6. Sunshine
Chapter 6
Sunshine
T he next week flashed by in a blur. The whole time, my sister Luna was being extra quiet, but she hadn’t talked to anyone about why. Stella was so happy with her pack, she was practically dancing. That was good. I’d hate to have had to help Zephyr hide the bodies if they hurt her.
As if I’d summoned him with my thoughts, my alpha cousin appeared in my doorway. Zephyr had thick brown hair that he usually pulled into a ponytail and deep brown eyes that made him look like a mournful poet. He was reserved, which meant people threw themselves harder at him.
He was barely a year younger than me but still acted like an overprotective older brother. With him and Terran being the only men in the family, they had their work cut out for them.
“How did the event go?” Zephyr asked, then glanced around my office which had gotten messier than usual. “Raina is going to pop if she sees your office.”
“Raina can bite me.” I crossed my arms over my chest. My temples had been pounding all day, and the headache was steadily growing worse. “I’m busy. You know, making money.”
“Yep. Speaking of, a new client has dropped by. She’s in the lobby. Said Chef Kahele recommended you.”
“Now?” I didn’t bother to hide the panic in my voice. I jumped up, snatching at papers and trying to stack them into some sort of order.
“She said wanted to just stop in.” Zephyr rolled his eyes. “She’s dressed really well.”
I groaned. Clients dropped by because they didn’t think they actually needed appointments, or because they were trying to catch me out.
“Let me see if I can call Logan and find out about her. Tell her I’ll be with her in ten minutes.”
I sighed, and my cousin left. Logan made me think of food, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day and that was probably why I had a raging headache. I fished around for some crackers in my desk drawer, while I dialed Logan. But I knew it was a long shot, he almost never had his phone nearby, especially if he was at the restaurant.
Sure enough, it rang a few times but went to voicemail. I texted Julian but didn’t get anything back.
Oh well.
I finished making my office presentable, and buzzed Ember at the front desk. “I’m ready.”
“Mrs Moira Cullen is headed your way,” Ember said.
My stomach flipped, and my temples throbbed. She was a huge mover and shaker, and from what I’d heard, she thought she was too good for the earth she walked on. If I’d known she was stopping by, I would have dressed better than the slacks and blouse I was wearing. And I would have had my office detailed.
Oh well, again. I could always offer to take her on a tour of the grounds like I did with most prospective clients, and hope that would have enough of a ‘wow’ factor.
Moira Cullen had blonde hair, a smooth complexion, and clear blue eyes. She looked like she was in her mid fifties, and was wearing diamond earrings, necklace, and bracelet that cost more than my year’s salary. Her dress suit was perfectly tailored, and her arms toned. She probably went to the gym more than I did. Since I never actually made it to the gym, that was a low bar.
“Hello.” I gave her my best smile. “I’m Sunshine Sullivan, event coordinator at Cosmic Bonds.”
“Moira Cullen.” Mrs. Cullen shook my hand, eyes flicking around my office.
“Please, take a seat.” I stepped to the side and offered her the couch to the side of my desk. Officially it was there to allow me to talk with clients about their events, but most of the time it was my napping couch. “I apologize about the disarray, I just finished up with an event and we have three others ongoing.”
Mrs. Cullen perched on the edge of the couch. “It’s quite alright. Forgive my rudeness for popping in. I thought I would stop by and see if my project was something you were interested in before moving forward.”
“Certainly.” I offered her water and tea, both of which she declined, so I grabbed some of my event books and set them on the coffee table in front of the couch and sat down. “How can I help?”
“Well…” Mrs. Cullen looked around the office again. I couldn’t tell if she disapproved or not. It wasn’t that messy considering the state it had been in ten minutes ago. “I had a meeting with Chef Kahele…”
Her voice took on a self-important tone, like Logan was her personal chef. I ignored the urge to tell her that “Chef Kahele” made me key lime pie ‘just because’ the other day.
“I was lamenting my struggles at finding an event planner to help me bring my vision to life, and he suggested your services.” She looked me in the eye, her blue eyes sharp and intelligent. “He recommended you highly, and since I’d never heard Chef Kahele recommend someone with such praise before I thought I would look into your business.”
“Sure.” I nodded. “Cosmic Bonds has worked closely with Talk of the Town for three years.”
Mrs. Cullen glanced around again, her gaze landing on the massive amethyst geode on the corner of my desk. “Does every event you manage have these…New Age elements?”
I gave a polite laugh. I’d been there, done that. Cosmic Bonds used crystals, tarot, Reiki, and other modalities that were considered New Age, but not everything we did had to come from that base.
Mrs. Cullen’s energy was weird enough that I felt like I would need to cleanse the office. She seemed uptight and like she was used to getting her way.
“Of course not.” I picked up one of my event binders. I’d had high quality pictures of my most successful events made up so that I could show them to prospective clients. “Here is some of our recent work.”
Mrs. Cullen flipped through the book quickly and then gave a short nod. “I’ve been through four event planners already, and none of them have the vision I’m looking for.”
