Ready Or Not - CITRUS

Thirteen

I'm back!!!

Mei started her Tuesday with a Grande Almond Latte that just two years ago would have been a difficult feat to successfully obtain. But she and Starbucks had put their differences aside, and the folks there loved her. They'd really experienced a turnaround in their relationship, and she, for one, valued the newfound coffee friendship. She followed that victory up with a call to Ace at Big Top, who seemed beyond thrilled to hear from her.

"Mei, how are you?" he said as he picked up. "I've been meaning to call you. Thought we could all do drinks, and talk about the film. Shoot the breeze."

If shooting the breeze was boy talk for business, she was in. "That would be fab—awesome," she amended, in an attempt to speak Ace. "It would be fab-awesome." Oh no. She'd really just said that.

"You know a place?" he asked. "You strike me as a woman who knows the good spots." That's when a fantastic idea struck, as apparently, Himeko wasn't the only one capable of creative genius.

"I do know a spot. They serve the most amazing craft cocktails. I'd love for you to experience the place too, as you may want to utilize their services in the future."

"I love the way you think," Ace said. "Let's do it." They squared away the details, and Mei did a happy dance in her head for connecting the two clients. If Ace, an influential man in town with the millennials, fell in love with CITRUS, he could do a lot to put it on the map. If CITRUS, likewise, impressed Ace, Mei would be an instant hero and receive cool points with Big Top, edging her that much closer to cinching the account.

It was a win-win.

She hung up the phone, sat back in her chair, and held her arms outstretched like the corporate rock star she was. She could hear the proverbial crowd cheering all around her.

"So I take it that call went well?" Matsuri said, glancing up from her laptop.

"We're having drinks with the Big Top guys at CITRUS later this week. All of us. Show up and be cool." Matsuri passed her a look. "Okay, fair enough. You just show up. The rest of us will work at it."

The door slid open and Himeko arrived for work, prompting Mei, Matsuri, and Harumi to pause their tasks at hand and break into their new tradition of humming "Here Comes the Bride" every time Himeko arrived on the scene.

As always, she beamed back at them from the doorway, soaking it all in. "That never gets old."

"You know what else doesn't get old?" Mei asked. "Wedding planning. I think I missed my calling."

"You totally did," Harumi said, nodding. "You'd be a kick-ass wedding planner, Mei-chan, and if I ever get married, I plan to utilize your services." With that, she and Matsuri exchanged a sweet smile that on any other day would have had Mei feeling intrusive for witnessing. Not today. Today was a good day, and her friends could be as in love as they wanted. She'd already knocked off half the tasks on her to-do list and had been wildly successful in the process. She now got to spend a little of her morning pulling together the details of what would be a gorgeous wedding, if she had anything to do with it. And maybe, just maybe, she was happily looking forward to the after-hours business meeting she'd scheduled for herself.

Mei's thoughts lingered on that last part, as the anticipation of more alone time with Yuzu washed over her. She was behaving recklessly. She knew that much, but maybe it was time for her to let her hair down a little. Take a walk on the fun side of the street for a change. She'd put in years of being the together, responsible one in any given circumstance, and for once, she was planning to do something just because she wanted to.