Holy shit. No wonder Kimmie had been so okay with paying double my catering rate. The Lighthouse Building was one of the most sought-after wedding venues in the city, with brides often having to bid just for a spot. The last wedding I’d heard about happening there cost the bride and groom a low six figures just to rent the place out for the night.
“The Lighthouse Building… that’s…” I struggled to find the words. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Kimmie seemed a little embarrassed. “I know that place is supposed to be super fancy, but I promise, it’s not something I picked out for myself. I told Dirk that I would’ve been okay just having a potluck wedding in our backyard—”
“But I told her that she deserved to feel like a princess, even if it’s only for one day.” Dirk interrupted Kimmie, beaming over at her. “Because she’s my princess, every day.”
“Gross.” Harrison pretended to gag. “This is why I’m only in town for a few weeks. I need to get away from you two lovebirds as soon as possible.”
“He’s just jealous,” Dirk murmured as he reached out for Kimmie’s hand.
She took his palm into her own before she spoke. “Do you have a typical menu for that wedding size? Or are we supposed to come up with our own?”
“I can give you a basic wedding menu,” I answered. “But if there are any particular dishes you like—apart from some vegetarian options—just let me know. I’m always happy to customize as long as it’s not something impossible. For example, if you asked me for the freshest lobster in the middle of March.”
“Wait, is that because it’s the end of lobster season?” Harrison asked. “Or is that because that’s when lobster is the most in-demand?”
“That’s a popular misconception.” I tried to answer Harrison’s question without looking over at him. “Lobster season isn’t ever over, really, but they usually harvest a lot less of it in the spring and winter.”
“Could you send us the basic menu?” Kimmie smiled at me. “Then, maybe in a day or so, we can get back to you with any special requests?”
“Of course. That’s no problem,” I replied. “And would you be all right with meeting in person in the next few days? I just prefer face to face meetings when we’re nailing down what we want on the wedding menu.”
“I agree.” Kimmie nodded. “Face to face is much better when it’s this important.”
“We should head out, though,” Dirk said. “If that’s okay with you, Morgan. We just have another wedding appointment to get to—”
“Oh, that’s totally fine.” I waved a hand. “I’ll get you the menu and we’ll set a time to meet. And then, we can just go from there.”
“Sounds great, Morgan! Thanks.” Dirk stood up from his seat, still holding onto Kimmie’s hand. She stood up, too, and waved back at me. They were both out the door, nearly as quickly as they’d come in.
I sighed, looking back down at the wedding binder. “This is going to be a lot of work in a very short amount of time,” I said to myself.
“Yeah, but you’re Morgan Dell. You can handle it, or so I’ve heard,” Harrison said.
My eyes went wide.
He’s still here?
I’d assumed he’d left with Dirk and Kimmie. “Oh. Um, hi. Sorry, I thought you already left—”
In the middle of my sentence, Harrison rose from his chair. He walked over to my desk and leaned across it, his face getting dangerously close to mine.
His eyes went down to my hands, taking a moment to scan them. When he seemed to be done looking over my nails, he leaned away from me and smiled. “I like your nail polish.”
I looked down at my nails, just now remembering that I’d painted them a cherry red. I hadn’t planned on going with such a loud color, but my roommate, Avery, had pretty much begged me to try the shade. “Thanks.”
“What’s that color called?”
“Electric Red,” I answered.
“Do you mind telling me where you got it?” Harrison continued. “I think my boss’s kid would be really into a color like that.”
I suddenly had visions of Harrison flirting with some young twenty-something as they caught up with each other over coffee. Harrison would give her the new nail polish before inviting her out for their first date.
“She’s only nine, but she’s really into makeup,” Harrison chuckled. “The boss brings her to the office a lot, and she’s a big fan of hanging around my workspace, even when I’m swamped with stuff. I don’t mind, though. She makes better company than a lot of my boring co-workers.”
“Oh. Only nine.” I couldn’t keep the relief out of my tone. “I actually get it from a supplier downtown. My roommate and I go there all the time. It’s only a few blocks in the other direction—”
“Do you mind showing me?”
“What?”
“If it’s only a few blocks, we can just walk there, right?” Harrison replied. “I’m not really from around here, so it’d be a lot easier if you could just show me where to go. Do you mind?”
“Sure. I can just show you, yeah.” I nodded as I stood up from my desk. “Just give me a second to…”
I was stalling for time, trying to wrap my head around what was currently happening.
The hottest guy I’d ever seen wanted to go on a walk with me.
This wasn’t part of my plan for the day. Fuck, this wasn’t even part of the plan for my life. I’d honestly assumed that Harrison was straight and was prepared to leave it at that. But now it seemed like there was possibly something brewing beneath the surface, and I didn’t know how to respond.
“Well, whenever you’re ready, I’ll just be waiting outside the door.” Harrison winked again before he walked out of my office.
And my heart started to race even faster.
Harrison and I walked into the beauty supply shop and were instantly spotted by Darlene. Even though she had a few customers waiting in her line, she excitedly came from her spot behind the counter, pulling me into a tight hug. “Morgan!”
“Darlene.” I affectionately said her name. Darlene had become one of my good friends though we only saw each other when I came into her shop. Even so, she was always willing to listen to me vent about work, and I was always willing to let her try out new colors on my nails.
“Back so soon? I thought you just did your nails,” Darlene said as she moved away from me. She grabbed for my hands, bringing them up to her face. “Yep. You’ve got a fresh coat of paint. Just like I thought.”
“I actually came to help… my friend… get some polish, too.” I wasn’t sure what to call Harrison yet, since we’d only met less than an hour ago. “Do you think you could help him out? He’s looking for a bottle of Electric Red.”
“Electric Red?” Darlene’s voice was louder than usual. “I’m sorry, sweetie, the commercial run of that is all sold out.”
She then leaned closer to me, whispering, “But we still have some left in the back. You know, the samples we give out to the salons. Is your friend cool? Or is he a narc?”