Page 96 of Perfect (mis)Match

“What about the livestream?” I interrupted. “That’scritical.”

“I was just about to say that the social media team is on it and it’s good to go. And the?—”

“The messenger with the package?” I asked quickly, because that was the most important part of the whole show.

Linda held my gaze for a beat, the only editorial comment she probably felt comfortable giving me. “As I was saying…the messenger has been in contact, and he confirmed that she received it and the instructions included with it.”

I started pacing. “I wish there was a way to guarantee that it all falls into place. There’s a choreography element to this whole production, but if Piper doesn’t follow instructions, there’s no point to all of this.” I started pacing as I envisioned all the ways my plan could go wrong.

Maybe Piper put the box down and forgot about it?

Or worse, what if she threw it away without even opening it? She looked upset enough during the lilac fiasco to do exactly that.

No, the absolute worst-case scenario would be if Piper opened the box and hated what was inside of it.

Whyhad I thought this was a good idea?

“What about the packages for the press?” I barked harsher than I’d intended.

“Ready to be handed out. We have someone stationed at the end of every row.” Linda smiled patiently at me. “Vincent, you can stop worrying about logistics and focus on what you need to say.” She pulled out her phone to check the time. “Getting close. I’m going to go triple check everything.”

Dwayne popped his head in as Linda left the room. “Crowded out there!”

“Good, that’s exactly what I want,” I nodded at him. “Hey, thanks again for what you did. I know that was tight. Above and beyond, as always.”

He grinned at me. “How could I say no? Killer concept, and I love how it ended up. Hope it all works out.” Dwayne turned totalk to someone behind him I couldn’t see. “You okay for some company, or do you need time alone?”

I heard a commotion just outside the door, and I knew exactly who it was.

“It’s fine, I’ve still got ten minutes. Send them in.”

The door opened, and Trent, Aiden, Paul, and Dominic strolled into the room. They were all suited up for work, so how they’d managed to escape midday was beyond me. We all lived our lives at warp speed.

But then again, when one of us needed support, we all rallied.

“Bro,” Aiden cheered. “Look at you, going all out!”

“Seriously, this is some next-level shit,” Dominic said with admiration in his voice. “But I get it. It’s time for a showstopper.”

Trent slapped me on the back. “We know you’ve got this, but we figured a few more friendly faces staring at you from the audience would be a good thing.”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “It definitely helps. Thanks for being here. You guys have been with me through some of my toughest ups and downs.”

“And you’ve done the same for us,” Aiden said. “That’s what we do.”

“Wait a minute,” Paul glanced around at our group. “Can you believe we didn’t getonephoto of the five of us at my wedding? We’ve got plenty with you guys and our lovely bridesmaids, but not one of just us. Let’s make up for it now.”

“Read the room, P.,” Trent laughed at Paul. “The guy’s stressed out, you can see it all over his face.”

He was right, but I welcomed the chance to spend a few minutes focusing on something other than what I was about to attempt.

“No, let’s do it,” I said quickly. “Who’s got the longest arms to take a selfie?”

“I mean,” Aiden spread his arms out to the sides and looked down at himself then all of us. “I’ve got an eighty-inch wingspan.”

We all stared at him for a beat, then broke into laughter at the idea of it.

“Eighty inches?” Trent sputtered. “Then you should be playing for the Giants.”

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