Bay Area

Fantasy Event Planning

I sat at my cubical, making another list of possible wedding venue options for Anna. Going through my notes again, I added a venue to the list and took one off again. Suddenly a file landed on my desk, causing me to jump.

This should be fun, I thought as I picked up the file. "Owen."

"Trey said you're my assistant for Daisy's daughter's party." He reminded me. "So, I need a list of venue and bakery ideas."

"I thought you had the venue covered," I reminded him as I skimmed the file.

The only thing settled on was the party invitations; everything else was either started or, worse, not even touched. What has Owen been doing with Daisy? Why hasn't anything been decided? This party isn't that hard to put together.

"I can't help it if Daisy's being difficult," Owen answered.

I raised a brow at him. "Difficult?" I repeated, trying to hide my doubts.

I watched as Owen mocked and complained about Daisy. When his rant was mercifully over, my headache from this morning was starting to return. I agreed to have a list of venues and bakery options by day's end. I placed the file in the stack with my other work and returned to the list I had been working on before.

I was finishing the lists for Owen when a sandwich, bottle of water, and meds were placed in front of me. My eyes met with Trey's the moment I looked up. He had his keys in his hand and a stern look of disapproval on his face.

"Thanks," I stated, opening the bottle of water and taking a sip. "I was feeling a bit hungry."

"Is that why you have a headache?" He questioned, pocketing his hands.

"What headache?" I lied, going back to my stack of files. "I don't have a headache. I feel fine."

Trey wasn't giving in. "Then why were you rubbing your temples?"

I sighed, setting down the file in my hand. "It's not a big deal. Many things could cause headaches, and everyone has headaches now and again."

"But you're not everyone." He argued back. "Headaches for you could be serious."

"Or they could be nothing." I reasoned as I got up. I made my way over to him and stopped inches from his face.

"But what it is something." He took my hand in his and used his other hand to tuck some loose strands of hair behind my ear. "You know I love you and worry about you. You and Melody mean so much to me. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to either of you; that's why I don't like it when you come in sick."

I sighed, "that stack of files I have on my desk will not clear itself."

"Which is why they invented something called the home office." He pointed out. "Plus, you're an assistant, so the parties will not go up in smoke if something doesn't fall into your schedule."

Oh, if only he knew how wrong he was. He doesn't know I do more than assistant work half the time. If he did, we'd all be seeing another side of him. I shuddered at the thought.

Giving in, I agreed to go home early to get some rest. On the way out, I placed the work I had already finished on Owen and Anna's desks.

Three Weeks Later

Last week of March

Melody handed me the last pillow for the fort we were building. She clapped as I draped the sheet over the pillows and put on the final touches. As soon as I gave the go-ahead, she crawled inside and peeked back out. She was grinning from ear to ear as she peeked in and out.

AARRFFF AAAARRRRFFFF

I heard barking sounds coming from inside the fort. I decided to play into her pretend game. "Oh, is that a puppy, I hear?"

Melody peeked out with a whimper and a sad puppy face. I had to give my daughter props; her acting was pretty good for a two-year-old. She whimpered again and crawled towards me.

Picking her up, I pretended she was an injured puppy. Melody was thrilled that I was playing her game and loved the attention she got. As we played, I got her to pretend to be other animals that crawled.

"Ggggrroowwwlll," Melody growled as she crawled around, pretending to be a bear.

"How about seeing what animals we can find in your book." I showed Melody her favorite animal book.

Melody continued to growl as she crawled toward her room. I picked her up once we were in her room and sat in the rocking chair. She started to nod off as we read the book and was asleep before long. I tucked her into her bed and turned on the baby monitor.

Confident that Melody was settled, I looked up possible caters for a gala event. I was adding another cater to the list when a knock at the door caught my attention. Stealing a glance at the time, I couldn't figure out who it could be.

"Be right there," I head for the door peeking through the peephole before opening it. "Mabel, hi. I didn't realize you were coming to get the rent this month. I'll write you a check."

"Gabriella, wait." She called after me. "I actually came to give you back your deposit."

I stopped and turned back around. "What? Why?"

"Sorry." Mabel apologized. "I'm not renting this apartment anymore. My daughter and her boyfriend have no place to go, so I agreed to let her live in this apartment."

