Chapter Thirty-Seven
Present - Evelyn
“SOMEONE JUST DROPPED this off at reception.”
“What is it?” I lay the seating chart back down on my desk, needing to look somewhere else for a minute. Marcy hands me an envelope sealed with wax, and I snort. “This definitely could have been put in an email.”
“Pipe down. I bet they’re ready to give this company a ridiculous amount of money. But seriously, who uses wax seals anymore?”
“Let’s find out.” I rip open the envelope, pulling out some cream paper, thicker than the last thread that’s keeping me together. Ryder has been spending a lot of time with Blackhall, and although I’ve never seen him more alive, I’ve never been more worried for his safety either.
After his information that saved those girls, the ones who were being kept on that yacht, Ryder has gone full vigilante. He’s not just feeding scraps of information he catches on to, he’s been looking for more.
But piece by piece, he’s putting himself back together, that caring boy I knew as a child beginning to resurface.
“Evie? Did I lose you?”
“Sorry.” Shaking off the thoughts, I unfold the letter. “Holy shit.”
Marcy rips it out of my hand and reads, flipping over the letter to see if there’s anything on the back. “Wait, why are we freaking out?”
“That’s the most prestigious—and expensive —yacht club in Florida. It’s invitation only, which is why most people have never heard of it.” I remember the day my parents got their invitation in the mail, it was almost comical. You would have thought they’d been invited to take tea with the Queen of England. “My parents used to drag me there as a teenager.”
“Well, you better wipe that distaste off your face, because it looks like they want you to coordinate an event.”
Holding out my hand, I wait for Marcy to pass the letter back to me, signed by the president of the club himself. Their offer is insane, and it would no doubt be the largest event we’ve ever held. Not only that, it would put me on the map nationwide.
I’d be an idiot to decline, but part of me wants to.
“You’re not wiping the distaste off your face, Evie.” Marcy fans herself and takes a seat in one of my chairs. “What’s going on with you?”
What is going on with me? I was just presented with a business opportunity of a lifetime and I’m sitting here, feeling mopey. I’m not usually the type who focuses on feelings above functionality, but maybe the ever-present threat of losing Ryder has reset my mental functions.
It’s sad and sensitive for me these days.
“Evie?”
“Sorry. I’m with you. Long story short, word travels fast in the upper class. My parents’ snotty friends knew I didn’t belong there, and they made sure I knew it, too.” I lift the letter. “This isn’t even addressed to me by name. I’d bet they’ve got no clue that it’s Evie Ashbluff they’re asking to work with. If they did, they would’ve never sent this letter.”
“Don’t you think that’s what makes this so…righteous?”
I raise my brows.
“Think about it.” Marcy sits forward, palms on my desk. “They shunned you as a child, and now they’re begging your company to take on their biggest event of the decade. It feels like God’s work to me.”
“Surely God isn’t that petty.”
“Petty or not, the opportunity to stuff it in the faces of those people is presenting itself, and I think we should take it.” Marcy shrugs, taking the letter back from me like we’re playing a game of hot potato. “It says here that they have been working with another company until now, but recently saw your work and knew Elegant Events would be a better fit.”
My mood perks up a bit. “I mean, we are the best.”
“Dang straight, we’re the best. The president requested that we prioritize them as our next client.”
My wheels start turning. “We are between larger events right now.”
“And, the event is around the corner, which means we can charge them astronomically.”
Around the corner? Somehow I missed that tidbit. “When is the event?”
“Three-and-a-half weeks.”
“Three-and-a-half weeks!?” We’re already past the corner.
That’s hardly enough time to put the necessary ducks in a row, but I find myself wanting to rise up. Maybe this is what I’ve been missing the last few weeks: a challenge. Something near impossible for me to rein and break.
A voice at the back of my head tells me not to help these people, turn my nose up the way they’ve turned their noses up at me, let them try to have a good time while they’re surrounded by mediocrity. But it does feel like sweet justice, to everyone in my parents’ circle, for sneering at me when I wanted to be a self-made woman in business.
If Marcy remains client facing while I manage everything from the background as usual, they’ll have no idea I’m the one behind Elegant Events until I walk in. They’ll question why or how I was invited, and I’ll deliver the news that I’m the one responsible for the damn event.
Plus, I’ve never seen Ryder in a suit. Maybe this is God’s work. “We’re doing it.”
“Yes!!!” Marcy squeals. “You’re going to need a dress.”
Thankfully, I know exactly who to ask.
Evie: I need a dress.
Ara: Ooooooh. What’s the vibe?
Evie: Think elegant, with a side of ‘here to slay my enemies’.
Ara: Do you like red?
Evie: I love it. It also happens to be my favorite album ;)
Ara: Perfect. I need to measure you.
Evie: Can I come over tonight?
Ara: Duh. Can’t wait to hear who we’re slaying.
“Marcy, pass the dry erase markers.” I grin. “We’re about to plan an event so lavish, it makes even their budget tremble.”
Hours later—and more favors called in than I can count—Marcy and I lie on the floor, staring up at our creation. To anyone else, it’d be considered chaos. To us, it’s the most beautiful thing we’ve ever created. Details, plans, and flowcharts cover every inch of my glass walls.
Every caterer, floral, and décor company started by giving us a big fat no due to the time constraint, but ended with a big fat yes, until we had the most impressive list of vendors ready to fall at our feet.
“Shall I draft the response on behalf of the CEO of Elegant Events?”
“Yes, please. And Marcy?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You bet.”
As Marcy makes her way back to her desk, I look around the office, the glass castle I’ve worked so hard to build, and come face to face with something I haven’t been confronting. If Ryder’s mission goes sideways, this life we’re only beginning to build, the true friendship I’ve found with Ara and Lou, my business… I stand to lose it all.
We’re balancing on the edge of a cliff.
I can only hope that there’s not someone behind us ready to throw us off.