Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Carissa didn’t stop smiling the rest of the day and into the next morning. Part of her couldn’t believe she’d spent an hour talking to the same man who had driven her crazy only a month before about his son’s rehearsal dinner. But she knew him better now, and it was clear from their conversation he deeply cared about his children, even if he sometimes had a strange way of showing it.
Stop thinking about Max and get your head in the game. The potential client she was meeting provided the perfect jumping-off point for her new work planning corporate events. They were interviewing several companies for their annual retreat, and she was determined to win the contract. Her desire to expand beyond weddings was twofold. First, she wanted to prove to herself she could plan more complicated events. Second and most important, her wedding clients had dwindled over the last few years.
Some of that was due to technology. Modern brides and grooms had greater access to venues and caterers than they’d had in the past. They could also host smaller gatherings while sharing their special day with friends and family abroad thanks to livestreaming services. The accessibility of technology and direct communication had made Carissa’s job almost obsolete. Often, as Lanie and Nate had initially done, couples would contact her for her “day of” package, which consisted of a few brief meetings before the big day and coordination of the festivities. Though the package was popular, it wasn’t as profitable as Carissa’s more traditional service offerings.
Her location also limited her ability to attract new clients. Southern Maryland had built up in recent years, but it was still mostly rural with a few small towns sprinkled between vast farmlands. Clients in DC and Baltimore were less likely to hire her because of the distance, and though she’d considered moving, she would rather give up her business than the home she’d shared with Chuck.
For all those reasons, she’d decided to expand to corporate events, and she was excited for her first opportunity with Imaginavigation Enterprises in DC. Of course, driving into the city meant lots of traffic and parking, but she’d built in extra time just in case. The parking price tag was difficult to swallow, but she promised herself it would be worth it if the meeting went well. After leaving her car, she headed to the restaurant.
As expected, she was the first to arrive. She gave the hostess the reservation name and was led to a small table in a back corner. Not wanting to waste a moment, she removed her laptop from her bag and set it up. Then she placed the packets of printed slides at each table setting.
A few minutes later, the hostess approached with three men trailing her. Nervously pulling on her suit jacket, Carissa plastered a smile on her face.
“Carissa, so lovely to see you.” Jacob, the CEO of Imaginavigation Enterprises, held out his hand.
She’d perfected her firm handshake after her father had forced her to practice it for years in her youth. He believed the secret to any successful business transaction was in the handshake. In his mind, it could make or break every deal.
“You as well,” she said before turning to the other gentlemen who had accompanied him.
“I’d like you to meet Mr. Anthony Westman, our chief financial officer, and Mr. Colin Fields, our activities coordinator.”
After shaking both men’s hands, Carissa gestured to the table. “Shall we sit?”
The men filed into the three seats opposite her. Colin began flipping through the slide deck while the other two picked up their menus.
Jacob took the slides from Colin and set them on the table. “Let’s order first before we get down to business.”
Following Jacob’s lead, Carissa picked up her menu, though she’d decided before arriving what she would have—a simple chef’s salad and a glass of water. Her stomach was churning too much to eat anything heavy, and the water would help counteract the dry mouth she always experienced when nervous.
“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Jacob peered over his menu at Carissa.
“Not at all. Your directions were thorough, and I used GPS.”
He smiled. “I’m glad. The city can be hard to navigate when you’re not used to it.”
His condescending tone wasn’t lost on her, and she gritted her teeth. Part of her wanted to remind him that as someone who had lived in the area for most of her life, she’d visited the city on many occasions. But her father’s favorite quote went through her mind: “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” Besides, she hoped that by the end of the meeting, she would prove not only her competence but also her talent at bringing a vision to life.
“What are you having, Jacob?” Anthony flipped his menu closed.
“A steak, of course. My wife won’t let me eat red meat at home. Too worried about my cholesterol.”
