Chapter 11
Ani
Ani stood in the floral studio of Napa’s premier florist, Tilde, a place whose work she’d seen in Brides and Martha Stewart and even Architectural Digest. A place she never thought she’d be working with to create the floral concepts for her clients’ wedding.
She was surrounded by works of natural art in every corner of the bright space.
The air smelled like lavender and fresh soil, and the soft hum of classical music played in the background.
The celebratory aspect of the moment was only dampened by Kami, who was hanging all over Grace, sending complicated feelings to the pit of Ani’s stomach.
But for some reason, Ani didn’t feel as horrible as she had at the bridal shop.
Maybe she was starting to get over it? Or maybe she was simply numbing to Kami’s presence.
Or maybe it was that she couldn’t stop thinking about Raffi.
Raffi, stepping close to her, saying in the most casual offhanded manner, “If I was touching you in a place like that, on purpose, believe me, you would know it was on purpose.” How her body responded, so quickly, so intensely, to his words.
How she wanted to step right up to him and dare him, “So do it.” She wanted to see what those hands could do, what that gorgeous mouth could do.
But that’s probably how it started with every woman and Raffi, wasn’t it?
He’d whisper some such sexy thing, and boom, they’d fall into bed together and that was the end.
Despite his unreal, Disney-prince level of handsome, and despite all the experience he’d supposedly had, she’d always assumed, before two nights ago, that he wasn’t all that good in bed.
Not a generous lover, a taker, fast and selfish.
But after what he’d said to her, the tingles it sent all over her flesh, she thought her assessment could have been wrong. Maybe he was incredible in bed.
But why was she pursuing this line of thought at all? She wanted a great love; she didn’t want a great fuck.
Well, she wanted that, too. But the love! The love was far more important. A necessary ingredient without which she was uninterested—mostly—in the sex.
“I’m Madison, nice to meet you.”
The hand of a tall, pretty brunette woman came into view and interrupted Ani’s dangerous musings.
She was not the main designer, Ani knew from research, but that was fine.
She doubted Jeannie, the woman who had started it all, would be taking unknown clients personally at this point in her career.
Ani wondered if she’d ever get close to that type of success.
A household name in wedding planning. Sought after. Exclusive. She highly doubted it.
“Ani, and these are my clients, Grace and Kami.”
The two of them did make a pretty picture, she had to admit.
And they looked like they belonged here.
Ani felt a little out of place and wondered if Madison could tell she was wearing discount rack shoes and a cheap belt.
This place, smelling of fragrant florals, also smelled of money.
A clear Do Not Enter sign for anyone who had to wonder if this place was in their budget.
She needed to steel herself and begin her pitch.
And for some reason, Raffi’s words floated into her head.
“You were amazing in there. You came in like some deity who smoothed over the whole situation. You knew exactly how to placate him.” The awe in his voice.
Like she did something he never would have been able to pull off, not in a million years.
“Grace and Kami are envisioning a neoclassical design for their wedding florals. Invoking classical antiquity. Lush arrangements with an abundance of white and cream flowers, roses, peonies, hydrangeas, and”—she did not swallow, she did not choke, when she said the next word—“ranunculus, complemented with olive branches and laurel leaves. We’re talking urns overflowing with florals, delicate garlands filling the space.
The venue is a new winery. I’ll show you some images in a moment so you can get an idea. ”
Kami’s eyes lit up. “Oh my God yes, yes, yes, that is exactly it! I would just die if all that came to life.”
Grace smirked. “Please don’t, though, Mimi. Because I’m pretty sure this team”—she motioned at Ani and Madison—“is going to pull it off and I don’t want to invoke the ‘ ’til death do us part’ too soon.”
Kami giggled and kissed Grace’s cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ve got the strongest lifeline my tatik has ever seen.”
Tatik. Kami’s sweet and stern grandmother. Ani missed her, although she supposed she’d see her at the wedding.
Then Grace stood up straight and dug into her bag, pulling out her phone. Her eyes got large when she read the name on the screen. “Got to take this, one sec.”
