Page 10 of Love Me Carefully
“Girl, I’m gonna lose my mind trying to find these keys one day.” Scooping them up, she came around the desk and crossed to the coat stand.
“You need a clapper.”
“A what?” Sliding her arm into her black wool coat, she spared Melinda another glance.
“You know, a clapper.” Melinda clapped her hands. “That way when you can’t find your keys you just clap your hands and they’ll beep. Then you’ll know where they are.”
“Yeah, well, buy me one for my birthday.” Leah went to the door. “I’ll be back about one. Hold down the fort.”
“I always do,” Melinda yelled at her boss’s retreating back.
“That’s what I pay you the big bucks for,” Leah added before closing the front door behind her.
* * *
She shouldn’t have taken the scenic route; she should’ve gotten on the highway as she had originally planned. The streetlights weren’t in sync, so every time she stopped for one light, the light a block ahead was turning green. Leah’s nerves were wearing thin by the time she turned into the parking lot in front of Innovations.
Her best friend Nikki had worked there since they opened. And Ms. Rosie, her stylist, had gotten a job there as well. She heard the shop was doing well, so she was happy for both of them. Half the parking lot was full of run-down cars that people were trying to sell. It looked like a junkyard or a used car lot, depending on the weather.
There were three ladies in the waiting area when Leah walked in. She took her coat off and hung it up. Going over to the counter, she waited for Ms. Rosie to finish her telephone conversation before speaking.
“Mornin’, Ms. Rosie.”
“Hey Leah, I been waitin’ for you.”
Leah glanced at the older woman. She looked different today. It wasn’t her hair; that was in the same wrapped style she always wore it in. It wasn’t her nails; they were clipped and neatly painted as usual. But something was definitely different about her.
“Really? Am I late?” Leah looked down at her watch.
“No. You’re right on time. I need to ask you something before you get shampooed.”
“Oh, okay.” Leah relaxed. She hated being late, and that traffic had been a mess. “What’s up?”
“I’m getting married.” Rosie extended her hand, showing off the two-karat diamond Donald had given her.
“Oh, damn, that’s a big rock, Ms. Rosie.” Leah took the woman’s hand, examining the ring. “It’s a good cut, too. He spent a pretty penny on that.”
“I know he did.” Rosie blushed.
“So when’s the big day? I know I’m on the guest list.” Leah released Rosie’s hand and watched as the woman continued to beam. That was what was different, Leah thought, Rosie was tickled pink about her engagement.
“May 15th, and not only are you on the guest list, but I want you to plan the wedding.”
“What?” Leah was shocked. She’d been planning weddings for years now but had never planned one for anybody close to her. That was probably because Nikki was no closer to getting married than she was.
“I know that’s your business and Cheryl Pinder’s wedding was fabulous. Her mother goes to my church. You know, First Baptist, where they got married. So anyway, I was there and I loved it. I asked her mother afterwards if she had done all that herself, and she told me that Cheryl had hired you. So now I want to hire you because I want my wedding to be just as fabulous as hers.” Rosie smiled. “No, I want mine to be better.” She laughed.
Both happy about the word-of-mouth referral and Rosie’s good news, Leah found it hard not to smile with her. “Well, I’m, ah…I’m flattered. I’d love to plan your wedding for you. Let me look at my calendar and make sure I don’t have any conflicts.” Pulling her floral-covered planner out of her bag, she flipped to the month of May. “I have only one booking for the end of May, and they haven’t paid their deposit yet, so it looks like I’m free.”
“Good. Now, Donald said that whatever I wanted was fine with him, so you just let me know what your fee is and I’ll take care of it.”
“Why don’t we schedule a time to sit down and talk about what it is you want. Then we can discuss figures.”
“Okay. I’m planning a little engagement party at the house Saturday. Why don’t you come by and meet Donald.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. About what time?” Rosie told her the time and Leah scribbled it into her planner.
“Hey girl, I see you finally made it. Rosie’s been pacing around here waiting for you.” Nikki came up to the desk just as Leah was putting her book back into her bag.
