together in front of her, feeling awkward. His reason for inviting her to his home still hadn’t been revealed.
“Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”
She watched him, waiting for more. It didn’t come.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “About what?”
“The house.” A slow look of realization came over his face. “Oh. Right. I’m sorry. I didn’t even explain myself. Right this way.”
He led her through a doorway opposite the one they’d come in through, down a couple steps that led to a depressed hallway with bookshelves on one side and a row of windows on the other that looked out into a courtyard. Adison barely had time to take in the water fountain, solar lights, and dark plants before they were in another room.
This one was another living room, which opened into yet another cozy-looking room, making it a two-in-one situation. At the far end of it all was a piano and a bar.
How did Ken differentiate all these rooms? Did he call one a den? One a living room? One a parlor?
She nearly laughed out loud at that last one.
And who would he even use those words with, other than a housekeeper—because there was no way he cleaned this mansion on his own? Like in the other parts of the house, there were no photos, very little personal touch.
If another person lived here with Ken, they were invisible.
“Do you think we could have the party here?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“Here?” she parroted.
So that was why he’d asked her over. To look at the house.
Duh.
“Let’s see…” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Which part of the home are you willing to open up?”
“I thought this could be the main area. There’s a door there leading to the house’s side entrance.” He pointed. “But we can use any other part that you think necessary.”
He didn’t mind over a hundred people milling about his house, looking at his personal things, possibly even touching them?
A glance at his face told her he didn’t mind at all. Yet more confirmation that very little about this house was “personal.”
“It can work,” she said. “Absolutely. And the bonus is that you already have a piano, so that will make life easier for any musicians we hire.”
“Wonderful.”
“Great.”
“Perfect.” He smiled wide, eyes sparkling.
She didn’t know if she’d ever seen him smile before. No, she must have. Only never like this; like he meant it with every fiber of his being.
She looked away and rubbed her palms together. “Up next is catering. What about a light buffet? Everything pre-made. Sandwiches. Chicken. Skewers. That kind of thing. And we can set small tables out.”
“That sounds good. Do you have a certain caterer in mind?”
“I’m sure I can find the perfect one.”
She had her fingers crossed that booking a catering company would be easier than booking a venue. If it came down to it, she would get in that kitchen herself and make wraps, Christmas cookies, and her mother’s mousse until her fingers bled. Anything to make this party a success.
“What about the courtyard?” She walked back to it. “Do you have anything in mind for this?”
“Er…” He followed, hands in his pockets. “No?”
Adison laughed, and when he joined in, her chest warmed. “That’s okay,” she said. “I have some.”
“Excellent.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You don’t want to hear what they are?”
He shrugged. “I would love to hear what they are, but I already know I’ll say yes. You’re the expert.”
“It’s your party,” she said.
“And I saw your socials,” he volleyed back. “You’ve done some amazing things.”
That struck her speechless. He’d looked at her social media accounts?
Only to see your past work, silly.
Right. Of course. He’d looked only to see if she was capable of doing the job at hand. Not because he was interested in her beyond that or anything.
She cleared her throat, searching for where she’d left her train of thought. “If you agree—”
“Which I will…”
“I’d like to do a Winter Wonderland theme,” she said. “With the color scheme gold and white. We’ll have a Christmas tree, of course, and that will be white as well. Unless you want—”
“I want what you want,” he said, interrupting again.
She bit into her bottom lip, afraid she was smiling too much and he’d wonder what was up with her. “Okay. Then I’ll do what I want.”
“Excellent.”
A moment of silence lingered, but he didn’t look eager for anything to happen. They stood there, gazes flicking back and forth between each other and the courtyard.
And then Ken’s phone rang from inside his pocket. “Sorry,” he said.
“It’s okay.”