Not Quite Sheer Happiness Read online

  Not Quite

  Sheer Happiness

  Event to Remember Series

  Book 3

  By: Melissa Baldwin

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 Melissa Baldwin

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 0692726934

  ISBN 13: 978-0692726938

  Other Books by Melissa Baldwin

  An Event to Remember . . . Or Forget (Event to Remember Series Book One)

  Wedding Haters (Event to Remember Series Book Two)

  Not Quite Sheer Happiness (Event to Remember Series Book Three)

  See You Soon Broadway (Broadway Series Book One)

  See You Later Broadway (Broadway Series Book Two)

  Fall Into Magic (Seasons of Summer Book One)

  Winter Can Wait (Seasons of Summer Book Two)

  To Spring With Love (Seasons of Summer Book Three)

  Return to Summer (Seasons of Summer Book Four)

  Friends ForNever

  Acknowledgements

  It’s true when they say it takes a village. I would not be able to do this without an awesome team helping behind the scenes.

  Chrissy - Thank you for editing and proofreading. You’re a joy to work with.

  Rosanna - Thank you for proofreading, advice, and friendship.

  Sue - Thank you for the most amazing book covers; you bring my vision to life!

  Contents

  Other Books by Melissa Baldwin

  Acknowledgements

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader:

  About the Author

  About the book:

  Chapter 1

  How could this happen again? Am I losing my touch? I have somehow managed to lose my weekly to-do list. Anyone that knows me knows I don’t lose things, well, hardly ever. I don’t really count the disaster that happened with my best friend Madison’s wedding contract.

  Maybe Craig hid it from me. It wouldn’t be the first time, and for some reason, he thinks he’s funnier than he really is.

  “Craig,” I yell. “Craig?” I call out louder this time. I know he’s in the office because I can hear him humming to himself.

  “I’m busy, dragon lady,” he yells back. Somehow, I have taken upon that nickname and probably with good reason. I, Sienna Harris, have become impossible. So impossible that even I can’t stand myself most of the time. I wonder if I’ve gotten too far ahead of myself, as in taken on too much business. Sometimes I have a tendency to overdo things . . . correction, I always overdo things. At least I can admit it now—that’s progress, I guess. Admitting I have a problem and all that other psychobabble. I walk out of my office in search of my missing list.

  “Seriously, Craig, I’m missing my list. Have you seen it?” I say as I walk into Craig’s office. He’s obviously not as busy as he claimed to be—he has his feet up on the desk, reading the latest copy of People magazine, and he’s also eating an ice-cream sandwich. Where did the ice-cream sandwich come from?

  “Yeah, I can tell you’re really busy,” I say sarcastically. He raises his eyebrows. “I have more of these and you’re welcome to help yourself.” Sure enough, he points to a mini fridge that I’ve never seen before. I have no idea how long he’s had that thing. I don’t say anything, and he gets defensive.

  “Don’t judge me, I’m stress-eating,” he snaps. “These damn things were buy one, get one free. How the hell am I going to pass up an ice-cream sandwich BOGO?”

  I shake my head in disbelief. “Whatever. Have you seen my list?” I ask as I start looking through the mess that’s all over his desk. “Seriously, if you’re trying to be funny, now is not the time.” I’m practically yelling at him. What’s happening to me?

  Between losing important lists and missing an important consultation appointment last week, I’ve reached my limit with mishaps.

  “I haven’t seen it,” he replies. “Which, by the way, don’t you think it’s time you started using your phone for your notes? You need to come out of the dark ages.”

  I roll my eyes because this is an ongoing conversation. I don’t care what anyone says, I love my Post-it notes, notepads, and my real-life paper planner.

  “No,” I exclaim.

  I walk out of the disaster zone he calls an office and return to my desk. This list has to be somewhere. I guess all my recent disorganization comes with some positive points. My event planning company, Sheer Happiness Events, is doing fantastic. I’m so busy, and as I said, I may be overdoing it. At least, that’s what my friends keep telling me. It’s easy for them to say—Madison is a freelance hair stylist and has a side business, so she can make her own schedule. And Abby is the world’s greatest stay-home mommy to the adorable little Ace and newborn Charlotte Sienna.

  Speaking of Ace, Abby’s adorable boy is named after my boyfriend Ace. Strangely enough, it still feels odd calling Ace my boyfriend. We had a bit of a shaky start, but things are better than ever. Luckily, he’s been busy traveling with his job, so I don’t feel so guilty about neglecting him for my company even though I miss him terribly.

  We both managed to clear this Saturday night on our schedules for a night out together, and it is long overdue. We talk every night, but we haven’t seen each other in three long, grueling weeks.

  “Yes!” I shout, interrupting my thought. There’s my missing list taped to the back of my laptop. I remember doing that so I wouldn’t lose it. Ha.

  “What are you shouting about?” Craig asks, sounding annoyed. He walks into my office eating another ice-cream sandwich.

