sofia
I jump when the alarm starts blaring from the island behind me. The milk I was pouring into my coffee cup is spilled on the side. I put the frother down at the same time the blaring of the alarm gets louder and louder as the seconds tick by. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” I shout to the alarm, which at this point is so loud I’m about to cover my ears like my baby cousins do when I squeal out that I love them so much.
I press snooze by mistake. “Dammit,” I say, grabbing my phone and walking back to the sink. Turning on the warm water, I wet a cloth before cleaning up the spilled milk. “I think this is good luck,” I mumble to myself before rinsing the cloth off and returning back to the coffee. I grab the cup and bring it to my lips, smelling the aroma of coffee fill my nose makes me smile right before I take a sip. “That’s like little pieces of heaven,” I whisper before walking back up the stairs toward my bedroom.
When I get to the landing, I look over the railing that lets you see down into the great room. This house is massive, way too big for me, but try telling my grandfather that. The house was bought, and security was installed before I saw it. “Don’t argue with me,” he said softly, “I’m old.” Which made me snort-laugh. My grandfather is a lot of things, but old and delicate aren’t any of them. If you looked up Southern gentleman in the dictionary, there would be a picture of him.
I shake my head thinking of the last time we had the conversation, missing him just a touch more today. As I make my way toward my bedroom, I walk down the hallway. I look at all the pictures I lined up on the wall of my family. The middle picture on the wall is the whole family. It took some hours to rein everyone in, then about a hundred pictures to get the picture. My great-grandparents stand in the middle while everyone is around them. Around that picture is a picture of me with my parents taken at graduation day. My father with his arm around me, pulling me closer to him as he looks at my mother with all the love I’ve always seen in his eyes. It’s right next to the first picture we ever took together. I’m sitting on the horse with him behind me, his shirt is off, and he’s got his arms wrapped around me. From the story they told me, my parents shared one night together before my father joined the military. Wires got crossed, and he found out about me the first time we met. Even in the picture, we have the same smirk. From that day on, he made sure I knew how much he would have changed the past. I smile when I think about him, sending him a text.
Just sending you a message to say I love you, Dad.
I walk into the two open French doors and go straight to the bed. Turning on the television that faces the bed, the soft light fills the darkened room as I watch the news before turning on the Investigative Discovery Channel. I’m in love with my bed, something my grandmother, Olivia, set up for me. The whole house actually has her stamp of approval. I want to say I helped pick the things in my house, but I didn’t, she did it all. It’s not because I didn’t want to, it’s more that I know how much she loves this stuff. Literally, the whole family just lets her do things because it makes her happy. My grandfather let her style one of their homes in all white. They even call it the White House, and no one wants to stay in it.
The phone rings, and I pick it up, smiling again when I see it’s my dad. “Hello.”
“Hello, Sunshine.” He calls me by my nickname like he always does. “Why are you up so early?”
“It’s not early.” I look down and see that it’s six ten. “Okay, fine, maybe it’s a bit early.” I bring the cup of coffee to my lips. “But the first day on the job is a big deal.”
“It is,” he agrees, and I hear the truck door close on his side of the phone. “You’ve been dreaming about this since you were seven, and Grandma Olivia bought you a mini wedding dress.”
“It was the best gift I ever got.” I sigh, remembering all the time I spent in that dress. If I wasn’t in school, I was in that dress. I prepared so many weddings with so many of my stuffed animals, it was crazy.
“I bought you a horse and Pops bought you a pink tractor,” he points out the other two gifts that are also on the best gift I ever got list. To say I was spoiled was an understatement.
“Okay, fine,” I huff, “you got me good gifts also.”
“Good,” he says, chuckling. “Okay, I’m heading into the gym.”
“Have a great day, Dad. I love you.”
“Love you more.” He hangs up the phone, and I place mine beside me.
I take another sip of my coffee and press the button to open the shades, the sunshine coming straight in. Slipping off my bed, I walk over to the window, looking out at the trees that are all around me. This is definitely not where I thought I would end up. When I was in high school, I dreamed of going to Chicago, LA, or New York and planning events. I wanted to be in the glitz and glamor. To set up the best events I could, with a whole team under me. But instead, I came to visit my aunt, Harlow, and fell in love with this town. One weekend here and all my plans went out the window. Plus, Harlow’s sisters-in-law owned their own event company. It’s as if it was fate. I finish my coffee. “Time to meet my first ever client.”
