That’s all that matters.”
“You need to be happy too, Marlowe.” He pulls open the passenger door for me, unaware of the way the gravity of his words has just hit me. “This is mostly your doing, after all.”
I shake my head, stepping between the door and the car with my hand resting near where his arms are laid. “If my boss is unhappy, I could lose my job.”
“And if you’re unhappy with the work, she could lose an employee,” Travis fires back, leaning a little closer. I glance away and roll my eyes, my skin heating slightly in irritation. “I can do this all day, Mar. I will constantly remind you that you don’t always have to put your own happiness behind everyone else’s.”Really? Does he not see the irony in his statement?“But unfortunately, we have an event to get to.”
Forty minutes and a surprising amount of forced laughter later, we are pulling up in front of the event center we have booked in the city. There is a line of cars with the valet in their suits waiting on the marble steps. Travis pulls up, climbing out of the car as one man runs towards him to take the keys. Anotherwalks up to open my door and holds a hand out to help me up and out of my seat.
Once I am on my own two feet, I reach down to pull up the bottom of my dress so I won’t step on it, my other hand looping through Travis’s extended arm. He carefully leads us up the steps and toward the front doors where Tony, one of Kirstin’s favorite security managers, stands with a clipboard in hand.
“Good evening, Marlowe,” he greets, giving me a small nod before his gaze drifts over to Travis. “And good evening to you, sir. Haven’t seen you around in a while. Happy you could make it. We’ve sincerely missed having you.”
I look up at Travis to see a small furrow in his brow despite the smile that graces his lips. “Thank you, Tony. I got caught up with work, but I’ll be attending all the events from now on. Can’t let my girl show up unaccompanied now, can we?”
Tony nods, appearing to agree with Travis, but I don’t miss the unenthused expression that briefly flashes across his features. I gently tug on Travis’s arm, motioning for us to head inside and escape the awkwardness that has settled between them like a blanket.
As we walk into the event center, my eyes grow to the size of saucers as I take in the space. White lights are strung up in the rafters, white cloth tapestries between the beams. There is a stage off to the right, set up in front of the round tables. Six chairs sit at each, white and black cloths alternating tabletops. Flower bouquets sit in the center with a table number in the middle of each arrangement, and little place cards are perched in front of each chair containing a name.
“Wow,” Travis breathes as we stand a couple of feet inside of the main doors. “You really outdid yourself, Mar.”
“Marlowe.” Kirstin’s voice draws my attention, and I turn to see her walking towards us. A red cocktail dress covers her body, tall black heels and large silver hoops accompanying thelook. “I’m so happy you’re here. I need to steal you away for a moment, if that’s all right.”
I look up at Travis, and he nods. I slip my arm out of his and take off my coat, handing it off to him. “Yeah, of course.”
“Travis, great to see you again.” There’s an unrecognizable undertone to her voice. “We are all at table one. Take a seat or wander around. I won’t keep her long.”
Travis bends down and presses a kiss to my cheek before turning on his heel and walking towards our table. I focus my attention back on my boss as she loops her arm through mine and leads me toward another set of doors. Once we walk through, I chuckle as I discover there’s a bar hidden away back here.
“Two shots of vodka, please.” The bartender nods. Kirstin leans against the wooden bar top, her body turned towards me. “You have really outdone yourself this time, Marlowe. Now we just need to hope that everything runs smoothly. I think it’d be bad luck if we don’t have our honorary pre-event shot, don’t you agree?”
The bartender sets the two shot glasses in front of her, and she grabs them both, extending one in my direction. We clink the clear glasses together and I smile. “Yes, I do.”
We both throw back the shots, setting the empty glasses back on the bar top. Kirstin pulls a twenty out of her small black clutch, setting it down before looping her arm through mine again, leading us back toward the main room. Before we walk through, she pulls me to a stop, and I raise a brow as I glance over at her.
“What is it?”
“I hope I’m not overstepping.” A tightness grips her voice as she avoids eye contact. “But are the two of you okay? It’s just, he hasn’t been around in a while, so his appearance was quite the surprise.”
I cover up my shock with a smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes. “We’re fine, Kirstin. Just trying to work out a few things. You know how relationships can be.”
“I know how yours can be,” she whispers before squeezing my arm gently. “So, the real question is, are you happy?”
I hesitate, mulling over my response. The truth is easy: no, I’m not. I’m far from it. But everything I am doing now—the work I am willing to put in to reconnect with who he and I used to be—is for Claire. She needs a happy household, deserves two parents who love one another and show her what a healthy, loving relationship looks like. As parents, we are supposed to be the mold, the example. Right now? We are far from it. But that doesn’t mean I should just throw away the nine years we have spent together. Relationships take work, and who am I to give that up? If he is willing to put in the work, I should, too.
Right?
Kirstin doesn’t wait for a reply—my silence is enough. She pulls open the doors and walks through with us arm in arm, and I notice that a few of our matches, a few of the guests, have begun to arrive.
“Time to go mingle.” Kirstin leans in to whisper in my ear. “I’m proud of you for all you’ve accomplished throughout the last five years you’ve worked for me. Without you, this event and our success rate wouldn’t be what it is. I’d be nothing without you. Thank you, Marlowe.”
She pulls me into a hug and a smile tugs at my lips. I hug her back, grateful that I have such an amazing friend and boss. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
“Marlowe! Kirstin!” My boss and I pull away from one another, turning towards the sound of the voice.
