The next morning, I was ready to face the day with some extra oomph in my step. I'd enjoyed the dinner party, and the few moments I'd had with Andrew were still fresh in my mind. I had two goals today: nail all of my work meetings and somehow manage to act cool and collected with Andrew. I liked him, more than I had expected to like someone I'd known for four days. But I didn't want to get too intense too quickly and scare him off. I mean, I think Andrew liked me, but I never knew how to act around guys. I wasn't the type to giggle and bat my eyelashes, and I could never read those hidden signals guys supposedly send. As I was contemplating how to balance "playing it cool" while also sending out "I like you" signals when I saw Andrew, I got into my car. Usually I took the bus or a taxi to work, but today, I was wearing my cutest red dress with a black blazer. I didn't want to risk getting my outfit messed up by some coffee wielding bus rider or some stick cab. My car may have been held together with duct tape and a prayer, but it got you there. I turned on the radio, blasting the song.
About ten minutes into my drive, it started to sprinkle outside. It was extremely peculiar, I mean, I lived in California. California that was known for its sunshine and pristine weather. But today was the second day in a row when rain had befallen this city, making my life wet and muddy. But I could handle a little rain. I trudged along, belting out a new soprano note with slight pitchiness, when it happened. Out of nowhere the cutest little squirrel with a big bushy tail decided that this world was too cruel for it to live in. I saw suicidal squirrel dart out in front of my tire and screamed as I simultaneously swerved my steering wheel and slammed on my brakes. The roads were just slick enough that my evasive maneuver helped me hit a mailbox and wreck my tire on a curb. My front hood was steaming, and I Took a deep breath.
"Crap," I said, glancing at the mangled mailbox and my car. I tried to back up, but I my car was making a weird noise that sound like a bird dying. I hopped out of my car, seeing the bushy tailed squirrel walked away, unscathed by the incident. I called triple A, and wrote a somewhat frenzied lipstick letter for the mailbox owners whose property I destroyed.
I waited for the tow truck to get there, and I knew I was going to be late. So I did what I had to do, I called Robert. His phone rang twice before Robert answered, skipping the pleasantries.
"Where are you Ann? We're having a staff meeting in ten minutes."
"Robert, I need you to cover for me," I said. "I hit a mailbox, my car is a wreck, and I need to get it towed."
"Wow, ok, I'll tell my mom you're doing something for me. But I might actually need a favor from you...can you pick up wedding invitations when you get a cab?"
It was dangerously close to helping plan a wedding for my ex, but I needed his help. Besides, picking up a box of invitations was not the same as watching him walk down the aisle to another woman.
"Fine," I said. "Text me the address and I'll talk to you about the meeting later."
"Ok, how was the meeting last night?"
"It was...good. I think I'll be a good wedding planner. I actually like Lacy, even if her fiancé was a little creepy."
"Usually people love Jerry and hate Lacy," Robert said. "But I'm glad it's going well. How did you hit a mailbox, by the way?"
"I was swerving away from a squirrel with a death wish."
"I see," Robert said. "Just try to remember this is an important time at work. I'm sure the squirrel was cute, but it's not worth another intern getting your position."
"Well, it just sort of happened. But thanks for the advice, I'll focus from here on out."
"Talk to you soon Ann," Robert said. My phone immediately started buzzing, and I saw Andrew's face on the screen. I clicked answer and tried to sound calm, even though I was mentally freaking out over the Lucinda drama that'd come later that day.
"Hey Ann," Andrew said. "How are you?"
I looked at my sad, broken down mess of a car.
"I'm alright," I said. "What's up?"
"So, I know my mother and I were coming into the meeting for the party planning. But my mom is busy, but my sister Gia has been begging to come. She wants to meet you...is that alright? Gia is better with these kinds of things, you know, family stuff."
"Sure," I said. "You can bring your rabbi if you really want. As a client, I'll do anything to make your event successful. But we have a slight hiccup today. I'm having some car trouble."
"Really? My Dad is a mechanic, so maybe I can help."
"I hit a mailbox, and it did some damage to my tire and the hood of my car," I said. "There was this squirrel in the road..."
"You swerved to save a little critter," Andrew said. "You're adorable, you know that? Where are you? I'll pick you up." In the distance I saw the tow truck approaching.
"Are you sure, it's not very appropriate."
"Ann, I like spending time with you. Besides, Gia will kill me if I leave you on the side of the road."
I told him where I was, and we hung up. I couldn't help but compare how laid back Andrew was, and how he'd offered to come get me with no questions asked.