The other men laughed, and Carissa forced yet another smile, but inside, her heart cracked. How she wished she still had Chuck around to nag about his diet. She swallowed the urge to defend Jacob’s wife, but she couldn’t blame the woman for wanting to keep her husband around as long as she could.
After the server had taken their orders, Carissa cleared her throat. “Would you like me to get started while we wait for our food?”
Jacob waved a hand. “I don’t like hearing a pitch on an empty stomach.” He leaned forward. “Besides, I’d like to get to know you a bit better before we get into the business side of things. Have you lived in Maryland long?”
“Most of my life,” she said. “My husband was in the army when we first got married, but as soon as he was honorably discharged, we came back to Maryland.” She looked over at the other men. “What about you all?”
“Anthony’s from New York, and Colin’s from Boston,” Jacob answered. “I’ve been in DC most of my life, though I was born on the West Coast.” As he took a sip of water, he gazed at her over the rim of the glass. “You’ve been planning weddings since you moved back?”
“It started as a hobby when we were stationed in North Carolina.”
“A hobby?” The skepticism in his voice was unmistakable.
“Quite a few of my friends were getting married at the time, and I had a knack for taking their visions and bringing them to life.”
“And you think that’ll translate to the corporate world?”
His expression had changed to almost a sneer, though she suspected he was trying to hide his true feelings. So much for saving the business until after lunch . But she squared her shoulders and looked him directly in the eye.
“I believe my experience would be a valuable asset for any event planning. Not only am I able to take an idea and turn it into a well-executed event, but I’m also used to working with people in highly stressful situations.”
Jacob didn’t hide his disdain as he snorted. “Weddings are highly stressful?”
Carissa took a deep breath. She would bet her right arm that Jacob’s wife had done all the legwork for their wedding and he’d just shown up, probably drunk, to say his “I do.” It was too bad his wife wasn’t the one she was pitching to.
“They can be,” she said sweetly, forcing a smile. “Especially if there’s any rift in the family.”
Their food arrived, and Carissa gave the server a grateful smile. Maybe once he had some food in his belly, Jacob would be more amenable to listening to her full presentation instead of degrading her experience. But she had to admit, things weren’t off to a great start.
The conversation shifted to a situation the men had experienced in the office, which left Carissa mostly to her own devices. She ate her salad in peace, clicking through her presentation while tuning in every now and again to what was being said in case it might help her pitch.
As soon as Jacob had finished his meal, he pushed his plate away and folded his arms on the table. “All right, Carissa. Let’s hear your pitch.”
Taking a deep breath, she launched into her presentation. The men were silent as she spoke, flipping through the slides and jotting notes in the margins.
“I believe I can take your ideas for your corporate retreat and create an experience that focuses on team building that’s fun and rewarding.”
She sat back in her chair and looked at each of the men in turn. For a moment, nobody spoke, and her confidence faltered.
“How much would something like this cost?” Anthony asked.
“That would depend on a few things, such as how soon you want to hold the retreat, if you have a specific location in mind, and how long you want it to last. But I have several contacts throughout the area, which would provide cost savings to the company. Those details can be found on slide fifteen.”
“Are your contacts familiar with the corporate world, or are they more geared toward social events like weddings?” Colin leaned forward with a raised eyebrow.
“I have several contacts that work with both social and business events. For example, I often work with local hotels for weddings and parties, but I have seen them host professional conferences.” She cleared her throat and snuck a glance at Jacob. “That’s why I feel I’m uniquely qualified to do this event because I would come at it with a different perspective.”
But Jacob didn’t seem impressed by her statement. “We’re not planning a party.”
“I understand that,” she said carefully. “But there’s no reason a professional retreat can’t include some fun, is there?”
“She’s got you there, Jake.” Anthony slapped Jacob on the back.
