The Professional

Chapter 4

The following morning I woke up feeling much improved from the previous week, despite my upcoming meeting with Phillip and Grace the next morning, and couldn’t keep the smile off of my face while thinking about my new friend. I was so pleased with the way that the evening had turned out, I didn’t even think about the fact that I would be ambushed the second that I entered the office. As I made my way to my desk, I was greeted with the sight of Lana standing beside my desk bouncing on her toes eagerly and knew she was brimming with questions, but I had no answers to those questions. I was not going to break Mitchell’s confidence by telling her that he was gay, but I couldn’t lie to her and say that the date went fantastically. The date portion of the evening went terribly, but when we were hanging out as friends, I had an amazing time and could only hope that he had as well.

“So? How did it go?” Lana exploded when I finally reached where she was standing. I decided to go with the truth as close as I could without giving away Mitchell’s secret.

“The date itself was terrible. We were both uncomfortable, and we were just making small talk. It was horrendous. Then, he went to end the date early with an excuse of having to be to work early the following day, and I, of course, was offended and walked out. He chased after me, and we talked it out. He isn’t looking for a relationship right now, and honestly, neither am I. We spent the rest of the night on my couch eating ice cream and watching a movie. It was actually a lot of fun.”

Lana had an comical expression that was a bizarre mixture of abject horror and devastation before saying, “Are you telling me that I set you up on a date with what has to be one of the hottest guys that I have ever met and ended that date with agree to be his friend?”

I took a moment to contemplate that and said, “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

Lana groaned and threw up her hands in exasperation. “I give up.”

Chuckling, I watched Lana stomp over to her desk to sulk and settled in for the day that lay ahead of me. Luckily, we had been able to find another caterer for the McWate wedding, not without a substantial donation from the McWate family, but things were back on track with the preparations for the wedding. The day was booked solid with the final preparations for the wedding that would be taking place in approximately two weeks.

The day passed in a flurry of phone calls and meetings with the bride, groom and their family to go over everything about the wedding, but finally, I was back at home relaxing on my couch barefeet and peaceful quiet. That stillness was broken too soon when my phone began ringing. With a groan of displeasure, I reached forward and grabbed my cellphone off of the coffee table in front of me, answering the phone without looking in hopes of getting back to my previously relaxed state.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Tati.” Instantly, my entire body tensed, and any sense of contentment that I had vanished from my body.

“Oh, hello, Phillip. What can I do for you?” I hoped that he couldn’t hear the quiver in my voice as I spoke.

“I just wanted to hammer down all the details about tomorrow with you.”

“Sure thing. We are meeting tomorrow at 10 correct?”

“Actually, I was thinking that I could pick you up at your place at like 8, and we could head over to Grace’s place together. It would be easier that way so that you don’t have to worry about getting lost or needing the passcode.” Great. A car ride alone with the last person that I want to be alone with right now followed by an entire day of watching him and his fiancee make googly eyes at each other.

“That sounds reasonably,” I said while internally I was cursing him for taking away one of the few days that I could sleep in.

“Okay, see you tomorrow. Bye.” Before I could even reply, a click signifying the call ending sounded. All business. It didn’t matter that we had known each other for over ten years. He didn’t even ask how my day had gone, and he probably didn’t even care.

Groaning and laying my head against the back of the couch, I stared at the ceiling and said aloud, “Tomorrow is going to be fan-f*****g-tastic. Can’t wait.”

--

The night passed sluggishly, but still the morning came far too soon and with too little sleep. At 7:45, I sat on my couch in pantsuit and a button down shirt with my hair pulled back in a ponytail. I hadn’t worried too much with my appearance because I knew that Phillip wouldn’t notice, but I needed to be as professional as I could during this process to try distancing myself from the situation. Earlier that morning, I had created a folder with all of the information that I thought that I might need to help during the planning and packed up my computer just in case. I wanted to be as prepared as possible so that I could finish with this as quickly as possible. Now, I just sat stiffly on my couch waiting for Phillip to get here, and try as I might, I could not force myself to relax.

At 7:56, a gentle knock came at my door, and taking a deep breath to prepare myself, I stood from the couch on shaky legs, grabbed what I need to take with me, and made my way to the door with my laptop case slung over my shoulder and folder in my hands. I pulled open the door and was greeted with a smiling Phillip, and though I attempted to return his smile, all I could manage was a meager fraction of the excitement that his contained.

“Good morning!” He greeted cheerily.