I mean sure, I could have called my dad, but I didn't really want to do that when Susan was in town. God only knows what I'd be interrupting, even if Dad was dating a church lady. I paid the tow guy, well, I gave him my credit card information and prayed the tow wouldn't max it out entirely. And then I waited on the side of the road, hoping I still look cute despite the fact that I was wet in the rain. I saw a black 2013 Ford Fusion pull up, and I smiled. Andrew the bass player drove a ford, a very nice new Ford, but it was still good to see when he wasn't in something pretentious like a Cadillac or a Rolls Royce. The window rolled down and a young girl peered over the glass. I inspected her, seeing the same black hair, brown eyes, and strong face as Andrew's. Andrew waved from behind her head, which was inspecting me from head to toe to deem me worthy or not. After a brief inspection, Gia smiled at me.
"Hello, you must be Ann," she said. "I'm Gia. Get in so we can get you dried off."
"Gia, we talked about this. You're getting in the backseat so Ann can sit by me."
"Really? You're selling your sister out?"
"I don't mind the backseat," I said. "I'm just glad I got a ride."
"No, I insist," Andrew said. "Ann, I want you in the front."
"How about I drive, and you take the backseat bro."
"Fine," Andrew said, unbuckling his seatbelt. He hopped out and I waited for him to walk around, just make sure I was supposed to get in the front seat.
"So, should I take shotgun," I asked. Andrew walked over and opened the car door for me, smiling as he did it.
"Absolutely," Andrew said. "Sorry about Gia, I'm sort of a pushover with her."
"I'll sit wherever, honestly. I'm just glad to have a ride and get out of the rain. I must be a mess."
"You look beautiful," Andrew said. "I love the dress."
Gia honked the horn and my face heated up a couple million degrees. I got in the car and Gia handed me a towel, which I coveted like gold.
"I'll keep my eyes out for squirrels," Gia said with a hint of amusement on her face.
"Hey, I know this is a lot to ask," I said. "But can we make a stop on the way. I need to pick up some wedding invitations for Robert."
"Isn't Robert your ex?" Gia asked. "Why would you help him?"
"He covered for me at work since I am running late," I said. "So I owe him a favor."
"Gia, stop being so nosy. Ann, we don't mind taking you anywhere you need to go. We're free today, right sis?"
"Yes we're free," Gia said. "Forgive my curiosity, Ann. It's been a long time since my brother had a real girlfriend." I felt myself blushing when Gia said the word 'girlfriend' and I just tried to smile
"Gia, we haven't even been a date yet. Calm down."
"It's fine," I said. "I'm an open book, although I will warn you, it's pretty boring."
"Ok," Gia said. "So what is the deal with you and your coworker/ex? Sorry, Andrew tells me everything."
"There's not much to tell. Robert and I dated a year ago, his mom was psycho and it didn't work out. Now he's engaged to someone else, and I'm...I've moved on." I glanced at Andrew briefly, hoping he didn't read into my words too much.
"So he dumped you and now you have to work together. That sucks," Gia said.
"Actually, I dumped him. He was more than happy to let his mother bully me, and I didn't like it. So I told him if he couldn't stand up for me and treat me with respect, I was done. So, I broke it off, and I'm fine."
"Wow, a girl with a backbone and self-respect,' Gia said. "You're a rare breed these days."
"Not that rare," I said, looking at her. She smiled and I think we had a bonding moment.
"So, what about you? What do you do Gia?"
"She lives in my house and eats my food," Andrew said. "But she's also a student at UCLA, starting next quarter."
"UCLA, that's impressive," I said.
"Thanks. I mean, I'd love to mooch off of Andrew forever, but it got boring. To be honest, he was letting me stay there for a little while so we could see each other more. But I might move into a dorm soon."
"Well, good luck with that. I skipped over the whole college thing, but I think most people need to go to find themselves."
"That's what Andrew said," Gia laughed. "But of course, the only higher education he's gotten is traveling the world on tour."
"That's kind of awesome," I said. I looked back at Andrew, and he shrugged.
"Ann, I have pretty good instincts about people, you know?" Gia said.
"Ok...."
"I think you're good enough for my brother," she said. "Maybe a little too good."
"Gia, you need to stop," Andrew said. "You're being controlling again, little sis. The only one who needs to approve my dates is me. And today is about planning a party for nana and papa, remember? It's their anniversary."
"Right....Well, even if it's not needed, I like Ann. You're sweet and pretty."