  “How many of those have you had?” I ask. I wish he would stop eating that junk in front of me because I’m doing a no-sugar meal plan. Again. This is a weekly occurrence in my life—I start strong and then the stress gets to me and I end up eating twenty of Madison’s delectable designer cookies at two thirty in the morning.

  “You’re just mad that you can’t have any,” he says as he waves the half-eaten sandwich in front of my face.

  “You’re fired,” I say flatly. He shrugs his shoulders and takes another bite. “So, what else is new?”

  I crack a smile. Craig and I have been working together for a long time. He came with me when I left the previous company I worked for to start Sheer Happiness, or as he says, got the hell out of Dodge. What does that even mean? I never understood that phrase.

  “Anyway, we have to set up our game plan for September.” I look at our master calendar that covers one wall in my office. “Four big events are really pushing it, and we need to get these contracts signed and finalized,” I add, pointing to a stack on my desk.

  “Six,” he says as he licks his fingers. I look at the calendar and I only see four.

  “What do you mean six? You only added four to our prospect list?” I can feel myself starting to sweat. He always does this.

&n
bsp; He shrugs his shoulders. “I forgot. But don’t worry, one is a birthday and one is a corporate luncheon. Easy peasy.” He leans back and puts his feet up on my desk. I immediately push them off.

  “Nice shoes,” I say, admiring his Prada shoes. I have a bit of a shoe obsession—actually, a big shoe obsession. “How much did they set you back?”

  “Aren’t they amazing?” he says excitedly. “Just my whole commission check but so worth it.”

  I nod in agreement. I spend the next thirty minutes trying to get Craig to write down all the details of these two new prospective events that I had no idea about.

  “Why do I have to do everything?” he whines. “Where’s Nicole anyway, shouldn’t she be helping?”

  I remind him for the hundredth time that Nicole had to go to Chicago for a funeral, but he clearly has selective hearing. Nicole also works for me and she does a lot of the day-to-day office stuff; she’s very organized like me (or at least how I used to be). She and Craig really balance each other out. I’ve also been considering hiring a few more people, but I have some trust issues, so we’ll see.

  After I drag all the information I need out of Craig, I kick him out of my office and shut the door behind him. I really need to consider getting a lock. I finally find my phone under a pile of fabric swatches. My heart speeds up when I see a text message from Ace.

  Can’t wait to see you.

  Okay, truth be told . . . I’m madly in love with Ace. In fact, the way I feel about him is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I was in a pretty bad relationship when I met him, and now when I think back, it was his friendship that got me through it. I send him a reply.

  Me too. Is it Saturday yet?

  I spin around happily in my chair as my imagination goes a little haywire thinking about my reunion with Ace. When I finally start to focus my attention on work, Craig comes running into my office.

  “You better come out here. Something urgently needs your attention.” I let out a frustrated sigh. I don’t know how I’m going to get anything done today with him here. Maybe I should send him on an errand or give him the afternoon off.

  “Sienna, come on,” he calls again.

  I jump out of my chair and dramatically pull open the door to my office. “Seriously, Craig, what is it this time?” I stop right outside my office and I’m completely speechless. There, standing in front of me looking like a Greek god, is Ace, holding about a hundred red roses.

  “Surprise.” He flashes me one of his amazing million-dollar smiles.

  “Ahhh . . .” I run into his arms, almost crushing the gorgeous flowers. He quickly puts them down and wraps his muscular arms around me. He picks me up off the floor and we kiss for what feels like several minutes.

  “Ahem,” Craig says loudly. I completely forgot he was there. I look at him out of the corner of my eye.

  “Please don’t stop on my account,” he says playfully. Ace puts me down gently. I decide not to lecture Craig; instead, I quickly drag Ace toward my office and close the door.

  “I thought you wouldn’t be here until the weekend,” I say.

  “Are you disappointed, love?” he asks with his unbelievably sexy Australian accent.

  Is he insane? That’s a completely ridiculous question.

  “Are you kidding? Of course not. This is the best surprise ever,” I say as I lean against the front of my desk.

  “Do you want to know the truth?” he asks as he inches closer to me. My heartbeat starts to speed up, as it tends to do when Ace is within a mile radius. I nod quickly.

  His face is now inches from mine. “I decided that I’ve been away from you for far too long.”

  Did someone turn on the heat? I shift around nervously as I’m now standing in between his legs. Shame on me, I shouldn’t be feeling this way in my office in the middle of a workday. All of a sudden, the song “Afternoon Delight” starts playing in my mind.

  “You’ve definitely been away far too long.” I flirt.

  A little while later, after we pry ourselves away from each other and sit down, we start to discuss our big night out; at least, I try to discuss it.

  “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”

  He leans back in the chair and laughs. “Of course, I’m not. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it?”

  I pout. “I guess not.”

  He leans toward me and reaches for my hand. The smell of his cologne is overpowering, and suddenly, I’m glad I’m sitting down because I’m sure my knees will buckle. “All you need to know is that it will be a night that you will never forget.”