“Good morning,” I replied out of obligation as I locked up my apartment and headed toward the parking lot. He walked beside me, missing my very obvious bad mood, and I envied him his little cloud of happiness. We made our way over to his car, and I was surprised to see that he still had the same crapbucket that he had during high school, which he loving named Louise. I remember the times that I grabbed a ride with him and my sister to school and fighting my sister for the front seat because the back always smelled funny. I always lost, but every time I would still fight every time. A nostalgic smile come over my face, and I couldn’t help staring at the car for a few moments as memories came over me before climbing into the front seat of Louise. Funnily enough, the front seat smelled just as bad now as the back seat had in high school. As soon as he revved the engine, music poured from the radio almost too loud to be considered comfortable, but at least I wouldn’t have to worry about talking to him.

We hadn’t even been driving five minutes before my phone began ringing. I wouldn’t have heard the ringing had the phone not vibrated as well, and I quickly pulled my phone out of pocket and broke into a beaming smile when I saw that it was my new friend, Mitchell.

“Good morn, my fine fellow,” I answered quickly. Phillip, seeing me answer the phone, reached over and turned the radio down to a dull hum, and I shot him a quick, miniscule smile in thanks.

“Same to you. I am tempted to be insulted that you didn’t call me to hang out with me.” A girlish giggle slipped out of my mouth, and I quickly covered it with my hand trying to stop the sound from escaping again.

“Aw, Mitch. I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. I had a busy day yesterday, and I went home right after work. How can I make it up to you?”

“I just need to see your beautiful face.” His words made me laugh because I knew while he might think that I am beautiful he wasn’t attracted to me.

“Well, that is sweet, but I can’t right now, babe.” My eyes widened slightly at the endearment. I had never called anyone babe, baby, or any of the other pet names that people tend to prefer, but they just slipped out of my mouth so naturally with him. Choosing to deal think about that later, I continued, “I am helping out a . . . friend today.”

I couldn’t tell if Phillip noticed the pause before I called him a friend, but calling him such was overselling our relationship (because we never speak) and also underselling it (because of how much he has meant to me for so long). I doubt he noticed though. I would be surprised if he could spare any though to think about it when he could be thinking of Grace.

“Aw, babe. Come on. I am so bored over here. Lana asked to hang out, but I think that is just to dig up dirt on how the date went on Thursday. Speaking of, what did you tell her?” The anxiety in his voice when he asked this question was evident, and I just wanted to give him a big, comforting hug.

“I only told her as much as she needed to know.” A whistling of air blowing over the phone emanated from the other end, indicating his sigh of relief.

“Okay. Want to hang out after you are done?”

“Of course. I don’t know how long I will be, so I will just contact you when I am done, okay?”

“Sure. What are you doing anyway? Maybe I could help.”

“Sorry. Unless you have some unknown wealth of knowledge of venues, caterers, bands, florists, bakers, and anything else we will need for a wedding, I don’t think that we will need your ‘expertise’.”

“I dated a florist once, does that count?” I rolled my eyes at him as a smile worked its way onto my face.

“No, Mitch, it doesn’t.”

“Damn. Who is this friend that is stealing you away from me?” This question gave me pause for moment. I had only spoken to Mitch about Phillip in the most general sense, and he had probably forgotten about it anyway. I decided to go for it and hope for the best.

“My sister’s best friend. He is getting married and asked me to help me plan the wedding.” The hum of acknowledgement from the other end of the line let me know that he did remember and that I was in for a long talk later.

Phillip gently nudged my shoulder, startling me out of my conversation, and pointed outside the car to indicate that we were here, and I nodded to show that I understood what he was telling me.

“Mitch, I am here. I will give you a call when I am done, and we can talk then.”

“Okay, babe. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, babe.” I ended the call and took the first chance that I could to look outside the car. Of course, “the love of his life” had to be rich. Maybe she would be a snob.

“Okay, let’s go get to work,” I said with as much cheer as I could infuse in my voice before stepping out of the car.

Phillip stepped out of the car as well and lead the way to the door. He didn’t even bother with knocking, because he had his own key. My heart was pounding with anxiety as I waited to see the girl that had stolen the heart that I had always secretly wanted.

“Babe,” Phillip yelled into the huge entryway, and I just stood and looked around at the immaculate decor. “Babe, where you at?”

