Leo nodded.
Justin slapped him on the shoulder. “I sure as hell hope this special dinner works out for you, because I think you may have met the girl who’s going to flip you on your ass.”
Chapter 8
“I got the new gig!” Gwen called out as she marched into Aubrey’s kitchen and swung the bag of takeout salads onto the counter. Aubrey, standing by the refrigerator, smiled a knowing smile that said loud and clear, Of course you did, silly. Wait—Aubrey was in the kitchen? “What are you doing out of bed?”
“I needed some water.”
“Ramona can get you water. You’re not supposed to be up.”
“Ramona went to the store.” Aubrey grimaced. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to lay in bed all day, every day?”
“I don’t know.” Gwen lifted both boxes from the bag. “Sounds sort of fabulously decadent to me.”
“For the first twenty-four hours. Now I’m bored and cranky and I’ve watched more TV than any human should. I’m driving Nina crazy with my emails and texts. She banned me from texting her the rest of today. Unless there’s an emergency, I’m limited to ten texts a day.”
“Ten? That’s pretty generous.” Gwen opened a cabinet and pulled out two plates. “Go to your room. I’ll be there in a minute with lunch.”
“Fine. I return to my bed under protest and only because you’re here. I’m losing my mind. Thank goodness you came by.” Aubrey smiled again. “And you got the job!” She lifted her hands over her head in a triumphant gesture as she turned and tottered off toward the far side of the penthouse.
Five minutes later Gwen sat beside Aubrey on Aubrey’s bed, both with their feet propped up and their backs against the headboard. “Morgan Montgomery wasn’t anything like I expected.”
“She’s pretty awesome, right? Just really straight and down-to-earth. I knew you two would hit it off. You can’t imagine what a nightmare her last event planner was. The woman stole half the venue fee, and then there was no food because she forgot to finalize the contract with the caterer.”
“I guess there are a lot of flaky event planners.”
“That’s why your business is growing so fast. All you needed was a couple high-profile events—”
“Which I got thanks to you.”
“No, you got them because you’d done such a great job with the Teddy Bear Luncheon for five years. You were the natural choice for my charity events. Plus I like you.” Aubrey speared a piece of lettuce. “You bring me food, you let me whine, and you tell me when I need to get my ass back to bed.” Aubrey sighed. “I know it’s not much longer”—she rested her hand on her belly—“and I know it’s totally worth it, but I can’t help but feel there’s so much I should be doing.”
“Stop, just stop,” Gwen said. “Nina’s right, you’re growing a baby. Everything else can wait. Nina’s got Rockwater and I’ve got the baby shower and the launch. Your plans for world domination will simply have to be on hold until the baby’s born.”
Aubrey rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue. “Will you come over this Friday night to play cards? Shelly and Anthony and Nonna are coming for dinner. I’d love to have you join.”
A tiny thread of cold apprehension tickled Gwen’s stomach. Normally, she’d say yes. She loved the relaxed feeling of hanging out on a Friday night with Aubrey and her family, so different from all the time she spent being social at big events. They ate dinner, drank wine, and played cards. She was becoming quite the shark at hearts.
“I can’t,” Gwen said softly. “I…uh…I have plans.”
Aubrey’s mouth curved into a sly smile. “Plans, as in a date with the man who sent you flowers?”
Gwen smiled. Goodness, she wanted to fess up, and tell her best friend but Aubrey would flip if she knew the flowers and the date involved Leo.
“I see you’re playing this one close,” Aubrey said. “No worries, I can respect your need for privacy even if I’m dying to to know who’s sending you fabulous flowers and taking you out to dinner on a Friday night. I don’t like it”—She gave Gwen a teasing sidelong look—“but I can accept it.”
“Thanks,” Gwen whispered.
“Just hope this guy is worthy of you, because you’re a catch.”
“Me? A catch?”
“You’re beautiful, sophisticated, witty, and charming, plus you’re the owner of the hottest event planning company in Manhattan.”