Chapter 5
“Jillian, what happened?” Kristy spoke into her cell phone as she and Ariel waited in the outer room of the complex offices. They were scheduled to make their presentation to the gala committee in fifteen minutes, and Marcia had failed to arrive. Or answer her phone.
So when the phone lit up with the name of Marcia’s secretary, Kristy had been relieved. But that lasted about thirty seconds, until she heard the anxiety in Jillian’s voice.
“Marcia had a heart attack yesterday morning. She’s in the hospital, and they are operating on her now. I’ll let you know when I find out more. Needless to say, she’s not coming to the meeting. You’re on your own.”
Kristy felt like someone had just drained the blood out of her. “Let me know when you know.” Kristy clicked off the phone and shut her eyes. Marcia was the heart and soul of An Affair to Remember. And she could sell anyone anything.
“What happened? Marcia’s not coming?” Ariel asked, apprehension in her voice.
Kristy opened her eyes. “Marcia is not coming. She had a heart attack and is being operated on as we sit here.”
“A heart attack?” Ariel grabbed Kristy’s hand. “That’s awful. See what can happen when you are all work and no play.”
“Let’s not blame the victim, Ariel. She needs our prayers, not our condemnation.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just, she’s such a force and always on business. The stress has to get to her.”
“Regardless, we are on our own here. Marcia’s always done the presentations for an event this big.”
“But you’ve sat through them.”
Kristy nodded. But observing was not doing. “Do I tell them about Marcia’s condition?”
“They may decide to cancel. Marcia is An Affair to Remember.”
“You’re right. And we owe it to Marcia to nail this event.” Kristy looked over at Ariel’s frowning face. “Your ideas are spectacular. You’ve turned a boring theme into an exciting one.”
“But now we know why we haven’t heard from Marcia, and it’s not because she loved my ideas.” Ariel worried her bottom lip. “Should I still go with the get-out-of-jail auction? And the hay maze?”
Kristy loved Ariel’s ideas, and if Ariel was going to sell them, she had to feel confident in them. “Marcia had the proposal for a few days. She had time to say something.” Though it was uncharacteristic of Marcia not to weigh in immediately.
Ariel’s hands flew to her face. “You don’t think reading my proposal triggered something.”
Kristy had to laugh. “Your ideas were innovative but not heart-attack inducing. We present exactly as we proposed. We signed that six-month apartment lease, so we need this event. Hopefully, the contract the committee signed won’t let them cancel for something like this. I’ll handle the presentation of the promotional aspects if you can handle the proposed events. After all, they’re your ideas.”
A smile graced Ariel’s face. “I know them better than Marcia ever could.”
“I can’t say the same, but I’m going to give it my all.”
Ariel grabbed Kristy’s arm. “Do you think Marcia will be okay?”
“I don’t know.” That was the terrible truth. Suddenly it felt like they’d been dropped on an island by themselves, without their fearless leader. “But we owe it to her, and ourselves, to give it our best shot.”
***
Kristy brushed her sweaty palms down the sides of her black pants as she stood at the end of the long rectangular table while eight committee members and Pat McEvy, the guy who was the complex manager, stared up at her from their seats. She’d just given the group her and Ariel’s biographies. But Pat had failed to introduce the members, whom surely Marcia had met when she’d made the original presentation—but Kristy and Ariel had not. Nothing like baptism by fire.
Only one person was smiling, a younger woman with chestnut-colored hair. The rest had bland expressions. At least no one was frowning… yet.
“And you’ve got some ideas on the barn dance theme?” McEvy prompted.
Ariel, who stood to Kristy’s left, nodded as she patted Kristy’s arm.
“We want to give your guests something a little different, something to remember. So in keeping with the barn dance theme you already approved, we thought we’d give it an old west spin.” Kristy took a step back, crossing her fingers behind her back. “Ariel will walk you through it.”
Ariel stepped to the center. Also wearing black pants, a black cardigan, and a cream-colored top, Ariel looked almost corporate. Kristy had been shocked when Ariel had emerged from her bedroom in the sensible outfit, so different from the flowy clothes she favored, but it served as a reminder of how critical this meeting was for them both.
“Imagine you are in the old west.” Ariel clicked the first slide of an old homestead. “Maybe at a barn raising that took place several decades ago, when the west was wild and untamed. Before roads, motor cars, cell phones, and televisions had competed with the natural wonders of Wyoming.”
Eight faces turned their attention to Ariel as she spun a tale of stagecoaches and chuck wagons, of bandits and buffalo, and a celebration that would be coming to the convention center for one special night.
Weaving a story as only Ariel could, she clicked through the slides of the decorations she had in mind, from checkered table linens to a chuck wagon ice cream bar.
“For fun and to create more ways for guests to donate beyond the pledge cards, we envisioned several opportunities. A maze of bales of straw or hay, where successful navigators will receive bonus tickets for the Chinese auction. An old west jail, where bandits, a.k.a. eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, will be bailed out for a dance with the successful bidder. And several opportunities to bid on sponsor gifts via the Chinese auction.”
All eight committee members sat there in silence. No smiles, no nods, no reaction. Beads of sweat broke out on Kristy’s neck as Ariel continued on.
“Of course, they will have to purchase tickets to play the games, enter the maze, and participate in the Chinese auction, all of which will raise money, along with the bailout of the bandits. Actors and actresses will stroll along the dance floor, and perhaps we’ll witness an impromptu ‘gun’ fight, or maybe a can-can. The point is, our guests will have plenty of things to amuse, entertain, and enjoy, so it will truly be An Affair to Remember.”