I sighed, taking the check she held out. "I understand. When do you need me out?"

"My daughter will be back in two weeks; I need you and your daughter out by then."

"Melody and I will be out by then." I agreed.

"Thanks." She turned to leave. "Again, I'm really sorry."

I shut the door behind her and immediately started apartment hunting online. Two weeks was not a lot of time to find a new place. This was not going to be easy.

"Momma." Melody toddled over to me, signing the word hungry.

I picked Melody up and sat her on my hip. "Looks like someone is up and ready for a snack. How about some fruit and yogurt?"

I grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and settled Melody in her chair. I watched her as she dug into the yogurt with her little spoon. She wouldn't use it for long before she used her hands to scoop it out. It had messy results, but she was being independent.

"Mmm." Melody smiled as she licked her yogurt-covered hands.

"Looks like someone enjoyed her yogurt," I commented, placing a bowl of cut-up fruit in front of her.

RRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG

"Hello?" I didn't tear my attention away from Melody.

"Emma, the reception hall for the Garcia's Wedding turned into a wreck." My colleague, Lainey's voice, boomed through the phone. "Get down here. The bride is a hot mess, and the groom is nearly there with her."

This was not part of my job description. "Fine, I'll be right there."

Splish! Splash!

What the? I stepped back, startled by the sudden chill I felt.

"Wat!" Melody squealed, pointing to the pool of water in the hallway. "Awa."

"That's agua." I corrected her, taking in the damage to the reception hall.

My jaw dropped at the wreck in front of me. The reception hall wasn't just flooded; the table and chairs were turned over, and the decorations were in the water. None of the water-damaged decorations looked anywhere near salvageable.

It didn't even look like the reception hall could be used again anytime soon. None of the decorations could be used anymore. This was not going to be an easy fix.

I picked up a name sign that read Blakely and Chase floating in the water. This isn't good, I thought, noticing Blakely and Chase sitting on the stage-or what was left of it. Blakely was crying in Chase's arms, but Chase looked like he was just a hair away from losing it too.

Darting my eyes back and forth, I debated between talking to Blakely or her maid of honor first. Bits and pieces of Chase and Blakely's conversation could be heard.

"Babe, I'm sure it's not that bad," Chase remarked with as much confidence as he could muster. "Maybe we can still have the reception here."

"Are we looking at the same venue?" Blakely cried between her tears.

I figured they could use another minute and made my way over to where Lainey and the maid of honor, Teagan, were talking with the venue owner. "Tea." I pulled her aside.

"Gabby, hey. I'm so glad to see you." Teagan greeted me with a hug. She tickled Melody's stomach. "And I see you brought our favorite giggle monster."

Melody giggled and pretended to be a monster.

I shifted Melody in my arms. "What in the world happened?"

"Long story short, a plumbing mishap triggered a whole chain reaction," Teagan explained, taking Melody from me. She settled Melody on her hip as she continued. "Not that we're not happy to see you, but why are you here? I thought Lainey was the planner for Blakely's wedding."

"She is," I stated. "But, I got Trey to let me be Lainey's assistant. So, I'm here assisting Lainey. Let me talk to Lainey, and once we get an idea of how bad everything is, we'll figure something out."

Teagan's eyes brighten with excitement. "No problem, do what you need to. I'll see what I can do about Blakely's emotional meltdown."

"Perfect." I agreed. "We'll come over to talk to you, Blakely, and Chase as soon as possible."

"You think I can keep this little giggle monster with me," Teagan asked, tickling Melody again. "I think Blakely and Chase can both really use some contagious laughter right about now."

"I think that's a great idea." I agreed, handing my bag to her. "Everything Melody needs is in there. We'll see you over there."

I saw that Lainey had finished talking to the venue manager, Hannah. This was the perfect time for me to speak to her.

"Emma, nice of you to show up." Lainey dove right in. "You have eyes to note the damage, any ideas on a fix."

So much for the formalities, I thought to myself.

"How about a little insight on the extent of this plumbing mishap." I pointed out, not even bothering to remind her of my name. "I need to know exactly what has been effects to do anything."

"You're kidding, right? You have eyes; use them. Do you see anything that doesn't have water damage on them," Lainey told me, gesturing around us.