“Here!” A female voice yelled before a blonde blur flung itself at Phillip, who was instantly locked in a lip battle with his fiancee. My face became a stony mask as I watched the scene unfold. They continued on for a few minutes, obviously forgetting that I was even there. I just felt like crying out and leaving, but I remained steadfast. When they finally broke apart, they looked into each other’s eyes and smiling tenderly, and I just wanted to die. I finally got my first look at the girl he was in love with. She was as perfect as the house that she lived in. She had long golden, multifaceted tresses, a slender body with an ample chest, and perfect skin and facial features. Even though she didn’t have any make-up on and in a ratty t-shirt, she still looked gorgeous. She was the kind of girl that every normal girl either wanted to kill her or wanted to die herself if she ever had to be in the same room as such a beautiful girl, because you know that she is going to be the only person that anyone sees. Not that I wanted to be the center of attention, but god damn it! I had been in love with this boy that she had her hands all over for over ten years. I deserved the chance to be with him. I had the right, but here she comes crashing in and taking him away from me. But on the other hand . . . I never had him to begin with. My anger instantly cooled at that thought and was replaced with a cold empty feeling.

Finally breaking eye contact and completely missing my inner turmoil, Grace realized there was someone other than her fiancee in the room. She gasped and began giving Phillip little swats as she reprimanded him.

“PHILLIP! You could have told me that there was someone else here. Here I am standing in nothing but a ratty t-shirt! Ugh!”

He gently pulls her into his arms making sure to avoid flailing limbs and silences her with a tender kiss. When she stops struggling, he pulls away and whispers, “You are always gorgeous no matter what you are wearing.”

She blushes the deepest red that is contrasted beautifully with her pale golden complexion, and after one more gentle chaste kiss, they both break away and turn toward me.

“Hey, I’m Grace. You must be Tatianna.” After a meek nod, I am hit with the same whirlwind that Phillip was, except without the liplocking, and I stood awkwardly, wondering what I should do after being so suddenly attacked by a hug from a girl that I had sworn to hate. “I am so excited to meet you! I have heard so much about you.”

She finally pulled back, not even seeming to have realized that I was still standing frozen in place, and beamed at me as if we were the oldest of friends, and I knew in that moment that I couldn’t hate her.

“Same here.” I lied.

“You really are being a lifesaver here. My mother wanted to hire some pretentious wedding planner who wanted to make my wedding a spectacle, but I wouldn’t stand for it. I put my foot down and said that I would have my wedding the way that I wanted it, and she would not make it about society. After I made my point and she gave in, I realized that I didn’t know the first thing about planning a wedding.”

“I am willing to help, but I am going to be upfront here: I am not a wedding planner. I do work at a J&M Weddings, but I am not a planner. If that is what you want, I can refer you to one of my colleagues and see if we can get you a reduced rate.” Secretly, I was hoping she would want an actual planner so that I would be off the hook, but luck is hardly ever on my side.

“No, no. I am perfectly fine working with you. You will be perfect. You know more than I do. I am just floundering here. Please help.” Her cherubic eyes turned toward me, pleading with me to help her. Any thought I might have had about rejecting her proposal dissolved under that look.

Nodding gently, I said, “Why don’t we get to work?”

Grace squealed happily and bounded into the room directly behind her, and Phillip followed behind her with a fond smile on his face. Assuming that I am meant to follow the couple, I head in the direction in which they disappeared and found them snuggling on the couch in what I could only assume was the living room or den, but it was too opulent to use such menial words to describe it. Gingerly sitting on a chair, which was obviously designed for decoration rather than comfort, facing the couch that held the couple, I laid out my things on the coffee table that was situated in front of the couch and got down to business.

“The first thing that we are going to need to decide on is the venue, which means we will need to know the head count, because some venues may be excluded due to the number of people that are going to be present. You don’t want to book a large venue and have only about half of the seats filled, and in the same respect, you don’t want to book a smaller venue and not have room for everyone to sit. Also depending on the venue, we may need to book a separate place for the reception. So do you have an idea of head count?”

Grace and Phillip looked at each other obviously floundering for an answer, and I inwardly groaned. Without having a head count, we couldn’t book the venue, which means that we won’t have a date for the wedding, which means that we can’t send out invitations or book the caterer or the band or the florist or pretty much anything else that we might need to do.

Sighing, I said, “Why don’t you both talk for a minute and make any calls that you might need to? Because without the venue we won’t have a date for the wedding. We can’t do anything until we get that head count. I am just going to step out to the ladies room. Which direction is it?”

“Just go down that hallway, and it is the second door on the left,” Grace directed.

“Thank you.” Making sure that my cell phone was still securely in my pocket, I escaped to the bathroom to call the cavalry. Quickly finding the room I had been directed to, I shut and locked the door and whipped out my phone to call the only person who could help me in this situation: Lana. She answered after the third or fourth ring.

