Page 4 of Falling Again
CHAPTER 2
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“Sorry I’m late,” Nataliepanted as she ran through the front door of the office. “I’m officially the worst business partner ever.” She slung her bag onto her desk and grabbed a file folder and her iPad. Skittering on her heels, she rounded her desk in search of a working pen and stalked into Ginny’s office.
Ginny was Natalie’s partner at their event planning business, N&G Planners. Natalie had always loved to organize parties, and after years of people telling her she should do it for a living, she took the leap. Fortunately, she took the plunge at the same time her old friend from high school moved back home. Ginny had been working in marketing and public relations in New York City for five years, and she brought a wealth of experience to their new firm.
Ginny looked up from her laptop. While Natalie was harried and rushed, the other woman glowed, just as a newlywed should. Ginny and her husband Max had gone through a painful divorce years ago, right before she moved to New York. But over the winter holidays, Ginny had come home to take care of her father, and the pair reconnected. Whether it had been the holiday spirit or a Christmas miracle, Max proposed, and the pair remarried. Natalie—and all of Buckeye Falls—were thrilled with their reunion. Selfishly Natalie had enjoyed having a new gal pal in town, but also someone she trusted to start N&G Planners.
“You realize you’re not late for the meeting. Lynn from the library doesn’t come in for another thirty minutes.” Ginny stacked up their proposal and strode to her personal coffee maker, pouring two cups before handing one to Natalie. “You look like you need some caffeine.”
“And a vacation,” Natalie sighed. Taking the coffee, she smiled. “Thank you. I’m sorry I’m so frazzled. Maddie and I had a battle of wits over the chocolate syrup. Let’s just say there were no winners.” She scrubbed her hand down her face, still smelling the cocoa on her skin. Any other time she’d savor the sweet aroma, but today she wasn’t in the mood.
Ginny snorted and eased into her chair. “I’m sorry to laugh, but your kids are too darn cute.”
They were cute, and Natalie loved them with a fierceness she didn’t think possible. She was blessed to have active, healthy children, but every once in a while she wanted them to slow down and give her a breather. Or at the very least, for Anthony to be there as she caught her breath.
Anthony. Thinking about him brought color to her cheeks. They hadn’t had much time together recently, and it was slowly killing her. Every missed opportunity to be alone, every time they canceled date night in favor of work, chipped away at her confidence in their relationship. She missed her husband, missed the man who used to struggle to keep his hands off her. That morning she thought she saw a little heat in his gaze, his pupils dilating as she stripped off her ruined blouse. Perhaps it was just the craziness of the moment?
Instinctively she reached down and felt her belly, hoping Anthony wasn’t turned off by the extra padding. There were only so many flaws that shapewear could cover, and Natalie knew she hadn’t been at her best recently. Not to mention she’d been in a rush that morning and didn’t feel like pouring herself into a spandex cage. Ginny slurped from her coffee, giving Natalie a moment to come back to the present. Obsessing over her personal life had to wait—yet again.
Shaking herself, Natalie got into work mode. “So why are we meeting with Lynn again?” She booted up her iPad and scrolled until she found the email.
Always on top of things, Ginny slid a mock-up contract across the table. “It’s the library’s 100thanniversary. Lynn is the director and wants to throw a big party for the staff and patrons. But they don’t have a lot of money, so we’ll need to play creatively with the budget.”
“Maybe we can look into fundraising?” Natalie asked, scanning through the mock-up.
Ginny nodded. “Look at the fourth paragraph on page two. I suggested having some donations from local businesses for some raffles. Max already offered to donate some food for the event, so we’re off to a good start.”
“You got yourself a good one,” Natalie praised as she put her iPad down. Taking a greedy sip from her coffee, she tried to center herself for the meeting.
“You do too. Anthony does so much for Buckeye Falls. I know there were some growing pains while he took over from his dad, but things seem to be going well.”
Growing pains was putting it lightly. Anthony had spent countless nights pacing in the den, trying to find ways to save a town that his father had loved; to save a town that his father hadn’t managed well financially. Buckeye Falls wasn’t bankrupt, but the reserves the previous mayors had saved had dwindled more than Anthony liked. While their neighboring towns were expanding in certain areas, their little hamlet had to be creative with funding. Fortunately, despite the work it entailed, Anthony liked the challenge.
Unlike other politicians, this new mayor wasn’t about to badmouth his predecessor’s financial savvy. Anthony would never do that to anyone, least of all family. The Snyders may be dysfunctional from time to time, but they stuck together. At the moment, Natalie wanted a little more togetherness, but she had enough on her plate. Starting with the job she was supposed to be doing.
Natalie looked up to see Ginny staring at her, a worried expression on her face. “Are you okay, Nat? You don’t seem like yourself.”
“Fine,” Natalie replied a little too quickly. “Just tired, I guess. Otis didn’t sleep much last night, and this morning’s syrup explosion was the cherry on the drama sundae.”