Grace stepped outside. Without her, Kami came close to Ani. Too close. Ani did not like it.
Madison was talking about her vision, about gold accents, while Kami gasped. At one point, Kami touched Ani’s forearm, caught her eye, and smiled like they had a secret together. She said, “I can’t believe we’re doing this. I’m so thankful you’re here helping us.”
“I—of course.”
How Ani wanted to tell her so, so many other words. To please back away, not touch her like they were still lovers, not bring her head so close to whisper like that. Because all it did was bring back memories of when she and Kami were together.
They had been good, they really had, or so Ani had thought.
She and Kami met at a wedding Ani was planning.
Ani was so busy running around she hadn’t noticed Kami until it was time for the bouquet toss, and Kami had risen from it victorious, holding her flowers in the air like a trophy.
Ani had admired her liveliness, and her beauty, obviously, and then Kami locked eyes with her, walked straight over to Ani, and asked her to dance.
Ani had taken it as some kind of sign. She was the one. And they were destined to be together.
Ani loved the way Kami was always thinking of absolutely wild things to do together.
Like on an ordinary Tuesday night, she’d call up Ani and declare that they were going to go nude bathing at Baker Beach.
What? It was allowed, she’d say. And not only that, she would get Ani away from her work planning and boring life at home, get her up and actually do the thing.
Once they got so drunk at a party in the financial district they ditched it, stumbled to a skyscraper next door with an outdoor courtyard, and, because it was night and the place was abandoned of its daytime workers, proceeded to have sex right there, out in the open.
Kami felt like armor. She was so sure of herself, of getting away with anything, that Ani had enjoyed being protected by it.
Rules didn’t apply to Kami, and when Ani was with her, rules didn’t apply to Ani, either.
But now, this overly familiar Kami was grating on her, but since Kami was her client and the only thing stopping Ani from folding her business and moving back in with her parents, she allowed it.
At this thought, she heard a man’s voice. “Ani? Kami?”
She spun around. It was Raffi. It was Raffi?
Standing there in Tilde, looking like Prince Ali in a tailored gray suit, complete with a new set of shiny Gucci shoes.
She couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice. “What are you doing here?”
Kami spotted him now. “Raffi! Oh my God, did you know we were coming?”
Raffi shook himself and responded curtly. “No, I did not.”
Wow, he really did not care for Kami. He had never, not once, spoken to Ani like that. Even when she’d spilled an entire extra-large matcha latte on him.
He looked at Ani. “I’m here to talk flowers for a VIP event I’m holding,” he said, his tone lighter.
Now Madison perked up. “Oh, you’re working with Andrea. I’ll go get her.”
But before she went to do that, Madison took a good slow look at Raffi, up and down, and Ani felt a great green monster grow in her. Stay the hell away, Madison. Followed by shock at how possessive she felt. That was not expected. At all.
Luckily, it seemed Raffi had not noticed Madison’s assessment, or if he had, he was choosing to ignore it. He looked, instead, at the flower displays before them, just as Kami was doing beside them.
She hadn’t seen Raffi since the night of his wine-tasting party.
Wearing that extremely short T-shirt. His hand on her chest. His apology outside, so sincere.
Then his flirtation, his words she had thought of for two nights since, over and over, imagining the scene that would take place afterward, had she kissed him instead of leaving.
Ani took a deep breath. “Nice surprise,” she said.
The side of Raffi’s mouth quirked up, and his eyes shone bright. “It sure is.”
Oh no, she died a little at that adorable half smile, one that he reserved for her. He ignored Madison, scorned Kami, but she got that cute smirk.
She pretended to keep looking at the flowers while Kami oohed and ahhed over different arrangements. Ani was nodding half-heartedly at Kami when Kami asked, “Hey, babe?” and Ani instinctively answered, “Yes?”
Oh no, no. She did not just do that. Unbeknownst to her, Grace had returned and sidled up to Kami. Kami’s actual babe, not Ani. Duh. DUH.
