Chapter Ten

Tori rubbed her hands over her eyes, hoping to ease their fatigue after staring at her screen for the last several hours. She’d been flipping through her playbook for the thousandth time at her desk, looking like a lioness on the hunt for even the tiniest details that could improve her folder of ideas she kept for the Bedland wedding.

She’d given Lettie and Deb the day off to get ready for their own Friday night plans they’d each been looking forward to all week. Tori had come into the office that morning with the innocent intention of checking her file one last time to make sure everything was perfect.

That had been hours ago, and she still felt the need to make it even better. She would present her ideas to the Bedlands tomorrow, and while she knew her choices were good—great even—she had no way of knowing if they would be good enough to win. Good enough to impress Georgina and her daughter and land the job that would free her from her mother’s shadow.

There had to be something she could do to really make this wedding stand out, but she came up with nothing that wasn’t trite or cliché or overdone.

Maybe she should call Lettie. Her best friend had seen her through her fair share of jitters in the early years at her old firm, and she’d always had a knack for reassuring Tori of her talent and skill.

Tori’s cell rang, and she knew who it was before the name even popped up on the screen. Either Lettie was psychic or she knew Tori even better than Tori knew herself.

“Hello?”

“How bad is it?”

Leave it to Lettie to skip right to the point. “How bad is what?” she asked innocently.

“It’s Friday afternoon.”

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s the day before your big thing with the Bedlands.”

“Also accurate.”

“Meaning you are probably at the office poring over every last detail that couldn’t possibly get better because each one is already perfect.”

Tori frowned down at her folder of papers and lists and rubbed at her dry, tired eyes once more. It was the smallest compliment, said so off-handedly it barely carried any weight. But the way she said it like it should be the most obvious thing in the world, Lettie’s unflinching confidence in her, was exactly what she’d needed.

She leaned back in her chair, letting out a small laugh. “These are ridiculous accusations that I will neither confirm nor deny.”

“I knew it. You used to do this all the time when you started at First Impressions. You’d get nervous and then you’d overthink and overstress. You need to get out of that office and out of your head.”

She blew out a slow breath. “Easier said than done.”

“Do you want me to cancel my date?” Lettie asked, her voice softening on the other end. “I could come over and we could do a movie or something.”

“No way. You’ve been talking about this date with Reese all week.” If Lettie had a sixth sense when it came to Tori’s obsessing, Tori had an unnatural instinct when it came to her best friend’s taste in guys.

She’d barely finished telling Lettie about the cute guy behind the counter at McCluskey’s before her friend got up with her bag in hand, checked her black curls in the window’s reflection, and left without so much as a backward glance, claiming that she’d had a sudden craving for dessert. Twenty minutes later she’d come back into the office with Reese’s number, a date for the next Friday, and a free slice of blueberry pie. She hadn’t been able to talk about anything else since.

“Besides, he’s taking you to see his band play, and I need you to tell me if they’re any good. You can’t cancel.”

“Then I’ll give Deb a call. Maybe she can reschedule her kickboxing class.”

“Yeah, because needing your best friend to beg your fifty-year-old assistant to keep an eye on you on a Friday night isn’t pathetic or depressing at all.”

“Tori…”

“Lettie, I swear it’s not that bad. I’ve only been here for a few hours.” Technically five if the clock on her computer screen was correct.

“Hours? That’s it, I’m canceling.”

“No, you are not. Look, I can handle a Friday night alone. And you’re right. I’ve got this incredible plan, and everything is ready to go. I don’t need to stress about this anymore, so I’m packing up my stuff and heading home now.” Of course, what she was supposed to do when she got home was still uncertain. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got some more boxes that need unpacking.”

“No way, forget about boxes. Here’s what you’re going to do. You are going to go home, put on some comfy, ratty pajamas, and put on a good, thick face mask. Then you will pull out your favorite junk foods and sit yourself down in front of the TV for a 'Gossip Girl' marathon.”

“I already tried that, remember? I couldn’t get into it.”

“I’m telling you, you just have to get through episode seven. After that you’ll be hooked…at least until season five. It starts getting dicey around there.”

“Why episode seven?”

Lettie giggled. “One word: limo.”

“The show gets better because there’s a limo?”

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “It gets better because of what happens in the limo.”

“Oh.” No need to ask what that meant. “Got it.”

“You sure you’re going to be okay?”

Tori nodded as she flipped the folder in front of her closed. “I am putting the files away and locking up now. I’ll be home decked out in sweats and face slime in no time.”

“Perfect.”

“Have fun on your date, Lettie.”

“Thank you. Have fun thinking about something other than work for a change.” The line went silent, and Tori thought her friend had already hung up before she quickly added in, “And I want to know the second you reach episode seven.”

Tori rolled her eyes. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…

Tori’s fingers tapped against the side of her grocery store basket with each word while her eyes bounced between pints of strawberry cheesecake ice cream and Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz!

To the average store-goer, she looked like a woman struggling to choose an ice cream flavor. Only she knew how crucial this decision was. On the one hand, the coffee-flavored ice cream was her favorite and promised tummy satisfaction. On the other, she didn’t need the caffeine wreaking havoc on her system and keeping her awake all night before the big day.

