Knight in Shining Suit (18 page)

I needed to reestablish my
ties with suppliers, photographers, videographers, couture,
caterers, hotel managers, and resort owners. I didn’t have bad
blood with any of them so I figured that would be easy.

The toughest job would be
finding the right place. Fiona’s office was in a small building
downtown. I had never liked the location because the streets around
that area were crowded. It’s tough to find parking and the office
was not conducive for planning weddings.

I wanted a place somewhere
in a quiet neighborhood that was easier to locate, with plenty of
parking space, with a peaceful atmosphere.

By the end of the week, I
was done with my initial proposal to Adam. He asked me to have
dinner with him and we discussed the details in the restaurant. I
was nervous as he was going through my notes.

Then he looked at me for a
moment.

“
What?” I asked
nervously.

“
You don’t need to buy a
van?” he asked.

“
Later. Not now. Not when
I don’t have my first client yet. Too huge of an investment,” I
replied. “I can always rent transportation while I am getting
established.”

“
You have a portfolio
before in your previous jobs, couldn’t you use that?”

I shook my head. “Don’t
you remember that when you sign an employment contract, it states
that as long as you are an employee of that company, all your works
belong to them?”

Adam chuckled. “Silly me!
And I’m the lawyer!”

“
Besides, let’s leave
Fiona Reeds alone. I have talent. I can do this. I don’t have to
use her,” I said.

Adam nodded. “What about
the location?”

“
Will you come with me
tomorrow? There’s a property ten blocks from your place that I want
to look at,” I said.

“
You’re going to put up
your business in our neighborhood?” he asked.

I nodded. “I want a
serene, peaceful place, Adam. I don’t want busy streets and crowded
buildings. Besides, couples that hire a wedding planner will go
anywhere if they believe she’s good. I want my office to be
comfortable for couples that are starting their lives
together.”

Adam. “Okay. But I have
veto powers on this.”

I nodded. He looked at my
notes again.

“
Just two employees?” he
asked.

I nodded. “For now.
Remember, we need to build my client portfolio first. I’ll be
willing to do that first job for free even. Well, the services will
be free. They just need to pay for the expenses. I just need the
shots that I can put up on my website and then the word of mouth.
When things go well, I will hire another employee or two. I might
even hire Nicole. And then we’ll see if we can afford to invest in
our own vehicle and driver.” I sighed dreamily. “All that for
later.”

Adam nodded. “What are you
going to call it?” he asked.

I smiled at him. I knew
exactly what I would name this company. And this time, Adam would
not have veto powers. That morning I woke up with a firm decision
to go with this name.

“
Ever After Concept
Weddings,” I smiled at him.

He raised brow. “Isn’t
that a little bit too cheesy?”

I laughed. “Apparently,
you’re someone who does not date or does not wish to settle down at
all. You couldn't understand the phrase ‘ever after’ even if you
tried, Adam. Leave it to me. If I was the bride and I heard that
phrase, it would give me a sense of security that… this wedding
will happen and my groom will not knock up my maid of honor
first!”

Adam laughed. “Are you
over them, Ash?”

“
I’m smiling,” I said.
“There’s still a bit of pain. But with all the excitement that is
going on with my life, it is quite difficult to feel any angst or
even remember that I am holding any grudge for anybody.”

Adam smiled at me. “Then
I’m happy for you, Astrid.”

I smiled at him. “I’m
happy for me too, Adam.”

“
Wh-what happened to your…
bartender?”

If I was genuinely smiling
when I remembered Bryan and Geena, somehow, there was a pinch in my
heart when I remembered … Ryder. With him, I remember a night of
unforgettable passion.

He was a wonderful guy. He
was probably the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. I wished I could just
see him again, even just once.

I shrugged. “He…
disappeared. I didn’t see him again.”

I looked down at my food
and started fiddling with my ravioli.

I felt Adam tilt my chin
so I could face him. He studied my expression. His eyes narrowed.
“I… told you not to fall for him, Ash,” he said soberly.

I rolled my eyes. “I did
not fall for him, Adam!”

“
Then why are you so
glum?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know…
he… we developed some sort of friendship that night. He’s… a great
guy! I can’t help but wonder where he is now, that’s
all.”

Adam sighed. “Easy to fall
in love with devils like that.”

“
Trust me, Adam. I did not
fall for him that night. I just… wish I could thank him. Because if
it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wouldn’t look
at myself so positively now. He was the first step to my… ‘getting
better’ therapy.” Then I looked at Adam. “Well, you are too.
Because if you didn’t loan me the ten grand, I would not be able to
afford such an expensive date.”

He chuckled. “No worries.
None wasted anyway, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t
take a dime from you, but still... if you didn’t open me up to the
idea, I wouldn’t have come across him in the first
place.”

Adam smiled. “I’m not
saying that he wasn't good for you. I’m just saying that you
shouldn't fall prey to the charms of a… stranger.”

I smiled at him. “That’s
how you start, Adam. Fall for the charms of a stranger. Flirt.
Bond. Date. And then… take it from there.”

Adam nodded. “Yes. But
like I said, don’t fall in love with a stranger.”

I smiled. “Bryan was my
best friend even before he was my boyfriend and yet he cheated on
me. I think I’ve known Geena all my life and yet she lied to me.
They stole the things that I thought mattered most to me
then.”

“
Then you didn’t know them
very well,” Adam said.

I sighed. “Yeah, and they
didn’t know me very well either. More than that, I don’t think they
respected me.”

