One #3
“Nico Hever,” said the man—Nico—as he walked into the room.
Also, there it was. Nico’s voice was the outlier that made her wonder if she was wrong about him and his lint brush.
It was low and he spoke slowly, as if fully confident whatever he said was worth listening to.
It was the opposite of Valerie, who rushed through her sentences to outrun the inevitable interruption.
Yet there was a roughness to the edges, like he could get sort of growly if he wanted, although she couldn’t see him getting worked up over anything except a misplaced table setting.
She squinted to see him better and immediately decided the video call had not done him justice.
Nor had it given her an immunity to those eyes, which held her gaze as if he was seeing only her.
She bet he smelled good, but it wasn’t until he was close enough to shake her hand that she caught the faintest whiff of citrus.
“I’m pleased to meet you in person,” he said. Was he holding on a moment longer than necessary? It was probably wishful thinking.
She put herself back in professional mode, which did not involve drooling over her client’s intermediary. “I’m glad you’re here. Everything is under control, garbage cans and all.” She couldn’t help but tease him about his recent call to check the number of waste receptacles (his words).
“Good,” he said. “Guests will need a place to dispose of their debris after indulging at the high-protein, gluten-free, preservative-free, organic tapas table.”
“It’s also locally sourced.”
“I recall. Within fifty kilometers?”
“Twenty-five.”
This made him laugh for the first time ever, and she was astonished that all it took was a weak joke about hors d’oeuvres. She quickly introduced Ricky, then turned to Alexis. “This is my assistant.”
Alexis pushed forward to stand between them. “I’m more of a deputy. You can ask me for whatever assistance you require.”
Valerie was grateful that Nico didn’t react to the low purr in Alexis’s voice. He merely nodded and took the event folder Valerie handed to him.
The next hour went quickly as Valerie walked Nico through the space, Alexis hovering behind. He paused to examine the display of Malcolm’s museum-quality Malacca walking sticks.
“They’ll make an awesome photo op for guests,” enthused Alexis. “Even better than the flower wall at the nail studio.”
That was about all Valerie could take. “Alexis, would you mind grabbing some sandwiches for lunch?”
“Take some from the catering platters like I did.”
Why did Nico have to witness this? She shut her eyes. “Please.”
“Fine, I need a break anyway. Give me the credit card.”
With Alexis out of the way, Valerie was able to focus. Normally she might stress at being in such close proximity to a man who made her skin tingle, but she’d worked hard on this event and refused to be derailed by the dopamine flood that occurred when they made eye contact.
Or so she thought, until he smiled at her.
It was incredible what it did to his face, transforming its cold perfection into a surprisingly intimate warmth, and satisfying because she had a sense that Nico wasn’t someone who smiled often.
It felt special, just for her. She took a step back and lifted the folder filled with print copies of the event plan to her chest as if that would hide the sudden pounding of her heart.
Work. It was time for work. “Shall we move to the coat check?”
Nico listened attentively and Valerie let the folder drop to her side as she relaxed into the rhythm of her tasks.
It was pleasant to be with Nico. It gave her intense satisfaction to go over everything, in part to show him she knew what she was doing, but mostly because it was gratifying to have someone appreciate the small details that made an event appear seamless.
Nico cared about the importance of specifics, such as the number of roses in the arrangements (six in the small, twenty in the large), and the greenery used for filler (fern, not baby’s breath).
Alexis arrived with lunch just as they finished, and haphazardly set out the food on an empty table. Valerie examined the trays, which did not hold the sandwiches she requested.
“I felt like sushi,” Alexis said breezily, taking the California and kappa rolls for herself. Valerie and Ricky split the spicy salmon and tuna, while Nico politely refused. He went off to examine the selection of whiskeys Valerie had stocked on the advice of a master distiller Ruth recommended.
Alexis checked her phone. “I’m leaving at six to meet the girls,” she said. “Are you coming by later?”
“I’m not sure I’ll be done here.” No one in their shared friend group had told her there were plans, and Valerie’s last message dangled at the bottom of the group chat like a hook filled with uneaten bait.
It would have been nice to be invited instead of being an afterthought.
Or maybe they’d simply assumed she’d be there.
She cheered and took another salmon roll.
That made more sense, and she could think about whether to go later.
Right now, she had an event to run and a name to make for herself.