Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
To Do:
- Welcome papers for Darius and Nick
- Triple check Heather’s criminal background
- Check in with Gloria and Sam
Vibrations from Claire’s phone rattled the spoon in her empty cereal bowl. The morning sun slanted through the window, revealing every speck of dust she had missed during yesterday’s cleaning binge. She glanced at the screen. Brad again. Not today, Satan. Five days separated him from the big proposal. He must have finally realized it was all too much for one person. Good.
She shoved her phone across the table and went back to the binder in front of her. Quotes from West Haven caterers were neatly encased in sheet protectors. Now that Luke wasn’t imminently throwing her out on her butt, it was time to buckle down on the planning for his premiere.
“You sure you don’t want to get that?” Luke glanced over his steaming cup of coffee. The microwave beeped, and he stood up.
Rosie sighed under the table. Even she knew it was a bad idea. Winston briefly lifted his head, then set it back on Claire’s lap.
She stroked him behind the ears. “Why would I want to talk to the client who ruthlessly fired me? Besides, I’m busy planning your screening.”
A steaming bowl of chili hit the table with a thunk . Cumin and cilantro overwhelmed her nostrils.
“You’re having chili for breakfast?”
“Yeah, I never got to have any last night. Anyway, it’s okay if you want to answer it. The proposal is what, five days out? He’s probably desperate.”
In spite of the potential Brad drama, the bowl drew her eyes. Would he be able to tell it was his dad’s recipe?
He put a steaming spoonful in his mouth, chewed for a second, and cocked his head to the side. “Hang on. Is this…?”
Claire nodded. A smile crept over her face.
“How did you get the recipe?” He took another bite and closed his eyes.
“George. He wasn’t super eager to give it to me, but I can be pretty persuasive.”
He reached across the table and pulled her out of her seat and into his lap. “I love you. Thank you.”
She snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him. Was it Luke or the hint of chili powder that warmed her from the inside?
The phone vibrated again. She didn’t need to look at the screen to guess who it was. Could Brad be more of a cockblock?
She pulled back and glanced at the binder propped next to the coffeemaker. The first of Brad’s six proposal binders. She hadn’t had the heart to throw it away. Some of her best ideas were in that binder. But following Brad down his increasingly elaborate rabbit hole had almost cost Claire her relationship. It wasn’t worth it.
Creaking upstairs drew both their eyes upward. A jetlagged Mindy and Sawyer hadn’t gotten out of bed yet, but at least their bicoastal lovemaking hadn’t caused them to plummet through the ceiling. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.
“I love you too. And that’s why I’m not going to let this”—she gestured vaguely at the phone, searching for the right words—“overbearing, finnicky dingus come between us.”
Even though he had apologized for them, Luke’s words were still cemented in her heart. Even when she was home, she wasn’t really there. That needed to change. There would be other ways to create her California empire and save the rescue for good. She didn’t need Brad.
“Celebrating your documentary is more important,” she added firmly. She frowned at the binder. Planning this screening would be so much easier if ESA hadn’t burned down her warehouse. Her lights, tablecloths, and faux floral arrangements had all been burned to a crisp.
He nudged her. “I know how hard you worked on this. Even I’m impressed at the scope of things. You could try setting some boundaries. You know, for once.”
She shot him a dirty look.
“Strict business hours except for the day preceding a proposal,” he suggested. “Saying no to bringing an ice cream cone 2,800 miles. A limit to the number of times you can change your mind.”
Silence.
He nudged her. “What about Karen? Doesn’t she deserve the proposal of her dreams? A Claire Hartley original?”
Shit. In her commitment to eschew Brad until the end of time, she had forgotten all about Karen. Kind, level-headed Karen.
“Why are you pushing me to do this?”
Luke gently tugged on one of her curls. “Because I know you’ll regret it if you don’t. I don’t want to be the reason why you don’t follow your dreams.”
Her phone vibrated again. They both looked at it. Brad’s picture lit up the screen. Something deep inside pulled at her.
“Fine,” she said, snatching the phone. “But if you dump me over my work ethic, I’m keeping both dogs.”
She left the kitchen and wandered into the hallway. Her shoulders squared, she answered the phone. “Yes?”
“Thank god. Claire, you gotta help me.” Brad’s voice was urgent.
“With what?” She had never spoken to a client with this tone of voice. She might as well have been speaking to an uninvited snake in her garden.
“The proposal. My receptionist can’t handle it. She quit today.”
Quit planning the proposal or quit her whole-ass job? Apparently Claire wasn’t the only one who had had enough of Brad.
