The Party Planner's Problem: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (The Bennett Family Book 3)

1. Paige

We’re just going to skip all the bad decisions I’ve made in my life that have led me to this point. All the unfortunate hairstyles. The clashing outfits. The singing in front of my entire school on top of the lunch table thinking I sounded like Shakira.

I do not sound like Shakira.

No, we’ll just skip all of those unfortunate events so that we can focus clearly on this unfortunate event.

From henceforth this unfortunate event will be known as THE UNFORTUNATE EVENT. Capital letters and everything.

We are nothing if not dramatic around here.

But before I can go into detail of what this unfortunate event involves, we’re going to have to rewind a bit so you can fully understand why I am currently hiding beneath a table…

Sixteen Years Ago

I glance around the large estate, Ma is walking ahead of me, talking rapidly to the woman who she calls Hope, although I was introduced to her as Mrs. Bennett. Ma always taught me to call people Mr. and Mrs. so the name didn’t really seem that odd to me. What is odd however, is this sprawling mansion she so easily calls their home.

We’re a long way from Houston…

I hug my backpack against my chest tightly, following the two grownups with my head lowered, trying to understand their conversation. Something about their days in college… and Ma being in charge of the itinerary now… and us living here until we find a place… When Mrs. Bennett asks about Daddy though, Ma grows quiet, shooting me a hesitant look before Mrs. Bennett realizes I was following so closely behind them.

Daddy was gone. Ma didn’t need to hide that from me, I was awake the night he packed his bag.

“Paige, sweetie, I have two rowdy little boys that are just about your age running around upstairs. Can you go and make sure they don’t get into too much trouble?” Mrs. Bennett winks at me and I stand straighter, nodding quickly.

She directs me toward the large staircase that leads to the second floor and tells me where to turn to find her sons’ playroom. I leave my backpack by the steps as I start on my way down the second-floor hallway, listening as I make out shouting and laughter up ahead. Hesitancy climbs into my throat, boys are weird… would they be mean? Gross? Would they even listen to me when I yell at them to be quiet? Maybe they’d let me borrow some of their books if I didn’t boss them around too much… I saw their library with grownup books downstairs and I’m sure that they have their own stash that I could look at.

I’m slowly walking towards the noise when a door to my left flies open and out dashes a curly, brown-haired boy. He spots me and in an instant grabs ahold of my hand and together we start running back the way I had come. “Come on!” He says in a hushed voice, and I can hardly keep up with him as we run, stumbling a few times over my own feet, but that doesn’t stop him as he drags me further down the hallway.

Once we are a good distance from where he’d first grabbed me, he throws another door open and pulls me inside.

Into a closet.

With an easy smile, the boy flips the light on, and I glance around at the linens that surround us. Then realize he’s still holding my hand…

I jerk it away from him and scowl.

“You know it’s not very polite to just drag people around like that.”

He rolls his eyes. “If I didn’t drag you along you would’ve told Theo which way I ran.”

I cross my arms over my chest, still glaring at him. “That’s not true, I’m good at keeping secrets.”

He crosses his arms with an unimpressed look. “Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. It is.”

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. “Alright.” He uncrosses his arms and as quickly as he’d appeared from the room down the hall, he leans in and gives me a peck on the lips. “Then don’t tell anybody.” He grins as he pulls away and my mouth drops open, staring at the boy that just kissed me.

EWWWW.

The door swings open and we’re met with a blonde boy who doesn’t look all that much older than either of us. “Found you.” He says triumphantly before throwing a water balloon at the other boy that breaks and soaks his clothing. Then he’s gone again and leaves me alone with my curly-haired kisser who is now dripping wet.

The boy in front of me laughs, completely unbothered by just being caught and drenched, he grabs one of the towels that sits on the shelf next to us and begins to dry himself before shooting me a mischievous look. “My name’s Maxon.”

“I’m Paige.”

Fifteen Minutes Ago

“Order for Paige Knox.” The barista calls and I step up to the counter to receive my coffee with greedy hands. She shoots me a questioning look as I take the cup from her, which I can’t really blame her for.

“It’s been a long morning.” I say, knowing my appearance has already clearly stated that for me.

Because I was out in public in my pajamas…

And my hair was stuck up in a messy bun that was a far cry from one of those “cute” messy buns. No, this was much closer to the “rat’s nest” cousin of the trendy hairstyle.

My coffee maker died on me this morning. Not only died, but it may have started a tiny fire along with it… which I promptly dealt with by screaming, dumping the thing into the sink, and then spraying it down with water.

And yes, I did unplug the monstrosity before dousing it in water. I may be under caffeinated but I’m not stupid. So, off to Danika’sCafé I came still looking like I rolled out of bed. Luckily, my pajamas are just a pair of old sweatpants and sweatshirt so I don’t look that out of place, despite the giant stain that adorns my top. I take my cup and stalk towards the counter with sugar and cream waiting and begin to pour an adequate amount of sweetener into the otherwise bitter drink. Theo has always teased me that I don’t like coffee, I like sugar and cream with coffee flavoring… which I have to admit doesn’t sound totally disgusting.

“Paige?” I hear my name being called and inwardly curse.