“
You know, Ash, you’ll
hate me for saying this, but I honestly think that you are better
off without Bryan,” Adam said. “I mean… if you didn’t find out
about the affair, you’d probably be married by now. That wouldn’t
have guaranteed that he and Geena would have stopped seeing each
other behind your back. You would have found out about it
eventually. And that would break your heart even more. At least
now, you’re halfway over them.”

I smiled at him. “And I
wouldn’t be able to do this without you, Adam.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah,
yeah. I’m not a saint. I had to choose between you and my
half-sister.”

“
Why did you choose
me?”

“
Because I love you both,
and I had to choose between who was right and who had crossed the
line.”

“
Fair enough. If I steal
Bryan away from Geena now, you’d probably kick me out of the
house.”

“
After I give you a good
beating.” He nodded.

I laughed. Then I
shivered. “I couldn’t imagine myself being with Bryan now. It
feels… weird now. I think I’m happier if I don’t think about him…
them at all.”

“
Then you’re over
him.”

“
I’m still mad at them. I
don't think that means I’ve fully recovered.”

“
Then use that anger to
keep yourself from backsliding. To keep moving on… keep moving
forward,” Adam said.

I looked at the ring on my
finger. I knew I was closer to keeping my promises to Ryder. I had
healed… halfway. I was learning to love myself again. I was
starting to feel good about myself and this business venture was
slowly making me believe in ‘ever after’ again.”

“
Did he give you that
ring?” Adam asked.

I smiled. “Ryder?
Yes.”

“
Very nice for a
bartender… who didn’t take a dime of my money,” he said
coolly.

I laughed. “Why don’t you
like him? He’s a wonderful guy, Adam. And he’s smart. He’s funny.
He’s romantic.”

“
See? And you said you
didn’t fall prey to his charms! You don’t know him, Ash. Are you
not afraid of someone who could spin a tale like that so perfectly?
Could look at your parents straight in the eye and tell them he
owned a couple of restaurants in New York when… as far as you know…
he makes his living getting people drunk!”

“
He lied for me, Adam,” I
said. “He carried it out so well for my sake.”

Adam sighed. “Just… be
careful okay?”

The cynical Adam; well,
the last time he warned me about something, it turned out that my
world was about to be ripped to pieces. But I knew he’d seen how
broken I was the last time. He just didn’t want me to go back to
that hellhole again.

“
You worry too much, Adam.
I’ll be okay. Bryan and Geena taught me well.”

It was probably the first
time in months that I really enjoyed going to dinner again. I was
laughing so much and I was excited more than ever about the new
things that were happening in my life.

Adam seemed to agree with
my proposal so far. The next day, we drew up a contract. He’d been
given special powers by his client to deal on his behalf so I
signed the contract with him. It’d be just like working for Adam.
Thank God, we managed to fix our differences; otherwise, I may not
have been able to stand his sarcasm.

After signing the
contract, he went with me to see the place I was talking about. It
was a villa, a little smaller than his home. It also has a deck
overlooking the beach.

“
We could convert the
whole floor into an office. I don’t think the landlord would mind,”
I said. Adam still looked a little bit hesitant about the place.
“This is going to be cheaper than a commercial space, Adam. We’re
just starting. I think this is better for us.”

We went up the mezzanine
floor. It had two rooms.

“
And I can pay part of the
rent because I can stay here,” I said.

“
Really? You’re moving out
of my place?” he asked.

I nodded. “It’s about
time, don’t you think?”

“
Then let’s sign the
lease!” he teased.

I laughed. “Come on! You
really hated living with me?”

He shook his head. “No. I
just felt weird living with a girl. You know… panties and bras in
the bathroom!” He shivered and I laughed.

“
So, are you okay with
this?” I asked him.

He sighed and then he
nodded. “I think you’re on the right track saving as much as you
can first.”

Although some renovations
would be needed, I was excited about the place. Adam signed the
lease and issued the checks for the rent.

While they were doing the
construction, I kept myself busy with posting for job openings and
buying furniture. It was tough to find the best bargains that would
also fit the whole idea in my head.

Days and weeks zoomed by.
I did not have time to think about anything else but my new job and
my new life.

After three weeks, the
website was done and I was quite happy with the results. The office
space was also done.

I had one huge space where
I would be putting three tables and laptops. I placed little panels
to segregate one area to make it a working space. Then I had one
whole area enclosed in glass for the meeting room. The front of the
house had a little garden. The front had a window display, which I
would decorate later. In the reception area, I placed comfortable
white couches where guests could wait.

I was satisfied with the
way things had gone. It was an office, and yet, it still gave off a
touch of home. I wanted my guests to be comfortable as soon as they
walk in.

I hired a girl named
Leilani. She didn’t have any experience with weddings, but she
worked for a PR company before. She had done parties, product
launches and other big events. She needed a change and thought the
wedding industry was growing with rocket speed.

I hired another lady,
Rose, a new graduate who wanted experience in telemarketing and
administration. She would be my receptionist and my telemarketer.
Website inquiries were also her responsibility.

“
I am so mad at you!”
Nicole said to me while we were having dinner at Oil Rig one
night.

I hadn’t been hanging out
with them much since I was so busy with the business.

“
Why?”

“
Why do you have to hire
another girl? I’m here!”

I raised a brow. “I can’t
afford you yet Nic. The risks are high at the moment. I don’t want
you to lose your living if my business doesn’t make it long
term.”