Alarm bells went off in my head. Four different planners? The woman was probably either too controlling or not clear about what she wanted.
“I want something…unique. Exquisite.” She gestured and the diamond bracelet on her wrist sparkled.
“Why don’t you tell me a little bit about the event, what you’re looking for, what you don’t want to include, and we’ll see if there’s the potential for a good fit.”
It was important to get control of the conversation now. If she thought she could just run roughshod over me, it would be a miserable event.
I’d stopped taking on every client that asked me to work with them after learning my lesson the hard way. Multiple times. I was twenty six, and someone like Mrs. Cullen wouldn’t take my opinion seriously unless I established early on that I was a business professional.
Logan had done me a solid by suggesting my services. His word carried a lot of weight.
“Of course.” Mrs. Cullen straightened up. “I’ve elected to help with a charity event this year. It’s in four months?—”
I hid my wince. Not a lot of time.
“And I am at my wits’ end. I have been part of the charitable circuit for years.”
I nodded, trying to look interested and sympathetic.
“Every event feels the same. The same glitz and gold. It’s part of why I stepped back. But this event is personal to my charity, the Cantilever Foundation, and I would like for it to stand out.”
I pulled out a pen and paper. It made me look professional, but I also needed something to focus on while she talked. I could already picture golden halls, and if I didn’t focus, I would space out while she was talking.
Found that out the hard way.
“Stand out how?” I poised my pen over my notebook.
“That’s what the event planner is for, right?” She huffed. “I want something unique. Grand. Not just the same fancy party where everyone wears the finest dress and makes small talk for hours.”
“You know part of the reason that charity galas emphasize wealth and status is to remind you that you can afford to donate money?”
Mrs. Cullen snorted. “Money is not an object to these people. I would rather give them an experience they will remember for years to come than simply stroke egos.”
I nodded, biting my bottom lip. I considered and discarded ideas one after the other, until I had been quiet too long. Anything I could think of off the top of my head would be the exact opposite of what Mrs. Cullen wanted.
“Well?” She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “What are your suggestions?”
“I don’t have any yet.” I smiled. “I haven’t gotten to know any of your personal likes and dislikes?—”
“How I like things decorated is irrelevant.” Mrs. Cullen cut in, waving her hand. “I need something with vision.”
I gave the pushy older beta a bright smile. “Begging your pardon, but I disagree. This is your pet charity, right?”
She nodded impatiently, her perfectly coiffed hair shining. “This event needs to be a one-of-a-kind experience. Something for the donors to truly appreciate. I’m tired of the same balls, galas, and art shows.”
She was here expecting to be disappointed. She had come here on Logan’s word, but she assumed she would be leaving just as soon as I confirmed what she’d already assumed—I couldn’t do the job.
She was of the belief that no one could, because what she wanted was just too avant-garde. She was the only one with any vision and the rest of the world was just trite and so last year.
Unfortunately, that was the default attitude of most of the clients that came to me for event planning. I’d learned how to deal with them. Mostly I found out what they were personally interested in and tailored that to the specific event. It was how I’d built up a reputation.
“Which is why I need more personal information.” I tapped my pen. “Let’s say you hate Monet. If I create a beautiful event for you, and use his watercolors to tie everything together, it will feel impersonal at best. At worst, you’ll feel like a stranger at your own event.”
“I’m mature enough to put my own tastes aside, Ms. Sullivan.”
“Of course you are,” I said brightly. I could bulldoze right over her too. I pulled some glossy photographs out of my book. “This client wanted sheer opulence.”
Mrs. Cullen glanced at the photographs.
“The event raised record breaking profits for the charity. We made the guests feel like they were in the Tudor Era, complete with historically accurate clothing.”
“It doesn’t need to be that on the nose.”
“Which is my point.” I gestured at the photographs. “My client wanted something rich and luxurious without being garish. We found what worked for her, and she beamed during the entire event. At Cosmic Bonds Planning, we tailor the event to suit everyone’s needs.”
Mrs. Cullen nodded, tapping the photographs against the book. I could tell she wasn’t convinced, but she was at least thinking.
“I could give you ten different ideas right now, but you’ll reject most of them because anything I come up with off the top of my head won’t have the same care and effort as strategic planning.”
“What are some of those ideas?” Mrs. Cullen took a sip of her water. “I don’t have weeks to go back and forth with you only to decide it’s not going to work. No offense.”
“None taken. You want to see if we’re a good fit. That’s a smart move.” I pulled some more books out. “Here are some good options for charities. You could do something elegant and understated, with a royalty theme. You could pull in the colors of the charity and showcase some of the charity’s recipients, connecting your guests to the personal element. You could go completely to the left and give your guests a Vegas theme.”
I pulled that idea right out of nowhere, maybe because Luna had just gone to Vegas. “There could be raffle events, showtunes, live music, and slot machines.”
Mrs. Cullen wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure such…a relaxed atmosphere is right. None of those sound right.”
I wanted to strangle her. She asked for my ideas and then she shot them down. Like I told her would happen. But what did I know? I had only been planning events for six years officially, since I was sixteen unofficially.
