Make a Wish, page 9
“You’re doing a great job and making mine that much easier.” She shifts her gaze to Jackson. “Let’s have the Mills team join us so they can fill us in.”
“Sound good to me.” Jackson brings up the Zoom meeting and connects us.
A few seconds later Bancroft, Lexington, and Griffin Mills appear on the screen. They’re all huge, formidable-looking men, dressed in suits and sitting at a conference table side by side. Griffin is slightly shorter and leaner than Bancroft, and despite being older, his face is softer. Lexington looks like a model and is nearly as broad as Bancroft, who used to play professional rugby. He has a few facial scars and a small bump on his nose from it being broken more than once, which somehow makes him even more attractive.
After some pleasantries, we get right down to business, and I find myself overwhelmed by the conversation. Despite all the time we put in to prepare, I wasn’t aware of exactly how much work goes into creating a franchise or how detailed the business plan would be. We discuss everything from the styles of the rooms, to the estates that are being purchased and renovated to fit the unique Spark House model, to the sponsor liaisons who will be assigned to each new hotel.
I take notes and listen while Avery and London do most of the talking. Half an hour into the meeting, I glance over at London, whose hands are laced together, her chin resting on her pointer finger. She unclasps them and tucks her hair behind her ear which is when I notice an issue that will be impossible to hide soon. I’m also aware that in a few minutes she’s going to talk about the creative side of this venture, and the tutorials we’ve been creating to help the new teams with things like centerpieces and events.
She’s sitting across the table from me, so I slide down in my seat and try to kick her under the table without alerting everyone. Unfortunately my legs aren’t long enough. I resort to texting her instead, but she ignores the message.
So I switch to texting Jackson who’s seated beside her. Unlike London, he’s forever multitasking. His brows pull together when he notices the message. His gaze darts to me and then back to his screen. I flare my eyes, hoping he takes the bait and I don’t have to do anything else that’s going to draw more attention to myself or my sister.
Thankfully, he checks the message. His brows lift, then he glances quickly at London, recognizing the issue is indeed dire and she needs to make a swift exit before anyone else notices what I have. He extends an arm across the back of her seat and leans in, whispering in her ear. She glances down at the front of her blouse and claps a hand over her mouth. There are two very obvious wet spots on her chest. London is breastfeeding and trying to wean Ella, but it’s been a slow transition, and every once in a while her body is a jerk. Like right now.
I slide a folder across the table, and she uses it as a shield while she excuses herself from the meeting and rushes out the door. Jackson mouths thank you to me.
“Is everything okay?” Avery asks.
“Everything’s fine. London will be back in a few minutes.”
“Should we wait? I know London wanted to talk about the creative aspect of Spark House,” Selene asks.
“Maybe you can step in, Harley?” Avery suggests.
“Oh, uh, sure.” My face heats with the unexpected attention, but I clear my throat. “London and I have been creating a video tutorial series for her centerpieces. She’s been doing it for years for the staff here, but we thought putting together something more official would be a good way to streamline it.” But as I consider the scope of this venture, I’m not so sure it’s all that important anymore. “It’s a small part of what we do. And with everything else that goes into setting up a franchise, maybe it’s not something we should focus on right now. It was just an idea.” And one London could have explained way better than me.
“I actually think this is a great idea,” Selene interjects.
“I know the centerpieces are a small part of the events, so I don’t know if it’s really a valuable use of resources. And we already have lots of mini-tutorials. I could always clean those up,” I offer, not wanting to make more work for London or the rest of the team.
“I definitely think it’s worth having a look at those old videos. At the very least, it would be good to take a few professional ones to showcase just how much care goes into every aspect of running Spark House,” Selene replies.
“Okay. In the past we’ve made step-by-step videos for different centerpiece prototypes. We know they’re usually unique to the event, but we thought it would be helpful in giving the franchise staff a jumping-off point.” I feel a bit better having Selene on my side for this. It makes me feel more confident in my role again. Plus, this is the kind of thing I enjoy, and it would give me a side project to be excited about.
“That is exactly what we need, especially when it comes to the small details. Do you think London would agree to a crew coming in to film her for these?” Selene taps a pen against her lips. “It would be some great additional content for social, which we’re going to streamline further so we make it consistent across all franchise locations.”
“What do you mean by streamlining it further?” I ask, and catch Jackson and Declan exchanging a look.
“Selene has agreed to head the social media for the entire Spark House franchise. We thought it made more sense to have her team managing that, so we could free you up to focus in-house,” Jackson explains.
“Right. Yeah. I guess that makes sense.” I sink back into my chair as Jackson, Selene, and Avery volley ideas. I’d been planning to take videos for London, and we started getting things organized for it, but it looks like that job isn’t going to be mine. And it also looks like the job that was mine isn’t going to be anymore either. Which puts me back at square one. It’s hard not to feel defeated.
London returns a few minutes later, wearing a different blouse in the same color, so no one notices the change but me and Jackson, and they fill her in. She glances at me, but I just smile and say I think it’s a great plan, so she rolls with it.
