Chapter Fourteen
Kennedy
Reed and I hadn’t said a thing about what had happened on Sunday, and already a few days had passed by. I saw him briefly in the mornings and the evenings, and talk between us was easy. But, then again, Trinity was always around. He hadn’t come home too late this week which meant Trinity was still up. I was so grateful for this, even though a part of me wondered if ignoring the problem was more harmful than helpful. I wasn’t so sure, but I didn’t want to be the one that brought it up. Thankfully, things between us still seemed relatively easy. I still found Reed to be one of the easiest people to be around. He was always so calm, and happy, and I found his intelligence such a welcome change from some of the other men I’d hung around with.
That morning I was sitting with Trinity and wondering what I was going to do with her for the day. We had our regular things such as learning how to cook and learning how to draw, and we’d started going for daytime walks around the area too. It was nice, but it would also be nice to do something different for a change. It was going to be strange when Trinity started school and I had the place to myself, so I wanted to make the most of our time together.
My phone rang, and I rushed to get it out of my bag. I figured it was Camille even before I saw her name on the screen. Camille was one of the only people that really called me. If Reed called to talk to Trinity, he generally called on the home phone. I tried not to think about how sad it was that the only person that really called me was Camille. Since when had my life been reduced so much in size?
“Hey, Cam,” I answered.
“Ken, are you at work?”
I looked at Trinity, who was sitting next to me coloring in beautifully, and smiled. “I am. Why? What’s up?”
“I need to talk to you about some work-related thing. Uh, any chance you can come in? You can bring the girl with you.”
“Actually, that’s a great idea. I was looking for something to do today. Think you have time to do coffee or lunch with us too?”
“Absolutely!”
“Great. Okay, we’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
I put the phone down and looked at Trinity. “You in the mood to go out?”
She grinned. “Where are we going?”
“I’m going to introduce you to my best friend.”
“Is she nice?” she asked timidly. “Am I also your best friend?
“Of course you are. You both are. She’s super cool. And she’s been dying to meet you. I’ve told her all about you.”
“Really?”
I chuckled. “Of course. Come on, let’s go. You are going to love where she works.”
I was always excited to visit Camille at work, but even more so now that I had Trinity with me. I was interested to see her reaction and couldn’t help but wonder what I would’ve been like seeing the building at her age. We pulled up to the driveway, and I turned to see Trinity staring open-mouthed outside.
“Are we going to a real-life castle?” she asked.
I chuckled. “This is where Camille works. Isn’t it beautiful? It’s one of my favorite places to visit. I thought you might like it.”
“Is Camille a princess?” she asked.
“Oh, I’m sure she would like to be. But she’s just like you and me. Come on, let’s go meet her.”
We climbed out the car and walked slowly to Camille’s office. It was hard to get Trinity to walk faster because she kept staring at everything around her with open awe and excitement. When we finally arrived at the office, Camille smiled broadly when she saw us.
“This must be the beautiful Trinity,” Camille said. “I’m Camille. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too,” Trinity said. “I thought you were a princess.”
“A princess? Why?”
“Because you live in a castle,” she said.
Camille chuckled. “Oh, I don’t live here. I just work here. But wouldn’t that be nice?”
“So, where is the princess?” Trinity asked.
“Actually, this is not a real castle. It was just made to look like this. We are wedding planners. We plan the most beautiful weddings. And sometimes we even have weddings here.”
“Wow. One day I want to get married here.”
“You certainly can. And hopefully I can plan your wedding,” Camille said. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
Trinity giggled and shook her head. “No. I don’t like boys yet. I’m only six. And my daddy says there is still plenty of time to have a boyfriend. He says I must wait until I’m older and then he said I will find the perfect man. But I’m too young now.”
“Your daddy is a smart man.”
“But there is a girl in my school who has a boyfriend. I told her that she is too young, but she says she’s not too young.”
“Well, I think it’s better to wait until you are ready. I think you need to listen to your dad; he definitely sounds like he knows what he’s talking about,” Camille said. “So, would you like a tour of the place? That way you can start making your wedding plans early.”
“Yes, please!”
I looked at Camille and smiled. “A tour would be great, thank you.”
“My pleasure,” she said. “I sometimes forget how beautiful this place is. I see it every single day, so I’ve stopped looking at in the same way. It’s nice to see it from someone else’s point of view.”
“Can I come work here?” Trinity asked.
“When you’re old enough, give me a shout and I’ll see what you can do.”
“One time, when my uncle Ryan asked me what I wanted to be when I was older, I told him I wanted to be spaghetti.”
I burst out laughing, and so did Camille. “That is the best answer ever. Do you still want to be spaghetti?”
She shook her head. “No, I want to be a wedding planner.”
I grinned. “Then you better stay friends with Camille.”
“We’re friends?” Trinity said to Camille.
“Of course we are,” she said to Trinity. Then she turned to me and whispered. “She’s adorable.”
“I know,” I whispered back. And I felt a weird sense of pride at the fact that Camille liked her so much. I almost felt as if she were my daughter. I wanted to hug Trinity and tell her to carry on being who she was.
We took a walk around the entire place, stopping to look at all the different sections of the building, as well as stopping to talk to various members of the staff. Everyone wanted to talk to Trinity and to find out who she was. A few people even thought she was my own child and said they were amazed at what good chemistry the two of us had. Trinity remained in constant awe throughout the entire tour and wanted to know everything there was about wedding planning. Afterward, we climbed onto one of the buggies while Camille took us for a tour of the outside area.
