“I’m so envious. It’s not even funny. And, yes, I read the card already.” She melts into her chair dramatically before genuinely saying, “But I’m so happy for you, babe. You deserve all the love.”
I know she means it. We’ve been best friends forever and always celebrated each other’s wins, even when thewinis a masked stalker who delivers roses to our place of business.
“When did he come by?” I ask, setting the vase down.
Her face scrunches up. “What do you mean?”
We stare at each other in confusion.
“They were on your desk when I got in this morning.”
Oh …
Apparently, breaking in doesn’t only extend to my house, but also to my office.
Immediately, I panic, knowing that he snuck in herebefore she got here. While I’m oddly okay with his invasiveness, I don’t know if she’d feel the same way.
“That’s right. I forgot …” I do a horrible job of trying to lie, but it doesn’t matter because she’d be able to sniff my dishonesty out like a bloodhound regardless of the delivery.
She squints at me before a heavy exhale leaves her lips. “He snuck in, didn’t he?” Her voice is deadpan and unsurprised.
“Yeah,” I answer instantly.
She chuckles dryly. “Got it.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur hesitantly, unsure if this whole situation is making her uncomfortable. “I’m sure I can tell him to not come back here if you want.”
Her hands lift, palms facing me, as her eyes widen. “What?No. I’m not going to get in the way ofthis. I’m just glad I wasn’t here because I almost came in early.”
This time, it’s me who laughs dryly. “Okay, Ker.”
“Don’tokay, Kerme!” She scoffs with a grin. “I really was, but then I forgot to make a coffee, so I had to make a detour to the nearest Dunkin’. It’s not my fault!”
I shush her gently, like I would a crying baby. “I know. I know. You did so great.”
As I stride closer to her, she reaches up and slaps my arm. “I will quit right now if you keep that up.”
“You can’t.” I pout. “I need you tonight.”
She stands up confidently. “I know you do. Now help me finish setting up. The desserts should be here soon.”
We ordered a custom assortment of baked goods from a local bakery that I can’t get enough of. Ker is going tohave to hide them from me if we plan on saving any for the clients.
But tonight is just the beginning of a storm of busy chaos because these next few weeks are jam-packed with events, so I’ll get my fair share of desserts.
Jutting a stack of red and pink paper my way, she orders, “Start folding on the dotted lines. I’ll get the tape and string.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” I salute her with a smile.
Tonight’s vibe is a combination of classic and elegant with touches of nostalgic Valentine’s Day decor. Chilled champagne, fancy desserts, twinkling lights, and paper hearts hanging from the ceiling. It’ll all come together perfectly.
After our masked singles party’s success, we’ve had floods of applications coming in, and we are far from being caught up. I’m beginning to think I’m going to need to hire help because our business is starting to get too big for just Kerrigan and me to manage, especially if we continue to do more and more events.
Serena looks way too good for me to bethis farfrom her right now. She’s running around her office in that same red dress I bought her, but this time, her hair is up in a ponytail, a red ribbon wrapped around the base, tied into a pretty bow.
Her back is exposed, and I know if I ran my fingers up her spine, her skin would be soft and smell like the sugar cookie lotion in her bathroom. She looks fucking incredible.
She carries a tablet in one hand and her phone in the other, both in use as she greets the arriving guests, who are dressed to the nines for their blind dates. I don’t miss the way some of the men’s gazes linger on her longer than they should, like they secretly wishshewere their date. I know they’re thinking it because I would betoo.
