A Convenient Arrangement (14 page)

“My wedding,” Milan mused, reaching out toward a picture of a bouquet made up of orchids and magnolias.

“Her style.” A look of revelation spread over Mrs. Vanderpelk’s face. “Yes, Milan’s style is unique and amazing, with such wit and charm.”

Milan looked up from the picture toward her mother suspiciously, but her face relaxed into a slight smile when she noted Mrs. Vanderpelk’s sincerity.

Her mother continued. “She’s had her own style since she was a child. Haven’t you, darling?”

Milan nodded. She reached down the table and started pulling more pictures toward her. “Yes. Yes, I have.” She looked at Gwen. “You’re absolutely right, let’s focus on my aesthetic as the place to begin.”

Gwen returned her nod and took a long deep breath. Calmer. Milan and her mother both seemed calmer now they had agreed upon a place to begin. Yes, Gwen had dealt with many, many overindulged and entitled brides, and most, she’d discovered, had similar fears and triggers. These women had been given every
thing
any person could want while growing up, but the one thing their childhoods had lacked was the praise and attention of their parents.

Milan did have an aesthetic, and she knew it, but her own sense of self and style had gone unrecognized until this very moment, by the one person who had been perhaps the most important in her life, her mother. Gwen’s chest tightened and she reached for the look-book that contained pictures of cakes.

Yes, a mother, a woman who was meant to be your template, to give you praise and attention, to instill in you a sense of value and self-worth and importance in the world. A strong woman who loved you and who you were.

Deep breath.

Gwen had been lucky. She’d had such a mother, if only for a short while. She pasted her professional smile onto her face and turned to Milan. The bride-to-be now sat surrounded by glossy pictures, a tiny smile hovering on her lips. Gwen would focus, as she had before, on helping this bride articulate her own style, all while maintaining a calm, pleasant demeanor. But inside she felt the Vanderpelk-Westerfeld wedding couldn’t get here soon enough.

*

“I didn’t agree to media interviews.” Leo glared across the table at his app designers.

Ilko took a bite of the yellowtail sashimi, unfazed, and Todd shoved an entire salmon nigiri into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed. “Bruh, you’ve got to have the media fix. You’re a businessman. A successful businessman. You had to know we’d need some interviews when you said yes to the campaign.” He upended his cup of hot sake into his mouth. His fingernails were painted black with white skulls, probably to match the white skull-and-crossbones motifs bleached into his beard on each cheek.

“Just a couple interviews.” Today, Ilko’s hair was the same yellow as a newborn chick’s fluff. She wore a red captain’s cap and big red glasses. Leo thought she had kind of a Ronald McDonald vibe going. “Nothing too major.
New York Times
,
Forbes
—”

“
Wired
.”

“A few more.”

“They love you man. I mean, we had to cut off the interviews at twenty-five—”

“Twenty-five?” Leo froze, his chopsticks gripping a tuna roll suspended in midair. Yes, he was good with the media, and he’d been giving interviews ever since he’d started working at Travati Financial, but these interviews about the Convenient Arrangement app would get personal. How could they not delve into his lifestyle—past, present, and future? He wasn’t exactly certain what his lifestyle would be in the future, at least not the near future. He wasn’t participating in a convenient arrangement, he was in a relationship. Or he guessed that’s what the thing with Gwen was, because they’d spent nearly every night together since his disastrous attempt at dinner. Giving interviews to multiple media outlets about his “Convenient Arrangement” lifestyle when he was actually in a real relationship stunk of hypocrisy, and Leo didn’t like that smell. “When?”

“The interviews? They begin end of this week. You’re booked for two days of back to back to back, almost like a press junket for an app.” Ilko high-fived Todd. “So awesome. The media is going to be strong behind this launch. This plus the party—”

“Hey,” Todd jumped in, “did that party planner lady, what’s her name, Jenn or—”

“Gwen.” Leo sipped his hot tea. The nonchalance with which Todd tossed around Gwen’s name irritated him. She wasn’t just “that party planner lady.” No, she was so much more. More than even he’d imagined. Thoughts of her lips, her eyes, her flesh careened through his mind. Damn. He’d spent last night at her apartment, he could barely stand being away from her today, and it was only Tuesday. Not his style. But he was definitely having her over to his place tonight. So much for playing the whole damn thing cool.

