"Thanks for coming with me for the last leg," I told Ivy.
My friend flashed a glamorous smile. "You're welcome. It was a real hardship."
I glanced back out the airplane window and resisted the urge to pinch myself. Not only was I flying in full luxury, but it was for work. My work.
"Now, before we land, I want you to take advantage of one more first class perk: the available businessmen," Ivy said. She leaned closer and nodded towards a young man across the aisle ahead of us. "I know for a fact that Mr. Gray Suit there is in advertising. As in he owns the largest advertising firm in the Midwest. I don't know if you're a snob about location."
I shoved Ivy with my shoulder. "You know I'm not. Just like you know that I'm not in the market for a mile high hook-up."
Ivy sighed. "I'm not trying to hook you up. I'm trying to help you find someone. A real match."
I leaned my head back in the comfortable seat. "Can't we talk about something else? Weren't you supposed to teach me the finer aspects of caviar?"
"You want to change the subject? Big surprise." Ivy sat up and raised her crystal champagne glass. "Here's to your outrageous success at work. Now that you've got your dream career, what else could you need?"
"A lot of people are happy just with their dream careers," I said.
"You're right, and I love that, but you can also have it all," Ivy said firmly.
I shook my head. "Watching my community building foundation go national is enough for me."
"For now," Ivy said.
I laughed at her heavy tone. "At least until we hit the tarmac," I compromised.
While Ivy reviewed her contacts list for possible dates, I dug into my briefcase for the packet Topher had sent me. Rainer's old assistant was an amazing help. I'd been sad to let Amy go, but she assured me she was much happier pursuing a career in coffee preparation.
I dumped the contents onto the spacious tray top in front of me. Topher had sent all my mail because he knew I didn't like to be idle on airplanes. I lifted the first envelope, and Ivy's hand darted over to grab an elegant envelope.
My heart did a dive all the way to the distant ground. Had it finally happened? Had Rainer actually sent me an invitation to his wedding? I'd be dreading it for the last few months.
"It's from the White House." Ivy cooed over the gorgeous card stock and gold leaf embossment. She delicately opened it and grinned from ear to ear. "You've been invited to the White House in order to speak about the core needs of communities and how we as a nation can build stronger communities."
"Wow," I said, but my voice came out shaky. The relief I felt after discovering it was not an invitation to Rainer's wedding had left me weak.
Ivy's sharp eyes flew to my face. "What did you think it would be?"
"Nothing. I'm just overwhelmed. That's quite an honor." I wiped my forehead.
Ivy narrowed her eyes before going back to admiring the elegant invitation. "It says you can bring a plus one. See? I knew there was a reason I was pushing you to start dating again."
"Again?" I asked. "I never stopped."
My friend patted my arm. "I know things were hectic after you left Hyperion, but you haven't even been out for drinks since then."
"I've been a little busy," I said.
Ivy wouldn't let me off that easy. "And now things are settling down. That's why you invited me to join you in Chicago. Face it, Tasha, now that you have your dream job and your schedule is actually balanced, you have no excuse for not having fun."
"We
had fun in Chicago."
"That's was shopping," Ivy said. "I'm talking about having wine with dinner. Meeting a man for drinks and seeing if it might go somewhere. I'd even settle for knowing you'd been out to brunch with someone halfway decent."
I laughed at Ivy's frustration. "I have fun. Getting a new wardrobe in Chicago was fun."
"I know, I know, I shouldn't try so hard to be a matchmaker. I just want everyone to be as happy as I am. You can't fault me for that," Ivy said.