Page 101 of Babies at Coconuts

Chapter 72

Alex’s heart raced as she glanced toward the clock and lobby every few seconds, wondering why more people weren’t at the anniversary party. First Tony cancels and now no one shows.

The minute Hannah strutted in the front door wearing a low-cut silky black blouse, ivory pants, and stilettoes, Alex swarmed her. Hissing under her breath, she asked, “Where the hell is everyone?”

“Hello to you too.” Ignoring the question, Hannah waved to her father and practically skated across the room to shake the hands of a few board members.

Fuming, Alex plastered a fake smile across her face, stepped across the lobby, and reached for Hannah’s elbow. “We need to talk.”

Hannah didn’t miss a beat. “Go ahead. I’m sure Mrs. Timmons would love to hear anything you have to say.”

The elderly silver-haired board chairwoman brightened. “Yes, I would. I love marketing. You know when I was a young woman, we—”

“Sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Timmons, but this is urgent. Hold that thought.” Alex narrowed her eyes. “Hannah, I need to speak to you in the employee lounge.” When Hannah stood in place, Alex said, “Now.”

Begrudgingly the intern followed Alex into a back room. In spite of all attempts to remain calm, sweat formed on Alex’s upper lip. “Where is everyone? Did you send out the five thousand direct mail pieces targeting neighborhood residents and businesses? I had hoped ten percent of them would show up. That’s five hundred people.”

“I can do the math,” Hannah said.

“Glad to hear it. So, where are our guests?” Poking her head back out the door, Alex surveyed the miniscule crowd mainly made up of bank employees. Her pulse raced. “We should have five times this many people here.” She eyed Hannah’s blank face as a sickening thought crossed her mind. “You did send the invitations out, right?”

“Of course.” Suddenly fixated on her shiny shoes, Hannah said, “At the last minute, I decided to send evites instead of printed invitations.”

Alex’s stomach lurched. “Evites? Oh, my God. Why didn’t you use printed invitations like I specifically told you to do?”

Shrugging, Hannah said, “It’s the modern era, Alex. Everyone has a computer. It’s more efficient, no postage costs, and—”

“The evites are probably in everyone’s damn spam folder.” Feeling a headache bearing down, Alex rubbed her temples. “Everyone has computers except for many of our best, longtime, elderly customers and older board members. I spelled everything out for you, Hannah. A million zillion times. Evites are fine if accompanied by a printed invitation as well. I don’t know why I can’t get this through your head.” She pounded her fist on the counter. “Dammit.”

Seemingly nonplussed, Hannah shrugged. “Think of it as a nice, intimate bank party.”

Alex wanted to slap her. “Nice and intimate won’t cut it. Your dad wanted a grand event. We’re going to have to think fast.”

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Hannah said, “Daddy won’t be mad at me. He never gets mad at me.”

I hate this bitch. Why did I get stuck with her? Alex knew she’d get all of the blame and stormed off before she said something that would get her fired.

~ ~ ~

Feeling her phone vibrate, Alex glanced at the screen. Cheri had texted that she was at the back door. Rushing back toward the break area, she said, “The food’s here. Why don’t you mingle and hope to God more people show up. I’m going to let the caterer in.”

“Fine. I’ll go keep Daddy company.”

Alex wanted to puke. She headed toward the back door and forced a smile when she saw Cheri. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Thanks for the business.” Cheri handed Alex two bags of containers and brought in three more herself. As they set the bags on the counter, Alex peeked inside. “What did you bring?”

Cheri beamed. “Only the best. Let’s see. We have duck breasts and calves cheeks with a blood orange and balsamic reduction. Oh, and I even threw in some caviar at my expense. Nothing’s too good for my friends.”

Alex’s mouth went dry as she wondered how the elaborate hors d’oeuvres would go over. It wasn’t exactly Midwestern fare. “Uh, thanks. Anything else?”

Cheri stared at her appetizers. “Goat cheese tarts, bacon-wrapped scallops, liver pate, Caprese skewers, and salmon tartare.” Staring at her beautiful creations, Cheri’s brow furrowed. “Did I go overboard?”

Alex’s tone was wooden. “I don’t know what I expected—not a green bean casserole nor mac and cheese—but not this upscale spread either.” Sighing, she said, “I suppose I should have been more involved but there’s no time to change it now. Let me help you put the food on platters.”

“Hopefully, they’ll like it.” Cheri’s upbeat attitude faded. “All of my elite clients in New York City love this food. In fact, these are some of the most requested items on Fifth Avenue Catering’s menu. I thought—”

“It’s an adventuresome menu.” Alex knew she had hurt Cheri’s feelings. “It’s definitely eclectic and a step up from our usual fare. It’ll be, uh, fine. Let’s get it on the table.”

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