“Right, Gwen.” Todd pointed his chopstick at Leo. “Did she talk to you about that venue we want?”

“The Puke Palace?” Leo lifted an eyebrow. “Uh, no. Absolutely not. Gwen will be making the venue selection.”

“That wasn’t part of our deal.” Todd slouched back against the chair. His shoulders hunched and his lips twitched, as though he were an annoyed adolescent.

“Nor was it part of our deal that the two hundred A-list guests I’ve invited be forced to attend a launch party in a venue that has vomit on the floor.” Leo leaned forward. “Look, I’m doing the media campaign, Gwen is selecting the venue. You two will still determine the look and the feel of the launch party, but I need the location to be safe, convenient, and clean.” These weren’t big asks. Then again, maybe they were for Ilko and Todd, who were used to having their own way. As the hippest in the room, backed up with their track record of success, they had everyone catering to them and their wants in the hopes of using their brains and their hipness to strike it rich. Hell, Leo had said yes to this app because it was Ilko and Todd asking to create it. They had the sales to back up their reputations, but regardless, he was not having the launch party in a place that deserved a condemned sign.

“I’m chill with that,” Ilko said. She looked at Todd, who gave a grudging nod.

“Great. Liaise with Gwen.” Leo put his credit card on the plastic tray holding the check. “Now, I want a complete list of all the media outlets.”

*

“Tell me about your date last weekend.” Aubrey lay on her bed, propped up on a mountain of pillows. Gwen had come by to talk planning, but clearly her friend wasn’t willing to be put off any longer.

Gwen blushed. Her date, her weekend, had been fabulous. Beyond what she could have wanted. It was only Wednesday and already she’d had dinner with Leo two times this week. She expected a text asking her to come by his place tonight.

Aubrey smiled and looked down at her lap to scroll through the pictures Gwen had loaded onto the iPad: the color palette, decorations, and floral arrangements Gwen envisioned for the baby shower.

“The date was good.” Gwen turned toward the window and bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to lie to Aubrey, but she definitely wasn’t ready to tell her, or anyone else, that Leo had taken up residence in her mind and sexual fantasies. Especially knowing how Aubrey felt about Leo and his dating habits.

“Just good? Or
really
good?”

As much as she wanted to downplay it right now, the happiness Gwen felt couldn’t be denied, and her smile stretched across her face. “Really good.”

Aubrey put down the iPad and clasped her hands together. “Oooh, we like really good. Tell me.”

“What’s to tell? He tried to cook on Friday, which was a complete fail, so we ordered Chinese food and stayed in.”

“And you stayed over.”

“Mmhm, I stayed over and then he came to my place on Saturday and I cooked, which I have to say was much better than his cooking.” Gwen sat on the corner of the bed. It wouldn’t hurt to tell Aubrey some of the details.

“Well, of course. You’re a great cook. I love your roasted chicken with rosemary potatoes.”

“That’s what I made. He loved it too.”

“And Sunday?

“Breakfast, a movie, and then he went home.”

“That’s it? Nothing since then?”

Gwen couldn’t hide her widening smile. Really, why should she?

“Stop! You’ve seen him every night?”

“Not
every
night,” Gwen hedged.

“Most every night?”

Gwen nodded. Aubrey beamed, but Gwen knew that Aubrey wouldn’t be nearly as happy if she had any idea who Gwen was talking about. She certainly wouldn’t be encouraging Gwen to see him.

“Monday and Tuesday,” Gwen whispered.

“That is every night.”

“We didn’t stay together on Sunday.”

“Puh-lease. The exception that proves the rule. This is going fast. You look so happy.” Aubrey rested a hand on her pregnant belly. “When do we get to meet him? You know you can’t hold me and Shelly off for long, and Nina will be back from Kansas soon. We have to see if this guy is okay for you. Give you our stamp of approval.”

Gwen’s stomach flipped. Uh-oh. No, Aubrey would not give her stamp of approval on this relationship. Nope. Instead, she’d be warning Gwen away and forcing Justin to have a serious conversation with Leo.

“Um, not just yet.”  Gwen traced her fingertip along the embroidery of Aubrey’s duvet. “It’s…I mean, I just…”

“I get it. It’s new, and I understand. Everything seems so great and yet so fragile at the same time.”

