Page 23 of White Wedding
When he rested his hand on her shoulder, she quivered with longing. She wanted him to massage her neck and shoulders the way he’d done in Baja. Better than any massage she’d ever paid for. He was so close she caught a whiff of his citrusy aftershave. The warmth from his body heated her from the inside, making her wish they were both wearing considerably less clothing.
“What’s going on in here?”
At the sound of her father’s voice, a chill came over her.
Rafael didn’t miss a beat. He stepped back from her, then turned and extended his hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rafael Sanchez from Tres Hermanos. I’m honored to be catering the Cavendish-Macalister wedding for Blackwood Cellars.”
Her father blatantly ignored him and focused his attention on Victoria. “Is there a reason you’re meeting with him in your office? The boardroom would be more appropriate, as would any of our other meeting rooms.”
What did he think was going to happen? That she’d try to seduce Rafael once the door was closed?
“I…I just wanted to share Missy’s ideas with him. For the decor. His cousin might help us out. Missy’s design scheme is pretty elaborate.”
Her father scowled. “You’re saying you can’t handle it? I thought you had this under control.”
She kept her voice level, even as her heart raced with anger. “She wantstwentyfully decorated Christmas trees. And so far, I haven’t been able to find anyone available to give them the attention they need.”
In response, she got a grunt. “See to it that you don’t run over budget.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Thankfully, the budget was sky-high, since Missy’s father was a wealthy real estate mogul who owned buildings all over Southern California. “Was there a reason you came looking for me?”
“Ben tried to reach you. He said you weren’t answering your phone.”
She raised her chin in defiance. “I never respond to outside calls when I’m in a meeting. You taught me that.”
“He needs you to call Missy. Apparently, there’s a crisis you need to deal with.”
Of course there is.
She gave him a sweet smile. “I’ll take care of it right away. Thank you.”
Rafael edged toward the door. “I should get going. Unless there’s anything else you need from me?”
“That should do for now,” she said. “I’ll text you the link for the Pinterest page so your cousin can see what she’s dealing with. Thank you for coming.”
“Thanks for the tour.” He offered her a watered-down smile, lacking the warmth he’d shown her earlier. Probably for the best, since she didn’t want to arouse her father’s suspicions. But she was sad to see him go. She would have liked a few more minutes alone with him.
Once he’d left, Victoria waited to see how her father would react. True to form, he frowned. “That fellow seemed a little shifty. I wonder if we can trust him.”
She mustered up all her reserve and replied as politely as possible. “I’m sure he’ll behave appropriately. This job means a lot to his family’s business.”
“I hope you’re right,” he muttered. “I didn’t like the look of him.”
As much as she wanted to speak up for Rafael, she held her tongue. If she went out of her way to defend him, her father might wonder why she was championing a man she barely knew. “I should find out what Missy wants. Is there anything else you need?”
“Once you have Missy squared away, you can work with June on the open house.”
“Right. She mentioned it on Friday. I’ll drop by her office this afternoon so we can review the details.”
“Good. I’m a little worried about putting her in charge, but at least you’ll be there all weekend, in case of a crisis.”
All weekend? Victoria had agreed to it last year, but she hadn’t been coordinating a huge wedding at the same time. For once, she had something on her calendar. “You said you’d only need me on Saturday. I already made plans to go to a Sunday matinee ofThe Nutcracker.”
One of her few social outings of the season and a tradition she rarely missed, since the show brought back fond memories of the ballet lessons she’d taken as a child.
“You’ll have to exchange your ticket or give it to someone else,” he said. “I want you there both days. We have a lot of events going on, and you need to ensure they run smoothly.”
She swallowed back her frustration. He’d done this to her before—saddled her with events even when she had other plans—but he’d gotten worse over the last few months. Like he was trying to put her in her place.
