Page 24 of White Wedding
As if sensing her hesitation, his brow creased. “You do realize that working here is a privilege, right? I need to know I can count on you.”
She sighed. “Whatever you need. I’ll be there.”
At this point, it was easier to give in than challenge him. If anything, she should be grateful he’d stopped complaining about Rafael. But his initial reaction filled her with an uneasy dread. Given how controlling her father was, she could never let him find out she and Rafael had once been lovers. And in no way, shape, or form, could she ever contemplate a wild, passionate affair like the one they’d had in Baja.
Chapter 9
After her father left, Victoria took a moment to center herself. The relief she felt at gaining Rafael’s forgiveness had vanished, replaced by a growing sense of alarm. Like it or not, her attraction to him had come racing back, just as strong as it had been five years ago. If his flirtatious behavior was any indication, he felt the same way. He’d seemed pleased to learn they were both single.
Not an option. He’s completely off-limits.
Besides, keeping secrets from her family was damn near impossible, considering she worked for her father and still lived at home. After she’d graduated from college, she considered getting her own place. But moving out seemed so impractical. Her office was only ten minutes away, and she was hell-bent on saving money to pay off her father. Why fork out the cash to rent an apartment when she could live for free in a six-thousand-square-foot home in the hills?
Still, she was twenty-five. At some point, she needed to strike out on her own. Reclaim her life. Get out from under her father’s oppressive thumb.
She retrieved her phone from her desk and shuddered at the notifications. Three missed calls from Missy, followed by multiple texts, each one escalating in intensity. Fighting off a bone-deep sense of regret, Victoria called her back. “Missy? It’s Victoria.”
“About time. Where were you?”
“I was meeting with Rafael from Tres Hermanos, giving him an overview of the grand ballroom and the grounds of the estate. I thought he’d appreciate a full tour, since he’s never catered an event here before.” She wouldn’t apologize. Not when she’d been doing her job.
Missy gave a sultry laugh. “Mmm. He’s something, isn’t he?”
“Excuse me?”
“Rafael. He’s definitely easy on the eyes.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened as a rush of fiery-hot jealousy surged through her. But—as always—she maintained her poise. “I hadn’t noticed. But yes, I suppose he’s rather handsome.”
Rather handsome?She sounded like someone from a Jane Austen novel. Or a nineteenth-century schoolmarm.
Her best move was to pivot to the situation at hand. “I understand you’re dealing with a crisis. What can I do to help?”
“Can you come over? Now? It would be easier to explain that way.”
What issue was so monumental it couldn’t be explained over the phone? Unless Missy had decided to call off the wedding. Maybe she’d caught Ben cheating. At this point, Victoria wouldn’t put it past him. Even so, she couldn’t imagine Missy embracing the burden of single motherhood. The crisis had to be something else.
Though Victoria had plenty of other tasks on her plate, this wedding was her highest priority. She grabbed the binder from her desk. “I can be there in twenty minutes. Is that all right?”
“It’ll have to do,” Missy said.
Ungrateful, much?Victoria pushed past her irritation and headed out of her office. As she left the Blackwood Cellars Estate, she cued up one of her Mozart playlists, hoping the lively music would put her in a better frame of mind.
Missy lived with her parents in the ultra-rich, equestrian-friendly Los Ranchitos community of Temecula. Victoria gave her name at the gate, then ascended the hill to the entrance of the property. If she hadn’t grown up in a home of equal size and grandeur, she might have been impressed by the sprawling, Mediterranean-style mansion and the sweeping view it offered, but she’d seen enough Temecula Valley estates that few of them made an impact.
A uniformed housekeeper led Victoria into the kitchen, which was light and airy, done up in varying shades of beige. The granite countertops, the ceramic tile, the kitchen cabinets—all beige. Completely uninspired.
Missy sat behind a long breakfast bar, which was covered with Rubbermaid bins. Her reddened eyes and puffy face suggested a recent crying jag.
Victoria approached her with caution. “Are you all right?”
“No!” Missy pulled a wadded Kleenex out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. “I’m miserable. It’s so unfair.”
Victoria perched on a stool beside her. “What happened? Did Ben do something?”
Missy narrowed her eyes. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Give it up, Vicki. You’re never getting him back.”
Victoria didn’t rise to the bait, even though she loathed being called Vicki. Rather than respond with snark, she tried for a sympathetic tone. “If it’s not Ben, then what is it? The pregnancy?”
