Page 127 of Happily Never After

“Oh, here,” Heather said. She leaned down to pull two laminated sheets of paper from her purse and slid them across the table. They were resumes, expertly formatted and concise. She pulled out a small binder next and sat it on the table.

“Honestly, ever since you started making the proposal videos, I couldn’t stop watching them. What you do is so beautiful,” Heather said, leaning in. “In the hotel business,we get a little taste of making dreams come true—pulling off the perfect corporate event or wedding reception, sometimes hosting dignitaries from different countries. But nothing we do is quite like this.” She gestured to the still on the screen, where a tearful Cassie hugged Steve in his tuxedo wetsuit.

Claire nodded. Mindy nudged her under the table.

“What’s your idea of a perfect proposal?” Claire asked, scribbling a few notes under the previous question.

“Well, if you’re talking about a proposal for someone else, it depends entirely on their interests, personality, and their love story. I think everything should be as unique to the couple as possible. Some people don’t want a giant public display, for example.”

Claire nodded and made a note on her question sheet. They grilled Heather over the course of the next forty minutes. In every category that mattered, she had a great response. She even had her own ideas for proposals, neatly tabbed in a binder and organized by interest.

“Sidebar?” Mindy asked Claire after their last question.

“We’ll be right back,” Claire said.

They walked to the other side of the coffee shop and stood in the window.

“So we’d be crazy not to hire her, right?” Claire asked.

“She’s amazing,” Mindy agreed. “She was even okay with the salary and no health benefits. But I feel like we have to play it at least a little cool.”

Claire nodded. “What if we ask her to shadow us for Brad’s proposal? See how she reacts under pressure? And then make a formal offer.”

“I love it. Let’s do this.” The two girls turned around as one unit.

For the first time in weeks, there was a tiny glimmer of hope. Maybe her California dream wasn’t dead. Was Happily Ever Afters really about to be a bicoastal business?

“Heather,” Claire said calmly, folding her hands on the table. “We were wondering if you’d be interested in shadowing us for a proposal we’re doing on Saturday. It’s the biggest, splashiest one we’ve ever done, and it would be a great chance for you to get a real feel for it and make sure it’s something you’re serious about.”

Heather nodded enthusiastically. “I’d love to. I do want to be straightforward with you, though.”

Shit. There was the other shoe hurtling out of the sky. What now?

“I had an interview with another event planning company, and they said I should expect an offer by the end of the week. And please don’t get me wrong, I’m very interested in working for Happily Ever Afters. I just wanted to be honest with you and let you know that you’re not the only company I’m waiting to hear from.”

Claire’s happy bubble popped like someone had sprinted full force at her with a needle.

“We understand. Thank you for being up front with us. If anything changes for you before Friday, please let us know.” Mindy handed her a business card. “Otherwise we’ll email you to meet up for the proposal.”

They shook hands, and Heather left the coffee shop.

“Do you think she was bluffing?” Mindy wondered out loud.

Claire shook her head. “Of course she’s in demand. Look at her.” She pointed out the window.

Heather was helping an elderly woman cross the street next to the coffee shop. “She’s perfect,” Claire added.

“Damn it, you’re right. Should we have just made the offer?”

Claire shrugged. “If it’s meant to be, it will be. I have a feeling we’ll win her over. Planning proposals has to be way more interesting work than whatever other event planning company she’s working with.”

“I hope you’re right. We should get going. We have about eight hundred hours of work to do before Saturday.”

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

To Do:

- Check in with a capella group

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