Jacob frowned at his colleagues’ antics and flipped through the slides. She held her breath. When he glanced at Colin and nodded, her heart jumped in her throat.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, we’ve been listening to multiple pitches over the last week,” Colin said. “We’ve asked a couple of them to prepare a proposal of three different options for the retreat with a detailed itinerary that includes information such as location, activities, theme, and the like. If you’re still interested in working with us, we’d need you to submit your proposal in three weeks.”
The tension in her shoulders eased. “That sounds amazing. Thank you for the opportunity.”
Jacob signaled to the server to bring the check. “Colin will send you the details for what needs to be in the proposal via email this afternoon.”
Her hands shook with excitement, and she tucked them under her thighs before anyone else noticed. She was one step closer to achieving her dream of expanding her business. With a lot of hard work and a little luck, it might be the start of a whole new life for her. And she couldn’t wait.
As soon as Carissa arrived home, she got to work, hunkering down in her kitchen to brainstorm ideas for her detailed itinerary. Relying on her experience in planning weddings, she believed she could come up with a unique offering others wouldn’t think to include.
She thought of how family oriented both Steven and Lanie’s weddings were turning out to be. Some of that had to do with Max’s insistence that he be involved, but a lot reflected the desires of the bride and groom in each instance. Corporations were always throwing around words about how they saw themselves as “one big family,” but what if she could create an event that backed up that statement?
She suspected most of her competitors would focus on the typical corporate week away, one where the company forced its employees to leave home and family to travel to some big city with mandatory participation in team-building activities. Sure, they’d have some social and networking options, but in her experience, it wasn’t something the employees looked forward to.
But most people liked going to weddings and parties. How could she bring that fun mindset to a boring corporate event? And was it possible to do so without breaking the bank?
About an hour later, her phone vibrated beside her. She jumped then glanced at the caller ID. “Hi, Max,” she answered a little breathlessly.
“Hey, are you okay? You sound like you’ve been running.”
“Sorry. I was in the middle of something, and the phone surprised me.”
“Oh, is this a bad time?”
“No, no, it’s fine. What’s up?”
“I wanted to hear how your pitch went.”
She blinked. That was unexpected. Since when did Max McAllister care about her professional life?
“Uh, it went well, actually.” She bit her lip. Should I say more?
“And?” he pressed. “Did you get the gig?”
A laugh bubbled up in her throat. “I wouldn’t call it a gig , and I didn’t get it. At least, not yet.” With a smile, she told him about the meeting and the proposal she had to put together.
“Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. Three different ideas for one event? Are they paying you for this?”
“No.” She sighed. “But that’s how this industry works. It’s highly competitive, and I need to make sure my ideas are top-notch if I have any hope of branching out.”
“What do you have so far?”
The blank screen stared back at her. Glancing at the pad of paper on the table in front of her laptop, she pursed her lips. “Fragments of ideas, but nothing that’s remotely ready to present.”
“Okay.” He drew out the word. “Tell me the fragments.”
She leaned back in her chair and frowned. “Why do you care?”
After a beat of silence, she wondered if she’d been too abrupt. Still, she couldn’t wrap her head around why he’d called her. While she’d enjoyed having coffee with him the other day, she wouldn’t exactly call them friends.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. You sounded excited yesterday about the meeting, and the plans for your company intrigued me.”
He’s being nice. Why are you giving him a hard time? “No, I’m the one who should be sorry.” Their rocky start had put her on edge whenever they spoke, and apparently, even a phone call made her suspicious.
After another awkward silence, she cleared her throat. “But if you’re interested in hearing my scattered brainstorming, I’m happy to share.”
“Share away,” he said.
“I have a few locations in mind, mostly local, but it might be fun to do a more rugged retreat. Like a trip to the mountains, where the participants could go hiking, whitewater rafting, or even rock climbing.”
“That sounds… adventurous.” He seemed to stumble over the word. “Were you thinking West Virginia? Isn’t that kind of far for the DC businessmen?”
“More like Deep Creek Lake,” she said. “It is quite a drive from DC, but I hear it’s beautiful in the autumn.” After putting her phone on speaker, she set it on the table and scribbled a few more notes on the page. “I’m hoping for something refreshing and different while still being fun.”
