Two Bar Mitzvahs (No Weddings #3)(29)

Madison smirked. “It’s salmon. More coral than pink.”

Hannah coughed next to me. “Selfish Bitch.”

I snorted but inhaled a deep breath, forcing myself to relax. My words came out calm. Smooth. With no margin for misunderstanding whatsoever.

“I don’t give a good goddamn what you call it. They’re bringing their boys into the world, transforming them into men. We’re not ousting them out of the closet. If they want to throw that kind of party, I have no issues with it. But you aren’t making that poor-taste call.

“And you’re sure as f*ck not deciding colors. I am. Keep the colors primary, the shades with names from the basic Crayola box. Black and green” —I lifted her idea of a green napkin off the table— “not this chartreuse shit. The other room can be in blue, as in ‘lake blue,’ not peacock. And if you want to go wild with a third color in either room, go with silver or white. That’s it. No other colors.”

Madison had the audacity to look bored. “Fine. What else?”

I sat my ass in the nearest chair. “Why don’t you bring around the food samples? Let’s hope your chef realized there will be teenagers at the party and opted for appetizers over hors d'oeuvres or, God forbid, an amuse-bouche.”

Yeah, I openly mocked her. But she started it. With her home-field advantage at her club, she boldly f*cked with our event to our faces. I planned to end this bullshit waste of time.

We began to take seats at the first (least offensive) table, chairs enough for only the five of us. Madison and Suzanne stood a few feet off, hawking around, watching and waiting. I ignored them.

Finding some good in the middle of it all, I plucked one of the flower stems from the vase and handed it to Hannah. “For you.” I winked.

She smiled. Up the tall stem spiraled bright yellow snapdragon blooms. In one fell swoop Madison had given us something of value without realizing it, diffusing my anger with a good memory. The distraction grounded me a bit and seemed to bring joy to Hannah too. Secrets had that magical effect.

Hannah leaned closer to me. “So far she hasn’t sprouted horns or breathed fire. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Sure you’re okay tasting without Madison and Suzanne participating?”

My lips twitched. “You think she’ll poison us?”

She shrugged. “I’m just saying, prepare yourself.”

I gave Hannah a quick nod, then tapped my leaded crystal water glass. “What do you think of the stemware, Kristen?”

“It’s too formal, completely wrong. We need simple glasses, basic plates.” Kristen stood and surveyed the options at the other tables. “These glasses.” She held a glass up until Suzanne typed a note into her electronic tablet. Kristen then tapped on a plain white dinner plate on the third table. “This place setting.”

Two waiters brought out trays of food. We proceeded to taste everything they supplied. Each item was introduced as they served, from tiny quiches to crab cakes to pigs in a blanket. The current waiter served the next item. “These are vegetable pot stickers with an apricot-mango spicy dipping sauce.”

I nodded, satisfied. “All of it will work, except for the pigs-in-the-blanket and crab cakes.”

“What? One too gauche, the other too highbrow?” Madison crossed her arms but nodded to Suzanne who took notes.

“No, Einstein. They’re Jewish. They don’t eat pork or shellfish. Even if some would, I’m not risking it.”

“We could serve beef hot dogs instead of pork,” she countered.

“No. I don’t want guests concerned, whether or not it’s warranted.”

“Fine. Any other requests?” Her lips pressed into a firm line as she stared at me, jaw clenching.

Yeah, well, she had only herself to blame for being the brunt of my fury. With at least half of this shit, she should’ve known better. Either she was incompetent in her role, or she was goading me.

“I’ll send over a list of additional requests for each room. We want wood flooring in the centers for dancing, tables along the perimeter. We’ll determine table count and seating and send those over by the weekend. Do you have access to two popcorn machines?”

Madison glanced at Suzanne, who then confirmed, “We have one. I can rent another.”

“And photo booths.” Kiki twisted in her chair to face them. “Rent a photo booth for each room too.”

We all nodded in agreement.

Suzanne gave a short nod. “Done. If you think of anything else, email me by Friday. That’ll give us a week to arrange for any last-minute details.” She stepped away from Madison toward me. “Cade, could I borrow you for a few minutes? I’ve got some paperwork in my office for you to sign.”

“Sure.” I stood while giving Hannah’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be back in a few.”

I was done with this meeting. We’d accomplished what we’d come for on the surface, and Madison hadn’t shown her hand regarding our suspicions. “Meanwhile, if you have any questions” —I looked pointedly at Suzanne— “or clarifications let me know. These events need to go off without a hitch, which will make the client happy. Then we’re all happy. Right, Madison?”

Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly, but I caught her irritation. Good. Enough dicking around. We were here to conduct business, not a pissing match.