Chapter 11
Lani
“I’m sorry, Mr. Agualo, but we’ve reached capacity; we absolutely cannot accommodate any more guests, and you’ve gone forty-five minutes past the time when your event was scheduled to end. It’s time for the party to end, at least at this location.”
I didn’t know how much more firmly I could put my foot down before the event hall manager stepped in and things got unpleasant.
I liked Ramon; we worked well together, but he wasn’t as malleable as I was and hated when people pushed for more time or a feature that hadn’t been negotiated to be in their event package.
He tapped a finger against his gold watch as he eyed me from across the hall, both of us dressed in our island finery: floral-printed shirts and black slacks with matching earpieces.
“Okay, okay, relax, Lani, we’ll be moving along now that the gifts are loaded in the van,” he said, clasping me on the shoulder.
“You and your staff outdid yourselves. I want to thank you all for making my daughter’s day so special.
I need to give this to you. Your bonus for a job well done.
I can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together for the christening. ”
He pressed an envelope of bills into my hand, which I wasn’t sure I could accept. “Mr. Ogo already gave us our bonus.”
“That was from him; this is from me,” Mr. Agualo said before waving to a relative and heading their way to chat.
A short time later, phones started buzzing, and folks began saying goodbye to one another while others arranged which vehicles to take where, as carpooling plans began unfolding.
I guess he’d taken me at face value, that the party was only done at this location.
The text must have been him passing around the information about the new location.
I watched an older gentleman escort his elegantly dressed husband to the door and hold it open for him, the two sliding into the backseat of a car that soon followed a line of other cars out of the parking lot.
Across the room, a man with three young children shot the occasional wistful glance at the door the others had gone through in between wrangling the trio, who still looked like they had a ton of energy to spare, while he looked completely worn out. I felt for him; they looked like a handful.
“Alright guys, there are just a few guests remaining,” I spoke into my mic.
“Catering has done their part and finished clearing the food away. Once the hall is clear, we’ll get to work clearing the decorations.
Remember that our clients have asked that all floral decorations be donated to The Golden Oasis senior center to brighten up the space for the residents. ”
“We’ve got a van already staged to make the delivery,” Sonja, my second in command said.
“Thank you,” I replied through the headset.
It took another ten minutes before the man with the kids got them all out the door, with both of their shoes on, after a hunt to locate a missing one.
We moved in like the well-organized swarm of party-planning ants we were to clear away the décor so the event hall staff could get to work with their cleaning duties.
Thursday afternoon tea was set for ten tomorrow, and they prided themselves on putting on an excellent event.
The last thing I expected when I got home was to walk through the door to a pleasant aroma and a warm plate sitting at my place at the table.
“Guys, you didn’t have to do this,” I said as I gratefully took my seat while Nyx yawned. “Or wait up.”
“We’d have stayed up and waited until midnight and beyond, but we’re glad we didn’t have to,” Kekoa said as they got up and filled my glass with ice. “Sweet tea or Kool-Aid?”
“How about you mix them together?” I said. “I would use the double dose of sugar and caffeine just to get through this plate.”
Kekoa nodded and started pouring. “Did everything go well?”
“As well as could be expected,” I replied.
“They packed the place all the way until the very end and tried to get me to let more people in. They were already past their shutdown time at that point, so I told Mr. Agualo that he needed to shut it down, which he did. Who knows where he took it, but he threw together an impromptu after-party. I’m just glad to be home.
Tomorrow evening we have the setup for the first of two events on Friday, then it’s duets on Saturday and Sunday. ”
“Duets?” Kekoa asked.
“Two events each day,” Nyx said.
“Gotcha.”
“The only thing you guys will see of me is my imprint in the bed,” I explained.
“Which is why we waited up,” Kekoa said. “Nyx told me about your upcoming schedule, so we thought we’d use the time together at night to catch up on the day and still have a chance to bond even though you’re busy.”
“Thank you for this,” I said. “The holidays are always hectic in my line of work. Everyone wants to sprinkle a bit of Christmas magic into their events.”
“Is that why you don’t have decorations up?” Kekoa asked.
“Honestly,” I said. “I put up so many for other people that I don’t have the energy to decorate the house.”