“It sounds like you’re off to a good start,” he said, and his sincerity caught her off guard. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”
She smiled. “I appreciate that, and I will definitely take you up on it.” Her phone beeped in her hand. “Oh, I’ve got another call. Can I call you back?”
“I don’t want to keep you from your work. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon for some other wedding-related event.”
Her chest tightened, and she almost ignored the incoming call to stay on the line with Max a moment longer. But Lanie’s name was flashing on the screen, and she couldn’t ignore her client.
“Thanks for calling, Max.”
“Anytime.”
Lanie’s call had been a request to meet the next evening. As Carissa headed into the school where Lanie worked, she spotted Max crossing the parking lot. His brown eyes crinkled as he smiled at her.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he joked as he opened the door.
“Any idea what this is about?”
“I’m as clueless as you.”
When they got to the classroom, Lanie was at her desk, poring over papers, and Nate was at a bulletin board, stapling colorful construction paper that had been cut into the shapes of autumn leaves. He glanced up at the sound of their footsteps and waved a leaf at them.
“Thanks for coming. You can sit in the back corner at the table.” He pointed toward a small conference table set up with four chairs.
Carissa sat across from Max and pulled out her planning binder. A moment later, Nate joined them and sat beside Carissa, leaving the seat next to Max for Lanie.
“Do you know why we’re here?” Max asked Nate.
“Lanie had another idea for the wedding she wanted to run by both of you.”
Another one? Carissa pressed her lips together. If Lanie had many more ideas, the wedding was going to get out of hand.
“How much is it going to cost me?” Max grumbled.
“She plans to pay for it herself,” Nate said, and Carissa didn’t miss the way his jaw clenched. She wondered why they had invited Max if they didn’t need him to pay. Surely, this was something they could resolve between the three of them.
“Hi, everyone.” Lanie slipped into her seat. “I’m glad you could make it.” She placed a collection of Popsicle sticks, construction paper, and string on the table.
Max and Carissa exchanged a look. Were they supposed to do an art project? She’d seen her share of strange ideas but none as odd as that one.
“So, since we’re having a Christmas wedding, I thought it would be fun if we gave the kids at the wedding the option to make their own favors.” Lanie gestured to the materials she’d laid out. “We could bring a bunch of crafting supplies, and they can make their own ornaments.”
At first, nobody said anything. Carissa hoped someone else would chime in. She hated to rain on her bride’s parade. When no one did, she squared her shoulders.
“Who would be supervising the children during this activity?” She tried to keep her tone gentle. In her line of work, she’d found the best way to lead someone away from an idea was to have them explain their thought process. Often, they realized they hadn’t considered all the work that would go into implementing the idea.
“I would assume their parents would,” Lanie said, though her forehead wrinkled.
“But isn’t one of your bridesmaids a mother?”
“Trudy has a baby, but he’s not old enough to do a craft like this.”
“It’s a nice idea,” Max chimed in. “Though I’m not sure it’s the best option to keep the kids busy during the reception.”
Lanie sucked in her cheeks. “Why not?”
“Crafts are messy,” Max said.
Carissa shuddered as she imagined sticky children with glue on their fingers touching the decor or, worse, Lanie’s beautiful dress.
Her client’s face fell. “That’s true.”
“But Lanie thought it would be a nice thing for the families to have.” Nate took his fiancée’s hand. “Something unique that would allow them to remember our wedding for many Christmases to come.”
As much as Carissa disliked the idea, she tried to find a way to salvage it that would keep the spirit of Lanie’s desire alive without causing irreparable damage to any aspect of the wedding. She met Max’s gaze and raised her eyebrows as if to ask if he had a way to preserve his daughter’s vision.
“What about if we have holiday-themed stained glass window kits?” Max asked. “You remember, don’t you, Lanie? You used to get kits like that for your birthday, and you’d make one for everyone else.”
