Chapter Sixteen
Wedding scavenger hunt (N)
Object 5: Signed contract for the caterer
Bonus object: Contract for a tax accountant for NN events
Debrief (J): How to capitalize on your abilities in order to create the life you want, not the life people think you’re supposed to have.The benefits of sympathetic media.
Tuesday, May 6th
The first signthat something was going weird was the text that Liv had sent.
We’re running late
They’re expecting you.
It was weird for a bunch of reasons, primarily because it came in the form of a text.Liv rarely texted important information because it was important to her to have the reaction to the person she was sharing the information with.
But this was the second time she’d texted in relation to this dinner.
The first time Liv had texted, the text came with the promise of a call.
This did not.
It felt, to Naomi, like the equivalent of dropping the information and running.
Cowardice or subterfuge, Naomi wasn’t sure.
And knowing her sister, she wasn’t going to answer her phone if Naomi called to get more information.
“What’s up?”Jason asked as they continued down route 9 to the Rivertown address, following the GPS.“That sigh doesn’t sound good.”
“Liv texted.She’s running late.”
Jason made ahmmsound deep in his throat.“I see the reason for the sigh.Your sister’s up to something.”
“You think they were ever going to come?”
Because with Jason, she didn’t need to filter, didn’t need to share the information bit by bit before expressing the thoughts that information inspired.
“I don’t know,” he said as he continued driving, turning off the highway just past the Rivertown exit.“Chances are on both sides of the situation, but regardless, there’s something planned.I think.”
“You think my call with Liv and the conversation with Artur you had this morning was their way of letting us know that they were going to somehow ensure we had time alone with Abe and Batya?And by somehow ensure, I mean either by coming late or not coming at all?”
Jason shook his head as he pulled into the driveway.“I don’t know.Your guess is as good as mine.What I do know is that I’m glad to be doing this with you.”
Which was unexpected—not because of what was going on between them, but what had and hadn’t been said since the day before.How they just…lived in each other’s presence without really discussing what was going on or what they meant to each other.
“I’m glad you’re doing this with me,” she said.And as he leaned over for a kiss, she leaned in to the way he brushed his lips against hers.
“Okay,” he said as he broke the kiss.“Let’s do this.”
As they headed up the walkway, she took his hand.He squeezed it, grounding her.He also knocked on the door with his free hand, almost like he knew she needed him to do it.
But what Naomi didn’t understand, was what had happened between the car and the front door of this house that brought on her nerves.Why was she so nervous all of a sudden?She was a professional, a planner who was good at her job.Speaking to new people and feeling them out was part of her business.If she couldn’t talk to people, she could neither find clients nor vendors.
What was so different about this situation than any of those?