Three hours later, I’m walking up the steps of the little bungalow they built with five offices where the bedrooms would be. The living room and dining room are where the waiting area is, it’s filled with pictures of past events they have done. I take a second to look at the side of the barn. Or at least what looks like a barn. Once you get inside, you’ll find rustic wooden floors and exposed wooden beams that can be dressed up. It can fit up to five hundred and fifty people. Right behind the barn is a kitchen where the caterers can set up.
Taking a deep breath, I turn the handle on the door to start my very first day as part of the team. “Surprise!” is screamed by Clarabella, Shelby, and Presley.
I put a hand to my chest in shock. “What is this?” I ask them as I step into the cool room.
“Why did we think a surprise was a good thing?” Clarabella looks over at her sisters.
“I specially said that it was stupid, but no one listened to me,” Shelby states, folding her arms over her head.
“I don’t even think I was part of the conversation,” Presley complains to them, and they glare at her. The three sisters have become my closest friends. I would do anything for them, and I know they have my back.
“Well, whatever it was,” I say, smiling at them, “it’s wonderful.”
Shelby steps forward. “Are you ready?” she asks, and I just look at her confused.
“For today?” I say, putting my hand to my stomach. The nerves have been going since I opened my eyes at 5:00 a.m. “Not even a bit.”
“What time is the appointment?” Clarabella asks.
“Ten,” I reply, my fingers shaking a bit. “So I have an hour to get all my ducks in a row.” Even though I went over the file three times already.
“Well, we will have drinks as soon as you land this client,” Shelby announces, and I just hold up my hands in the air. I walk over to the side and step into my new office. It was an empty office before I came in, and slowly, when I was interning with them, it became mine.
The white L-shaped desk sits against the right side of the room. A vase of white peonies is at the corner of the desk with a gold card holder in front of it. Behind the desk is a chalkboard with the calendar on it. There are also frames about love and romance, as well as a couple of events I helped plan while I was still in school. My computer is set up on one side of the desk, right next to a white and gold lamp that is just for show. The pink chair faces the door, and two more pink chairs face the desk. I put my purse on one of the chairs before I walk over and sit down.
I turn on the computer to see if anything came in from when I left home until now. I pull up the email we got from Helena again. When it came in, Shelby came by and handed me the file and said, “Good luck.”
I read the interest form she filled out on the website. It really doesn’t tell me much. She left blank spaces everywhere. I put together a couple of pictures from past weddings that we have done to give her an idea of what we can do. It’s an hour later when I push off from my desk and get up to take one look at myself before I make my way into the waiting room.
Standing in front of the long mirror, I look at myself, the baby-blue pants fit me tight around the hips but loose all the way down to my ankles. A matching thick belt around my waist is paired with a white, sleeveless bodysuit. A matching blue jacket completes the look with neutral, peep-toe Christian Louboutin shoes. My brown hair is parted down the middle and then tied at the nape of my neck in a ponytail. I twirl the end of the ponytail, placing it over my right shoulder. “It's showtime,” I tell myself, grabbing the file and walking out of my office.
I take two steps out before I hear some commotion coming from the side. I peek my head in and see that kids have now joined the party. Everyone is sitting down and talking. “I’m going to go and wait for the couple in the front,” I say, trying not to be nervous but probably failing miserably.
"You've got this," Clarabella reassures me from behind her desk.
"Just remember, none of us knew what the hell we were doing," Presley says as she nurses her son on the couch, while her other son is bouncing in the saucer right in front of her. Irish twins are what we call them. Shelby calls them a walking birth control sponsor.
"And if you need anything, we are here," Shelby reminds me, and all I can do is nod at her.
"I've got this." I try to sound more sure of myself than I really am, ignoring the way my hands shake just a bit and the fact that my stomach is rising all the way to my throat, making me feel like I’m going to throw up. "I've got this."
"Who runs the world?" Clarabella asks.
"Boys and girls, according to Violet," I joke with her.
"Get out of my office and go nail that couple." She points at the door and turns and walks out.
My stomach has been in knots since last week when they handed me this client. I know I can do it. I just have stage fright. "Here we go," I say, as I pull open the door to the room where the couple is standing with their backs to me.
I look down at my nude heels for a second, and when I look up, everything inside me stops. There, standing in front of me with a blond girl holding his hand, is my first love, Matthew Petrov.