Once the meeting wraps up and everyone leaves but Declan, Jackson, and my sisters, we convene in our office. “Thanks for the heads-up. That would have been super embarrassing if anyone else had seen what was going on,” London says to me.
“Seen what?” Declan asks. “Why’d you disappear all of a sudden?”
“She had a wardrobe malfunction,” I offer and turn back to London. “And no problem. I tried to text you, but you ignored me, and I knew Jackson wouldn’t.”
“What kind of wardrobe malfunction? Did you pop a button or something?” Declan drops into his chair and shoves half of his chicken wrap into his mouth at once.
“Not exactly.” London’s cheeks flush.
“What happened? I feel like I missed out on something here.” Avery plunks down beside Declan and starts loading up her plate like she’s eating for four, not two.
“I sprung a leak. Can we drop it now? It’s not really lunchtime conversation.”
“A leak?” Declan asks through his mouthful of food.
Jackson doesn’t say a thing, just sits back and lets Declan try to figure it out.
“Oh man! But don’t you have those pad things?” Avery asks.
“Pad things?” Declan echoes.
“Yeah. I soaked right through them. This whole weaning business is not a lot of fun.”
“Oh. Oh!” Declan finally puts two and two together. “Well, that’s … more information than I expected.” He gives Jackson, who’s busy hiding a smile, an unimpressed look. “Why didn’t you help a guy out?”
“Because it was entertaining to watch you flounder. And you’ll be familiar with it soon enough.”
“As if it wasn’t embarrassing enough when it happened in real time,” London mutters.
“Anyway, I think that meeting went well, don’t you?” Avery changes the subject.
There’s a murmur of agreement, and London turns her attention to me, likely happy not to have to talk about leaky boobs anymore. “Are you okay with Selene hiring a professional team to film the centerpiece tutorials?”
I glance from her to Jackson, who suddenly looks concerned, and back to London. I don’t see the point in turning this into a point of conflict. “Oh yeah, of course. It makes more sense to have professionals film you, especially since it’s for more than just a thirty-second post on social or a ten-minute tutorial for staff.” I often spend an hour or two editing those videos. With a professional team coming in, I’m not sure there’s a point.
She regards me seriously for a moment. “It does, but it was something we’d planned to do together. I want to make sure you’re not feeling like every idea you’ve come up with is being taken away from you.”
“We can discuss this further with Selene if it’s something you want to handle, Harley,” Jackson adds.
I set half of a veggie and cheese wrap on my plate, my appetite disappearing. “Am I still taking pictures and videos to post on our social?”
“Of course. Selene still wants you to supplement. I think they’ll want individual social media accounts at every location, so it’s personalized to the unique hotel. But for the franchise, it makes more sense to have everything uniform, and that’s way too big for you to tackle. Am I right, Jackson? That’s the plan?”
“Yes, and we can make sure it’s all cleared with Selene so your toes aren’t being stepped on.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin with the franchise stuff anyway, so it’s better that Selene handles all of that,” I say, only half meaning it but wanting to erase the look of concern on London’s face.
My phone pings with a couple of messages, one from Gavin with a picture he took last week of Peyton, Ella, and me in front of the panda exhibit—they seemed to be the only animals not acting up. There’s also a new one from Chad asking what we should do for dinner—cook or go out.
Chad’s cooking is limited to spaghetti and sauce or boxed mac and cheese, so when we cook, it’s usually me giving him small, manageable tasks, like setting the table or spinning lettuce. He does the dishes, though.
I suggest we go out and see if Allen and Andrea want to join us if they don’t have plans. He gives me a thumbs-up.
“How are things with you and Chad?” London asks.
“Fine. I’m seeing him tonight. Why?” I set my phone down and focus on my lunch, which I’m no longer hungry for.
“I don’t know. You’ve been spending a lot of time with Gavin and Peyton. Is he okay with that?” She tosses a puffy star in her jar and starts another.
“We’re just friends, and I had Ella with me when we went to the zoo last week,” I remind London. I laughed off the whole family-of-four thing with the girl working the ticket booth at the time, but I hadn’t really considered how it might look from the outside. Not that it matters.
“Someone want to fill me in on this Gavin guy?” Declan asks, glancing between me and London.
The tension is clear, mostly because this isn’t the first time London has mentioned this.
“Harley used to nanny for him when his daughter, Peyton, was a baby. He lost his wife during childbirth and was on his own and needed help,” Avery explains then glances at me. “You were with the family for what, a year and a half?”
“About that. Then they moved upstate to Boulder.” I swirl a carrot stick in ranch dip. “They moved back to the area not long before we hosted the last birthday party. Peyton really needed some stability and a familiar face, so we went for lunch and to the zoo.”
“And you watched her for him when he had that meeting,” London says. Obviously she’s keeping a running tally of how often I see them.
“That was an emergency situation, though.” And now I sound defensive.
“Is he remarried or does he have a girlfriend?” Declan pops an olive into his mouth.
“He’s not remarried.” He wouldn’t be asking for my help if he was.
“But he has a girlfriend?” Declan prompts. It’s a leading question and I don’t bite.
