Stuffy government officials with bald heads and halos of frizzy, wispy white hair sat around the small round table in the room Aaron had been asked to enter for his interview. Aaron maintained his smile, but on the inside, he was melting down.

Teddy was right. God. I hope the officials aren’t the only thing he’s right about…

“Welcome, Mr. Masterson,” one of the men at the table said. He stood and held out his hand. Aaron approached and reached across the table to shake it. He was surprised his palms weren’t clammy from fear. “I’m Richard Weiss, this is Larry Maybury, and this is Kent Dunn, part of the city of Prescott’s public spaces team. We’re glad that you could join us today. We’ve looked into your work, and I must say, we’re impressed. The diversity of your event planning portfolio is phenomenal.”

“Thank you,” Aaron said. He shook hands with the two other men in the room, but remained standing. He knew better than to sit down. “I take pride in being able to plan all types of events — from high budget, elaborate weddings to thriftier, at-home children’s parties.”

“It shows. The budgets you’ve presented in your portfolio have sometimes been limited, but not one event looked ‘thrifty,’ as you put it.”

“Innovation makes all the difference,” Aaron said. “In my opinion, it’s what separates good events from great events.”

“That’s our opinion, too, and that’s why we called you here to discuss the open position today.” The man in the middle — Richard, the one who’d first offered Aaron his hand — said. He nodded at the empty chair on Aaron’s side of the table. “Please, be seated. We’d like to go over what we can so that we can get this ‘party started,’ if you’ll excuse the pun.”

Aaron chuckled, hoping that it didn’t sound too contrived. He was more aware of himself than ever — the tone of his voice, the words he spoke, and even the way he moved. He needed to stop directing his attention inward, but it was difficult to do when he was so nervous. “You’re fine. That’s what events are all about, right? Memorable fun? Puns are a-okay with me.”

He sat down and pulled his chair in.

“Presently, we’re looking for a full-time event planner in order to revitalize growth in Prescott,” the man on Aaron’s left said. “We’re looking for someone who is capable of adhering to a strict budget, but who can still manage to generate interest in Prescott, not only by current citizens, but by outsiders. Initially, we’re looking at starting a summer event to boost the local economy at one of the weakest times of the year. Should we be satisfied with the results of the event, we’ve discussed the possibility of hosting seasonal events.”

“It’s been a six month struggle with the city council to approve the budget,” the man on the right said. Aaron had no idea if he was Larry or Kent, but he assumed it wouldn’t matter. His mind was racing so fast, he was sure he’d forget all their names in the next five minutes, then kick himself for forgetting. “Now that it’s finally approved, we want to convince them they made the right choice investing in public events. This means we’re looking for a professional event planner who will deliver results, and whose efforts fall within the budget set while still pulling off a spectacular event the people of Prescott will be talking about for years to come.”

“We’re looking for good, clean fun that can be enjoyed by all citizens. We do not want to restrict the event based on age, or have otherwise inappropriate content displayed.”

Aaron nodded.

The way they’re talking, it sounds like they’re offering me the job already, and just hammering out the details of their expectations… that can’t be the case, can it? I can’t be that in demand…

“Here’s the snag,” Richard said. He folded his hands in front of him. Aaron noticed the thick, prominent veins on the backs of his hands. “Since the city council resisted our request for funding, they have refused to set a yearly budget — they’ve allotted a one-time sum in order to see if this is going to work, or if it’s a waste of money. At the moment, there is enough in the budget to hire you on to plan this event, but at the moment, while the position is full-time, it’s not permanent. At least, not until the city council sees tangible results and grants us an annual budget.”

There’s the catch. Fuck…

“So you’d like to hire me on as a contractor first in order to see what I can do,” Aaron said carefully, choosing his words wisely. “If I can pull this off, the position will open up, and I’ll be offered permanent employment?”

“Yes.”

“That’s…” He didn’t know what it was, if he was being honest. He bit the inside of his bottom lip to keep from saying or doing anything he’d regret. This was his one shot to prove himself, and he didn’t want to mess things up by looking disappointed. “Quite an ordeal you’ve gone through in order to secure funding. You must really feel like it’s worth it.”

“We do,” Richard said. “Prescott will not grow unless we try something different, and judging by data drawn from other small towns with comparable populations and resources, proper event planning has been a tremendous boost for their economic situations.”

“And that’s why we want you on the team.”

Aaron hesitated, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but no one added anything else. He looked between each of the three men, feeling at a loss for words.

“We’d like to plan a summer event,” Richard said. “It will give you eight months to get it set up, and you’ll have us in public spaces to help with zoning and set-up. I realize that eight months isn’t a long time to hammer the details out, but we hope the salary we are offering will allow you to drop other contract work so you can focus on our summer event.”

Richard slid a white envelope across the table. Aaron watched it, stunned. He’d never been offered something so official before. He accepted the envelope and pulled back the flap as Richard continued speaking.

“The budget is listed on the offer as well, on the bottom. We regret that we can’t offer you the permanent position at this time, but this is a taste of what it would be like, should you be able to generate enough interest to make this event a success.”

Aaron slid the paper out from the envelope and glanced at the number. His heart shot into his throat, and he looked from the card and back at Richard. “You said that the budget was on the bottom, correct…? Not the top?”

“The top is the salary we’re able to offer you for the next eight months’ work,” Richard said. “The bottom figure is the budget.”

They’re offering me forty-five thousand dollars for eight months’ work… I can’t believe it.

“The pay is not a reflection of what a permanent full-time position would entail,” Richard said. “We’ll discuss that figure should things go well.”

Aaron nodded. All that money on top of job stability, retirement, and benefits? He felt like he’d woken up from a dream only to find it had really come true. The budget for the event itself was substantial, but for a Prescott-wide event that bore so much impact on the town’s economic standing, it was a little lean. Aaron could work with it, though. He’d performed miracles for a quarter of the budget. He was confident he could pull this off.

“How many days will the event be?” he asked.

“One day, twelve hours. The day has yet to be determined — we were hoping to bring on an event planner first before deciding, in order to give him or her some leeway, since the turn-around is so tight.”

“Right,” Aaron said softly. He returned the offer to the envelope and set it down. “I’m flattered you’ve called me in, and that you are so confident in my ability that you want to offer me the job. I’d be honored to accept your offer. I already have some plans about what needs to happen to make this event the best Prescott has ever seen.”

“Fantastic news, Mr. Masterson.” Richard smiled at him. When he did, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes deepened. “We already have your contact information. By the end of today, you’ll receive email correspondence from our department detailing what the next steps are. We’ll be checking in with you regularly and doing our best to help you with the planning process. If there’s ever anything you need, don’t hesitate to make it known. For the good of all of us, this event needs to go off without a hitch.”

Not just for the good of the city, but for the good of my career, too… an eight month gap from the event planning scene could mean the end of my private career. Someone will rise up to fill the gap, and people will forget about me. I’m banking on this position, and if I can’t make it work, that’s it…

“I’ll be sure to let you know,” Aaron said. He smiled. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. I look forward to working with you all.”

“As we do you, Mr. Masterson,” Richard said.

Even now that the frightening part was over, Aaron’s heart continued to race. As he thanked each of the men he’d spoken with and said his goodbyes, he couldn’t shake his jitters. What he needed was a temporary distraction — something, or someone, who’d drown out the voices in his head telling him that he’d botch the job and end up broke and without options. And he knew just the place to go to find it.