The Flaw in the Plan
Chapter 1
Diaval stirred his coffee, mixing sugar to his entirely-too-bitter drink. He was currently in a quaint coffee shop, waiting for a client. He checked his watch and realized there was still ten minutes before the appointment time.
He didn't mind waiting, though. These moments in between meetings enabled him to sort out the tasks he had to accomplish within particular time frames. To the other people in the coffee shop, he probably looked like a busy professional, what with him sifting through papers, writing notes and checking his phone frequently. Little did people know that his thoughts centered on wine and food tastings, hotel reservations, flower arrangement portfolios, and tailor shop negotiations. A lot of his friends are battling with overwrought bosses, endless paperwork, and office politics; he, on the other hand, concentrated on pitching the merits of his business, placating overzealous brides-to-be, and trying to please everyone meddling with his job. Nobody said being a wedding planner is a simple affair, after all. It certainly isn't boring, that he can ascertain to people who ask.
Right now he is waiting for his current client, Leila Halloway. To his luck, she was one of his more agreeable clients. Diaval has met the groom, Michael Goldstein, twice, and he seemed a nice enough chap. Like most grooms-to-be, however, he offered pretty useless opinions on the intricacies of weddings, so he only worked with Leila. It's actually almost a constant in his job that he dealt with the brides. It was fine for the most part, except when they get too frantic and demand too many things. In his line of work, they call those women bridezillas, and they were a nightmare to deal with. Nevertheless, the pay is good and contrary to what others think, he actually enjoys his work so he makes sure to see every job through, even the extremely harrying ones.
His phone beeped, signaling the arrival of a text message. After reading it, he sighed and put his phone down. Apparently Leila couldn't make it today because of an urgent matter at work. Still, it wasn't a free pass, because she's sending someone in her stead.
"Mr. Blanchard?" He heard a voice ask. He turned to face the addressor, prepared to give her a polite smile. The smile, however, was wiped from his lips by the sight of the woman. Full lips, iridescent eyes, sculpted cheekbones- this woman is exotic.
"Are you Mr. Blanchard? I'm here at Leila Halloway's request." The vision in front of him spoke again, snapping him back to reality.
"Uhm yes. Please have a seat." He managed to reply, indicating the chair across him.
"So you're the maid-of-honor, Miss… er-"
"Mallory Moor. Didn't Leila tell you?"
"Nope. She just said she's sending the maid-of-honor today. No names. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Moor." He tried giving her a disarming smile and extended his hand. She merely raised an eyebrow but shook his hand regardless.
"Do you have the portfolios Leila asked for?" Mallory inquired, delving straight into business.
"Yup. They're in here." He passed her an envelope. She quickly perused the contents. Satisfied, she nodded.
"What else is on today's agenda?" She asked in a clipped tone.
"I was supposed to take Leila to see four caterers to test their menus." Diaval replied, putting his notepad and files back in his bag.
"I see. Shall we get going, then?"
"Ah, so eager to get this over with, aren't you?" Diaval teased. Mallory only shrugged in response.
This is going to be a long day.
Diaval was not used to silence. He doesn't mind being alone for the most part, but when he's with another person, he's used to filling the atmosphere with conversation. Currently, however, he was sitting in the car with a companion who has no inclination of chatting whatsoever.
Starting to get antsy, he blurted out, "Seems like Leila trusts your judgment."
Startled, Mallory turned to him and curtly asked, "Care to elaborate?"
At least she didn't ignore me, Diaval thought. "I've been working with Leila for a couple of weeks now, and she's always been a hands-on client. She's not like past clients that run me ragged but she has always endeavored to be involved in every aspect of the planning. I honestly thought she would just set another date for the tastings today, so that she can be here herself."
He noticed her lips formed a moue and her eyebrows quirked, as if she was surprised he has actually thought this out. "If it was any other task, she probably wouldn't have let me go," she replied, "but since it's just food tastings, I was deemed good enough of a substitute."
"Oh. Why is that?" Diaval queried quite eagerly, trying to prolong the exchange.
"I was once a restaurateur." Mallory answered, looking out at the urban scenery flashing outside the car window.
"Really? That's pretty cool. Why'd you stop?"
"Are you normally this talkative, Mr. Blanchard?" Mallory countered, a tad tersely.
"I suppose. I just like conversations in general. I feel like when you're with another person, you should at least make an effort to connect, you know?" Diaval shrugs, casually checking his side mirror before making a turn.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Mallory shake her head slightly. To him, she said, "No wonder you and Leila get along so well."
"And I wonder why you and Leila get along at all, if you're so averse to chatter." Diaval remarked, with a hint of amusement. They've arrived at their first destination, and he parked at one of the few slots available outside the establishment.
Mallory fiddled with her seatbelt. If Diaval wasn't looking t her, he would have missed the softening of her features, the obvious fondness in her eyes.
"It might have something to do with her being the best person I know", Mallory mutters before exiting the vehicle.
