LISA

"They had such a good time. Thank you, it was truly spectacular."

I smile at Mrs. Green, the mother of the birthday girl who joins us in their huge backyard where my team is helping me break down the setup of last night's party. A gardener is picking up trash that has ended up in the flowerbeds and inside, a team of cleaners is rushing to get the house back to its usual pristine state in record time. "Glad they enjoyed it. No trouble?" I ask.

"Absolutely nothing. Even the boys behaved themselves. As far as I know anyway," she adds with a wink, then points to the company logo on my polo shirt. "Do you happen to have business cards on you? Some of the parents have asked about that amazing fountain and the lights you provided."

"Of course." I pull a handful of business cards from my back pocket and hand them to her. "I'm just starting out, so any recommendations are welcome." The woman who was stressed and on edge, bordering on grumpy while we set up, is now all smiles and sunshine. Her daughter's sweet sixteenth went well, and she's managed to impress the other parents. Because that's what it's all about in the Hamptons; showing that she can pull off the best of the best for her kids. Here, being a parent is about as competitive as Olympic level sports. Mrs. Green has hit a home run and therefore, her recommendation is invaluable.

"Great. I'll make sure to pass them on." She slips them into her purse and pulls the strap over her shoulder, jingling her car keys in her other hand. "You have a good day now. I'm out of here so I don't have to look at the mess."

I give her a wave and turn back to help Randy who's loading my big light cube stools into the van. By placing these together, we've created snug seating areas in which the color of the lights can be changed with a remote.

"Is she happy?" he asks.

"Yeah. Very." I smile at Randy. He's been great and genuinely seems to have enjoyed helping me. "Two more bookings came in this week; I'll forward you the details in case you're available."

"Sure thing. The way it's going you might get busier than you anticipated."

"Let's hope so." I pick up the last cube and Randy hops in the van to take it from me. I'm so relieved that it went well, and I'm starting to feel cautiously optimistic. My phone rings, and I see it's Rose, Jackie's staging friend from book club. "Just a minute, Randy, I have to take this."

"Is that Lisa Manoban?" Rose asks in a friendly tone.

"Hi, Rose. How are you?" Although my meeting with her was pleasant and she said she might have work for me, I never expected her to call so soon, and I feel a flicker of excitement.

"I'm great. It was lovely to meet you the other day." Rose pauses and I can hear her flipping through paperwork. "Listen, I have five jobs between the eighth and the sixteenth of July, if you're interested?"

"Five?" My eyebrows shoot up and I give Randy a thumbs-up. "Absolutely." Not wanting her to know that my schedule is practically free, I add: "Just send me the dates and I'll check my calendar."

"Perfect. I'll email you the details. Two of the stagings will be fairly low-key as they're family homes, the other three need to be spectacular."

"I can do that. I'll give you a call to set up a meeting as soon as I've gone through it."

"Excellent." Rose chuckles. "This is certainly making my life easier."

After I hang up, I walk up to Randy and give him a fist bump. "Five more," I say, and he's so excited for me that it's endearing. Best of all, he has enthusiasm and endless energy, and because of his sales background, he's presentable and polite.

"I told you that you had gold on your hands," he says, giving me a pat on my shoulder. "You'll be able to quit that pool job soon. Just mark my words; in a year from now, everyone here will know your company." He hops out and I close the doors.

"I don't know about that, but it's a great start." Climbing behind the wheel, I'm glowing with happiness as life right now couldn't be any better. "How's your wife?" I ask as I drive off. "Is she suffering from morning sickness?"

"Yup." Randy chuckles. "She's sick in the mornings and gets these impossible cravings at night. Yesterday I had to drive all the way to Montauk to get her a fried fish sandwich." He turns to me and glances at me curiously. "What about you? Are you married or seeing someone?"

I'm so used to answering 'no' to that question that I automatically shake my head. "No. I mean, yes." Laughing, I shake my head again. "I've met someone. We've just started dating." Saying it out loud makes it real, and I like how it sounds.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Randy asks.

"Lucky woman," I retort with a wink.

"Oh, sorry." He blushes profusely and settles his gaze back on the road ahead. "I didn't know you were..."

"That's okay." I'm bemused by Randy's cluelessness as very few people have assumed I'm straight in the past. "Her name is Jennie."

"Nice name. Sounds classy."

"She is. And she's beautiful." Suddenly I feel an overwhelming urge to see Jennie, and I can't get back to the storage unit to unload fast enough. Having been busy with work and Lily, I haven't seen her in two days, and although we've called and messaged, I miss her so much. So this is what it's like, I think to myself as I turn onto the main road. To want to be with someone all the time, to have this constant yearning and smile each time you're with your favorite person. This is what it's like to be in love.