Not Quite Sheer Happiness Read online

  “That’s perfect,” Madie says excitedly. “Do you love it?”

  I stare at myself again and smile. “I do. I think this is it.”

  Abby and Madison clap excitedly. That was easier than I thought it would be.

  *~*~*

  When I get home from the shop, I immediately lie down on the couch and stare up at the ceiling. I get my phone out of my bag and call my mom.

  “Hello, long-lost daughter,” she answers. I feel guilty because with my busy schedule I’ve neglected my parents. The last time I spoke to them was right after Ace and I got engaged. My parents are great; they’re very supportive without being pushy. They’ve always let me make my own decisions, although there have been many times that I wanted them to help me make decisions.

  “I’m sorry, Mom,” I apologize. “I’m just so busy; it seems like I don’t have time for anything anymore.”

  I can hear the Carpenters playing in the background. Mom always listens to the Carpenters when she’s cooking.

  “What are you making, Mom?” I ask.

  “Grandma’s vegetable soup,” she replies. “We’ve been waiting to hear from you. I want to make travel arrangements. I expect you have every wedding detail in place by now, right?”

  Ugh. I knew she was going to ask and she’s right . . . normally I would.

  “I know, Mom, but believe it or not, we don’t have any plans in place yet. Except for the date.”

  “Really?” she asks, sounding surprised. “Why?”

  I try to explain that with how busy Sheer Happiness has gotten in addition to Ace’s travel schedule I just haven’t had time to think about the wedding plans. I can tell she doesn’t fully understand.

  “Is something else going on?” she asks.

  For some reason, I start to cry. I never used to cry this much. It seems I’ve cried more since I started Sheer Happiness than I have in my life. I tell my mom about being at Alexa’s and having no interest in finding a dress. It’s easier to talk to her than Madison and Abby. Believe it or not, there are less expectations with my parents than there are with my friends.

  “Sienna, do you want to get married?”

  I’m completely shocked. What? Why would she ask me this?

  “Mom, are you serious? Of course, I want to get married,” I snap.

  “Honey, you don’t have to get upset,” she replies calmly. “I’m just saying that this isn’t like you. Putting things off like this. Your wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, and not to mention the fact your career is planning events. Finally, you can plan your own and you’re not, that seems odd to me.”

  I wipe my eyes and blow my nose. “I don’t know.”

  “Have you talked to Ace about this?”

  I haven’t talked to Ace because he’s been gone so much, and when he’s here, I just want to spend time with him.

  “No,” I say glumly. “He told me to plan our day any way that I want. Like I said, we haven’t discussed it much other than finally choosing the date. I’m sure he’s expecting me to have a plan and run with it.”

  “Of course, he is,” she says. “That’s what Sienna does.”

  My mom and I talk for a little while longer. Thankfully she changes the subject to giving me updates of my brothers and their very interesting lives. My brother Travis is married to Becky; they’re both grad school students. I planned their wedding last New Year’s Eve; it was one of the first events Sheer Happiness did. It was a beautiful wedding and it was drama free. My other brother Tyler lives in Dallas and works for a news station there. He’s the ultimate bachelor; every time we talk he’s in a new relationship. He says he moved to Texas because he thinks it has the most beautiful women in the world. I think he’s actually dated half the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Regardless, it’s nice to talk about something other than my issues for once.

  *~*~*

  The next morning, I get to the office early. When I open my email, there is a message waiting for me from Lisa.

  Sienna,

  The partners were very pleased with the party and would like to invite you to a networking dinner next Friday night. There will be a good number of people from around the community in attendance. We would be happy to introduce and recommend Sheer Happiness to them. Also, don’t forget your Plus 1, please feel free to bring Ace with you.

  Lisa

  Is she serious? This is not how I wanted my morning to begin. I’m still trying to deal with my miserable attitude at the bridal shop and the phone call with my mom. I finally was able to fall asleep after tossing and turning for hours. I stare at Lisa’s email; I know I need to attend this event for my career and for my sanity. And I need to bring Ace for several reasons. For one, he’s going to be my husband in a few months and I have to get over the fact that he and Lisa were involved. If we are all living in the same city, our paths are bound to cross, especially through work. I type up my response to Lisa and read it over a few times. I let her know that if Ace is in town he will join me. I click send and sit back. I wonder if that man at her firm will bring his girlfriend? This should be interesting.

  Nicole and I sit down to talk about our next event. This one’s going to be another interesting wedding.

  “So, did you hear the bridesmaids are wearing tuxedo dresses?” she asks after opening her laptop. “Supposedly it’s some new trend? Dresses that look like tuxedos. Who comes up with this stuff?”

  I chew on my pen cap. “What new trend? I’ve never heard of it.”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. I can’t keep up with people and their made-up trends. I guess someone woke up one day and decided to claim this is a trend.”

  I totally agree with her. I’ve seen many interesting things happen at weddings. I still don’t understand that whole thing with the dog carrying the rings down the aisle. I like dogs and all, but training one to walk down the aisle at a wedding is overboard in my opinion. But to each their own.

