JESSICA
ONE YEAR LATER
I'm suffering from morning sickness right in the middle of a client call.
My laptop displays a video call with Kinsley Kowalski, who's wearing a silk robe and holding a mimosa despite the early hour. She's planning her company's annual gala with five hundred guests, mountain venue, ice sculpture bar.
"So I'm thinking we do a winter wonderland theme, but make it sexy." Kinsley gestures with her mimosa. "Dramatic lighting. Maybe some aerial performers? Is that too much?"
"Aerial performers are never too much." I make a note on my tablet. "We'd need to check ceiling heights at the venue and coordinate with—"
The nausea hits me. I clamp my hand over my mouth and lurch out of my chair, knocking over cold coffee in my scramble for the bathroom.
Kinsley's voice follows me. "Jess? Are you okay?"
I don't answer. I'm too busy emptying my stomach into the toilet.
Footsteps in the hallway. The bathroom door opens.
Nacho appears, already dressed for his shift, badge gleaming. His dark eyes assess the situation with calm.
"Morning sickness again?"
"No, I'm hugging the toilet for fun." My voice comes out raspy.
He wets a washcloth and presses it to the back of my neck. The relief is immediate.
"You have a client call."
"I'm aware. I abandoned her mid-aerial-performer discussion to vomit."
"Kinsley will understand. She has three kids."
I lean back against the cool tile. "Stacey can handle the rest. She's better at the dramatic stuff anyway."
"She's at the Lakeside site today." Nacho crouches beside me. "How are you feeling?"
"Like death."
He helps me to my feet, steadying me. "Finish your call. I'll bring ginger tea before I leave for work."
I splash water on my face and return to my office. The mirror showed me a pale, messy disaster in Sergio's oversized t-shirt, but I've never been happier.
Kinsley is still on the call, looking concerned. "Everything okay?"
"Pregnancy feels great and sometimes crap at the same time.” I drop into my chair. "Now, about those aerial performers..."
Delacroix Events has become everything I dreamed.
Twelve active clients. A waiting list stretching into next year. Corporate galas, product launches, milestone celebrations, charity auctions. We've carved out a niche for mountain venueevents which was Stacey's brilliant idea, and our reputation for creative solutions has spread through three counties.
Stacey has her own suite in the extension Carlos built, her own office next to mine, and a fifty-fifty partnership in the business. We complement each other perfectly—I handle the logistics and client relationships, she brings the creative vision and fearless execution.
"We're building an empire," she announced last week, halfway through a bottle of wine while I nursed ginger ale. "An event planning empire. With aerial performers and ice sculptures and peacock feathers."
"No peacock feathers," I reminded her.
"You're no fun when you're pregnant."