“Exactly my point. I could draw up twenty plans right now and none of them are going to fit what you’re looking for. Give me a week to put together some proposals.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, so I held up my hand. “I’m doing three events as we speak, we’ve got a booth at the First Responders’ Festival, and I need time to research your charity and locations. I also want you to fill out this questionnaire.”
I handed her a massive questionnaire I used for my clients.
“I am not entering your matchmaking database. If you think this is another way of getting notable clients in your matchmaking business, I will have no part of this.”
My temper was almost gone. I really should replenish my Snickers stash in my drawer. I was bordering on hangry. I was just so very tired of the same tedious complaints.
“Mrs. Cullen. That is illegal, first of all, and unethical second of all.”
“Don’t get offended.” The older woman sat back on the couch. “I was simply explaining my position.”
“And if this is something that concerned you, I need to make sure it’s very clear.” I took a breath and gestured at the questionnaire. “Our matchmaking database asks completely different questions. Those are simply about your preferences, events you’ve attended and enjoyed, and personal interests.”
Mrs. Cullen glanced at the thick ream of paper without reading anything. “This is a waste of time.”
I shook my head. “You need time to put thought into your response. You can either fill out the questionnaire and we can see if we find something that works, or you can choose other designers.”
She looked at me and then down to the questionnaire. “I don’t see the point.”
“You’ve gone through four planners already.” I took a sip of water. I needed breathing room, or I was going to raise my voice. “It’s not working out because they’re planning what most people would come up with for a charity gala. If you’re truly going to find something unique, you have to do something differently. That starts right now, in the planning process.”
Mrs. Cullen paused, giving me a shrewd look. Finally what I was saying sank in.
“I’d rather if you emailed me the questionnaire rather than do this the old fashioned way.”
“Certainly.” I pulled up my phone. “What’s your email address?”
She told me and I sent her the attachment.
“I’ll have this back to you by the end of the day.” The older beta stood up. “But I want Talk of the Town to cater the event.”
As if she could just slide that in. I stood up, giving her a smile. “It would be quite presumptuous of me to book a client without checking Chef Kahele’s schedule. I will mark them down as your top choice, and I’ll make sure working around any conflicts they might have is a priority.”
“Very well.” Mrs. Cullen gave me a short nod. “Thank you for speaking with me on such short notice.”
“Of course. Have a wonderful day.” I walked Mrs. Cullen back out to the lobby.
The lobby was a boho paradise of overstuffed couches, pillows in purples, blues, teals, and greens, and lots of houseplants.
Mrs. Cullen couldn’t have looked more out of place if she tried. There was a reason why I didn’t meet most of my posh clients at the Welcome Center. I preferred meeting them for lunch in town, or maybe the lodge where we hosted events. But Mrs. Cullen ambushed me, and I lost control of the situation.
I headed straight back to my office, feeling like I’d just gone ten rounds in the boxing ring.
My phone was buzzing. It was Logan.
I picked it up as I slumped in my chair. “Afternoon.”
“Everything okay?” His gruff voice was tight. “You never call me out of the blue.”
If we were working on an event together, Logan and I talked specifics, or set up meetings. But we weren’t working any events together right now, and we had the menu for the corporate retreats at Cosmic Bonds ironed out already.
“Sorry. Mrs. Cullen just dropped in, so I was trying to get the dirt before talking to her.”
“Already?” He sounded shocked, and pots and pans clattering faintly in the background. “She just left the restaurant.”
“And headed straight here, I guess.”
“Sorry. I was going to let you know, but I thought I had more time.”
“No worries.” I sighed. “She’s a handful.”
Logan snorted. “She’s a pain in the ass. She’s a good person but too used to getting her own way all the time.”
“I can tell.”
I pulled up my internet browser so I could start researching her charity and any news Mrs. Cullen had made. I had other work to do, but now that I had a shiny new challenge it was hard to let go.
I’d tried and failed to schedule research time into my planner. But whenever I put it off that just meant doing tedious research when I was no longer excited about it.
“You eat yet?” he asked, and I glanced around quickly. I should have found something to shovel into my face, so I didn’t have to lie.
“Uhhh, I was going to eat. But I had some last-minute schedule changes. And then Mrs. Cullen stopped by. I thought about it, though. That counts, right?”
“It does not.” Logan growled. “I’m not going to ask when the last time you ate.”
I opened my mouth to tell him I had a bagel for breakfast but then stopped. That was yesterday. Around lunchtime. I couldn’t remember if I’d had dinner or not.
“You have more work at the office, or can you come by the restaurant? We can talk about Cullen, and I’ve had some ideas about menus.”
I checked my schedule and didn’t see anything I couldn’t put off until tomorrow in favor of hanging out in the restaurant kitchen with Logan.
“Nope, I am free as a bird.”
“See you in a few.”
He hung up before I could say bye, but that was just how he handled phone calls. Why speak in entire sentences when you could just grunt?
Looking forward to real food, I packed up my laptop. The day was looking up.