I blew a tired breath feeling like I'd just heard an earful. This was just as bad as I thought. I glanced around the wrecked venue and ran a hair through my hair. "Any idea what will be usable next week?"

Lainey let out a laugh. "You're joking, right? With all the repairs needed, they'd be lucky to have electricity again by next week. There's no way a reception is happening here. We're lucky we even got the deposit back."

OK, worse than I thought, I sighed. I didn't have to read minds to know what Lainey wanted. "Let me guess; you want me to break it to the already distressed bride and deal with her meltdown."

"Well, duh. She is your friend, after all." Lainey pointed out as she dug in her bag for her phone. "Plus, if I need a new list of possible venues."

Lainey walked off to answer her phone without so much as a thank you. A part of me wanted to give her a piece of mind and then some. But instead, I sucked up all the anger I was feeling and headed for the stage.

"So, how bad is it?" Blakely asked when she finally stopped crying.

"Bad," I reported, taking a seat beside Teagan. "There's no way any kind of reception could be held here anytime soon."

Blakely threw her hands up and started crying again. "I knew it. Everything else has already gone wrong; why not add the venue to the mix? My wedding is going to be a train wreck." She cried between her tears.

I let her have her moment before saying anything. "Blakely, I get that it looks bad, but I promise you'll have an unforgettable wedding day."

"How?" She hiccuped and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. "Nothing is going as planned. This reception hall was the only thing perfect we had for the wedding."

I dug my notebook out of my bag. "OK, why don't you tell me what you like about this venue," I suggested, ready to take accurate notes.

Blakely calmly told me everything she loved about the venue as I took careful notes. I assured her that her dream wedding was not a lost cause before I went to talk to Lainey again. Lainey was still talking on the phone in the corner when I approached her. Something about the way she was talking gave me an uneasy feeling. I couldn't hear everything she was saying, but what little I could listen to gave me even worse feelings.

"Ray…..biggest client…Gala Event…..plans…." Lainey finally took notice that I was almost within listening distance. She stared me down for a moment before returning to her phone.

She approached me with a serious look. "How much did you hear?"

"Nothing." I lied, burying the uneasy feelings I had best I could.

She nodded toward Blakely, "so, did the bride freak?"

"I got them to consider new venues." I handed her the list of venue likes. "Here's a list of what to look for in a new venue."

She grabbed it and gave it a quick once over. "Serious? Your friend is basically describing this venue."

"This venue is unavailable." I reminded her. "Try one of the other venues on the list. You didn't take the bride and groom to all of them before they settled on this one."

She shrugged, "fine, whatever. Just have a list of other venues, just in case. Oh, and tie up any loose ends here."

Lainey left without another word before I could say anything. I drew in a breath and blew out a raspberry.

"Where's Lainey?" Blakely asked when I returned alone. "She only said like two words to us since we got here. How are we going to fix this?"

My eyes darted towards the exit. "She….uuuhhh….she had something come up. But she will call you guys as soon as she gets a chance."

"What?!" She started to cry all over again."This can't be happening."

I tried getting Blakely to calm down and take a couple of breaths. Chase frowned, seeing how upset Blakely was. "What are we going to do? Blakely's been dreaming of this day her entire life."

"Gabby, you think maybe you can help Blakely find a new reception hall?"

Blakely perked up at Teagan's idea, and her tears magically stopped. "Please, Gabby." Blakely pleaded. "Lainey's not the wedding planner I was hoping for. Half the time, she doesn't hear what we're saying, and the other half, we are making accommodations because she said what we want is unrealistic. The reception hall was the one thing we got that was everything we envisioned."

I took a seat on the wrecked stage next to Teagan. "That's what you meant by the reception hall being the only perfect thing."

Blakely nodded. "Yeah, nothing else is like we envisioned it."

I drew in a huge breath and blew it out. Blakely's my friend, and I want to help her, but Trey would not like it. I could already picture the kind of fury he would leash out if he ever found out that I do more than miscellaneous work behind his back. I shuddered at the thought.

"Sorry, Blakely." I dropped my head. "I can't. You know Trey would never allow it. He doesn't like me working so much with clients."