“Are those less messy than glue?” Carissa asked, hoping to mask the skepticism in her tone.
“They have stickers that fit into the different panes of the design, so it should be.” To her surprise, Max winked at her. But thankfully, neither Nate nor Lanie appeared to notice.
“That could work,” Lanie agreed, but everyone could hear how halfhearted she sounded.
“Let’s keep brainstorming ideas,” Carissa suggested. “And I’ll research the stained glass things Max mentioned.”
“That sounds good.” Nate gave Lanie’s hand a squeeze.
“Was there anything else you needed to discuss with me?” Carissa asked.
“Where are we on planning? I want to make sure I’m staying up to date on deadlines.”
Carissa flipped her binder open. “We’re doing fine. I’ve sent the contract to the band we saw the other night, and we have the cake tasting next week. The wedding invitations should arrive at the beginning of October. We’ll need to set aside some time to get those addressed and mailed. But otherwise, we’re right on schedule.”
Her client sagged into her seat with apparent relief. “Thank you. I’m always afraid I’m going to forget something.”
“No worries. That’s why you hired me.” Carissa made a few notes about Lanie’s latest idea in her binder then closed it. “If there’s nothing else, I will see you next Wednesday for cake!”
She stood and made her way to the door. A moment later, heavy footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned to find Max hurrying after her. Her eyes narrowed as he neared. “Did you need something?”
He flushed. “Uh, Lanie asked me to walk you to your car since it’s starting to get dark earlier.”
“Oh.” Carissa frowned as Max opened the door. Her gaze strayed to the setting sun in the distance. “That was kind of her but completely unnecessary.”
“And I, uh, might have wanted a moment alone with you,” he continued.
She cocked her head. “Why?”
If she didn’t know any better, she would say he almost appeared nervous. But that didn’t make any sense. What would Max McAllister have to be nervous about?
He opened his mouth then closed it as if unsure of himself. Then he sighed. “I was curious about how things were progressing with your proposal for the corporate event.”
Although she got the feeling that wasn’t why he’d wanted to speak to her, she didn’t press. “It’s coming along well. I’ve started to put together the different ideas.”
“That’s great.”
They’d reached her car, and he stood awkwardly beside it as she put her binder and purse into the passenger seat. When she emerged, he ran a hand through his hair.
“I’d love to hear your pitch when it’s ready. If you wanted to practice on someone, I mean.”
“That’d be really helpful, actually,” she said, still unsure why he was acting strangely.
Though the summer humidity was hanging on, it was only a matter of time before the brisk chill of autumn would set in and the trees would begin to put on a colorful show. She shivered both at the thought and at his close proximity. The scent of his woodsy aftershave tickled her nostrils.
“I love the autumn,” she said suddenly, hoping to break the weighty silence that had settled between them.
“Me too.” He cleared his throat and took a step back as if he, too, had realized how close they were standing. “People hate it because everything is dying, but it’s nature’s reminder that even death can be beautiful.”
In another life, she might have thought his statement morbid, but having lost her husband, she recognized the truth in his words. She felt the loss in every fiber of her being, but she’d come to accept that death was just the final stage of life. And her husband had lived a beautiful life with her.
Nonetheless, an errant tear slipped out of her eye and down her cheek. She turned her head but not before Max saw. With one finger, he traced the trail of water the tear had left. His touch caused an unexpected warmth in her chest, and she leaned closer to him. He cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned toward her.
“Dad?” Lanie called from across the parking lot. “Are you still out here?”
Max and Carissa jumped apart with wide eyes. Without a word, Carissa hurried to the driver’s-side door, thankful they had been partially hidden by an SUV. When she was safely ensconced in her vehicle, she pressed her hand to her cheek, which still burned from the warmth of his touch. She didn’t know what had happened between them, but she couldn’t help wondering what else might have occurred if they hadn’t been interrupted.