I blinked. “Nowhere. So, June tenth? I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to be there.”
“Bring Piper if you want. She can be a flower girl. Dean suggested it.”
“Wait, you talked about me with Dean?”
Jessica’s face told me all. Busted. “Well, it’s just, I told him you would try to get out of coming.”
“That means you called him first.”
Jessica frowned at me and tilted her head, and I knew I was in for a lecture I deserved. “You always talk about him like the two of you aren’t friends.”
“We’re friends.”
“Mm-hm. When was the last time you talked to him?”
With my free hand, I flipped open my sketch book, needing the images to ground me. I didn’t like talking about Dean with her. She might see what I didn’t want her to see.
“He came into the shop last week. Things are good between us. Totally friendly. Sorry for my jealousy, and for assuming you’d call me with news first over your cousin. Even if he is your favorite cousin.”
Jessica smiled like she was proud of me. “Apology accepted. Oh shoot, I gotta run. My alarm is going off to buy concert tickets. Long story. I’ll be expecting that RSVP for you and Piper, my friend. I’m renting out a bed-and-breakfast, so don’t worry about where to stay. And all the activities are covered. I just need you to get there. Wedding events start on June fourth, but I’ll take you whenever you can come. Save the date cards are in the mail. Keep an eye out.”
And with that, she was gone.
RSVP requests everywhere, mocking my introverted little heart. Being away from my business for a week was a lot to commit to. Plus, I didn’t even know if there were direct flights from Phoenix to Prince Edward Island. That was in Canada! I’d have to get Piper a passport. Shoot, was my passport even still good? I counted out years on my fingers. It was not. I hadn’t been out of the country since the summer after my senior year of high school.
To make myself feel better, I pulled up the GoWithFriends app again and hit the RSVP button for Friday’s activity. No passport needed. I could go to things. I was adventurous. I’d start there. I did not check to see if Knead RSVP’d after I did. That would be ridiculous.
Chapter 2 – Dean
“Go home, Connie,” I said lovingly. If my personal assistant had it her way, she’d talk my ear off until our agenda for next week actually ran into next week. I checked the time on my phone. Yep, we’d been talking for forty-three minutes so far, minus a few while I ran through the Salad-And-Go drive-thru for my dinner. It was a pet peeve of hers to have to listen to me order food while she waited in the background, so I always put myself on mute and notified her when I was done.
“I am home, you big lug.” As evidence, her little yorkie yapped in the background, only stopping when she cooed at him and promised him a walk.
“What I mean is, be off the clock. It’s the weekend. Go take your dog for a walk. It’s good for your health.”
“Are you calling me old, Mr. Kinney?”
“I’m calling you a workaholic. As soon asI’mhome, I’m ending this call.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make this brief.”
Sure she would. Just like the traffic jam up ahead would be brief. I never should have let her schedule that appointment for me in Sun City right before rush hour. It was probably time togive in and hire a personal driver for the days I did nothing but go from meeting to meeting. I just… really liked driving. Everyone had a little bit of control freak in them. I saw it every day when I suggested changes to the way people ran their businesses. Driving was mine. I was the commander of my ship. The driver of my own destiny. If I was going to shout at bad drivers like a red-blooded American, I wanted to do it from the driver’s seat.
“What’s left to go over?” I asked.
“Your schedule conflicts for Monday.”
“Okay, hit me with ‘em.”
“The owners of TrekNova want to push their two p.m. meeting to four. Which is great because I snuck in a new client assessment at two. I’ll email you the details for that. However, you had me put a note for you to check on Donut Haven sometime in the early afternoon and anonymously observe them. I need to know if you still plan on that. Mike Raintree would like a phone conference after three p.m. Preferably at three-thirty. The pro bono case, the woman who runs the thrift store for the women’s shelter, was hoping to meet with you soon, but I haven’t given her a time yet. Oh, and you have a haircut scheduled at three, and if you cancel on Luis again, he’ll never forgive you.”
“He’ll forgive me.”
“This is the fourth reschedule, and your hair is looking scraggly.”
“Connie, you and I both know he can’t get a haircut done in under an hour. He’s meticulous. Call and reschedule again. I’ll pay him whatever he wants.”
“You’re spoiling him. Find a Great Clips this weekend and do a walk-in.”
