My master to-do list was kind of like a more practical bucket list. It was filled with things I wanted to accomplish, some of which I’d already been able to cross off. Like start my own company and help someone else start over.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I added find a soul mate to the list. It seemed important to include it. Not because I was giving in to my mother’s siege attacks, but because the first man I’d been attracted to in like, a year was only flirting with me because he thought I was trying to steal information about his company.
I needed to put myself out there more.
After I wrote it down, I added three stars to it. I rated all my entries from one to three, three being most important. I was going to focus on this next when I got back home.
I was usually surrounded by happy brides and grooms, but there was something about Sadie and Dan that seemed special. Something that made me really want that in my own life.
My internal Mom Voice said, Maybe it has nothing to do with them and everything to do with the best man.
Someday, in the far distant future, when my mom died, I wouldn’t need to worry about missing her because I was pretty sure I was forever going to have her voice in my head.
I flipped my pages over to today’s list. “Okay, so Sadie’s stepdad, Geoff, arrives today with his fiancée, Maybelle. Our mission is going to be twofold. We’ve got to keep Brandy sober and showing up for events and we also have to keep her away from Geoff and Maybelle and those livestream cameras.”
Krista nodded. “I have potentially good news on that front. The director, Hank? I think he might like me. He keeps making googly eyes at me. Like the ones you make at Camden.”
“I do not—” I cut myself off before I started protesting too much. “I have never made googly eyes at anyone in my entire life.”
“I know! That’s why it’s so exciting because now you are.”
“You shouldn’t be excited,” I said, setting down my planner. “You don’t have all the information.”
Her eyes lit up with interest as I started telling her the entire Camden saga, leaving out the parts where I’d been intrigued by him. After I’d given her most of the details, she laughed for longer than she should have and when she finally calmed down I asked, “What do you think I should do going forward? I’m planning on avoiding him completely. He’s already trying to uncover my background; we can’t let him find out about us.”
There were still tears of laughter in her eyes as she responded, “What should you do going forward? I think you should have a good time!”
“What?”
“Girl, if he wants to woo you, go get your luxury car!”
“Why would I get a luxury car?”
“Because he’s rich and the way to a woman’s heart is with a luxury car. At least that’s the way to my heart.” She went into my mini-fridge and grabbed herself a bottled water, twisting off the lid. “Usually you’re an undercover bridesmaid, but Camden thinks you’re undercover as a spy. That’s pretty fun.”
“Or not fun,” I retorted. This could be a huge issue if we didn’t come up with a way to handle him.
There was a loud crashing noise from next door. I raised both of my eyebrows at Krista and whispered, “That’s his room.”
She excitedly whispered back, “Do you think he has someone in there? Like of the female persuasion and they’re knocking over furniture?”
My heartbeat increased rapidly. “What? No!”
Why did that bother me so much?
“That would definitely solve your problem. If he was interested in someone else.”
But I didn’t want him to be interested in someone else.
What was wrong with me?
Krista tiptoed over to the wall and put her ear against it. “I can’t hear anything,” she reported. “Hand me one of those glasses.”
“This isn’t a cartoon. That doesn’t actually work.”
“Come on, we’re supposed to be spies, remember? Have some fun with me!”
One of the reasons my working and personal relationship with Krista had been so great was because of situations like this one—where I was caught up in my own inner drama and she was reminding me to have fun. Because our job was fun. Even when it was stressful, we still got to get our hair and makeup done and get free dresses and eat excellent food and dance the night away.
We could spy on a boy for a moment.
I tiptoed over and put my ear against the wall but couldn’t hear anything, either.