"Thanks," I said. We pulled up to the place that made Robert's invitations, and as I got out, I saw Andrew following me.
"You don't have to come in with me," I said.
"Sure I do," Andrew said. "I need to make sure Gia didn't scare you off."
"I don't scare easily," I said, smiling at him. Andrew grinned back, and before I could stop myself, I quickly but chastely hugged him. He seemed a little surprised, since we hadn't really touched this much since our first dance at the wedding. But he quickly accepted the hug, wrapping his arms around me and inhaling like he was taking in the moment.
"Thank you for picking me up," I said. I pulled back, suddenly feeling embarrassed. What was wrong with me? You can't just hug people, even if they smell like heaven. What happened to playing it cool, Ann?
"No problem," He said. As we turned to go inside, I took a deep breathe. Before I opened the door, I felt something, a hand grabbing ahold of mine and lacing our fingers together. I may have spontaneously hugged him, but he'd responding by holding my hand. I felt my heart pound and for a moment everything was happy. Our moment was interrupted when Gia honked the horn in the distance, cat calling from the car. I shrugged my shoulders and went inside, not letting go of Andrew's hand, not for a second.
********
When the elevator took us up to my floor, Gia, Andrew, and I entered a mostly empty office. Suzy rushed up to me, looking worried.
"Where were you this morning? Did you steal my wedding?" Suzy looked panicked.
"What, no. Why would I steal your wedding, since I would rather die than plan Lucy Ravinne's wedding. And I got held up."
"Oh," Suzy said. "It's just Lucinda got pissed when you weren't in the meeting, and then Robert said you were doing something for his wedding."
"He covered for me," I said, glancing at Gia and Andrew. "Guys, you can wait in the conference room. I'll be right in to get started."
"Where are my manners," Suzy said. "I am Suzy, and I work here at Exquisite Events also. And oh my gosh, you're....You're Andrew Sinclair." I thought Suzy was going to hyperventilate, but she just continued to drool.
"Suzy, calm down," I said. "I knew you had a crush on Joel, but Andrew is a client so chill."
"Sorry," Suzy said. "I'm just a huge fan, and I am completely single and available."
"Suzy!" I barked. Clearly she wasn't getting the vibes that Andrew was here for me.
"Sorry again," Suzy said. Andrew just tried to smile at me, which was kind of adorable. I honestly had never seen Suzy react this way to a celebrity before.
"Let's go to that conference room," Gia said. "Take your time Ann." They walked away, and I couldn't help but watch Andrew as he left. I wasn't really the type of girl to admire men's bodies, but he had a nice, strong frame. Andrew always, whenever I saw him, wore jeans and various band t-shirts, but he always looked amazing. Mostly, I was 99 percent positive he looked good with his shirt off based on the way the shirts hit his body. Suzy smacked me, breaking me from my staring contest with Andrew's backside.
"Ann, please tell me you're hooking up with him. I know he's a client, but seriously, how yummy is he?"
"Don't say yummy," I said. "And we're not in the 'hooking up' stage, but we're sort of dating. After I plan his grandparent's anniversary party, of course."
"Hell yes girl," Suzy said. "I don't know where you meet these men, but I need some of your mojo. First Robert, then that rock god of a man. Although, I got to say, Andrew looks a lot better and doesn't try half as hard." I giggled a little bit, thinking about how particular Robert was about his suits and shoes. It was nice, and sort of sexy, to be around a guy who didn't use a blow dryer or worry about color coordination.
"Well, back to work stuff," I said. "What did I miss? And where is everyone?"
"Lucinda and Robert are doing stuff for the Del Vaughnn-Ravinne wedding of the century," Suzy said. "Which I need to get to work on as well. And the other interns are scouting out new clients. You and I are the first ones to get new clients in, so high five sister friend."
"Yeah, well, I'm running out of ideas after this client," I said. "But we'll see. I think planning stuff for Lacy Calvin will be a good networking experience. If I do awesome work for her, some of her friends might be interested in hiring me."
"Probably," Suzy said. "Honestly, I don't know how you can get any work done with a man like that in your life. I'd just take him home and use up all of my sick days."
"Suzy, I love you, but you're a little bit intense."
"Ok, back to work now," She said. I grabbed the notes Suzy took from me for the morning meeting and went into the conference room. Andrew and Gia were waiting, and I took a deep breath. Suzy was right, it was hard to want to focus on work with Andrew's deep brown eyes in the room. Of course, with his sister there, work was all that'd be happening.
