Chapter 1 #2
But Ad Astra was not Alexis’s business. Nor would Valerie say anything of the sort to Nico, since she had the impression he was under a lot of stress.
He’d subtly let Valerie know that Malcolm Badgerton had been almost fanatically concerned with his reputation and status and reminded her this was the family’s final farewell.
Valerie understood and was ready for the challenge.
She’d considered every angle. There were spreadsheets and checklists out the wazoo.
She had paper trails and approvals and had accounted for every what-if she could think of.
The Malcolm Badgerton Celebration of Life was going to be perfect.
As she was thinking of a diplomatic way to ask Alexis to please not insult their bread and butter, the phone rang. It was her mother, and since her mother rarely called, she picked up immediately.
“Oh, Val, I have the most amazing news,” her mother said. “Erica is getting married!”
Figures it would be about her stepsister. Valerie’s free hand shook with the sudden force of the resentment she thought she’d put to rest years ago, and she clenched her fist to make it stop.
“That’s wonderful!” She made sure to smile as she spoke—Ruth’s trick to radiate authenticity during difficult calls. After all, love was good and weddings were great. Her older stepsister was nice enough, and almost as perfect as Valerie’s mother believed.
“It’s why I’m calling. She needs a wedding planner.”
Because why else would Mom call? Certainly not to wish Valerie luck on today’s career-defining event, which she’d probably forgotten about. The resentment swelled sluggishly, too weary to do more, and she tamped it down with her sneakered foot.
“Oh?” Ruth had made Valerie swear on a pile of vintage bridal magazines never to do an event for family, but she knew herself. If her mother wanted help, she would plan a thousand weddings. She opened her mouth to offer, but her mother kept speaking.
“Can you recommend someone?”
Valerie’s gut lurched, although it was ridiculous to be hurt that she wasn’t asked to do something she didn’t want to do in the first place. “I have a big event starting in a few hours, but I can get her some names later this week.”
Her mother sighed. “Val, you know your sister likes to plan ahead. Surely you can spare ten minutes from Aurora and get it to us today.”
“Ad Astra.” Her mother always got it wrong, and Erica wasn’t her sister. Mom got that wrong too.
“How long has it been since you’ve been doing that?”
“Two years.” Was she not going to pick up Valerie’s comment about the event?
“Right, it was the same time Justin moved to Halifax. It’s good to see you finally sticking with something. Remember when you quit that cooking class after two weeks?”
“I quit because I needed to work nights for a special event series.”
“Mmm. Get Erica those names, will you? She’s depending on you.”
When she disconnected, Valerie inhaled so deeply it oxygenated her toes.
Her mother’s interest in all things Erica and, to a lesser degree, Erica’s brother, Justin, and no things Valerie was nothing new.
When her parents remarried, Valerie became an afterthought on both sides.
She supposed it was understandable. Her mother’s new husband had two children of his own who lived with them full-time.
Valerie’s father was busy with his second wife, and when their twins were born, Valerie had made herself useful as a babysitter and collected compliments on what a good girl she was as if they were Pokémon.
Unable to help herself, she hid in the corner to compile a list of names for Erica, then hurried to place the Badgerton family photos on the tables.
Valerie lingered on one of the siblings in their twenties, a candid shot as they laughed on a dock.
They looked like they belonged together and she fought off a quick pulse of envy at their easy comfort.
She put the photo down as Ricky came over.
“We’ve got the tea bar, coffee bar, and whiskey bar here, there, and there.” Ricky pointed at various spots in the room and raised an eyebrow. “I still can’t believe you’re having a whiskey bar at a memorial.”
“Malcolm loved a good smoky single malt,” said Valerie. “As for the quartet…”
“Over in that corner.” Alexis jabbed a confident finger and Valerie stifled a sigh. It was supposed to be under the big window, but Alexis feeling validated would make things easier in the long run.
“Sure.”
“The guest register should be near the door,” said Alexis. “That’s what I’d do if I were you.”
The register for people to leave their memories had been hand-bound by an artisan who lived near the family cottage in the Mariposas.
After signing, guests would collect booklets detailing Malcolm’s founding of the Bread Company, a beloved local bakery before it became a multimillion-dollar enterprise.
Valerie had to put her foot down. “It’ll interfere with the flow if guests line up and block the entrance. ”
“Oh, look at that.” Alexis looked over Valerie’s shoulder, register forgotten, then pulled her hair up before letting it drop with a shake of her head. “Yummy. I hope he’s included in the event fee.”
“Don’t talk about people like…” Valerie’s reprimand died as she turned around. Standing in the doorway was a man backlit like a god from the heavens, so perfectly proportioned he could have stepped down from a pedestal at the Louvre.
Okay. Valerie didn’t entirely blame Alexis for her inappropriate reaction, although she hoped the poor guy hadn’t heard.
“Hi there,” called Alexis, giving a little wave. “And you are?”
“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.