Iowa was a new destination for Alexa, so far as she could remember. On the way to a new place, to meet new clients, she felt excited. A lot of people were not able to understand how she did her job, let alone how she got enjoyment from it. But that was the case. Satisfying clients gave Alexa professional enjoyment and satisfaction.
Today, based on the booking form, she expected to get both the enjoyment and the satisfaction. The booking was going to be a fairly easy one for her, falling right into her area of expertise.
As was often the case, Alexa had stopped for a coffee before completing her journey to the clients' address. This time she had found a quaint family-run place, much nicer than the chain establishments she usually had to use. The coffee break gave her a caffeine hit after her flight, and a chance to have a final read over of the booking form. On this occasion, it wasn't particularly necessary, but she did it anyway for the sake of good practice.
A notification appeared on Alexa's phone screen. It showed a new WhatsApp message. She smiled, seeing Clementine's name.
I made an appointment with the wedding planner. She is coming to see us next Wednesday. I can't wait! Love you. xx
Alexa smiled at the good news. The following Wednesday was a free day in Alexa's schedule, following a client having to cancel due to the serious illness of a member of their family. At her discretion, Alexa had decided to refund the client. Profiting from serious illness would not have sat well on her conscience.
Thankfully, the wedding planner she and Clem had been able to fit them in at late notice. Things would soon be moving forward towards the biggest and best day of Alexa's life. She couldn't wait to formally commit herself to Clementine, the love of her life, for good. She replied with a message expressing those sentiments, then downed the last of her coffee.
"Thank you, please stop by again," the elderly woman who had served Alexa called out to her from behind the counter as she got up and started putting on her coat, scarf and gloves. Iowa was damn cold at this time of year, she had discovered.
"I'm in the area on business, but if I'm over this way again I'll be sure to come back. That was very nice coffee."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," the woman said with a smile.
Alexa left with her mood lifted even further by the pleasant exchange. Life in this part of the country was a lot different to New York, she thought.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Alexa was pulling up at the address she had been given for her clients. It was in what Alexa would have described a rural town. The houses were well spaced out, and each had quite a bit of land around it. A nice, laid back place for a young couple like her clients to live, Alexa considered.
There was a car on the driveway of the house Alexa was visiting, but there was still space for her rental to fit on behind it. Driving carefully, she moved onto the driveway and parked up, leaving inches between the two cars, and between her car and the sidewalk at the back end.
Perfect, she decided, surveying her parking after getting out. Walking to the back of the car, she unloaded her travel case, then walked up to the front door of the house. There was a doorbell, so she pushed it and waited for an answer.
Nothing happened. After a minute, Alexa pressed the doorbell again, then gave the door a firm knock.
"I'll get it!" a woman's voice called out from inside.
Seconds later, the door was opened by a woman with bright orange hair. She was wearing a black t-shirt with 'I am the man' printed on it in white capital letters. A strange choice, Alexa thought as she smiled. "Hi! Alexa Bliss, A Moment of Bliss. You must be Becky?"
"Yes, I'm Becky," the woman said in a strong Irish accent. "And this is the doorbell I keep asking my fiancée to fix," she added loudly, for the benefit of her partner, who was somewhere in the house. "Please, come in."
"Thank you," Alexa said, amused by the doorbell comment. She awkwardly lifted her case over the threshold while Becky held the door open for her. The other client was coming down the stairs. She saw a man about Becky's age – they both looked a few years older than Alexa, she guessed. He had long black hair and a beard.
"I thought I had fixed it," he was saying, addressing Becky's comment about the doorbell as she closed the door. "Hi, I'm Seth," he said to Alexa.
"Nice to meet you, Seth. This is my first time in Iowa. It looks lovely."
"It is. Life is so chill around here. Come through to the living room," Becky said. Walking past Alexa, she lead the way down the hallway. Alexa followed, with Seth behind her. She was picking up vibes of nervousness and awkwardness from the clients, unsurprising from people who were using her services for the first time. Her first priority was to put them at ease.
"How was your flight?" Seth asked her, for the sake of making conversation.
"It was good, thank you. On time, no turbulence, what more can you ask for?" Alexa replied pleasantly. She found herself in a spacious living room that was furnished nicely, but not expensively.
There were a few seconds of heavy silence. Neither Seth nor Becky seemed to know what to do next. Becky fell back on the predictable. "Uh, can I get you something to drink?"
"I'm good, thank you. So, you guys are newly engaged? Congratulations!" Alexa said brightly. Her main motivation was to get them talking, so as to break the ice. It worked. Both of their faces lit up, and Seth handled the answer.
"Yes, just a few weeks ago," he said happily. "We talked about doing something special to celebrate the engagement. We thought about taking a vacation somewhere, before we had a better idea and went for a moment of Bliss."
"There's quite a waiting time for you," Becky said. She managed to make it almost sound like a positive, obviously thinking that something in such high demand had to be extremely good.
"I'm sorry we couldn't fit you in any sooner," Alexa said smoothly. "But I'm here now, I've read your booking form, and I know exactly what you're looking for this evening."
"And you're comfortable with it?" Becky asked, more than a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
Alexa reassured them both with one of her most dazzling smiles. "Absolutely. This kind of thing is my speciality. You're in excellent hands."
A/N: Many thanks to everyone who left a review last time!
Alexa has met her latest clients. What do you think they have requested for their booking?
As ever, a reminder that if you have anything or anybody you would like to see in the story, requests are considered.