My direct boss’s whole demeanor puts my worries to rest. Maybe I needed to be let go from my past job so I could find one that feels like coming home. I don’t need to get ahead of myself, though. It’s only my first day. I’ll revisit this feeling in a few weeks.
We spend the next hour going over my tasks. It’s basic accounting and I’m not worried I’ll be lost doing it. The process is slightly different, but more streamlined, which I really like. There’s less of me having to do the work other people should be doing.
My phone lights up on my desk, but it’s from a number I don’t recognize, and I let it go to voicemail. I’ll check it at lunch. Besides, most people who know me know that I hate talking on the phone. Texting is my happy place.
Today is all about figuring out my schedule and how I want to do things. It helps that Sharla is laid-back and is fine with me taking my own approach. Mostly, I’m happy to be working again.
Finally, a bit of space. When Sharla said the employees are close, she wasn’t lying. So many people came by my desk to get to know me. Now I need to remember all their names. It was a lot for my first morning on the job.
I step outside to enjoy the warm Spring weather and check my messages. The number from this morning did leave one.
“Hi, Jasmin, it’s Parker. I needed to get some information from you about your sister’s wedding. If you could call me back, that would be great.”
My mouth drops open. He shouldn’t even have my number. What the hell is going on?
I don’t bother calling him back, not yet. I pull up my sister’s information and tap the call icon.
“Hello?”
“Why does Parker have my number?”
“I figured it would be easier to have you as another contact in case he can’t get ahold of me.” I hear the smile in her voice. I know she’s trying to cover all the bases, but it’s also a slap in the face. Mostly because it’s adding more work for me. Not that I mind, but asking would have been nice.
“He called asking for details. Did he not get ahold of you?”
“I may have also told him you’d handle everything for the event space since you’ve been there and know the layout.”
That’s it. I’m going to murder her. I know as her maid of honor, I’m supposed to take things off her plate. But did this have to be one of them? I’d much rather pick out our dresses, or set up anything else. Mostly because I haven’t been able to get him out of my mind since Valentine’s Day. Seeing him again the other day has only made it harder to not think about him. Now my sister is forcing me to talk to him far more than I expected.
“I’ve been there for one event. That doesn’t mean I know all the ins and outs of the place.”
“Please handle this for me. I’ve been trying to fight off my future mother-in-law.”
That’s weird. They seem so close. “Why?”
“Because she keeps trying to take over the planning. I thought we would have it bad with Mom, but she’s ten times worse. It probably doesn’t help that he’s the only child, so she wants to make sure everything is perfect.”
Now I see why she wants me to handle this one thing, but it’s still frustrating. I don’t want to spend more time with him than I have to. He’s not a bad guy or anything, but he made me feel like he saw me that night we spent together. Temptation to repeat that is hard even if I know both of us are in agreement about relationships.
“Fine.” The word comes out harsher than I intended. “I’ll handle the event space. Is there anything else you need me to take care of?”
My sister lets out a long sigh. That’s my first hint I won’t like what she’s going to say. I’m bracing myself for what’s to come.
“Actually, we’re finishing up the guest list and we need to know who your plus one will be.”
The first thing I want to do is argue with her. “Won’t that change the number you sent me earlier?”
“I’ve already included it. I’m trying to figure out who needs to sit next to each other.”
Why does it always come down to this? It doesn’t matter if she knows I’m not dating anyone. Between her and Mom, I’m going to lose it. Their need to make sure I’m happily paired off is annoying. Maybe I’d have different feelings about relationships if I didn’t have to take care of everything growing up. The last thing I want is to take care of someone else as an adult. Is it so wrong to be solely focused on me?
“What are you going to do if I don’t have one? Have an empty chair between me and whoever?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She laughs. “We’ll just have more room at the table. But if you don’t figure out who you’re bringing, Mom will butt in. I know you don’t want that.”
“Fine, I’ll see if one of my friends is available.” I glance at my watch to see if I need to head back in. Clearly, I won’t have time to eat lunch. Thank goodness Sharla gave me snacks for today. I’m going to need them.
“I don’t understand why you hate love so much.” I can picture my sister shaking her head. We’ve gotten into this argument many times. I guess we’re adding to the tally.