  “So, what else?” I ask as I’m making some notes.

  She scrolls through her laptop.

  “Let’s see.” She bites her lip as she reads down the list. “Black, white, and red. Wall-size heart with streamers and red flowers . . . oh, and a wedding singer.”

  I roll my eyes. “You mean like the movie?”

  She nods trying to hide her smile.

  “It sounds like a fabulous wedding . . . in the eighties.”

  We start to laugh. I have to admit, though, our theme weddings always turn out to be the most fun, so I’m kind of looking forward to this one. All we need now is for Adam Sandler to show up and that would be awesome. I glance at the clock, it’s nine fifteen and Craig is still a no-show.

  “Have you talked to Craig?” I ask curiously.

  She shakes her head. “I’m sure he will be in soon. Isn’t this his normal time anyway?”

  I frown. “Yes, it is.”

  Sure enough, not even ten minutes go by, and Craig nonchalantly strolls in. He immediately holds up his hand.

  “I know. Don’t say it. Yes, I’m late but I gave a good reason,” he exclaims.

  Do I really care to hear his reason? Is it going to matter? I’ve got to figure out a way to handle this—he’s getting all the perks of this job and Nicole is the one doing most of the work lately. Don’t get me wrong, Craig is practically a creative genius, but lately he’s been slacking, more so than usual. I’m torn because I know once I bring it up he will completely go in the tank. Now I just need to figure out the best way to approach it.

  “Okay, let’s hear it,” I ask, folding my arms. Sometimes his reasons are very entertaining.

  He ignores me and walks into his office. Nicole looks toward his office and back at me.

  “I guess I will follow up on this,” she says, pointing to her laptop. She stares directly at her computer. She’s obviously hoping to avoid the drama that’s about to ensue.

  I thank her and head into Craig’s office. He’s humming to himself and scrolling through his ph
one.

  “Would you believe I had an email from Nordstrom and now I can’t find it?” he says, sounding annoyed. “Do you think they will honor the sale? I need to run over there later today, do you need anything?”

  I sit down and wait for him to finish. He looks up at me and scowls. “Why are you looking at me like that? Did you just come in here to stare at me?”

  “Craig, we need to talk,” I say firmly. He rolls his eyes. That’s the problem when you become friends with employees, they don’t take you seriously.

  “I’m serious,” I say, raising my voice. He looks up from his phone.

  “I told you that I was sorry for being late.”

  “It’s not about that,” I say calmly. “It’s . . .”

  “Then why are you constantly criticizing me?” he accuses.

  I can already tell this isn’t going to go well. Once Craig gets defensive, it’s a continuous battle.

  “Criticizing you, how? I have asked you repeatedly to start coming into the office on time. We have a lot of events coming up and you know how I don’t like to leave things till the last minute. Coming in late, leaving early, or not showing up at all is not going to fly anymore.” I stop. I’m really not good at this whole authoritative thing.

  “What’s your problem lately?” he yells. “It seems like you’re just mad because Lisa and I have become friends. You hate that and I’m sorry to break the news to you, Sienna, but the world doesn’t revolve around you and your issues.”

  My mouth drops open and I can feel my face heating up. I’m not an expert but I’m pretty sure my blood pressure is rising. He stands in front of me with a smug look on his face.

  “That’s it. I knew it; you can’t stand that Ace’s first love and I are friends. You have no right to tell me whom I can or can’t be friends with.” He’s now glaring at me.

  I’m still in shock because I don’t know how to respond to his comments about Lisa.

  “Let’s get one thing straight, I couldn’t care less if you and Lisa are best friends, but if I ask you to be on time for work or to show up to a meeting, you are expected to abide by those rules. You. Work. For. Me,” I demand.

  He folds his arms. “I don’t know what has happened to you since you started this stupid company. You think you’re so great . . . I’m out of here.”

  He grabs his phone and storms out of his office and heads straight for the front door. I follow behind him and glance at Nicole who is watching the whole thing go down. I know she heard every word, so I don’t need to pretend anything.

  “I’m sorry you had to hear all of that,” I say awkwardly.

  She shakes her head. “No need to apologize. He was way out of line.”

  I sit down on the couch and put my head in my hands. Why do I feel like everything around me is falling apart? Is he right, have I changed? I admit it did bother me a bit that he and Lisa have gotten so close but that really wasn’t the reason I called him out.

  “Nicole, do I seem different than when we worked for Carrie?”

  She smiles. “Not at all. I mean, not you as a person. Sure, you handle some things differently but that’s because this is your company. Like I said, I think he was definitely out of line. I know you two are friends, but you’re still our boss.”

  Maybe this is my fault. Maybe I gave Craig too much leniency because he’s a friend. Now that I’m making rules, he’s fighting me on them.

  “So, he’s really become good friends with Lisa?” she asks a few minutes later. I nod slowly.

  “I guess there is some truth to that part, but even though I feel a little hurt doesn’t mean I would let that factor into our working relationship.” We sit in silence for a minute. “Anyway, I’m sure he will come around,” I say as I get up and go into my office and lean my head back against the chair. I can’t get our fight out of my head. I don’t think the world revolves around me or my issues. I start to think about Abby and how many times I’ve gone to her with my problems. Is Craig right?