“Hey, girlie.”

“Help me.” I pleaded desperately.

“What’s going on?”

“I have locked myself in Phillip’s fiancee’s bathroom. And I can’t hate her. And they don’t even know a head count which means this will take ten times longer than I thought it would. And I am losing my cool here.” Her laughter crossed the line, and I was a little put out that she would find amusement in my struggles. “This isn’t funny.”

“Only you could get into this kind of situation. I told you to tell him no.”

“I know, but I didn’t. So now, I need you to help me through this, please.”

“Okay. You are ten times better than Grace. You are the best person I know, and if he can’t see that, then he doesn’t deserve you.” I blushed a little at her compliments.

“You can’t know that. You have never met Grace, or Phillip for that matter.”

“I don’t have to know them. I know you. You wouldn’t be my best friend for no reason.”

Feeling slightly uplifted, I whispered, “Thank you.”

“No problem, sweetie. Call me later to tell me what happened.” Quickly disconnecting the call, I took several deep breathes to collect my thoughts and calm my nerves, but despite my attempts, I still felt jittery and out of place. I wanted this day to be over already, but knowing that I still had a while to go before that would happen, I tried mentally preparing myself for the excruciatingly long day of suffering that lie ahead of me.

Once I felt that I might be able to handle myself at least marginally well, I exited the bathroom and headed back to the room where the couple was frantically compiling a list of loved ones and friends whom they would like to attend. I almost wanted to laugh at their comical expressions of anxiety and terror. Gaining a little bit of confidence from their disquiet, I calmly sat for about thirty minutes while they got together a rough list.

“Okay, so it is looking like we have maybe about 200 people, not including potential dates,” Phillip stated finally.

“Does that include anyone that your parents might want to invite?” I asked. They both looked at each other with wide eyed expressions of shock as if it had never crossed their minds to consider the people that their parents might want to invite. “Okay, so if everyone comes with a plus one and we factor in who all your parents and family might want to invite, we are talking about probably somewhere between 300 and 600 people. That eliminates some of the bigger venues, which is good because those do tend to be more expensive and harder to book.”

“What are some of our options?” Grace’s voice was hesitant. There was a slight fear that I had given her the wrong impression of me, but I didn’t worry too much about it, seeing as I didn’t want anything to do with either of them when all of when was over.

"Another thing that you need to consider is how formal you want it to be," I explained.

"I guess formal. I always pictured everyone in beautiful gowns and suits when I pictured my wedding," Grace admitted and looked anxiously over at Phillip to confirm whether he agreed or not.

"That sounds perfect to me. Having a big event to show everyone that you are my girl now and forever, I am okay with that." Grace cooed at his sweet words and have him a gentle kiss on the cheek while I gagged internally. The Phillip I knew would never have wanted a whole big ordeal made out of any event that he was supposed to be a part of.

"That rules out a couple other places. So there are a few places that we can look at. The main question is whether or not you want to go look at the possible venues today or if you want to go another day." Praying to whatever deity might choose to listen, I pleaded that they would want to go a different day and give me time to get my head on straight, but obviously, no one upstairs was listening to any early pleas right now. Grace started clapping her hands enthusiastically and releasing a high pitched squeal that hurt my ears.

"I would love to!" She exclaimed, and I felt my stomach sink to my knees. "But only if both of you have time."

She looked between the two of us, and with a ginger nod, I accepted my fate.

Phillip, ever the loquacious one, said, "You know that I always have time for you, baby."

Not wanting to hear anymore sweet talk from the two, I interrupted and said, "Okay, then. Is everyone ready then?"

"Oh heavens no!" Grace said before springing out of her seat and dashing in the direction of the stairs. "Let me change clothes really quickly, and I will be ready to go."

She disappeared up the stairs a few seconds later and left me sitting in an uncomfortable silence with her fiancee, though he probably didn't notice my discomfort. Honestly, I didn't see why she needed to change. She looked like a model in the ratty clothing anyway, so why waste time with different things? Why does she have to make sure that she is the most gorgeous girl in the room? She already has everything that I want.

“She is amazing, isn’t she?” Phillip asked as he stared after her lovingly, and on the inside, I was writhing in anguish. I can’t count the number of times that I had wished that he could look at me with that look of pure love and adoration, and now, to have to see him directing it to this girl that I knew I could never measure up to killed my soul piece by piece. That more than anything cemented in my mind the idea that I was not going to make it through this unscathed. Knowing that a reply was expected, I finally coaxed my vocal cords into compliance.

