The next day she took the day off simply to plan. Logan had flooded her inbox with menu idea, music and decor trying to be helpful. She decided on an elegant red and gold theme and had busied herself ordering candles and arranging catering services.
“Let me do the food arrangements,” Logan had texted her. “It’ll be one less thing you have to do and I really wanna help. Classy. Calamari, seabass, prime rib. classy as hell.”
She hesitantly agreed, after he promised her to approve every step through her.
“Shoot,” Meredith muttered, shuffling papers on the dining room table.
JC reached for an apple and looked over her shoulder. “How’s that party planning coming?”
She chewed her pen anxiously sorting her papers into piles. “I just mixed up our reception seating with the tables for the gala. What a mess.”
The doorbell rang and a delivery truck pulled up to the drive. “I got it, honey.” JC yelled as he ran for the door.
A moment later he walked into the house carrying two large boxes.
“Hi babe,” he said, walking past her, a grin on his face.
She barely looked up from her laptop. “Boxes? Is that for the studio?”
“Mhmm,” he murmured and carried the boxes to the basement steps.
“What’d you get?” She chewed her pencil as she set up the menu for the gala.
“Oh, few odds and ends. Software and such.”
“Hey...You haven’t seen any boxes come in my name, have you? I’m still waiting on the monogrammed napkins for the wedding reception.”
“I don’t think so,” he called, disappearing down the stairs.
She went back to the set of notes before her. She’d set up the catering, the decorations were already purchased, and just needed to be hung. There was one final thing that needed to be taken care of. And she’d take care of that, later in the evening.
Shutting her laptop, she switched on the tea kettle when she heard a knock at the door.
“Meredith, will you get that?” JC called. “I’m kind of busy right now.”
She opened the door to find Lance standing in the doorway. “If you’ve come to spy on my planning, then I’m not letting you in.”
He smiled. “Nope, not at all. JC needed my help with something.”
JC showed up behind her and put his arms around her waist. “Oh.. Sorry, someone didn’t mean to jump to conclusions. Come on in, Lance.”
Meredith crossed her arms and frowned. “I didn’t jump to conclusions. This is just.. you know.. big. How’s your planning coming?”
“It’s getting there. Fast approaching, you know. Right before Christmas.,” Lance replied. “Now, what did you need help with JC?”
“Come on down, man. I definitely need some help.”
“What are you guys doing?” Meredith asked, innocently.
“Man stuff,” JC replied with a smile.
“Okay, then...” That was more than an answer for Meredith.
“You just keep doing what you’re doing and plan that party so we can beat Lance’s ass!” JC pointed towards her notes.
With a laugh, Lance shook his head. “Oh how some people dream!”
The two men disappeared to the basement and Meredith went back to her party planning. Almost everything was turning out as she’d hoped. There was just one more thing she needed to take care of and that would come later that night.
Combatting a headache made herself a strong cup of green tea and looked for some pain medication in the medicine cabinet. After a long hot bath, she slipped into her bathrobe and went downstairs.
Lance’s car had left while she’d been upstairs. “Jace? Coming to bed?”
“5 minutes, babe,” his voice called, in between random sounds coming from the basement.
She caught a glimpse of a basket full of silver wine stoppers and monogrammed candy packets lying near the stairs. Wedding favors for their guests had finally arrived. She quickly picked through them and noticed they’d misdated the candy packets.
Shoot, she thought, inspecting it further. Another thing to add to the ever growing to-do list.
Maybe Logan had been right. Maybe the stress of planning a January wedding and a company gala were simply too much for her to handle.The fact that this was also a competition didn’t help either.
Then again, maybe JC was right too. Maybe Lance was way too much competition for her to handle.
There were so many perks to the holiday party challenge though. The list of potential celebrity guests on the show was amazing. And all the money for charity would be put to such good use around the holidays.
She had decided on the charity based in San Diego called “A Reason to Survive,” or “ARTS.” It focused on providing arts programs to children from ages 3 to 18 in the form of therapy and creativity.
As she continued reading, JC came upstairs to get ready for bed.
“I found the charity,” she explained with a grin. As she told him all about the organization, he nodded in approval, taking it all in.
She crawled into bed as he finished brushing his teeth. Her tablet computer lit up the room as she scrolled through some plans and looked for how to fix the wedding favors.
“You don’t like it when I bring my work to bed. Bedtime is for...you know... other things,” he said, rather seductively.
“You can go to sleep,” she replied, smartly. “I won’t keep you up.”
“Not what I had in mind, Mere.” He collapsed against the blue satin pillows and leaned in for a kiss.
She took a moment to think as her lips met his. She needed to phrase her next conversation wisely and might have to do some begging in the process.
"So... I'm wondering... If you'd do something for me, Jace. Just for me? Something extra special?"
She soothingly traced her fingers along the bridge of his nose and onto his lips. Her hand stopped at his chin as she gently ran her nails along his beard.
"Hmm?" He sleepily adjusted his pillow and reached for the bedside light.
"Well..." She placed her hands on his chest and gently ran her fingers down his neck. "I think I have that one little thing that would put my party over the top."
"Yeah? What are you thinking?"
“It’d be something extra special,” she continued, as she lay down to meet his gaze. “For the best of intentions, not to mention charity.”
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
"If you'd.... sing at my party? For charity?" She closed her eyes tightly as if awaiting impact.
"Uh uh. No, Meredith," he protested. “Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with that.”
"Babe..." she started. She hadn’t anticipated him saying no to the offer.
“No.” He shook his head vehemently.
“JC!”
"Meredith, it's not that I won't... I just... can't." He shifted his weight in bed and turned the other direction.
"Then... what is it, JC? Why? I’m not asking for much! What do you mean?" She stroked his back soothingly. She was beginning to panic and a slight wave of nausea coursed over her.
"Well...it's just... I'm already singing at a party that night." He put his arm under his pillow and braced himself for her reaction.
"What? You're scheduled to appear at my holiday party, regardless!"
"And I'll be there. I promise.” His eyes avoided hers in the dim light “Just after... I sing at Lance’s."
"Excuse me? What?! No! How could you? You can't sing at Lance's party!" She threw a pillow at him. “No!”
He braced himself against her blows. "I'm already down and it's kind of a done deal."
"It is not! Tomorrow you're telling him you're not singing at his party." She violently pulled the covers over her head and switched off the other light.
He moved over to put his arms around her. "Baby. Don't be mad. Please. I simply can’t do that."
"You know how important this is, JC!" Her muffled voice came from under the covers.
“Yeah I do. And we’re going to do everything to outperform Lance’s charity run,” he said calmly. He pulled the covers from over her face.
She groaned. “I might as well concede now. Time to write a speech.”
“You’re being dramatic. You’ve got to have some kind of tricks up your sleeve, honey.”
“Yeah! YOU. You were the rabbit up my sleeve.”
He rubbed his face tiredly. “I will help you in any way you need it.”
She crossed her arms angrily."You're still coming to help me decorate at the hotel tomorrow. You’re not getting out of that!"
"Yep. After my recording session, I'll be there for you. I always am.”
“Yeah, you had better be now!”
He tightly wrapped his arms around her and as JC slept, Meredith pouted. Either this was going to get ugly, or she didn’t have a chance.
Story Tags: jc lance