Why, of all days, do I have to run into people today?

I glance up from my coffee and am instantly met with the bright and perky expression of Laney Douglas, my pseudo-brother, Aspen’s fiancée’s best friend who I helped host a bridal party with a couple months ago. I stare at her for a moment, as her hazel eyes travel me with a questioning look, taking in my entire disheveled appearance before stepping up across the creamer bar from me, holding her own hot drink.

“Hi Laney,” I say, focusing back down on my coffee, was that the second or third sugar? Let’s go with second… “I didn’t realize you were in town.”

“Yeah,” she says with a wide smile. “I moved this way a couple weeks back. Philly was getting kind of boring. Katie actually suggested that I check this place out, said that you and the Bennetts come here often.”

I grin back and nod. “Yeah, we’ve been coming here since we were in school I think.”

“That’s so cool, we’ll have to do coffee sometime, I know basically nobody around here.” She says and I nod quickly. Truthfully, over the last couple of years, my social life has been rather nonexistent. Between working as Mrs. Bennett’s personal assistant and starting my own party planning business, by the time I get home in the evenings I’m lucky if I even make it to the bed, much less have any kind of social outings. Well… besides the blind dates Mrs. Bennett keeps throwing at me. Maybe making a new friend in Laney Douglas is exactly what I need to get me out of the work-is-life funk…

“Yeah, that would be-“

”ORDER FOR MAXON GRANT.” The barista calls and I instantly spot Aspen’s lifelong best friend step up to the counter.

I drop to the ground.

Successfully hiding behind the sugar and cream counter and out of sight from the curly haired man that makes almost nightly appearances in my dreams.

No. Nightmares, Paige, those are called nightmares.

I glance up just in time to catch Laney’s confused expression as she leans over the counter to check on me. “Paige, are you okay?”

Fudge crackers.

“Shhhh.” I hiss, waving my hands over the top of my head frantically, as if the motion would magically make me invisible. Perfect, now not only was I hiding from Maxon, but I wasn’t exactly making a great impression on someone I just decided I wanted to be friends with.

There’s a moment of silence from above me, and I’m thinking that hopefully Laney has just opted to walk away from this weird situation and maybe we can laugh it off at a later date when something heavy falls from the counter next to me.

A wallet.

“Oh shoot.” I hear Laney’s voice, before I suddenly see her face, crouched down and peeking around the corner next to me, searching for a wallet I’m fairly certain didn’t “accidentally” fall. “Why are we hiding?” She whispers, blinking at me.

I stare at her for a second before responding. “Do you remember Aspen’s friend Maxon?”

She nods slowly.

I point over my shoulder in the direction of the counter. “He’s over there.”

Her brow draws together in confusion for a second before realization dawns on her. “Oooooh.” She breathes out as she grabs her wallet and stands back up.

I heave out a slightly unsteady breath, hopeful that I may not look like a total lunatic right before my heart nearly jumps from my chest when she quickly says “He’s coming this way.”

Abandoning my coffee on the counter above me, I shamelessly crawl towards the nearest table - which is thankfully vacant of any customers - and duck underneath the tablecloth.

I’ve always wondered what kind of coffee shop has tablecloths… now I believe it should be a standard for any and all establishments. There must be at least one table with a tablecloth for desperate women to hide beneath.

Satisfied with my hiding spot, I hold my heaving breaths and strain to listen to the voice that replays in my head like a Taylor Swift song.

“Laney?” Maxon says and I gulp, a shiver running up my spine at the sound of his deep, gravelly voice.

“Maxon, hi!” Laney says a little too enthusiastically. “How’re you? I thought Katie said you were out in LA?”

I pull my knees up to my chest, trying not to picture the last tabloid I saw of Maxon in Los Angeles. Accompanied, as always, by one of his famous, gorgeous, clients that everyone is speculating he’s dating. Maxon has kind of made a name for himself in dating the newest up and coming starlets, so when he was seen with the most recent blonde bombshell, they glommed onto her like ants to honey.

Which is ironic, because I’m pretty sure her name is Honey.

“I thought I’d come home and visit for a bit. I always enjoyed Buffalo in the spring.”

“Oh, yeah, as long as the snow stays away, I’ll be happy.” Laney says with a laugh.

“Eh, I don’t mind it so much, nice change from California.” Maxon says and I can hear the smile in his voice. I’m almost tempted to peek out from underneath my hiding spot and see his stunning smile for myself, but I quickly chastise myself. It would have been bad if he had seen me looking the way I did, it would be even worse if he saw me looking the way I did underneath a table.

“Were you with someone over here?” Maxon asks and an icy hand grips my heart.

“What? Me? No.” Laney says in rapid succession that basically screams “LIAR” followed by a second of silence before she gives an awkward laugh. “Oh, yeah, that’s my coffee too. I was grabbing it for a friend.”

There’s more silence then, and I wait, hiding, wondering what was happening on the outside. Then I hear slow, casual, footsteps slowly approaching the table I’m under.

Oh no…

Panic seizes me and I’m about to start hyperventilating when the steps stop right beside me, and then the bottom of the tablecloth is picked up from the floor.

“Hello Paige.”