"Is there any way Trey would make an exception?" Chase wondered. "Just this once."

I let out a chuckle, shaking my head. "Nah, Trey is very adamant about me doing super light work. And if he could have it his way, I'd always be home with Melody."

"So, you technically shouldn't even be here," Chase concluded with disappointment in his voice.

"Well, you're my friends. So I have that excuse." I gave them a small smile. "But Trey wouldn't like it if he knew I was here working."

Teagan sighed. "So what can we do; can we trust that Lainey will help us?"

"You are still clients," I assured them. "Plus, I'm Lainey's assistant. I'll keep on top of her and make sure you have a venue you like next week."

Blakely pulled me into a hug. "Thanks; it means a lot that you came by today."

"Course." I returned her hug. "I better get this one home. I'll call you."

I gave Chase and Teagan a hug before taking Melody from Blakely. This would not be the last time I heard about Blakely's wedding from Lainey. Knowing my colleagues, it won't be long before I do more than assist with the planning again. Pushing all thoughts from my mind, I focused on the drive home and spending time with my little girl.

The living room was scattered with Melody's blocks as she attempted to build herself a giant tower. She was placing another block on top of the tower when part of the tower crumbled. Instead of trying to fix it, she pretended to be a monster and knocked down the entire building. She clapped and cheered between her giggles, watching the tower tumble.

I smiled, watching her stomp around, acting like a monster from the kitchen. Melody has such an incredible imagination. She was always imagining this or pretending to be that. My parents say that's just like me when I was Melody's age.

I participated in the arts, sports, and academics as a child. But slowly, art started to take a back seat to sports and academics. Eventually, sports took a back seat too, and academics became what I was known for.

Drying the last of the dishes, I joined Melody in the living room. "My little monster, can you show me how well you know your color?"

She nodded and gave me a block. "Boo."

"That is the color blue; good job." I praised. "Now, where does the blue block go?"

Her eyes darted from the block to me and back again. I could imagine the wheels and gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out what I asked.

"Boo. Boo." Melody placed the block in the blue bucket.

"That's right. The blue block goes in the blue bucket." I nodded, encouraging her to continue. Melody continued to name the block's colors as she placed them in the correct box.

"Llow." Melody yawned, placing the last block in the final box.

"Awesome job, my tired monster." I praised, picking her up.

She gave a small and tired roar through another yawn. Taking her into her room, I settled her with a book and bottle. "Sweet dreams, my baby girl." I flipped on the monitor and shut the nursery door behind me.

I was apartment hunting online when I heard a knock at the door.

"Trey?" I didn't bother to mask the confusion I was feeling. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a solution to your living situation." He stated, inviting himself in.

I shut the door behind him. "I'm not in a situation." I set him straight. "I will find a new place before I have to move out of here. There is no situation."

"That's the thing." Trey had a certain excitement in his voice. I couldn't be sure if that was a good or bad thing. "Why find a new place?"

I raised a brow, wary of where this was going. "Because if I don't, I'll be on the street."

"Not if you move in with me." He beamed with obvious pride in his idea. "It's perfect. We get more time together, which can only improve our relationship. It could also help me with Melody. It's a win all around."

He made it sound so positive, but I wasn't so sure about the reality of it. I picked my jaw up off the floor. "Trey moving in together is a huge step, and I think we should be sure that's where we are in our relationship."

"I get that you have a lot to consider when looking for a new place." Trey stated, "But please at least consider it. Come over and check out my apartment before you make a decision."

I tilted my head, confused by his comment. "I've been to your apartment Trey, a handful of times."

He shook his head. "Not when it's new and improved."

"New and improved?" I repeated, not sure if I should be intrigued or scared. Or maybe a little of both.

Pushing the thought from my mind, I went back into the kitchen. "Fine, I'll consider moving in together as an option."

"Yes!" He pumped his fist in the air like a kid who had just won the best prize.

I immediately shushed him, pointing to Melody's room. "Melody's still napping."

"Sorry." He apologized in a whisper. He was quieter, but I could still see his excitement. "So, what's for dinner tonight?"

I blinked, wondering if I'd missed something. I didn't invite him to dinner, did I? I shook my head with a small smile. "It's okay; it doesn't sound like you woke her. Just no more shouting like you're at a basketball game. As for dinner, it's overbaked chicken bites with green beans and oven fries."

