Page 4 of The Estate
Letting the doors close, she stood, eyes closed and focused on her breathing. She gave herself a mental shake. She needed to get a grip.
Distant music, echoing across the grounds, pulled her out of the moment. That would be the wedding. Looking at her watch confirmed it. The ceremony was already underway. Smoothing her shoulder-length blonde hair, she attempted to release the tension in her body. She hated feeling out of control. Her body was all jittery and her legs felt wobbly.
This day had been a roller coaster ride. And Rachel didn’t like roller coasters. At all.
She was not composed enough to run down to the chapel. She was sure Alex and her friends would forgive her for missing the ceremony. Contemplating the garden spread before her, she knew what she needed. Some fresh air and a quiet stroll through some flowers would help ground her. Help her manage her feelings before she joined in on the celebrations.
Chapter Two
Friends Forever
Listening to the sharp click of her heels reverberating in the hallway, Cal sighed. He should go apologize, but honestly, he didn’t think he could do that without risking another argument. Multiple late nights pouring over the books, a week of putting out fires, and dealing with today’s Mom-zilla, Jennifer, left him short-tempered and desperately in need of sleep and some stress relief.
A part of him recognized Rachel was simply trying to be helpful, but he resented the implication he couldn’t handle his business. Although he recognized that she gave as good as she got. She stood her ground and told him where to go and probably would have given him directions if he’d asked. Her face flushed, eyes flashing, and her hands clenched with suppressed energy—she was utterly magnificent. In a different life, he would have prolonged the encounter just to see what she’d say or do next.
Rubbing his face with a hand, he inhaled deeply and picked up a trace of her delightful fragrance. It was a light floral scent, but with something else woodsy about it. Like cedar. He couldn’t pinpoint it, but its delicate nature seemed to contradict the impassioned, bold woman he’d just meet.
Returning to the kitchen, he caught Joanne’s eye, and they quickly ran through the menu to confirm everything. Overall, things were in better shape than he thought. While he knewJoanne and her crew were capable, he’d just come to double check.
“We may have a few holes here and there,” Joanne said. “But with our substitutions and a few work-arounds, no one will know. And,” she continued with a chuckle, “I’ll ensure every dish that goes out is up to Jennifer’s standards.”
Cal groaned. The property had been open as a wedding venue for two years, and he still wasn’t sure who was harder to deal with, brides or mothers of the bride. “That’s wonderful to hear, Joanne. Also, be certain everything that goes to table five is as close to the menu as possible. That’s where the groom’s Scottish grandparents are sitting.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” Joanne said, jotting a note on her sheet before going back to the stove.
Passing through the kitchen, he dodged the workers and servers putting together last-minute items. Time for him to get out from underfoot and let the team do their thing. His jaw tightened as he maneuvered around the boxes of cauliflower that had just come in. The close quarters were an annoying reminder that his parents had a point about the necessity of a commercial kitchen.
Before leaving, he snagged a piece of Scottish tablet from the tray by the door. Taking a bite, he turned and made his way along the hall to his office. The dessert was amazing. Kind of like fudge in a way. The sugar just melted on his tongue. He had to remember this and recommend it to other caterers who used White Hall Estate. It was an unusual sweet treat. Maybe he could sneak back and nab another little piece towards the close of the night. Although most likely, there wouldn’t be any left.
Tucked into the rear section of the house, his office was nothing special to look at, as his entire focus for the past fewyears had been renovating the estate for use as an event space. Maybe one day he’d get around to making some improvements in the administrative areas, but for now, his sole focus was on pushing the business forward.
White Hall Estate had been in his family for generations, his grandfather or Pops, as he called him, being the last to reside there. After his death, seeing the estate sitting empty and rotting away was something Cal couldn’t live with. He wanted to revitalize the old estate and make it the amazing destination he knew it could be. He’d spent so many wonderful summers here, he could not walk away.
Unfortunately, his parents didn’t feel the same pull to the property. When he’d approached them, they had reluctantly agreed to let him try to create a profitable business there. Little did they know he had big plans for White Hall. Being an event venue was just the first step in the many he knew he needed to make. His ultimate goal was to secure the financial prosperity of the property for generations to come. It was imperative that the family’s land and Pops’ legacy were safe. And to do that, the estate needed to grow well beyond weddings.
His phone buzzed with an incoming call. Looking down, he settled into his office chair before happily accepting it. “Vinny! How are you, man? How’s the restaurant business doing today?” His friend from college, Vinny, ran an amazing deli just down the road from the estate. While everything Vinny made was delicious, Cal had developed a severe addiction to his roast beef sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies.
“Hey Fitzy,” Vinny responded, defaulting to Cal’s college nickname. “I’m doing good. Busy as always. But as you know, it’s a food business, so something is always going off the rails.”
“Ugghh, don’t remind me. It’s been one thing after another over here. The caterer’s food delivery was messed up for tonight’s event, so we’ve been running around like crazy.”
“Do you need anything?”
“Nah, thank you, man. I appreciate it, but we’re all good. Joanne Mulberry is catering tonight, and she’s got it locked down.”
“Oh, she’s great. Runs a tight kitchen.”
“She does,” Cal had to chuckle. “But tonight, it was me laying down the law in the kitchen.”
“What’s this?” Vinny laughed. “I gotta hear this one.”
Cal filled his friend in about his heated discussion with the event guest. Then added, “Maybe I’ll hunt her down at the reception and apologize.”
“What you ought to do,” Vinny pushed back, “is either work with Trace on her job performance or fire her. We both know she’s not well-suited to the job. While she’s not responsible for the food order being wrong, I know what you're not saying. You had to cover for her again, didn’t you?”
“I know, Vinny. I know,” Cal replied, reclining in his chair. “I’ve just been running so fast trying to get this place going that I haven’t had time. But you’re right. I have to make the time. Her mistakes are typically small little things, but they’re just adding up and pulling me away from the other stuff I ought to be doing.”
Vinny laughed. “Like pulling you away from having a pissing match with a guest?”