“I’ve just realized that I’ve never been this far out. I had no idea the grounds were so big. I always just sit right outside.”
“Oh yeah, this place is huge. And we have various options in case people want to get married outside.”
“You can get married outside?” Trinity asked in shock.
“Oh yeah, those are sometimes the best weddings. But you have to make sure the weather is good. We usually have a backup plan in case it rains. But we once had a wedding in the rain where everyone held umbrellas, and it was so beautiful. I think as long as the two people getting married are happy and in love, then it doesn’t really matter what the weather is like.”
“That’s actually really cool,” I said. “I think you showed me those photos a few years ago. I remember thinking that I would actually want it to rain for my wedding. There’s something really special about it.”
“Yeah, there is. Remind me to show you the pictures when we get back inside, Trinity.”
“Are you married?” Trinity asked.
Camille shook her head. “Not yet. But I have a boyfriend, and he’s great.”
Trinity giggled. “Do you kiss?”
Camille looked at me and laughed. “We do.”
“Yuck. I know it’s fine to kiss, but I still don’t like it. When I see people kissing on TV, I sometimes look away. Will you get married here?”
“I’m not sure. I work here so it might not be the same for me. But we’ll see. It might be nice.”
“I think it would be very nice. Do you have a boyfriend?” Trinity asked me.
I shook my head. “No. Not at the moment.”
She frowned. “But why? You’re so pretty.”
“Thank you, Trin. That’s nice of you to say. But that’s not the only important thing in a relationship. You don’t have to be pretty to have a boyfriend.”
“Yes, but you’re also nice.”
“And you’re lovely. Thank you. No, I guess I just haven’t found the right person yet.”
She frowned again but didn’t say anything else. She looked like she was deep in thought and I tried to change the subject. I didn’t want her to think about her mother leaving her and her father and become sad.
“How about we go for some lunch? This place does the best toasted sandwiches.”
“Yes, please. Can I have ham and tomato?”
I laughed. “Of course you can.”
We made our way back inside, found a seat, and ordered some lunch. Camille found some paper and pens for Trinity and she began coloring in immediately.
“I love drawing,” she told Camille. “Kennedy and I draw all the time at home.”
“And she’s amazing at it. She’s going to become an artist,” I said.
“No, I’m going to become a wedding planner, remember?”
“You can be both.”
“Good idea,” she said thoughtfully and carried on drawing.
I looked up at Camille. “So, you said you wanted to talk to me today. All okay?”
“Oh, wow, I got so caught up in our tour that I actually forgot that I invited you over for a reason. I need a favor from you. We have a wedding on Saturday, and our caterer has canceled. Is there any chance you can step in and help? I know it’s short notice, but if you can, I’d appreciate it so much. I know you hate catering but I asked around, and nobody else seems free.”
“Camille! You don’t have to try to convince me. You know I’ll always help you out. Of course I will. Just send me all the specifications and I’ll get started. I might just need to chat with Reed about getting things ready on Friday, but I’m sure it will be fine. I can just cook at his place.”
“And I can help!” Trinity said who had clearly been listening into the conversation.
“You sure can.”
“You’re an absolute life saver. Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“Wonderful. It’s a big wedding, but they are keeping things simple with the food. You’re amazing. Thank you. Also, they said the caterer can stay for the wedding, if you like.”
“Oh, no, I don’t have to do that.”
“Come on; it will be fun. It seems like such a nice wedding. I always feel like those who get involved in the wedding should stay and enjoy it too. I’ll be there. Why don’t you bring Reed and Trinity with too.”
“Oh please, Kennedy, can I come?”
“Are you sure I’m allowed to bring guests though?”
“Oh, they won’t even know. Trust me. Anyway, you’re providing the food, so just make a bit extra for you guys.”
“Well, maybe,” I said. Trinity was looking at me such big and pleading eyes that it would be hard to say no. “I’ll have to talk to your father first, though.”
If Reed couldn’t come then I wouldn’t take Trinity alone. I’d be too busy with the food to also look after her. I sort of wished that Camille had asked me without Trinity listening so that I could turn her down, but it was too late now.
When Reed got home later that day, I tried to think of how to ask him without it seem like I was asking him on a date. But Trinity beat me to it.
“Daddy, I had the best day,” she said and started rattling off about Camille’s work and how she now wanted to become a wedding planner when she was older. “And Camille is so cool. She asked Kennedy to bring food to the wedding on Saturday and said that we could all come as guests. Please, can we go, Daddy, please? I’ve never been to a wedding before.”
Reed looked at me, and I smiled apologetically. “Uh, sorry about that. Camille mentioned it, and Trinity overheard. She’s asked me to be the caterer as her usual caterer has canceled at the last minute. And she said I should stay for the wedding and bring a guest with me. Up to you guys, but it’s absolutely fine if you don’t want to come. I know that weddings can be boring for most people.”
“Boring? No way. I really want to go. Please, Daddy,” Trinity pleaded.
Reed laughed at his daughter’s enthusiasm. “How can I say no to you? Yes, we can go. Thanks, Kennedy. I think it will be fun. I haven’t been to a wedding in a long time. I usually go to these things purely for the food, you know.”
I chuckled. “No pressure for me, then!”