  I’m trying to contain my excitement. “Okay,” I whisper.

  “I’ve really missed you.”

  I smile. “Not as much as I’ve missed you.”

  Ace leaves about fifteen minutes later. When I walk back into my office, Craig is waiting for me.

  “Where did Mr. Perfect go?” he asks disappointedly.

  “He went home to go to sleep. He just flew around the world and came straight here to see me.”

  “Damn. How did you get so lucky?” he exclaims. “Seriously, though, you guys are pretty hot together. I feel like I’m watching an episode of Days of Our Lives; you two really have soap opera chemistry.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “Okay, Craig, I have a lot of work to do and so do you,” I remind him.

  After I kick him out of my office for the hundredth time for the day, I look at my calendar for the next several months—two weddings, two birthday parties, a luncheon, and the Faith, Fashion, and Hope Charity event. Hmm . . . the thought of Faith, Fashion, and Hope makes me a little uneasy. My last relationship ended while at that event. Although, it all worked out in the end; Ace was there for me that night and has been ever since. Craig is right about one thing: I’m lucky to have Ace in my life. I can’t wait for Saturday night.

  Chapter 2

  “He flew in from London and came straight to see you?”

  I finally get home from work at 8:00 p.m. I had a good three solid hours of productivity without Craig’s nonsense, and it was glorious.

  “Yes, he did,” I say excitedly. I haven’t spoken to my best friend Madison in a few weeks, since she’s been traveling with her husband. He does stand-up comedy and has been on tour—she decided after they got married that she wanted to go with him.

  “What do you think he has planned for Saturday night?” she mumbles. I can tell she’s eating because she sounds like a cow when she chews. After living with her for a few years, I know this sound very well.

  I rip open a bag of pita chips and cradle the phone in my neck. “He won’t tell me. All he said was that it will be a night I will never forget. You never know what that means with Ace. It could be anything.”

  “Hmm . . . he said a night you will never forget?” she says playfully. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he whisked you away to Cabo or San Fran . . . or with your luck, Tahiti.”

  Oh, I hope she’s right. I would love a night away from reality—just Ace and me.

  “You’re so lucky,” she whines. “Right now, I’m sitting in a trashy La Quinta in a tiny town in the middle of boring Kansas.”

  I laugh. I think Madie had greater expectations for Cole’s tour. They’ve stopped in a few fun cities, but the last few have been pretty dull from what she’s told me.

  “At least you see your man every day,” I tell her. “Until today, I hadn’t seen Ace for three weeks.”

  She continues, chewing, “That’s true. But you know I’ve been in your shoes before. Don’t you remember all the times that Cole was gone weeks, even months, at a time. I know how hard it is, trust me.”

  I kick off my shoes and curl up on the couch.

  “I know,” I say sympathetically. “Speaking of being gone, when will I be seeing your face again? Since you’ve become the world traveler, you don’t have time for your old friends.”

  “Haha, world traveler my ass,” she exclaims. “Did you forget that we’re in
Kansas right now? No offense to Kansas, it’s a lovely place, but clearly it’s not on my travel bucket list.”

  I laugh.

  “I will be back in a week. I have some clients and some orders to fill, and then I will rejoin Cole in exciting Memphis, Tennessee.”

  When I get off the phone, I feel a little sad. I miss seeing Madison. Even when she’s in town, our lives are so busy it’s hard to spend a lot of time together. We’ve been friends for years and then roommates. She got married last year and I planned her wedding. Of course, I almost ruined her wedding, too, but that really wasn’t my fault.

  Anyway, as much as I love having my own company, I do miss having a social life. Ace is really supportive when I get overwhelmed; he’s good at talking me off the ledge. I don’t know how many times he has reminded me that the first few years are the most difficult when starting out and that as time goes on it will get easier. I sure hope so.

  *~*~*

  One of these days I will get a good night’s sleep again. I’ve been saying that for a while now, and it hasn’t happened except for maybe a handful of times. Around the time that I was venturing out and starting up Sheer Happiness Events, I started having nightmares. I’m sure being in the last days of that disastrous relationship didn’t help my stress levels. Anyway, once I moved on from both my job and the man, these nightmares stopped.

  I shoot straight out of bed in a panic. I look at the clock and see that it’s only four o’clock in the morning. I lie back down, but my heart is racing. I don’t remember much about the dream except I was stuck in an elevator with floral centerpieces that were taller than me. There were so many in the small space that I was gasping for air as I tried to push my way through the life-sized flowers. Maybe this is another sign that I’m overworked. I close my eyes and lie on my back as still as I can. I’m trying very hard to relax but my thoughts are going a mile a minute. Did I remember to send off that catering contract for the Garner wedding? I still don’t have anything to wear for my magical night with Ace. I have to call my mom back tomorrow. I must think myself to sleep because the next thing I know it’s 7:00 a.m. I drag my tired body out of bed and force myself to start my day.