Page 114 of Party Favors

I couldn’t help but grin at her. “I would like that, too.”

“Great! I will text you. Thank you again.”

She had doubled my fee? That was a lot of money. What was I going to do with all of it?

Guests finally started saying their goodbyes and I sent out texts letting the vendors know to come inside in about ten minutes to start collecting their stuff. Sunny and Todd were by the door, thanking everyone for coming. The box for Max’s charity was overflowing.

Normally I would be with the couple and telling people to take home goody bags, but Sunny had decided to invest that money in congratulations kits for new moms with everything they’d need for the first few days after they got home from the hospital.

The vendors came in through the back entrance and I helped to get everything taken down, making sure that all of the furniture we’d stored upstairs was returned to the correct spot. I was motivated to work quickly and get out of there as fast as possible.

I even found the vase that Margot had been so worried about and returned it to the right place next to an expensive couch in her front room.

After we were finished, you couldn’t even tell that an event had taken place.

“Are you ready to go?” Max asked once everything was done.

“Yes!”

We decided to go to a nearby grocery store, presumably the same one that Jeanine’s sous chef had shopped at earlier, and picked up some ingredients for dinner. I offered to make him my meemaw’s smothered chicken recipe and it felt so domestic to be shopping with him.

Like we were a real couple.

We walked back, hand in hand, to my apartment. It was dreary and cold and the wind was still blowing, but I didn’t mind.

I asked Max about his California trip, and he told me all about the donor and the countless meetings, the unending hoops he’d had to jump through.

“Do you see yourself always working for this non-profit?” I asked.

“Definitely. I can’t imagine any other job that would bring as much happiness, getting to help people in need. I guess I’m selfish that way.”

I smiled at him.

“What about you?” he asked. “Do you envision yourself climbing the ranks at your company?”

“I see a future where I become the boss at Elevated, but if I’m being completely honest, and I’ve never said this to another person before, it’s always been a dream of mine to start my own business. I would focus on baby and bridal showers and call it Aprile’s Showers.” Getting to be in charge of every step of the process, having no one else I had to check in with or answer to, sounded like heaven to me.

“That sounds perfect! Why don’t you do that now?”

“Well, I’ve heard it’s not exactly cheap to start your own business and it’s hard to get something like that off the ground. You need clients.”

“I’m sure Sunny will tell everyone with a pulse about how amazing you are, so that part’s handled. The money thing will be a bit more difficult,” he mused. “But you told me the most important parts of event planning are the ability to design beautiful things, being calm in a crisis, and relationships with vendors, and as far as I can tell, you’re three for three.”

“You’re right. I think I’d do a good job. But it’d be a one-woman show and I’m not sure I can be everywhere at once.”

“I’d help out.”

“You would?” I asked, touched by his offer.

“I would. I’m strong. I can move stuff.”

He did have truly excellent arms, which I very much enjoyed.

Max handed me the groceries. “I’ll prove it to you.”

Then before I could figure out what he was doing, he had swung me up into his arms and carried me as if it were effortless for him. I hadn’tknown that could happen for someone as tall as me and I was impressed by and thrilled at his strength.

While I would have happily let him carry me for several more blocks, people were staring.

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