Diaval smiled.
Diaval didn't realize that being an ex-restaurateur equated to being an extremely nitpicking client. They were on their way to the last restaurant scheduled for today- not because they were checking their options, but because the first three hadn't met Mallory's standards at all. Her comments were, at first, amusing, but after the third restaurant he was starting to get annoyed. Hopefully the fourth makes the cut, because truthfully, these were the four best establishments he's worked with in the past and he's out of contacts if the last one fails.
"Is something the matter?" Mallory broke his musings with the inquiry.
"Huh? Why'd you ask?"
"You seem frustrated." Mallory remarked.
"How'd you know?" He asked, surprised she has picked up on it.
"You keep running your hands through your hair." She pointed out, which takes him aback further.
"So you've been observing my beautiful self, haven't you? Couldn't resist?" Diaval joked, smirking.
Mallory rolled her eyes. "It's not you, it's me- I'm just good at noticing people."
"Whatever you say", he drawled, provoking her further.
"Oh, just answer my initial question." She retorted.
"Fine, fine. It's your fault, really." Diaval huffed.
"What did I do?"
"You're a hard person to please! For your information, I've worked with all three catering places we've been to, and my previous clients never had qualms about them. But you found fault in the smallest of things. They're going to cater a wedding, not a presidential dinner!"
"Is it so wrong to demand perfection from them? I refuse to put them to a lesser standard than I would my own restaurant."
"The restaurant you no longer own, according to you." He exclaimed offhandedly, only realizing after he blurted it out that it was the wrong thing to say.
"Not because of subpar service and food quality!" She retorted, shooting him a nasty glare.
Diaval sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. That was rude. It's just that, if this last one still isn't to your liking, then we're starting from scratch."
"It's not going to be a problem. I still have contacts in the business, although admittedly they're expensive alternatives. I'm sorry if I'm being more critical than what you're used to. I just want Leila's wedding to be perfect, okay?"
Diaval nodded. "Got it." Then he softly added, "You're a good friend, Miss Moor."
"Just drive, Mr. Blanchard." Mallory commanded, her tone lighter than before. Diaval complied with a grin.
"Did you intentionally save the best for last?" Mallory asked between bites of their halibut and white asparagus risotto.
"Oh, is this one up to your standards?" Diaval replied, perking up at the thought.
"I think so. Their service isn't pretentious and the food is exceptional. Take this dish for example. First off, the mint is a crazy addition yet it actually gave the dish a depth of flavor. The risotto is cooked with great finesse, and the sear on the halibut is perfect all around. If you cut through it, you'll see it's glistening and moist…"
Mallory went on pointing out different components of the dish and describing them. Just one glance at her and one can see that this is something she finds fascinating, and the obvious pleasure in her eyes makes Diaval smile.
"Did I say something funny, Mr. Blanchard?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh nothing, really. You just look like you're having fun. You're a food nerd." He quipped. She rolled her eyes, but this time it isn't out of annoyance.
"Owning a restaurant means you have to have an extensive knowledge of food, you know. There is so much to cooking that, I think, people should learn to appreciate more."
"If you love it so much, why'd you quit?" Once again, Diaval spoke without thinking. He really has no filter sometimes.
He was preparing to be shut down again, but instead Mallory gave him a real, albeit short response. "I was a great cook but an awful businesswoman."
"So what do you do for a living now?" Diaval asked, pushing his luck further.
"I'm an editor for a publishing company." Mallory replied before taking another bite of her dish.
"Do they publish cookbooks?"
"No, just regular fiction books."
Diaval frowned. "Do you plan on reopening your place?"
"What's with the sudden interest in my life, Mr. Blanchard?"
"You're a person of contradictions. I find that intriguing." He stated unapologetically.
"How am I 'a person of contradictions'?"
"You're best friends with a person who's your complete opposite, and your passion is food yet your line of work has nothing to do with it. That's odd, isn't it?"
She heaved a sigh. "I am not a puzzle to solve, Mr. Blanchard."
"Just Diaval. Mr. Blanchard is a mouthful, isn't it?"
"It's just a syllable longer. I don't mind the extra work." Mallory countered, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
"Finally!" Diaval exclaimed, snapping his seatbelt into place.
"If you took me here first thing, we wouldn't have had to trudge along all day and waste our time, would we?" Mallory remarked.
"Okay, fine. Still, it wasn't such a waste of time spending the day with me, don't you think? I am, after all, scintillating company." He smirked, revving the engine.
"Are you always this vain?"
"I have a right to be."
"You're annoying."
"What a brilliant comeback." He laughed when he heard her huff in exasperation.
"Shut up and take me home." She mumbled.
His grin grew wider. "Was that a proposition?"
"What? No! I meant drive me home, you insufferable man!"
"As you wish, mistress."
She shook her head in defeat.
A/N: Hello! It's me again, this time with an AU. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but right now it's at 5k words and is nowhere near over, so I divided it into parts.
Should I continue?
Cheers!