She’d gone home almost an hour ago like Lettie told her to. Put on an old pair of sweatpants and a soft, blue baseball tee, washed her face, and smeared on the avocado mask her friend had left under the bathroom sink while snorting quietly to herself and shaking her head—Avogato? Really?—only to realize that she had zero junk food in the house. She really could not be expected to sit through hours of teen angst and melodrama without the comforts of chocolate-covered pretzels and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

So she’d washed off the avocado mask without waiting the obligatory ten minutes and jumped in the car to head to the local market. She managed to pluck a few promising snacks off the shelves, and now she stood in front of the freezer, debating the importance of sleep.

A throat cleared an inch from Tori’s ear, and she jumped. A clipped see slipped from between her lips as she whirled around to find Wyatt standing beside her with a tiny smirk. “Little known fact: no matter how long you stare at it, the ice cream will not open the door and jump into the basket on its own.”

Tori clutched her hand to her chest, silently willing her startled heart to return to normal.

His smirk slipped. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s fine.” Her nerves were fried all the way out to her fingertips, and she’d probably lost a year of her life, but she was fine.

His eyes did a quick sweep over her sweatpants, T-shirt, and makeup-free face. She waited for the teasing remark she was sure would come, but it seemed he at least had the decency not to comment. “Looks like you’ve got quite the night ahead of you.”

His eyes met hers and held there for an extra-long second, almost like he was looking for something in them. Another tiny jolt set off in her chest, and she had to tear her eyes away before she lost what little control she’d just regained. “Wh-what do you mean?”

He nodded toward the basket in her hand already filled with some of her favorite snacks. “Cheeseballs, Twinkies, peanut butter cups…is that three different kinds of popcorn?” he asked, eyeing the bags of movie theater butter, white cheddar, and caramel corn.

“You can’t expect me to pick just one.”

He chuckled. “Of course not. Now all that’s missing is a bottle of wine and the complete set of Game of Thrones.”

“'Gossip Girl'.”

“Sorry?”

“The plan is 'Gossip Girl'.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side. “Huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. You just don’t strike me as the 'Gossip Girl' type.”

“Ha. I know, right? Lettie made me promise to relax tonight, and she’s been trying to get me to watch that show for years. She swears I’ll be hooked after a few episodes. But then again, she also swears that the new 'Cats' movie ‘wasn’t that bad.’ So her taste in entertainment is currently under review.”

“Yikes.” He chuckled. “I guess this means you’re ready for your big sell tomorrow.”

“I am,” she said with a smile, really meaning it this time. It was amazing how far a little boost from Lettie could go. She hadn’t stopped to worry about her presentation once since leaving the office.

One of his eyebrows kicked up. “Really?”

“Of course. Do you think I’d be gearing up to binge-watch a bunch of overprivileged teens try to scandalously navigate life on the Upper East Side if I weren’t?”

“Does sound like that might be out of character for you.”

“Exactly. And if I’m ever going to make it to episode seven, I should probably grab my ice cream and get going.”

“So you admit the ice cream won’t spontaneously grow legs and hop out?”

She shrugged. “I had it on the ropes. It’s not my fault you interrupted our standoff.”

“Well, far be it from me to interrupt any longer.” He grinned. “Have fun tonight, Tori. I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks. You too.”

Tori watched Wyatt until he turned the corner at the end of the aisle, and she was left to face the age-old dilemma while she eyed the two ice cream flavors again. To sleep or not to sleep…

Who was she kidding? If past experience were any indication, she’d be falling asleep long before the famous seventh episode came around regardless of whether she was caffeinated or not. At least this way she’d have happy taste buds and a full belly before passing out.

Tori had barely snagged the pint of Coffee Coffee BuzzBuzzBuzz! from the freezer when it was torn from her hand. She rounded on the thief who held the ice cream behind his back and out of her reach. “What are you doing?”

Wyatt grinned, a playful spark in his eyes. “How attached are you to this Friday night plan of yours?”

“What are you talking about?” Was she suffering from some kind of anxiety-induced episode? Why was he asking her about her plans and, more importantly, why had he stolen her ice cream? She lunged for the pint behind his back, and he raised it up over his head like a ten-year-old bully playing keep-away.

He shook his head down at her. “Answer the question first.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know how easily I could persuade you to come do something else with me tonight. Now, on a scale of New Year’s resolution to joining the priesthood, how committed are you to this 'Gossip Girl' marathon at home alone?”

Tori stared at him with no clue what to say. Hanging out with her rival the night before she was supposed to land a big client was the last thing she should be doing. She’d have to be insane to even consider it. So why was she?

He waited patiently as the ball went back and forth across the court in the tennis match playing out in her head. She’d sworn to keep her distance from Wyatt for the sake of this presentation, but the fate of said presentation also rested on Tori’s ability to relax tonight. And if she was being completely honest with herself, the only times she’d truly been able to relax and think about things other than work, ironically, were when she was with him.

“A free gym membership,” she finally muttered.

He lowered his arm, hiding the ice cream behind his back again, and leaned forward some. “What was that?”

“On a scale of New Year’s resolution to priesthood, I’d say I’m somewhere around a free gym membership.” The kind you got as a Christmas gift and had zero intention of using.

Wyatt’s answering grin was so stunning she nearly dropped her basket in the middle of the frozen section. “Perfect.” He drew the freezer door open and set the pint of coffee ice cream back on its shelf. He eased the basket from her fingers before she could really drop it, then took her hand in his free one to gently lead her toward the checkout.

“Where are we going? It’s been a long week, and I promised Lettie I would relax and not even think about work tonight.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry. What we’re about to do will require so much mental focus, you’ll have no chance to worry about work or anything else.”

A small shiver raced up Tori’s spine, but whether it was from fear or excitement she couldn’t tell.