“Hmm. That’s unfortunate,” she said. “That’s why we always recommend hiring a professional, especially with an event of this scale.”
Brad sighed. “What will it take for you to come back?”
Claire glanced at her watch. “A meeting. Two hours from now. Your office.”
“I have a golf?—”
“Two hours from now, or no dice. There are new rules. If you can’t abide by them, I’m not going to take you on as a client.” Her voice shook at the end, but she waited, silent. Her heart galloped.
“I’ll see you in two hours.” The phone disconnected.
Claire half-ran back into the kitchen. She picked up a broom and banged it into the ceiling. She and Mindy now needed to cram two weeks’ worth of work into five days. It was going to be chaos.
There was a thwack behind her. She turned. Luke was piling Brad’s other five binders onto the kitchen island. He pushed her prescription bottle across the island at her and raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, popping the top and swallowing one of the pills. “Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek and ran upstairs. The biggest project of her career was back on. Maybe all wasn’t lost.
“So, boundaries,” Mindy said as they rushed across the parking lot two hours later.
“Yes. Very important. Strict business hours, extra charges for last-minute changes.”
“This is new for us,” Mindy observed. “So you’re not going to answer Brad’s three a.m. calls anymore?”
“No,” Claire said firmly, brushing a dog hair from her blazer. “No calls before eight or after six, except for proposal days and the day before.”
Mindy grabbed her hand. “I love boundaries.”
Claire smiled. As much as it pained her to admit it, maybe Luke had been right. There was no way they’d be able to keep up with the intense client catering they had been performing for Brad. It wasn’t sustainable, especially not at their base fee. Happily Ever Afters’s wild standards had affected Mindy too. But she had never once complained.
“You’re the best, you know that?” Claire said, pulling her friend in for a side hug. “Our company would not be what it is without you.”
“Stop, you’re making me blush.” Mindy shoved Claire, and she almost bounced off a parking sign. “Well, this certainly sets the stakes a little higher for Heather’s interview this afternoon.”
Shit. In light of Brad’s proposal potentially being back on, Claire had completely forgotten about the interview.
“It’ll be okay,” Mindy said, gripping Claire’s arm like she was teetering on a ledge. “She seems so promising, and if she wants to work with us, it’ll give us an extra pair of hands this week. And she could help with Darius and Nick’s proposal.”
They had reached the doors of the studio offices. Claire opened her mouth, then clamped it shut. “One thing at a time,” she said and thrust open the double doors.
Sure, her heart was skipping like children playing hopscotch and she had an immediate urge to start leafing back through Heather’s criminal background check. But that was going to have to wait.
Brad’s secretary wasn’t there. His door was ajar. Claire and Mindy looked at each other. Mindy adjusted a strand of Claire’s hair, then nodded.
Claire ignored the urge to kick the doors open, opting instead to knock twice before entering.
Brad looked up. His hair stuck up like he had jammed a fork in an electrical socket. Purple bags hung under his eyes. “Watch your step,” he muttered.
A potted plant was tipped over in the corner. What must have once been a vase was now a sparkling pile of shards on the carpet. A painting on the far wall was crooked. Was that a dent in the drywall? All signs pointed to a pissed-off Goldie.
“So,” Claire said, pulling a stack of stapled papers out of her manila folder. “Thank you for your interest in Happily Ever Afters.” She slapped the papers on his desk. At least that had remained unscathed.
“This is an updated contract,” she continued. “You’ll notice there are several changes, including an inconvenience fee for the short window, and updates to our business hours.”
Brad flipped to the last page and scribbled his signature without looking at the document. “I’ll do whatever you want. I just need you to fix this.”
“Great,” Claire said, sliding the packet into her folder. “Let’s talk.”
An hour passed while they hammered out the details.
“All right.” Claire handed a copy of her notes to Mindy as they walked away from Brad’s office building. The sun beat down overhead, but a breeze wicked away the sweat on Claire’s forehead. “I’ll do everything from the helicopter company to the ranch. You confirm with the restaurant and the caterers.”
“Done,” Mindy said as she pulled out her phone.
Claire took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. “I don’t know if I have it in me to jump back in with Brad. But it’s only five more days. And it’s all for Karen.”
“For Karen.” Mindy offered a fist bump, and Claire accepted.
“What time is Heather’s interview again?”
Mindy glanced at her watch. “Two o’clock. We’re meeting at a café in the valley.”
“Working lunch?”
“Let’s do it.”