“Hold that thought,” Liv said.
“Thought is held.Now I’m intrigued.”
“You should be,” Liv replied, as if she was about to drop a huge bombshell.“Part of the reason we’re having dinner is to have an official introduction, you know, you and Jason, but more…you being my sister, to Abe and Batya.The way they do that is to have dinner.”
“Okay,” Naomi replied, slightly confused at Liv’s wording, but understanding there were potential undertones that possibly meant something.
“Anyway, on top of that, is the fact that Artur thinks Abe would help cater the wedding…now that Ida’s out of the picture.And if Jason agrees to help.”
Wait.What?!There had to be some kind of catch.There was no way this was going to be so easy, especially after she’d literally just had a very similar conversation with Jason.
This was…
Scary?
Did she manifest Abe taking the catering job when she and Jason were talking?Did he?
“And the deal’s been all but finalized?”she said, doing her best to make sure she knew what she was walking into, and what would be expected of her.“All I have to do is bring the contract and he’ll sign on the dotted line?”
“Artur may be Abe’s best friend, but even he’s not that good,” Liv said, with a laugh that emphasized the fact that Naomi had, in fact, jumped the gun just a tad.
“Sorry,” Naomi said.“Didn’t mean to walk the bridge and fall off it.”
“It’s fine,” Liv continued, “but yeah.Artur’s only laid the groundwork.You actually have to ask him, you know?”
Naomi nodded, though her sister couldn’t see it.“Present the idea and the situation?”
“Yes,” Liv replied.“And while you’re doing that, make it very obvious that you’re the event organizer under your new company, living in an Ida-less world.”
“So, I take it asking for tax advice may be a good thing?”
Liv laughed.“Tax advice for a shell company or…?”
Naomi shook her head, feeling slightly offended.Granted she hadn’t told her sister how much she’d done to organize her new company.But it still hurt to think her sister thought she’d been approaching replacement contractors with contracts tied to a business that didn’t really exist.“No,” she said.“Tax advice for a business with an organization, contracts, and a plan that’s prepared to take on clients and treat contractors fairly?”
There was a long pause and Naomi figured Liv had gotten the message.“That would absolutely be the kind of action that might persuade Abe to not only do your taxes but also admit to wanting to help cater the wedding.”
“That,” Naomi said, “is the best advice.Thank you.”
“Not a problem.Bring the contracts tonight.”
“Anything else?”
There was an extended pause.“I don’t know,” Liv replied.“Artur has a long-standing invitation to bring dessert because he gets things Abe likes.Not sure what Abe would want you and Jason to bring, but if there’s anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you,” Naomi told her sister.“And I’ll bring the contract.”
And the irony of all ironies, was the text that came in immediately after she’d ended the call with her sister.It was from Max Parker-Roth.
To: Naomi Nachman (events)
From: Max Parker-Roth
Great to meet you.Looking forward to helping you design this wedding.The venue is gorgeous.Abe Neumann is my accountant.He’s hard to get a hold of but he’s worth it.
Naomi shook her head, opened her laptop and started to organize what she needed to bring to Rivertown with the contracts.She was glad she’d saved the documents that comprised her business plan to her online file.
And even more importantly, she couldn’t wait to confirm to Jason what they’d be walking into.