"Sounds delicious. Then again, anything you make sounds delicious." He licked his lips, hugging me from behind.

I chuckled, turning around. "Flattery, very smart. It just might get you some extra fries."

He wiggled his brow, giving me a sly smile before pecking me on the cheek. "That's the idea, and maybe an extra kiss."

I pretended to consider for a moment before pecking him on the lip. "And maybe there'll be more of that." I teased him as I started an assembly line for the chicken bites.

Trey jumped right in. "So, did Lainey talk to you about the new Garcia wedding venue?" He asked as he whisked the eggs.

"Nope," I answered while working the cut-up chicken pieces through the assembly line. "I doubt she will be keeping me out of the loop for long, though," I added as an afterthought.

"The wedding is next week." He noted, tossing the oven fries and green beans into the oven. "It's not a surprise that she'll need some assistance."

"Not what I meant," I muttered under my breath.

"What?" Trey asked, confused by my comment. "What did you mean?"

"Uh…." I didn't think that Trey would actually hear me. Half the time, what I say to him seems to fall on death's ear. "I meant that we haven't exhausted all our options, and we've made miracles happen before if we had all hands on deck."

Trey shrugged, "guess you're right. But remember, all hands on deck doesn't mean you. You're an assistant and nothing more. We have to be careful of your health."

I sighed, feeling like I was listening to a broken record. It's times like this that make me feel like he's suffocating me. "I know, you told me before. I'm only doing odd and ends as always."

He tossed the coated chicken bites into the oven and pulled me into his arms. "Good."

I could feel his hot breath on me, standing inches from his face. My heart drummed against my chest as I waited for him to make a move. Every uncertain and frustrating feeling I had with him slowly melted away. Leaning in, he gently brushed my lips with his. There was a spark of something in his eyes when we pulled away.

Before I knew what was happening, he leaned again. This time the kiss was much more intense and with a hunger to it. He used his tongue to part my lips, which turned me on even more. I was just about to grant him entrance when I heard Melody.

"Wait." I breathed out as I pulled away. "Did you…."

Melody's crying came through the monitor again before I could finish. This time her crying was louder. We could hear her without the monitor.

I headed for her room, but Trey pulled me back and kissed me. He told me we'd pick up where we left off later before finally letting me go. I headed for Melody's room again.

Melody is sitting in her bed crying after waking from a bad dream. Picking her up, I sang to calm her down. After I changed her, she was her happy, giggly self again, and I figured everyone could use some dinner. I situated Melody on my hip and headed back to the kitchen.

"Tay?" Melody greeted Trey with a wave.

Trey's lips curved into a smile when he saw us. "Melody, there you are. I was wondering where my favorite two-year-old beauty was."

Melody giggled at his comment and attempted to cover her face. "Boo."

Trey blinked with a blank look on his face. He turned to me with confusion. I held back a chuckle as I set her in her chair. Melody uncovered her face and giggled again.

"Uhhh….babe, why?" He stammered out when Melody covered her face again.

I shrugged, trying to hide my smirk. "Try thinking of games toddlers love that involves covering the face and peeking out," I advised heading for the fridge.

Trey's face brightened as realization dawned on him. He happily played into her game while I cut up the fruit. I couldn't help but grin, watching them together. I've always been concerned about Trey's relationship with Melody, but rare moments like this made me wonder if I was worrying for nothing.

I watched them as I cleaned the kitchen. I thought back to Trey's earlier offer to move in with him. Maybe Trey was right. Perhaps this would be a good thing for Melody and his relationship. But part of me still wasn't so convinced that this was a good idea.

I felt so confused I was ready to scream. How could I feel like something is a good and bad idea simultaneously? It just didn't make sense, and I wasn't sure how to find the answer.

"What's on your mind?" Trey joined me at the sink. "It's not Melody, is it?"

"It is." I paused, realizing how that might sound to him. I sighed and wiped my hands on a nearby towel. "It's not like that. As a parent, you'll always worry about your child. As a single parent, I have more worries."

"Including her relationship with me," Trey concluded.