But hold on, her ears were just catching up. Then her brain. She had heard a man’s voice also say “Yeah?” at the same time as her response to Kami. A man’s voice to her right. She turned to look at him in horror. Raffi had his hand clamped over his mouth and was now coughing. No. Way.
Kami cocked her head at both of them and then went, “Awww. I’m touched.”
Grace had a somewhat amused expression on her face, and Ani wanted to spontaneously combust rather than hear what she had to say next because she knew Grace was getting ready to address it.
“Well,” Grace said. “This is awkward. But it shouldn’t be.
We talked about it when we met, right? And if it makes you feel any better, it’s not just Kami with her exes.
My ex Cassie is going to be a bridesmaid—we had a bit of a friendcest group back in college—so this is not exactly uncharted territory.
Ani, you really don’t have to look so uncomfortable. It’s fine.”
Ani shifted her expression, realizing she was probably still wearing a look of horror. Then she gave a feeble laugh.
Grace continued, “Couple more exes, and we could start our own intramural volleyball team.”
To this, Raffi and Kami laughed. Ani wanted to—it was funny—but she was frozen in fear at the topic of this conversation.
Grace looked very specifically at Ani. “I know Kami trusts your opinions and style and, therefore, so do I. It’s all good, okay?”
Ani nodded fervently.
“It’s not like you’re still in love with her or anything.”
Ani laughed, definitely a little too loudly. Raffi shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Kami put a hand on Ani’s shoulder. “It’s okay, everyone’s a little in love with me.”
What the heck was that supposed to mean?
Kami knew that Ani still felt something for her but thought it was natural because that was the way she went about the world?
Ani’s companions’ reactions were reassuring, though.
Raffi rolled his eyes. Grace did, too, but in a loving way.
“You have the biggest ego, I swear. But for good reason.”
Kami smiled along. “That’s right, for good reason.”
Ani felt like she was on some kind of nightmare game show, where everything everyone said made things worse and there was no possible way to converse her way out of this situation. Everything that came out of her mouth would dig her hole of mortification deeper and deeper.
So she said nothing at all and kept on smiling, surrounded by living works of art. Everything was fine.
“By the way,” Grace was now saying to Kami, “they need me to go to the studio this Tuesday. Filming some promo thing for the movie with Robert.”
“Oh my God! Can I come?” Kami’s voice was bright and eager, and her hands clasped together like a kid asking for dessert.
“Of course, I’m sure that’d be fine with Bob.”
“You are so amazing, babe. I’m so proud of you. My Mafia Princess.”
And this time no one besides Grace responded to the “babe.” Ani wasn’t looking, but she could hear that the engaged couple were now kissing. Lovely.
Ani was saved by Madison and another woman waltzing in. Ani had never been so happy to see two hot women stride toward her, which was really saying something.
The moment was crushed, however, when the woman, Andrea, greeted Raffi, slicing him out of their group. She whisked him out of the room, and he turned only briefly to give a small goodbye wave. Ani felt a sharp tug in her stomach.
Just then, she got an alert on her phone and looked down to see a reminder to pay her credit card bill. Ugh, she had been putting it off, hoping for another influx of cash before the due date.
She looked around at Kami and Grace, blissfully unaware that their wedding planner was deeply in credit card debt, while they ordered six figures’ worth of flowers.
Kami. Fuckin’ Kami, nearly impossible to be around.
But she’d have to swallow it and take it because of things like this alert.
Otherwise, she would have run far away. To spare herself any more Kami-related embarrassment and whatever strange feelings she was having toward Raffi.
Raffi! Who just wanted her body, who was likely only interested because he wanted to sleep with her, despite what he said.
She still felt there was a very high probability that if they slept together, the next day he’d leave.
Or apologize with some supposedly soothing words but make it awkward for the rest of their months of work together.
She had to be more careful, guard her heart, not fall for his little tricks.
But that smile he gave her felt so genuine…
No!
She was Ani the wedding planner, and she was going to pull herself out of debt and keep her heart intact if it was the last thing she did, goddamn it.