"Your friend is very...friendly."
"She's a big fan of Triumphant Thunder," I said. "But so am I."
"Me too," Gia said. "So, what do we need to do for the party."
"Well, I have a list of menus to choose from for the food. You can just pick from the selection, or customize by mixing and matching."
"I'll take care of that," Gia said, grabbing the menus.
"Ok," I said. "For the decorations, I was thinking of having black and white family photos at every table, along with candles and nice table cloths. It's a family gathering, so there's no need to do anything pretentious or gaudy. I was thinking of a simple and elegant theme."
"I like it," Andrew said. He pulled out a thumb drive from his pocket. "This has over five hundred family photos on it, all labeled with who's who."
He followed my instructions perfectly, causing me to feel a little bit proud.
"Awesome," I said. "I'll pick out photos for the tables tonight and have them printed in the morning. I also want to make a slideshow with pictures of your grandparents throughout the years, and I'd like to include a video message with the two of you."
"I think Nana is going to cry," Gia said. "Ann, you're so sentimental. This is going to be beautiful."
"That's the plan," I said. "I think it's a beautiful thing when people have a strong marriage for so long."
"How long have your parents been married?" Gia asked. Andrew winced, but I waved off his upset face.
"They were married for sixteen years when my mom passed away," I said. "I like to think they would have stayed together longer if my mom had been alive. They really loved each other."
"That's beautiful," Gia said. "But I'm sorry about your mom."
"It's ok," I said, trying not to feel sad. "We have a few more details to get through." As we spent the next hour and a half planning the perfect party, Gia had drank seven cups of complimentary coffee and Andrew had been very sweet. He was constantly whispering sweet little jokes to me and telling old stories. I realized that it sort of frightened me how quickly I'd grown very comfortable around the bass player, because he was just easy to be around.
"Well I think we're good to go," I said. Gia looked up at us, her face somewhat greenish.
"Where is your restroom?" She asked, somewhat embarrassed. I pointed it out to her and she shimmied away quickly.
"Too much coffee," I said. "I don't think she even realized how many refills she had."
"Not that Gia needs anymore. She is sort...naturally energetic. Thank you for being patient with her. I know she is sort of nosy and bratty at times, but you two seem to get along."
"No problem. I like Gia, actually."
"Good," Andrew said. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow at three to get the party started. Unless you need a ride home tonight, I could pick you up."
"No, I couldn't," I said. "Besides, I have some work to do for another client, so I might be here late tonight."
"Well, I guess I'll have to take you out on Friday like a normal guy," he said.
"Absolutely," I grinned. "But I think next time, maybe it could be just us."
"I think that is a definite plan," Andrew said. "I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful." Andrew leaned in somewhat timidly kissed my cheek. I blushed, but it was nice. I don't think I'd ever been so effected by a man's smell before, but something about the closeness to Andrew made my head swirl. It was probably my hormones talking...
As I snapped my head back to rational thought, Gia walked back in.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Gia said.
"You too," I replied. "And hey, if you're ever in the neighborhood, we could grab coffee. Most of my girlfriends moved away and Angela is off on her honeymoon, so I could use another girl to chill with."
"Hmmm, you better watch out Andrew. I'm going to steal your girlfriend."
"Good luck with that," Andrew said, winking. This time, he didn't correct her about the girlfriend title. Curious, but sort of sweet. Mostly, I was too busy trying to look cool even though that small wink had me feeling like I could turn tomato red again.
"We'll see you later Ann," Gia said, pulling Andrew's arm. "I'm going to get him home before he drools all over the conference table."
I waved goodbye as they took off, feeling somewhat overjoyed. Sure, I still had a million things to plan for Lacy's wedding and parties. Plus I needed more clients, and my car was still at the repair place that I didn't have money to pay for. But I felt like I was happy, and it was because of a certain bass player with a perfect smile.
The phone rang, and I could see it was an in office call. That meant Suzy was calling me from her desk.
"Yes Suzy..."
"I just saw your man leave...does he have a twin?"
"No Suzy, calm down girl."
"I'll try, but Jesus, how do you get any work done?"
"I just do," I said. "Goodbye Suzy."
"Goodbye, lovebird." I rolled my eyes, but a secret part of me wondered about what she said. Was it possible that I was falling for Andrew, after just days? I mean, no, I wasn't in love with him because love developed over time. But I felt a spark I'd never felt for anyone else before. Perhaps that's why as I made plans, reservations, and phone calls, I felt lighter and brighter than I had in months.