My only response was a slight nod of my head as my eyes fell on my little girl. There was silence between us for a moment as we watched Melody. He slipped his hand into mine and gave me a comforting smile.

"My relationship with Melody will get better." He promised. "It's already a massive improvement from when we first met."

I had to laugh at that. "You mean from her giving you a surprise when you tried to change her diaper and screaming so long and loud your neighbors called the cops on you, thinking you were abusing her."

He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, we didn't have the best start. But now she'd really warmed up to me. At least no sirens could be heard, and no unwanted surprises were given. And given more time, it'll only continue to improve."

I pushed my worries aside and focused on the present. Things could be a lot worse, I reminded myself as I grabbed the food from the oven. I seem to be saying that a lot lately.

I plated three plates and joined Trey and Melody at the table. Melody was happy to feed herself even if she did struggle with her fork. After a while, she gave up on her fork and started using her hands. It was fine by me, but Trey wasn't so keen on the idea.

"Here, Melody." He tried to feed her.

Melody scrunched her nose at him and frowned. I held my breath, waiting to see what she would do. It wasn't the first time Trey had tried to help Melody when she didn't want it. Sometimes it didn't end so well, and other times it worked out OK.

"Tank you," Melody grabbed the green bean on the fork.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Melody went back to her meal. Trey gave me a 'what now' look when Melody continued to eat with her hands.

"She does better if you let her be," I advised him.

Melody had covered herself in sauce by the time she was done. Trey offered to help me clean her but quickly changed his mind when she started to soak him. Melody was going to need a bath. It was easier just to let her run around in her diaper until bath time.

"Here, let me." Trey offered, rolling up his sleeves. "You can enjoy some time with Melody."

"No, I got it," I replied, placing another dish into the dishwasher.

"I want to help." Trey insisted. "As long as you don't give me any surprise showers."

I finished rinsing the plate in my hand. "Sorry about that. I guess Melody is still warming up to you."

Melody was imitating the sounds she heard from her little toy. She would giggle and clap after each sound she imitated.

"As much as Melody is getting to know me, I'm still getting to know her too. We'll get there."

I knew that Trey was right. If I was being honest, we were all still getting to know each other. Trey's offer snuck back into my thoughts again. Should we move in together? Was this something we were ready for?

I shook the thoughts out of my head. "If you're sure you have it here, I should put Melody down for the night." I decided to take him up on his offer to help.

"Go," He agreed, I'll finish up here."

Melody was barely awake on the couch. After the big day she had today, it didn't surprise me. "Come on, princess, time for a bath."

Melody woke right up and raced for the bathroom. I was right on her heel. I gave her a quick bath and settled her on the couch while I warmed her bottle. It didn't take long for her to start nodding off again.

I took her to her room once I had her bottle. She stared at me as I rocked her. I saw so much of Troy in her, and my heart ached as I wondered again if things could have been different. Melody was asleep within minutes, and I tucked her in.

Trey had just finished cleaning up when I came back out. "Thanks for helping."

"Anytime." He replied, as my phone went off.

Lainey's name flashed across the screen.

"Your friend is insane." Lainey cried out, skipping to the point.

"Hello to you too." I greeted as Trey gestured towards the door. I waved to him between listening to Lainey's tirade. "Lainey, why don't you come over, and I'll help you with the venue hunting," I suggested when she finally stopped.

Lainey arrived twenty minutes later, looking like she's been through the mill. Blakely had turned down every venue Lainey took her to, and now Lainey was out of patience and options. She was ready to toss in the towel.

"Here's the file. She's your friend; you deal with her royal pain." She thrust it into my arms and left before I could stop her.

I flopped on the couch, knowing it would be another long night. Even worse, I was doing work I wouldn't get credit for. Anger boiled in me, knowing I would not be getting credit again. I took a few minutes to list some positives in my life and simmer down before starting to work.

I had a new list of venues by night's end. I was tired enough to fall asleep on my feet, but I was happy to know Blakely's wedding could be saved. Before I turned in for the night, I checked on Melody.

Sleep started taking over as soon as my head hit the pillow. As I drifted off, I saw Melody and me in the arms of a guy with the bluest eyes. I couldn't make out who the mysterious guy was, but I knew we were safe.

Safe and loved for life.