So much so that Samuel soon delegated full responsibility for computing and placing orders with the subs for everything from decorations to bar stock. He also tapped her for fresh ideas for themes and settings. In rapid succession she helped plan a white-on-white wedding, a red-and-black “Puttin’ on the Ritz” debutante ball and a barefoot-on-the-beach engagement party at a private Hamptons estate. And then there was her grand coup—snaring Justin Bieber for a brief appearance at the national Girl Scout banquet to be held in the fall. He was in town for another event and Gina played shamelessly on his agent’s heartstrings until every teen’s favorite heartthrob agreed.
Not all events went smoothly. Frantically working her cell phone and walkie-talkie, Gina learned to cope with minor crises like a forgotten kosher meal for the rabbi, a groom caught frolicking in the fourth-floor bridal suite shower with the maid of honor and a drunken guest held hostage by an irate limo driver demanding payment for damage done to the vehicle’s leather seats.
In the midst of all the craziness she unpacked the boxes Dev’s assistant had shipped back from L.A. and welcomed her sister and her new brother-in-law home from their honeymoon. Gina and Sarah and the duchess were all teary-eyed when the newlyweds departed again, this time to look at homes for sale close to Dev’s corporate headquarters in California.
Miracle of miracles, Gina also managed to snag an appointment with the top OB doc on the short list of three Jack had emailed. She suspected he’d used his influence or family clout to make sure she got in to see one of them. She didn’t object to outside help in this instance. The health of her baby took precedence over pride.
As promised, she called Jack’s office to let him know about the appointment. A secretary routed her to his chief of staff.
“This is Dale Vickers, Ms. St. Sebastian. The ambassador is in conference. May I help you?”
“Jack asked me to let him know the date and time of my prenatal appointment. It’s Thursday of next week, at three-fifteen, with Dr. Sondra Martinson.”
“I’m looking at his calendar now. The ambassador is unavailable next Thursday. Please reschedule the appointment and call me back.”
The reply was as curt as it was officious. Gina held out the phone and looked at it in surprise for a moment before putting it to her ear again.
“Tell you what,” she said, oozing sweetness and light, “just tell Jack to call me. We’ll take it from there.”
The man must have realized his mistake. Softening his tone, he tried to regain lost ground.
“I’m sorry if I sounded abrupt, Ms. St. Sebastian. It’s just that the ambassador is participating all next week in a conference with senior State Department officials. They’re assessing U.S. embassy security in light of recent terrorist attacks. I can’t overstate the importance of this conference to the safety and security of our consular personnel abroad.”
Properly put in her place, Gina was about to concede the point when he made a suggestion.
“Why don’t I call Dr. Martinson’s office and arrange an appointment that fits with the ambassador’s schedule?”
“That won’t work. We need to work around my schedule, too.”
“I’m sure you can squeeze something in between parties for twelve-year-olds.”
The barely disguised put-down dropped Gina’s jaw. What was with this character? Sheer obstinacy had her oozing even more saccharine.
“I’m sure I can. After all, the tab for our last twelve-year-old’s party only ran to sixty-five thousand dollars and change. Just have Jack call me. We’ll work something out.”
“Really, Ms. St. Sebastian, we don’t have to trouble the ambassador with such a trivial matter.”
Heat shot to every one of Gina’s extremities. Given her normally sunny and fun-loving disposition, she’d never believed that old cliché about seeing red. She did now.
“Listen, asshole, you may consider the ambassador’s baby a trivial matter. I’m pretty sure he won’t agree. The appointment is for three-fifteen next Thursday. End of discussion.”
* * *
As instructed, she arrived at Dr. Martinson’s office a half hour prior to her scheduled appointment. The time was required for a final review and signature on the forms she’d downloaded from the office website. She hadn’t heard from Jack or from his stick-up-the-butt chief of staff. So when she walked into the reception area and didn’t spot a familiar face, she wasn’t surprised.
What did surprise her was how deep the disappointment went. She’d been so busy she hadn’t had time to dwell on the confused feelings Jack Mason stirred in her. Except at night, when she dropped into bed exhausted and exhilarated and wishing she had someone to share the moments of her day with. Or when her body reminded her that she wasn’t its sole inhabitant anymore. Or when she happened to spot a tall, tanned male across the room or on the street or in the subway.
“Don’t be stupid,” she muttered as she signed form after form. “He’s making the world safer for our embassy people. That has to take precedence.”
She was concentrating so fiercely on the clipboard in her hand that she didn’t hear the door to the reception area open.
“Good, I’m not late.”
The relieved exclamation brought her head up with a jerk.
“Jack! I thought... Vickers said...”
Of all the idiotic times to get teary-eyed! How could she handle every crisis at work with a cheerful smile and turn into such a weepy wimp around this man? She had to jump off this emotional roller coaster.
“Vickers told me what he said.” Grinning, he dropped into the chair beside hers. “He also told me what you said.”
“Yes, well, you shouldn’t piss off a preggo. The results aren’t pretty.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Guilt wormed through the simple, hedonistic pleasure of looking at his handsome face. She let the clipboard drop to her lap and made a wry face.
“You shouldn’t have come. Vickers said you had a top-level conference going on all week.”
“We wrapped up the last of the key issues this morning. All that’s left is to approve the report once it gets drafted. I can do that by secure email. Which means,” he said as he took the clipboard and flipped through the forms, “I don’t have to fly back to D.C. right away. Here, you forgot to sign this one.”
She scribbled her signature and tried not to read too much into his casual comment about extending his trip up from D.C. Didn’t work. When he tacked on an equally casual invitation, her heart gave a little bump.
“If you don’t have plans, I thought I might take you and the duchess to dinner tonight.”
“Oh, I can’t. I’m working a fiftieth anniversary party. I had to sneak out for this appointment.”
“How about tomorrow?”
The bump was bigger this time. “Are you staying over that long?”
“Actually, I told Dale to clear the entire weekend.”
“Ha! Bet he loved that.”
“He’s not so bad, Gina. You two just got off on the wrong foot.”
“Wrong foot, wrong knee, wrong hip and elbow. How long has he worked for you, anyway?”
“Five years.”
“And no one’s ever told you he’s officious or condescending?”
“No.”