The silence continued. Kristy could hear her heartbeat in her ears as she looked from one blank face to another.
And then the chestnut-haired woman stood. “I love it. I think it will be very exciting and interactive for everyone involved.”
“Interesting concepts,” said the handsome cowboy who had been sitting next to the chestnut-haired woman.
“I like the bail-out-of-jail event. Maybe my daughter will enter. Lord knows she needs to get out more.” A gray-haired woman chuckled.
The tension in Kristy’s shoulders eased.
The chestnut-haired woman took a step forward. “The big question is, can you do it within budget and time frame?”
Kristy moved to Ariel’s side. This was her area of responsibility. “Pat gave us your budget figures, and I believe we can. None of what we are proposing is expensive, and I believe we can get some of our items, like bales of hay for the maze, donated. Maybe even from the people in this room.”
There was some nervous laughter.
“Well, I for one would be happy to donate the maze material,” said the chestnut-haired woman.
Kristy’s pulsed settled. “That would be wonderful. And you are?”
The chestnut-haired woman strode forward and reached out her hand. “Lexi Russell McClane. I believe you know my brother.”
Kristy sat across from Rusty’s sister as several committee people lingered at the table, asking Ariel questions about the proposal, including who exactly were going to be the bachelors and bachelorettes, which came from one of the co-chairs, Laurie Matthews.
“I was wondering that too,” Lexi McClane said. “Did you get my brother to agree?”
Kristy shot a quick look at Ariel. “We haven’t had a chance to ask anyone yet.”
“I suppose you and Ariel will be volunteering.”
A cold shiver traveled up Kristy’s spine. She hated to be the center of attention, much less auctioned off. But how could she say no if she was asking others to do it. “If need be, and as long as there aren’t too many other things to handle.”
“Oh, I’m sure An Affair to Remember will have everything in hand. According to Marcia, you’ve done this many times before.”
True, but not without Marcia.
“Where is she, by the way? I expected her to be here,” Laurie asked.
Kristy took a hard swallow. “She had an emergency, but she’s reviewed everything. Marcia is very involved in this gala and hated to miss this meeting.” Kristy was sure she spoke the truth.
“Well, I hope she will be at our next meeting. This event is very important to the town. Last year we broke a record, and we didn’t even have half the opportunities for donations that you’ve given us. Heaven knows the foundation will put the funds to good use. Seems more and more people are in need these days.”
“An Affair to Remember will bring our best effort, Mrs. Matthews.”
“I know you will. These ideas are wonderful,” Lexi McClane said
Kristy appreciated the vote of confidence. “Thank you, Mrs. McClane.”
Lexi frowned. “Lexi, please. I think we are about the same age, after all.” She rose. “Ask Rusty to bring you around the ranch. You can check out our bales and make sure we have enough for what you want.”
“I…” But before Kristy could say that she would visit on her own, Lexi was halfway out the door. The rest of the committee members followed.
Ariel sat down in the seat Lexi had just occupied, and Pat McEvy ambled over as the last of the committee people left. “Well, you sold them. Those were some pretty creative ideas.”
“Thank you. Ariel, here, is a whiz at creative ideas.”
“And Kristy knows how to implement them.”
Kristy smiled at Pat. “We make a good team.”
“Seems so. But I would have thought Marcia would have moved heaven and earth to be here because, just so you know, this is a big deal in Gillette. There will be a lot of big ranchers and energy executives attending. Their expectations are going to be high.”
“No pressure, then,” Kristy said with a laugh, hoping her nerves didn’t betray her.
“Well, I guess as a state senator’s daughter, you’re used to being in high-pressure social situations.”
Kristy felt the wind had just been knocked out of her. “How did you know I was a state senator’s daughter?” She asked, but she really didn’t want to hear the answer.
“Marcia mentioned it when she pitched her company to the committee. I’m hoping he’ll be able to come. It would likely get us some media attention.”
Had Marcia traded on the connection to Kristy’s father? She could feel the heat rising in her face. But now was not the time to explore that line of inquiry. She needed to focus on the gala, now more than ever, considering Marcia’s situation. She smiled. “I’ll be back in touch when we get the vendors lined up. And we’ll need storage space for the props we’ll be using.”
“No problem. We’ve got plenty of space. Including a place to store the bales. We do a rodeo or two here, you know,” he said.
She didn’t know, but no matter. She was determined that this would be the best dang event ever held at the complex.
“Do you think your father was involved in getting this job for Marcia?” Ariel asked as they slid into the car.
“I’ve no idea, and considering Marcia’s situation, I’m not about to ask.”
“You know, I don’t consider it a bad thing. That’s how things are done. They call it networking.”
“The last thing I want to do is trade on my father’s name.”
“But you didn’t. Marcia may have.”
“Regardless. If he found out, I doubt he’d be pleased. He isn’t a fan of my moving out here, doesn’t like what I do, and wants me to come work in his office and on his campaigns.” All so he could keep an eye on Kristy. He’d been keeping an eye on her all her life. Working for Marcia was one of the ways she had broken free. Only to be wrapped back up when Dean, her father’s hand-selected husband material, had entered the picture.
Only Dean had turned out to be a weasel, and now she’d broken free of both men. And moving to Gillette next week would be a new beginning. This gala had to be a success.