The mayor had asked to see him and when he got to the office, Deb was already there waiting.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
He shrugged. “He called. I came. That’s the way it works.”
“I was told this was about the banquet later this week.”
“What banquet?”
She shook her head at him. “You wrote the damn invite. Thursday night, the mayor is having a party for all of the competitors for the tourism partnership.”
Damn. How had he forgotten about that? Probably because he had Kathy on the brain. “I wrote the invitation, but if I recall, you were playing with dates.”
While Deb rattled on about why she needed to pick a certain date, Kevin’s brain went into high gear. If the meeting was this week, that meant the mayor was close to making a decision. The fact that Kevin was being brought back in was a good sign. He had his chance to show the mayor exactly what he could get done.
The door behind them opened and the mayor welcomed them in. Mayor Park had been in office for a few years. Jimmy had worked closely with him the same summer Moira had gotten tangled up in a story that interfered with Jimmy’s case. Although the mayor had made note of Kevin sharing Jimmy’s last name, it hadn’t gotten him any perks. At least not until now.
“Have a seat,” Park said.
Kevin waited for Deb to sit and then he joined her. Park stood and leaned against the edge of his desk.
“Are we set for Thursday?” Park asked Deb.
“Yes. Everyone has accepted the invitation, although most were puzzled about the format. I don’t think I’m clear on how you expect them to present their proposals.”
Park waved a hand. “God, no. I don’t want to sit through any more presentations. If I have to look at one more slide show, I think I’ll be sick. Don’t these people have any other way to share information?”
He shook his head, realizing he was going off course. Kevin had seen him do this often.
Park crossed his arms. “I’m going old school on this. Tourism is about more than pretty pictures. It’s word of mouth and a sense of personalization and community. If these people can’t sell my own city to me over a few drinks at a cocktail party, I don’t need to waste my time with them.”
Kevin liked the idea. “Excuse me, sir, but why am I here? I don’t plan parties. That’s completely Deb’s domain.”
“I read the proposal you put together and I think you’re on the right track. I don’t think the tourism board should be totally farmed out, but I don’t want to waste valuable taxpayer money to convince everyone else in the world that Chicago is great.”
This was it. This was what Kevin had been hoping for. If he were given the opportunity to be in a position where he could showcase his ability to make things happen, his career would be moving. “What do you need from me?”
“I expect you to be at the party on Thursday. Help me vet these groups. It’s not an interview, so don’t treat it like one. The businesses vying for this contract have no idea who else will be there, so they should be looking to impress everyone they talk to. Help me find the bullshitters.”
Kevin smiled. Being a bullshit artist himself made him a bit of an expert at spotting one. He turned to Deb. “Is this black tie?”
“Not formal. Cocktail attire is fine.”
He continued to stare at her.
She sighed. “What you’re wearing is fine.”
“Thank you.”
Park began to move back behind his desk. “And bring a date, Kevin. This is supposed to be a party. If they see you walking solo, they’ll peg you as someone to suck up to.”
“I might like people sucking up to me for a change.”
Park laughed. “You’ll have plenty of time for that later.”
Kevin wouldn’t press the issue of a new position right now—not in front of Deb. First, he’d work the party and find the right people to work with and then he’d talk to Park about appointing him to be the liaison.
As he left Park’s office, he didn’t have to think about who to bring for his date. He was dialing Kathy’s number before he got back to his desk.
“Good afternoon, Love in Bloom. How may I help you?”
His blood pounded at the sound of her offering her services. “Hi, Kathy. It’s Kevin. Do you have time to talk for a few minutes?”
“Um, sure.”
He heard her moving around and waited a second for her to get settled. “I know I said I’d give you time to think, but I was wondering if you might be free Thursday night.”
“Why?”
“I have a cocktail party I have to go to for work. The mayor specifically told me to bring a date, and I immediately thought of you.” So many thoughts of her raced through his head, but he pushed them back.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“It’s not a date. Unless of course, you want it to be.” He realized he was rushing, so he took a deep breath. As much as he wanted to see her, he knew this would also be a good opportunity for her. “This cocktail party is going to be filled with businesses who coordinate events throughout the city. Between you and me, they’re trying to land a partnership deal with the city to handle tourism. This will be an excellent networking opportunity for you.”
When she stayed silent, he added, “We could finalize details for the bachelor party. It’ll be efficient. You might make connections that lead to new customers, and we’ll get party stuff done.” He wanted to add that he really wanted to spend time with her, but he didn’t know if that would give her a push in the right direction.
“Okay. What time?”
“I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
“I can drive myself.”
“The mayor asked me to bring a date. It might look suspicious if
