One
Kenzie Knight dropped her head forward to rest on her desk.God save me from unreasonable, demanding brides.The term ‘bridezilla’ was apt for certain clients she occasionally had to deal with, and this current one was a doozie.
It took a lot to ruffle her feathers when it came to drama queens—after all, her younger sister was the reigning monarch of the Drama Queen Kingdom, so Kenzie had been honing her coping skills practically all her life—however, Mercedes Lorenzo, the very rich, very spoiled daughter of the mega-rich Solomon Lorenzo of Lorenzo’s Luxury Yachts, was seriously doing her head in. This was the fourth time she’d changed her mind on a venue and Kenzie’s patience was wearing thin.
Kenzie appreciated the business—it was a very sought-after gig, a glance at the guest list was like reading a who’s who of the Gold Coast—and her event management company dependedon bringing in these high-profile clients, but sometimes she wondered if all the headaches and stress that came along with them was really worth it.
A flash of memory of the figure she’d quoted the Lorenzo family a few months ago reminded her that yes, it was, in fact, worth it.
Kenzie loved her job—usually. Weddings had become her specialty after she’d secured a prominent family wedding only six months after setting up her business. No one was more surprised than her that she had a particular knack for creating memorable wedding days. Her keen eye for detail and single-minded focus ensured each wedding she took on ran like clockwork. She left nothing to chance, and never settled for second-best, be it fabric, centrepieces or securing the bride’s dream venue—even if it was for the fourth time.
‘Hey, boss?’ Cee Cee, her receptionist, poked her head around the corner of her office door. ‘Just reminding you about your ten o’clock site meeting.’ Cee Cee was a vivacious, curvy bombshell who favoured vintage rockabilly fashion. Today, she was wearing a pink and cream off-the-shoulder dress covered in flamingos, with her long, blonde hair artfully arranged in voluptuous rolls and pulled back with a wide, pink scarf. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a fifties pin-up-girl poster.
‘Thanks, yep, I’m all over it.’
‘Knew you would be,’ Cee Cee chirped as she fluttered her fingertips and returned to her desk in the outer office.
‘Can you get Michelle to come in when she’s done on the phone, please?’ Kenzie called.
‘Shall do!’
Kenzie had hit the jackpot when she’d hired Cee Cee, Michelle and Tara. She could depend on event coordinator Tara’s eye for detail, just as particular as her own, and Michelle, who had held the assistant role for the last year and a half, had time and again proven herself invaluable, defusing potential disasters and able to predict exactly what either Tara or herself needed done without being told. Over the last few years, their small team had become a force to be reckoned with.
Kenzie made a mental note to set up Michelle’s performance review, where she was intending to offer her a promotion, as a third planner. With the company growing in leaps and bounds, having a third planner would help ease the workload. Tara had agreed.
It was exciting times ahead. It was hard to believe that one mistake had put her whole career path in jeopardy not that long ago. But everything had worked out. Admittedly, life looked a little different from what she’d imagined when she’d been at university, but she couldn’t imagine it any other way.
‘How did it go with Mercedes?’ Michelle asked with a small wince as she stepped into Kenzie’s office. ‘I heard Cee Cee transferring the call earlier.’
‘Let’s just say I’m counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds till that wedding.’
‘It’s still eight months away,’ Michelle pointed out.
‘Iknow,’ Kenzie moaned, before forcing cheerfulness, ‘but we’re grateful for her business.’
‘Yes,’ Michelle agreed positively. ‘What did you need to see me about?’
‘I had a request come through for a product launch. I’ll send through the details, but can you contact the client to set up a consultation and put together a creative concept and design, sometime this week?’
‘Sure.’
‘You’ve got a real knack for the corporate stuff. I think you’ll be a perfect fit for this one.’
‘Thanks, Kenzie. It sounds great.’
They went over a few more items that needed to be dealt with that day, and Kenzie gave Michelle a list of venues she needed quotes from for another client, before she glanced at her watch and realised it was time to leave the office.
Mackenzie walked into the reception venue and placed her briefcase on the table, reaching inside to withdraw the presentation folders she’d put together for her client.
She’d worked with the venue several times now and had built a warm working relationship with the management team. They’d set a display table with the three options Kenzie had requested, based on the client’s brief, and she eyed the place settings critically, ensuring each one had been presented as per her instructions. Kenzie let her gaze slip across the third setting, her personal favourite, a vintage collection she’d had to source overseas but was absolutely to die for with its delicatefloral pattern in shades of teal and pink. However, she suspected the bride’s mother would probably lean towards the other more classically elegant settings in crisp whites and gold. Everything from the cutlery to the assortment of wine glasses was correct so she moved to the meeting table, setting out a folder and glass of water each for the bride, groom and the bride’s parents.
A murmur of voices alerted her to the arrival of her clients, and she took a calming breath, releasing it as the door opened.
Kenzie had already met Mrs Delsanto and her daughter, Sasha, at several previous appointments, and she greeted the two women with a warm smile. ‘We’ve got some table settings for you to look over, take your time and let me know what you think.’
She turned to the two men and reached out a hand to shake Mr Delsanto’s hand. ‘Hello, I’m Mackenzie, your daughter’s event manager.’
‘I’m Leo, my daughter’s personal banker,’ Mr Delsanto answered dryly, but the smile he sent his little girl was nothing short of indulgent, and Kenzie gave a small chuckle before turning to the other man, who had hung back.