“Yeah, she seems great,” I admitted reluctantly. My hope that there might be some glaring fault with her that I could comfort myself with later vanished the second that I met her. Phillip finally looked away from the stairs and smiled gently at me, and I forced my lips to mimic the curve of his lips.

“What venues are you taking us to look at?”

“There are a few around town that I think will suit your purposes, but it will be easier if I just take you there. I have a few connections from my job, so I can get a tour set up for today without an appointment.” I reluctantly realized after I mentioned my contacts that Phillip was probably using his relationship to me in order to access those connections, but I knew that I would see this out to the end.

A hush settled over the room, and I fidgeted awkwardly with the hem of my my shirt while Phillip leaned back casually against the couch looking every bit at home which spoke to how many times he had spent sitting on this couch. Finally tearing my eyes from him, I looked around the room, floundering for a way to dispel the silence just to hear his voice again. No matter how his abused me emotionally and ignored my feelings I always would love him. After over ten years of having feeling for him, I doubted that I could ever stop wishing to hear his voice and to spend time with him, even now when I knew he had someone in his life. My examination of the room produced nothing to initiate conversation, but my eyes still refused to look in Phillip’s direction. The silence continued to weigh down on me like a suffocating mass pressing down on my chest unpleasantly. Minutes that felt like hours ticked away as we remained silent and as I pretended to be unaffected by Phillip and the silence, but as the time continued to pass, my patience began to wain, and I began debating going upstairs, fetching his bride-to-be and dragging her down the stairs and out the door without a concern to her state of undress.

The sound of footsteps came from down the upstairs hallway, and my breathing started to regulate itself again. At least with Grace in the room, Phillip would actually speak. I looked in the direction of the stairs and found what I had anticipated--Grace standing there looking immaculate. Next to my frumpy work clothes, her summer dress was beyond comparison. Phillip stood from his spot on the couch and smiled hugely at her, and she blushed prettily and returned his smile just as enthusiastically. I wanted to throw up as I watched the scene in front of me but composed myself and followed Phillip at a distance as he headed toward Grace which incidentally was the direction of the door, my escape. When Grace reached the bottom step, Phillip wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, and he placed a tender kiss on her cheek and continued to stare down at the girl in his arms as I watched enviously. When Phillip deemed it time to realize that there was someone else in the room, he pulled away from Grace and said, “Let’s head out.”

While still holding Grace’s hand, he lead us out of the house and paused to allow Grace to lock the door behind us, and we climbed into his car with my sitting in the back seat. Mentally, I calculated the best order and route to take to them most likely candidates for a suitable venue and decided that we could at least see four or five places before separating while still having a successful day. I directed Phillip from the backseat as the two whispered back and forth between each other and I sat quietly watching. As we arrived at the first building we would tour, I could have jumped out and kissed the ground when I could finally leave the confined space that I was forced to share with the sickeningly sweet couple. I was finally in an area where I had the upper hand and knowledge. Exiting the vehicle with false confidence, I walked up to the entrance of the Moore House, a historical building that was among one of the first to be constructed in this city and had been refurbished to serve as an event center while still maintaining its roots, and waited for Phillip and Grace to join me. They stood staring up at the grand facade and seeming awed by the grandeur of the etchings in the stone, and a genuine smile finally graced my lips for the first time that day as I remembered when I had been the one staring up at this beautifully historic building and wishing to become a part of it.

“Welcome to the Moore House,” I said to break them from their trance.

“It’s gorgeous,” Grace whispered, and I fought a chuckle that attempted to escape my lips.

Nodding my affirmation, I gestured for them to follow me and said, “If you think that the outside is breathtaking, you will have no words to describe what it looks like on the inside.” Hitting the buzzer, I waited until a crackling, familiar voice sounded over the intercom.

“Welcome to the historic Moore House, this is Jeanette.”

“Hey, Jeanette, it’s Anna. Can you let me in? I have a couple potential patrons who would like to look around for a little bit.”

“Anna? I didn’t see you on the books for today.”

“That’s because we aren’t. It’s kind of an impromptu visit, but if you let us have a quick look around, I will owe you one,” I wheedled hopefully and held my breath as I waited anxiously to see if she would let us into the building. If she wouldn’t, I would be making a complete ass of myself and in front of the one guy that I want to impress. Thankfully, a sigh sounded over the intercom.

“I will be down in a minute, but the next celeb’s wedding that you help plan, my name better be on the list,” she grouched, and I giggled at her comment.