Gwen looked up to meet Aubrey’s gaze. “Exactly.”

“And you don’t want to put any additional pressure on the relationship just yet,” Aubrey continued. “Almost as though all those outside influences could make the whole thing break, right?”

“It’s like you’re in my brain.” Gwen’s feeling of relief mingled with guilt. It felt lousy to be hiding things from a friend who understood her so well.

Aubrey nodded and put her palms together. “Fine, we’ll give you space.” Then a mischievous grin curved over her lips. “For a while.”

Gwen’s heart rate picked up speed.

“But if this thing lasts more than a month, come on, you’ve got to let us meet him.”

A month? She hoped this “thing” would last years, perhaps even a lifetime. Leo was…he was perfect. Exactly what she wanted in a man—charming, funny, handsome, successful. Plus, she’d spent the better part of two years working with and around him. She knew who Leo was on a professional level, and now she was learning about him on a personal level too. The evidence of Leo’s good qualities was drowning out the inner voice that clamored on and on about her fears: He was a commitment-phobe, a workaholic, a confirmed and dedicated bachelor, a man who eschewed having children, who didn’t want to settle down.

“I can do that,” Gwen conceded. “I mean, if it lasts.”

“If this guy is even half as taken with you as you are with him, then how could it not? I mean, the look in your eyes?  I only see that when someone is madly in love. I know it’s early days, but you just…you’re glowing with joy.”

“You’re the one who’s supposed to be glowing.”

“Oh, I am glowing,” Aubrey said, stroking her hand over her belly. “The doctor said I can come to the launch party.” She picked up the iPad from the bed. “Everything with the baby looks good, and by the time that event happens it absolutely won’t matter if I go into labor.”

“That’s still a while off.”

“Tell me about it.” Aubrey released a sigh. “Everyone is being so nice, and I know I’m turning into a big complainer, but I can’t tell you how absolutely bored out of my mind I am.” She turned her attention toward the iPad. “I like these floral arrangements for the baby shower.” She pointed to a picture of cut roses tightly packed into a square vase. “Did you contact the venue?”

“Shenille was lovely. Said she completely understood the situation with your bed rest. They’re returning your entire deposit.”

“Really?” Aubrey clasped her hand to her chest. “I love them.” Her eyes started to tear.

“Oh my”—Gwen jumped up to get the tissues beside the bed and extended them to Aubrey—“are you okay?”

Aubrey plucked two tissues from the box and dabbed her eyes. “Yes, of course. I mean yes…it’s the hormones. I’m as big as a whale and—” Her face crumpled into a full-on crying jag.

Oh dear. Gwen pulled Aubrey in for a hug.

“I’m just so damn emotional all the time.” Aubrey pressed the tissues to her eyes and nose. “I’m so lucky you’re here and in my life. I don’t want to be sad around Shelly. I mean, she just got engaged, and Nina’s so far away right now. What would I do without you?”

Gwen hugged her best friend closer. Renewed guilt tugged her heart. She was lying to Aubrey. Fibbing, really, by not telling Aubrey about Leo. But goodness, if Aubrey was crying over floral arrangements and guest lists, what would she do if Gwen told her about Leo? Who knew? No, best to wait, see if this “thing” even kept going. While Leo was perfect, made her heart beat fast and her toes curl, that didn’t change the fact he seemed to want a very different future than she did. No, now was not the time to tell Aubrey about Leo.

Aubrey sniffled and picked up her phone. Her tears faded as quickly as they had started, and a faint watery smile replaced them. “I almost forgot. Nina texted me an hors oeuvres menu and asked me to pass it along to you. See what you think.” She touched the screen a few times to get to the correct message, then forwarded the text. “Said you can text her any time, but I’m still restricted.”

“When does she get back?”

“First week of March, just before the baby shower. Which really isn’t that long from now, unless of course you’re trapped in a bed on bed rest.”

Gwen pulled out her own phone and skimmed the forwarded text. “Excellent menu. And ooo, I love her crab cakes and spinach puffs. So happy she’s making both.” Gwen’s phone buzzed and a new text appeared at the top of the screen.

Lunch?

Her stomach fluttered and warmth filled her chest. She unconsciously pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she began to tap out a response.

Aubrey perked up. “It’s him, isn’t it? You’re totally blushing. Tell me he asked you to lunch.”