“I don’t know. I’ve never asked.” I cross my arms. This feels a lot like I’m getting the third degree.
Declan raises a brow. “How old is this guy? Is he in his forties or fifties or something?”
“He has a nine-year-old,” I point out.
“Lots of people have kids later in life. A fifty-year-old with a nine-year-old isn’t unheard of. I’ll be in my mid-forties by the time Ella is ten, which means we should probably get on giving her a brother or a sister.” Jackson winks at London.
London rolls her eyes. “Can I just get her weaned before you go trying to knock me up again, please?”
“You know patience isn’t my strong suit.” Jackson turns back to me. “So? How old is this guy?”
I blow out a breath, aware I’m not getting out of this conversation easily. “He’s in his mid-thirties.”
He glances at Declan, and they both share a raised eyebrow and a chuckle, before he turns back to me. “And you really think the only reason he’s making plans with you is for the benefit of his daughter? How often have you seen this guy since you stopped being his nanny?”
“The first time I saw him and Peyton since they moved away was last month at the birthday party.”
“And why’d they move again?”
“You mean back to Colorado Springs?”
“Yeah. What was the motivation to come back?” Jackson asks.
“His dad wants to retire, and their landscape company has grown so much that he’s taking over the design and project management side of things.”
“Okay. Have you stayed in touch over the years?” He flips a pen between his fingers.
“No. The first time I spoke to him since he moved away to Boulder was at the birthday party.”
“Hmm.” He sets the pen down. “That’s interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?”
“Because it raises even more questions, and Jackson finds all interpersonal relationships interesting,” Declan jumps in. “And, if I was Chad, I don’t know how excited I’d be about this established guy moving in on my girlfriend, but maybe that’s just me.”
“We’re just friends,” I argue.
“If you say so.”
I want to toss glitter in Declan’s face to make his smile disappear.
“Men and women can be friends. Look at you and Avery. You were friends and roommates for years.” As soon as I say it, I know it’s a weak argument. Declan’s smile grows wider.
“Exactly. And look how well that turned out,” he says as he rubs Avery’s belly.
Darn it.
“Yeah, well, Avery hangs out with Mark and Jerome, and neither of them have made a move on her or led her to believe they had feelings for her.”
Declan rolls his eyes. “That’s because they already knew I was in love with Avery. But if you say you’re just friends and that he wants to spend time with you because of his daughter, that’s cool. Just don’t be surprised if Chad gets jealous is all.”
* * *
The conversation with Declan stays with me for the rest of the day. Gavin hasn’t done or said anything that would make me think he was interested in more than friendship with me and stability for Peyton. That was always his primary concern and a big part of the reason he ended up moving. Besides, he probably still sees me as twenty-year-old Harley.
I arrive home at five and tidy up before Chad comes over, even though he isn’t due for a couple of hours. Allen and Andrea aren’t available tonight. Andrea is a teacher, and she’s too swamped with lesson planning. She sent me a bunch of sad face emojis and promised we’d have a girls’ night soon with Belinda. Since it’ll just be the two of us, we’re probably better off ordering in. I should be able to finish my assignment before he gets here, but if he has the draft thing, going out doesn’t seem like the best plan. Besides, the pub isn’t nearly as fun without friends. Usually Chad will get sucked into whatever game is televised at the bar, and I’ll end up scheduling posts for Spark House social media.
I’m in the middle of vacuuming the living room when my phone goes off. But it’s not a message, it’s a call. I glance at the screen and turn off the vacuum cleaner when I see it’s Gavin.
I answer the call and put it on speaker phone. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Good. I’m good. How are you, Harley?” It sounds like he’s driving.
“Great. Just doing a little cleaning. What are you up to?”
“I just picked up Peyton from painting class, and she wanted to tell you how much she loves it. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay. I’m so glad to hear that.”
“Today we worked with watercolors! It was so much fun, Harley, and next week we get to paint clay figurines!” Peyton calls out.
“That’s awesome. I can’t wait to see it. Maybe the next time we hang out, you can show me how to paint with watercolors too.” I put the vacuum back in the closet and close the door.
“Maybe I can show you tonight? Dad, can you drop me off at Harley’s instead of taking me to that meeting? Then we can paint with watercolors!”
“Honey, I can’t do that. Harley probably has plans, and it’s not nice to put her on the spot like that. I’m sorry, Harley. I promise when we called it was to tell you how much Peyton is loving her art class, not for any other reason.”
“That’s okay.” I pick up the dishcloth and give it a cursory sniff test to make sure it isn’t funky before I start wiping down the counters. “What kind of meeting do you have? Do you need me to watch Peyton for a bit?”
“No, no. It’ll only be a couple of hours. And we have her iPad already loaded with movies. Peyton will manage.”
“But Harley is way more fun than watching a movie alone on an iPad,” Peyton argues. “Please, Harley? Can I come over?”
“Oh my God,” Gavin grumbles, and suddenly the sound of traffic is gone.
“Please tell me you’re not driving and holding your phone at the same time.”
“I popped in an earbud. I’m so sorry, Harley. This wasn’t my intention at all. I should have known Peyton had other plans.”