  I need to figure this all out. I need Ace.

  Chapter 13

  Craig never came back to the office after our fight, nor did he call. I didn’t call him either, and I don’t intend to. After work, I head to Ace’s condo to wait for him to get home from the airport. His flight is supposed to arrive at eight thirty. I’m trying to stay busy but my mind keeps going back to Craig and Abby. I called Ace and briefly told him about what happened. He was getting on a plane, so I didn’t get to explain all the details.

  I sit down Indian style on his super comfortable couch and open my laptop. How am I supposed to get any work done after a huge fight with my friend and employee? I hate to think this way, but maybe it’s time for Craig to move on. I love him as a person but sometimes working with him brings more headaches. I start to make a list of the pros and cons. The cons are his constant drama, he’s undependable, and he has an overall feeling of entitlement. The pros are when he’s engaged he’s great at his job. He’s creative, fun, and likeable. After looking at the lists, I’m still torn. No matter what, I don’t think I would ever be able to bring myself to let Craig go. I don’t think I have it in me.

  I guess there is a reason people say you shouldn’t do business with friends.

  *~*~*

  How did I get here? Suddenly, I’m back in the apartment that I used to share with Madison. I look around and it looks exactly the same; it feels so strange being back here. I walk toward the front window, when I look out I see Ace and Lisa—they are having a picnic on a big blanket that is lying on the sidewalk. They are feeding each other and laughing. I become even more uncomfortable watching them with each other. They stand up and start playing soccer. I start to bang on the window to get their attention but they must not be able to hear me. I keep banging, trying to get Ace’s attention. Just when they lean in to kiss each other, I scream.

  I jump up to see Ace standing over me. I look around to see that I’m still in his living room. I’m practically shaking, and Ace has a very concerned look on his face.

  “It was a dream,” I say under my breath. I let out a deep breath.

  “Are you all right?” Ace asks, kneeling down on the floor next to the couch. He runs his hands through my hair.

  I give him a grateful smile. There’s no way in hell I’m going to tell him about that dream. I’ve given Lisa enough of my energy already.

  “Um, yeah,” I say, wiping my forehead. “Just a weird dream.”

  I look at his worried expression and instantly remember why I love him so much.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks. I shake my head.

  “I’m so glad you’re home,” I say as I throw my arms around his neck.

  “Me, too,” he says into my hair. He moves to sit on the couch with me.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You were tossing and turning a lot.”

  I wave my hand back and forth. “Yeah. I just had a stressful day . . . actually, days.” He gives me a curious look. I groan, I feel like such a drama queen.

  “Okay, tell me all about it,” he replies.

  He’s looking at me with those patient eyes and part of me wants to ask him if he’s for real. Maybe I’m still in a dream.

  I explain everything that went down with Craig today; I even included the part where he accused me of being mad because he and Lisa are friends. Thankfully, Ace didn’t have much reaction to that part.

  “This isn’t the first time you had a fight, right?” he asks. “I’m sure it will be fine once you both have time to think and cool off.”

  I nod slowly. “Maybe . . . I don’t know. I’m starting to wonder if our working together is a good idea. I don’t want it to ruin our friendship and it’s starting to feel like it is.”

  Ace gets up to get us some drinks. I pull my knees into my chest.

  “Are you considering letting him go?” he asks, handing me a Diet Coke.

  I shrug my shoulders. “Even if I did consider it, let’s face it—I would never follow throug
h. But I don’t know, it may be for the best.”

  I really am starting to feel sad. I never expected I would be considering this. I always thought that if we stopped working together it would be because he would quit.

  Ace sits back down with his drink. “All right, so aside from your fight with Craig, you said you had a stressful few days. What else?”

  Hmmm . . . I guess now that I’m engaged to Ace he will be assuming the role that Abby used to hold, as in listening to me complain about my problems. But isn’t that what married couples are supposed to do? Aren’t they supposed to support each other in every way possible?

  “Oh, well, that would be the fact that I hadn’t even begun searching for my wedding gown until a few days ago, which made Madison and Abby think I’m losing my mind.” I laugh nervously. “They even made me have an intervention.”

  Ace has another concerned look on his face. “Really? That’s unusual,” he says.

  Ugh, here we go again.

  “Yes, I know. I’ve just been preoccupied . . . with work and other stuff.”

  In other words, your first love coming back into our lives, I think to myself. I start to play with the tab on the Diet Coke can.

  “Anyway, I found a dress but they made such a big deal about it,” I add. “Their pressure didn’t make it an enjoyable experience.”

  He still has the concerned look on his face.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask. I can tell that he wants to say something but he’s holding back. I reach for his hand. “You can tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I want to ask you something but don’t get upset,” he says cautiously.

  It’s never good when someone says that.

  “Okay.”

  “Are you nervous about getting married?” he asks. “You just seem so stressed out.” I don’t know how to answer this. I don’t think nervous is the right word.