Chapter Eleven #2
Naomi nodded. “Absolutely.” And then, she took a quick look around the gallery, taking in the light, the space and the flow of the space. She also tried to remember what the show she’d seen with Leah the year before had looked like, catching bits and pieces in her mind.
Granted, that night had been completely obscured by the beginning of Leah’s encounters with Samuel and their wild public interaction, but it was still a good night.
Either way, she was ready to work magic with Jason by her side. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s make an exhibition.”
*
Jason hadn’t been to an exhibit like that before; it was fun. The photographs were gorgeous and the people representing the school board were ecstatic at the amount of money they raised.
And watching Naomi in her element as a professional planner?
And as the brand-new contract with the bright NN Events logo was removed from a folder, and signed by Tom, it felt like the beginning of a new era; the second contractor signed to her new company to provide wedding services.
“Before you go,” Walker said, “I need to give you something.”
Knowing he was talking to Naomi, Jason watched as she nodded.
“This,” Walker said as he passed over a business card, “is my friend’s card. He’s the visual artist who moonlights as an event designer.”
“Thank you,” Naomi said as she accepted the card.
“Call him—he’s expecting to hear from you, and he’ll meet you before his show to talk weddings and other things.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Of course, Jason knew Naomi well enough to know that the second she got into the car, she started searching this guy out. “So,” he asked as they turned onto Broadway, heading toward the highway, “who’s the photographer’s friend?”
“Max Parker-Roth,” she said. “Obviously Tom likes him, and Molly seemed to.”
“Why are you thinking you need an event designer for the wedding?”
She smiled. “Technically there was one for the last version of the wedding, even though I have no idea what they did,” she said.
“But the thing you need to remember is never overestimate capabilities, and, when you’re starting a business, it’s crucial that you have a full list of contacts.
Especially ones that are highly recommended by professionals you trust.”
Jason nodded, remembering back to his own Rolodex and his contacts, each of them he’d trust to help or have his back or even open doors for him. “I see,” he said.
“Not to mention,” she continued, “the wedding provides a perfect opportunity to test him out. The venue doesn’t give that much room to design beyond the planned setup, which means I could do it if necessary, but I’d like another eye. Also, he’d be working with people he knows.”
Once again, the very smart businesswoman he was very proud to know had arrived. But there were still questions to ask. “And where are we going to find him?”
“Downtown. His show is at a place I know,” she said, her hair hanging down, as she focused on the phone.
Gorgeous.
“I think a few of these guys have done exhibits there,” she continued. “I think I remember going to Tom Walker’s exhibit there last August.”
Which was enough for him. Then again, the ‘with Naomi’ part was enough for him. “So, we go?”
She nodded. “We go.”
“You’ve signed your second contractor to your brand-new company,” he said with a grin. “What do you want to do next?”
She laughed as he drove down the highway. “Debrief,” she finally said. “More specifically, what did you learn?”
He hadn’t expected to have the discussion that went over the event yet; but he guessed it made sense—the night was fresh in his mind, and hers. He just wished he was discussing something else with Naomi at this time of night.
But she’d agreed to help him. “Contingency. Contingency. Contingency,” he said. “If you and I weren’t there, he would have figured it out, but he wouldn’t have been comfortable because he didn’t have a contingency plan for if his friend didn’t show up.”
“Very, very valuable lesson to learn.” She smiled, and if nothing else, he loved seeing her in her element—the businesswoman that she was.
“You’re also asking about what I’m taking away, or in this case what I’m reaffirming.”
“That I am,” she said. “What is it?”
He had to think about what he was going to say; the wording had to be precise.
“The people I work with are going to need contingency plans of all sorts going in,” he said, both as general and as specific as he was at this early stage.
“I can’t and I won’t work with people who won’t prepare themselves. ”
“Good,” she said. “Whatever business you do, always plan for things not going as smoothly as you expect. Which is also my trouble. What else?”
“I loved what Molly Concannon said,” he replied, “about following your dreams and learning that things are never what you expect them to be. And—” he grinned at her “—I think part of that story was apologizing to you for the way she reacted to you.”
Naomi smiled. “I caught that part about small towns aren’t what she expected. Which means there’s something else in there, I think, about not judging books by their cover.”
“There absolutely is,” he said with a smile. “Which reaffirms my thoughts about diving in, following my instincts and doing what I feel I want, as opposed to following advice from people who don’t understand.”
She nodded. “Makes perfect sense.”
As he pulled into the parking spot in front of her building, he turned toward her. “Early?”
“For the show hours,” she said. “I’m supposed to call him before we get there, to let him know we’re coming.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “See you tomorrow?”
Which sounded weird to say, but this was a no parking zone and odds were that he wouldn’t find a spot close to her building.
She didn’t answer immediately. “Breakfast? Or do you want to meet at the gallery before the show?”
Her abrupt but detailed answer made him realize how awful he must have sounded, knowing that he’d initiated time apart.
The fact remained that he’d been at her place and in her bed since he’d gotten back.
He’d spent time with her inside and out of that bed pretty exclusively since he’d been back, the exception being that day when his brother had made his summons.
He needed to make it clear that the reasons he was leaving were a combination of the dire parking situation and the crucial need to inspect and fix the state of his apartment before he brought her to see it, considering he hadn’t seen the inside of it since he’d been back in New York.
And not anything to do with her.
“How about I pick you up for breakfast, and you can drop off a bag at my place?”
Her face glowed, which meant he’d given the right response. Crisis averted. “Your place?”
He nodded. “If I’ve got the right gallery, I don’t live that far. It makes more sense to go there. And if we’re going there tomorrow night, then I should probably get a head start on cleaning the place before I let you in.”
She nodded. “That makes sense. Okay.” And then she got out of the car, walking around the front of the car to the driver’s side window.
He wondered what she was doing.
And all thoughts left his head when she leaned down to the open window. “Do you want me to bring your suitcase down?”
He shook his head. “I’ll come up tomorrow and get both you and it before we head to breakfast.” He could see the thoughts running through her head, and he wondered what they were.
“Okay,” she finally said. “If you insist. I’ll treat it well until you get here.”
“I very much appreciate that,” he replied, feeling her fingers on his cheeks.
“Kiss goodnight?”
“There is nothing I’d want more,” he replied as instantly as she’d asked the question.
And so, he waited, holding his heart back, as she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. A soft, bright touch that made the perfect end of the day they’d spent together. He could still taste the sweet wine she’d had at the gallery on her lips.
“Tomorrow,” he said as he broke the kiss.
She nodded. “Text me?”
“Absolutely.”
He watched as she walked away before turning off of her block and heading toward Manhattan, the thought of seeing her in the morning urging him home.