“You could go as a paper-mache rose or something.”
“Yeah, because that seems logical. I’ll ask my sister, she’ll know.” I take my phone out of my pocket and send her a quick text, asking her how a guy at a masquerade party would get the attention of the most gorgeous woman in the room.
She responds almost instantly. You need to dress up as James Bond, Jack Ryan, or Captain America!
That's all I need to know.
3
Ensley
“Thank you, Holly. I really appreciate everything. I’ll call you back when I have all the answers.” I print off the paperwork and stack the papers on top of my notebook.
“Sounds good,” Holly replies. “If you don’t get me here at the hotel, you can call my cell.” We say our goodbyes and I hang up with a smile. The venue for the Nightmare Ball has been booked, and everything is going according to plan. Now all I have to do is show it all to Damien Forrester for approval.
Leaning back in my office chair, I stretch my arms over my head and look out my window, which has the best view of the lake. The leaves have already started to change colors. Fall is my favorite season.
After the year Jordan and I have had as far as earnings, I splurged a little bit and bought a house on Lake Wylie. Living in an apartment in downtown had its perks, but I like the idea of owning my own place instead of throwing money away on rent. Some of my friends have asked if I’m lonely in this big house all by myself, but I’m not. Yes, it’d be nice to have someone to wake up to every morning, but right now, it’s not in the cards for me. I’m concentrating on my career.
My cell phone rings and when I swivel my chair back to my desk, I see Jordan’s picture on my screen. We often talked about renting office space somewhere, but we both decided it’s nice working from our homes. Her husband likes her being at home too. There are some days he takes his lunch break with her at their house so he can get a little afternoon delight. They’re trying to get pregnant so any chance they get to have sex, they take it. I’m not jealous of what they have, but I am a little envious at times. I’ve always wanted a family of my own. Luckily, my parents are supportive of my career decisions and don’t hound me about finding a husband.
Pressing the speaker button on my phone, I turn back around to look at the lake. “Hey, girl. What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just letting you know the DJ has been booked and I emailed all the information to you.”
Turning around, I open my laptop and sign into my email. I print off the paperwork and add it to my pile of papers to take to Damien. “Great. Thanks. I’m going to call Damien and see if he’s free for lunch. I need to get him all the info so he can move forward with selling the tickets.” It’s only been two days since our meeting, but I don’t like to procrastinate even if the tickets are projected to sell out within the first hour. The party is in two weeks so there’s a lot to do in just a short amount of time.
“Do you need me to go with you today?” Jordan asks. From the sound of her voice, I can tell she doesn’t really want to go.
“No, I can go by myself. Is everything okay?”
She snickers and I have my answer. “Ah, I get it. Hubby coming home for lunch today?”
“You got it. We’re committed to this kid making thing.”
I burst out laughing. “I see that. Hope you both have fun.”
“Oh, we will, don’t worry.”
Rolling my eyes, I tell her bye and end the call. I have Damien’s number saved in my phone, so I scroll through my contacts until I find him. The phone rings a couple of times before he picks up.
“This is Damien,” he answers.
“Hi, Damien, it’s Ensley Anderson. How are you this morning?”
He chuckles. “Doing great. You?”
“Not too bad,” I reply. “I was calling to see if you might be able to meet me for lunch today? I have everything booked for the ball but there are some things I’d like to get your approval on.”
“Sounds good. Let me check my schedule and I’ll get right back to you.”
“Perfect.” He ends the call, and while I wait, I make sure I have all the information in my stack of papers to give him. I slide it all into my notebook and carry it into the kitchen by my car keys. A few seconds later, Damien calls me back and I answer.
“I can do twelve o’clock. Does that work for you?”
“It does. How about at The Corner Café?”
He chuckles. “Glad you picked there. They have the best soups.”
They really do. My stomach growls just thinking about their broccoli cheddar. “See you there.”
I have two hours to get ready, so I take a quick shower and break out the skinny jeans and boots. October weather in North Carolina is funny, especially in Charlotte. In the past, we’ve had ninety-degree days up until November, but not this year. It’s been very fall-like with bright blue skies and chilly winds that makes the leaves fall from the trees. Not to mention, pumpkin spice in everything. Even my body wash is pumpkin apple. All the candles I light in my house are cinnamon pumpkin scented. I even use them in the spring and summer. Guess you can say it’s autumn all year long in my house.
By the time I finish my makeup, I have plenty of time to get downtown. Parking can be a nightmare. Grabbing my notebook and purse, I head on my way in my charcoal gray convertible BMW. It’s the nicest car I’ve ever owned, and I take
