Page 18 of White Wedding
“They already have,” Victoria said. “The tasting was stressful as hell.” She didn’t know which had been worse—Missy’s vomiting or Rafael’s pent-up anger. “But I’m out of options. The last caterer quit, and it was nearly impossible to find a replacement this close to Christmas.”
“Well, shit,” Jess muttered. “That’s a total clusterfuck.”
“Isn’t there someone else in your office who could take your place?” Brody asked. “What about Lindsay?”
“She’s out on leave until January. But even if she was around, I think my father would still want me to handle it. He claims it’s his way of teaching me a lesson.”
Connor topped up her glass. “Bullshit. It’s his way of controlling you. Like the way he tried to control me before I left Blackwood Cellars.”
Victoria shuddered, recalling her father’s furious reaction after Connor announced he’d purchased Maverick Winery. She still hadn’t revealed that she’d helped fund her brother’s venture. That would have pushed her domineering father over the edge.
“Can’t you just keep things professional with Rafael?” Brody asked.
“You think?” Jess said. “They had sex together. Great sex, by the sound of it.”
Victoria put her head in her hands. “Can wenotbelabor the sex part?”
“It’s only for three more weeks, right?” Brody said. “Once you’re done, you’ll never have to see this guy again.”
“I guess I don’t have any other choice. Do I?” She surveyed the group, all of whom shook their heads ruefully.
“What’s Dad going to say when he finds out about Rafael?” Connor asked.
She tensed up. “You can’t tell him. And Ben can’t find out either because he’d never believe it was a coincidence. He already accused me of trying to sabotage the wedding.”
“Ben doesn’t have any claim over you,” Jess said. “If I were you, I’d rub his nose in it, especially if Rafael is as hot as you say.”
Connor placed his hand over hers. “Easy there. Victoria doesn’t need to get Ben all riled up. It’ll only make things worse. The best option is to keep things quiet. Got it?”
“I won’t breathe a word,” Jess said. “But secrets like this usually blow up in your face.”
“I can vouch for that,” Brody added. “They tend to explode at the worst possible time.”
Victoria sighed. That was what she was afraid of.
Chapter 7
Nineteen Days Until the Wedding
After a busy Sunday at the restaurant, Rafael was grateful for a day off, even if it entailed spending the morning with Victoria. Though his resentment toward her had eased since Saturday’s tasting session, he still had a lot of questions. Why was she coordinating her ex’s wedding? And why had she ever agreed to marry the bastard in the first place? But as much as he wanted answers, his best course of action was to set aside his feelings and do the damn job.
Think of it as a challenge.
Hadn’t he been asking his brothers to trust him with bigger events than his cousin’s backyard wedding? No matter how much he claimed he’d changed, he had yet to prove it. This was his chance.
With that in mind, he pushed past his animosity and entered the Blackwood Cellars boardroom with confidence. As he greeted Victoria, he tried not to let his gaze linger on her body, even if her navy sheath dress accentuated her slender figure. Seeing her with her hair up in a tidy bun made him want to pull out the pins so that it fell loose past her shoulders. She’d worn it that way when they’d been together.
But he kept himself in check, not allowing his mind to wander into forbidden territory. “Will Ben and Missy be joining us?” he asked.
“Ben’s seen the ballroom before,” she said. “And I’ve already done three walk-throughs with Missy, which was more than enough.”
That couldn’t have been easy. Once again, he wondered why Victoria was torturing herself this way.
Not that her decision was any of his business. He focused his attention on the catering contract. He’d seen enough of them to understand the terms. They’d get an initial deposit up front and the remainder of the balance a week before the wedding. Once he signed it, Victoria led him out of the boardroom. “Have you had a chance to explore the estate?”
“Not yet. I was going to check it out on Friday after we met, but…”
But after his shock at seeing her, he’d been too overwhelmed to do anything but drive back to Escondido.
