Page 23 of The Christmas Plan

The caterer cleared her throat. “Cy.” Immediately, her face flushed. Even to a complete stranger like Mac, it was obvious that Cy had been in trouble at events like this before.

Laughing, Mac lightly slapped her shoulder. “Your tie is loose, I won’t tell.”

Her eyes zipped down. “Shit. Thank you. I was running out of my house, my roommate was crying about her shitty girlfriend. My boss would’ve killed me.”

“No worries. If they say anything to you, let me know and I'll talk to them. Okay?” Mac nodded. She’d worked jobs like this for years, and six months out from her life-altering win she wasn’t anywhere near forgetting what it was like.

“Seriously?” Cy gawked. “By the way, I’m such a huge fan of both of you.”

Wiggling her eyebrows, Taylor smiled at the sweet caterer before dismissing them back to work. “You’re sweet.” She turned back to Mackenzie who was quietly sipping some champagne.

With a shrug, Mac swallowed the bubbly drink. “Just looking out for the working man.”

Taylor rolled her eyes as her gaze wandered over the party.

“Just go talk to Ari, she’ll be so interested to represent you.” Mac gently rubbed Taylor’s exposed shoulders. Her dress looked amazing, shimmering under the decorative clouds overhead.

Lifting her glass to her lips, Taylor took a massive drink. “I’m going to need two more of these before I have that kind of courage.”

Mac laughed and held her close. With any luck, she’d catch Tommy somewhere around here and be able to get an easy introduction for Taylor. But if she didn’t, the two of them might just have to be bold enough to hunt Ari down themselves.

15

ARI

Despite the raging party,Ari couldn’t take her eyes off of the elevator doors. Hazel Ford had yet to arrive and as the night grew later, Ari was beginning to fear she might not show.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to remind herself that even if Hazel didn’t come, the night had been a smashing success. Ari’s current clients felt special and she’d gotten a few new interested clients.

Besides, she could see Taylor Young cowering in the corner, too nervous to approach any of the new agents.

From what Ari had gathered, Taylor was pretty lucky to never have to handle these negotiations herself. Kimberly Parker, a former pro herself, had managed Taylor’s career from daycare.

Ari leaned into Cass’s ear. “I might go chat with Taylor Young while we wait for Hazel.”

But just as Ari turned, the elevator dinged again with a late arrival. As soon as the doors opened, the cameras flashed.

The star walking in, a tall, slender brunette, covered her face with her hands.

“That’s our girl.” Cass nodded, following Ari over to the newcomer. Tapping Rose on the shoulder, Cass smiled. “Do me a favor, don’t let these pictures see the light of day.”

Leaning over to the photographers, Ari smiled. “This is a private meeting, so just delete what you got. I appreciate it.”

Drew and Rose nodded, dismissing themselves from the scene.

Turning her attention to Hazel, Cass hugged her. “Thank you so much for coming. It’s so good to see you.”

Hazel nodded. “Of course, anything for Cassie Owens. You saved my ass in class a dozen times.”

“Oh god, that was nothing.” Cass shook her head before putting her arm around Ari. “Hazel, there’s someone I want you to meet. This is my girlfriend, Ari Graves. I mentioned her on the phone.”

With a knowing but nervous smile, Hazel shook Ari’s hand. “The lead agent at SDO Management.”

Ari waved off the compliment. “Welcome back to New York. Lead agent is generous. But it’s a pleasure to meet you, Cass has nothing but good things to say.”

A caterer appeared with a tray of drinks as if on command. Reaching for the tray, Ari passed a glass of champagne to Hazel.

“A little early for champagne, no?” Hazel raised a suspicious eyebrow.

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