Alan opened up his phone. “Why don’t we pick something out now? You’ve got time before your dress appointment, don’t you?”
I glanced at my watch. “I do.”
****
Alan
After shopping online for baby furniture with Jessica, I was glad I’d had Lainey make sure to have the bridal shop remove the price tags on the dresses so Jess couldn’t make her decision based on the cost. I’d said in the beginning that money was no object when it came to the wedding, and I’d meant it.
I knew Lainey would have no trouble putting my credit card to good use, so I’d put her in charge of paying.
When we’d looked at furniture for the nursery, I could tell Jess really liked one set, then she noticed the price and quickly changed her mind.
I overrode her and ordered it anyway.
“Baby, you’re going to have to get used to spending money,” I teased as I clicked ‘Buy’.
“That’s not going to be easy for me. My parents are very frugal—they had to be, having five kids and only one income, not to mention tithing the church. Being careful with money was something they instilled in us.”
“I get it, and I’m not suggesting you be frivolous, but I think there’s something to be said for paying for quality.”
I hoped she took that to heart today at the bridal boutique.
Changing the subject, I asked, “Should we plan on having dinner tonight?”
My question made her smile, which my ego appreciated. “I’d like that.”
“Good. I’m cooking.”
Her eyes got big. “Really? You know how to cook?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m a thirty-five-year-old bachelor, of course I can cook.”
Granted, my housekeeper usually prepped and froze a week’s worth of meals for me every Wednesday, but I still knew how to prepare something.
“I’ll pick up some steaks at the store.”
“Oh, get some potatoes and asparagus, too,” she said.
I tsked at her. “Of course. Do you think I’m just going to serve you a slab of meat on a plate?”
“I don’t know! I’m pretty sure that’s what my brothers would do. Either that, or they’d have mac and cheese as a side dish.”
“That actually sounds good,” I teased.
She must not have gotten my joke, because she countered, “How aboutwemake dinner—together?”
That was the best idea I’d heard in a long time.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Alan
I spent the afternoon on the phone with Sarah, my assistant, getting caught up on what I’d missed that week—especially since I hadn’t checked in once.
My company really was a well-oiled machine—it had to be if I was going to be gone “consulting” for weeks, or even months, at a time. Sarah was top-notch. Well worth the six figures I paid her. Same with my construction manager, Mike.
Angela, our new grants manager for the low-income housing project we were just awarded, was scheduled to arrive next week from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. I’d served with her brother, George. He’d saved my life, so when he called and told me his baby sister had found herself homeless and jobless in one day after breaking up with her boss/boyfriend, I didn’t hesitate to offer her a job and a furnished house. It felt serendipitous that she’d been a grants manager at a housing project in Minnesota. I’d only met her through Zoom, but she seemed pretty squared away. And if she wasn’t, I had no doubt Sarah would mentor her.