“He neglected to mention that I hate doing it alone, which is the real reason there’s nothing up but the holiday SpongeBob potholders we picked up today,” Nyx said.
“You got me potholders?” I squealed, whipping my head around to see them.
“Kekoa got you potholders and offered to help me unearth the ones I lost in my workshop.”
“I knew it!” I said as a flush spread across his cheeks. “I knew that’s where they’d gotten to.”
Squirming, Nyx sat across from me at the table with a sheepish look on his face.
“We’ve got an order for heavy-duty shelves coming along with some things Kekoa needed.
They’re going to help me organize the shop, so I have an actual worktable instead of one cluttered with the parts and pieces I’ve harvested from unfixable things.
Once the shelves arrive and we get them set up and labeled, we’ll find all the potholders I’ve lost and return them to the kitchen. ”
“Bless you,” I said when I turned back to see them setting a drink by my hand. “For the potholders and for offering to help him tackle what has grown into a monumentally overwhelming task. I tried once, and we wound up in such a big argument that I slept in the hammock out back.”
“I’d ask why not the couch, but after falling asleep on it this evening, I already have the answer to that,” Kekoa said.
“Got you, didn’t it?” I asked.
“My hip may never be the same.”
“Yeah, my shoulder protests every time I try to get comfortable on it,” I said. “We tried replacing the cushions, but after a year, we’re right back to sprawling on a log.”
Kekoa just shook their head and giggled. “Let me guess, it’s on the ever-expanding list of things you keep meaning to replace but also keep forgetting to write down so you remember that you need to replace them.”
“You know us so well already,” I declared. “What other secrets has Nyx been sharing? Did he tell you about my black thumb?”
“Yup,” Nyx replied, “and then he went out and did that.”
He gestured to the window, where a plant box stood with a trio of small plants in it.
“Is that…” I muttered, squinting across the table to try and determine which herbs they were.
“Rosemary, basil, and thyme,” Kekoa replied. “Yeah, it is. Nyx said you loved cooking with them but couldn’t keep them alive, so I got them for you, and some oregano too.”
They drew my attention to another pot on the windowsill beside it, mostly obscured by the curtains, as well as one hanging from a hook on the windowsill.
“And what’s the other one?” I asked.
“Mint,” Kekoa replied. “For cocktails.”
“You…you got me mint for mojitos and mint juleps?”
“Not to mention your infamous cucumber mint gimlets, yes, they did.”
“I’ll tend to them for you and let you know when they are ready for you to use,” Kekoa said. “I’ll snip them for you too, since Nyx warned me that you liked to go all Freddy Krueger with the clippers.”
“I wish this was one of those times when he was exaggerating, but he’s not,” I replied. “My hands will remain off the herbs until you give them to me.”
“I’m sure they’ll appreciate that,” they said.
“They also got us this,” Nyx said, and again, I was surprised by the newest addition to our kitchen.
“A dry erase board,” I sighed. “You are a prince among jellyfish. I can’t believe you managed so much with a quick trip to the market.”
“Oh, it wasn’t quick,” Kekoa replied. “We were in there for over three hours, but it gave us a chance to really look at everything.”
“And grab way more fruit than I have ever seen anyone purchase at one time,” Nyx grumbled.
“Wait, you got fruit too?” I asked, so a grinning Kekoa got up and opened the refrigerator door to reveal that it was stocked with colorful bunches of delicious, juicy fruit of all different shapes and sizes.
“I amend my previous statement; you are not a prince among jellyfish, you are the king, and I will bow down to you forever for this,” I said. “I can never get him to bring fruit home unless he wants me to bake something with it.”
“Because the only good fruit is one that is in something sweet, doughy, and filled with carbs,” Nyx replied.
“You forgot fried, dripping with glaze, or stuffed with cream,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I know all the requirements; I’ve heard them enough.”
“I’m pretty sure you just made his point for him,” Kekoa pointed out.
“Yeah, I probably did.”
I pointed my fork across the table at Nyx. “I’m warning you right now, that beautiful collection in there is not going to be eaten in any way other than the one nature intended. Cold and raw. Seriously though, thanks, guys, and thank you for waiting up. It was a long day.”
“Nyx said you liked to wind down by watching a few episodes of something animated and funny,” Kekoa said. “If you’d like, I can give you a massage while you’re watching.”