“Thank you,” I chirped in response and stepped away from the intercom to wait for my acquaintance to let us into the building. Grace was staring wide-eyed at me, and I looked at her quizzically and said, “What?”

“You plan wedding for celebrities?” She looked starstruck while Phillip looked on impassively, and a minute blush worked its way onto my cheeks.

“Not technically, I just do what Mrs. Jennings tells me to do.”

“‘Not technically’ nothing,” a voice sounded behind me, and I turned to face Jeanette who stood propping open the door. “All that witch does is give you a list of numbers to call and leaves you to plan the rest.”

“That’s not true. Mrs. Jennings is an amazing boss and an even better event planner. Besides, we haven’t planned any weddings for any real celebs.” I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Sure.” She rolled her eyes and moved out of the way so that we could enter. “Get your butts in here before my cute butt gets fired for allowing an unauthorized tour.”

“As always, I have missed your cheery optimism,” I joked.

“Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up.”

We filed in, and I looked around at the building that I had grown to love. The entryway alone was indescribably astounding. A grand staircase made of glistening hardwood with an intricate balustrade framed the doorway on the opposite side of the room, and the entryway was tastefully decorated with beautiful works of art and perfectly composed arrangement of foliage. My breathing always stuttered whenever I entered this room, but I quickly composed myself and turned to my companions.

“Jeanette, this is a childhood friend, Phillip, and his fiancee, Grace. Phillip and Grace, this is Jeanette Larson, the Director of Events for the Moore House.” Jeanette instantly slipped into professional mode and extended her hand genially with an excruciatingly large smile plastered on her face.

“Pleasure to meet you I am sure, and welcome to this historical gem,” Jeanette greeted and shook their hands in turn.

“Likewise,” Grace returned and continued to look around the entryway. “I never knew this place even existed.”

“Not many people do. Sadly, the historically buildings in the area are being torn down to be replaced by restaurants and malls, but luckily, the Moore family has been able to keep this place up and running ever since it stopped serving as a residence for the family. Why don’t we take a quick look around?” Jeanette offered genially, and with Phillip and Grace’s affirmative reply, she began leading them through the house and giving a brief history of the house. Ignoring Jeanette’s dialogue after having heard it numerous times as I accompanied couples for work, I walked casually behind the group to admire the beautiful building yet again. Without question, if I ever got married, the ceremony would take place here, and my future husband would have to understand that that is the way it was going to be.

Jeanette lead us through the entire house and finished with the grand finale, the grand ballroom with its beautiful balustrades and the intricate engravings surrounding the room. The gentle lighting gleamed off of the glistening hardwood floors, and the windows poured the golden sunlight of the early morning, giving the room a natural shimmer.

"I am going to let you all look around on your own. Let me know if you have any more questions or need anything." Jeanette politely stepped aside to let the couple deliberate and discuss but remained in the room in case she needed to field any questions that the potential patrons might have.

Turning to the couple beside me, I asked, “So? What do you think?”

“I think this place is absolutely gorgeous,” Grace bubbled out eagerly and looked at Phillip. “What about you, babe?”

“Yeah, the place is nice.” Phillip shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal way that I had come to know meant he had no opinion one way or another.

“Oh, men!” Grace admonished him jokingly and gently batted his shoulder. “Always have to fight tooth and nail to get anything out of him when it comes to this kind of decision.”

“I already told you, love,” Phillip interjected. “I don’t care when, where, or how as long as the woman on my arm is you.”

He placed a loving kiss on her blushing cheek and continued glancing around the room listlessly, and I bit back the vicious retort that wanted to claw its way out of my vocal cords. Why must he torture me so? Grace looked pleased, if not slightly embarrassed, by the prominent show of affection, so I couldn’t fault her for his love, though I wanted to lay all the blame on her. A sudden tension settled over our small group as the moment passed, and the silence that followed had me shuffling awkwardly ease some of the tension that had sprung up in my body as a reflection of the one surrounding us.

Grace cleared her throat and said, “Well, I am ready to book this place right now.”

“I would not book a date right now if I were you,” I cautioned. “From my experience, booking the first venue that you see could end up being a mistake. It is always best to take a look at all of your options before making any final decisions, but we can ask for a list of dates that are available right now and compare those to available dates for the other possible venues to see what fits you best.”

“Okay,” Grace agreed. Phillip nodded along to show his consent. After speaking with Jeanette and getting a list of available dates for the Moore House, we piled back into the car and began another uncomfortable car ride to the next possible venue.