Page 5 of The Estate
“Ugh,” Cal groaned. “I can’t believe I did that. But man, you should have seen her. Charging through the kitchen, ready to tell me what to do and how to fix things I already had handled.”
“She really got under your skin, didn’t she?”
“No!” Cal replied sharply. “She didn’t.” Vinny made a noncommittal noise, so Cal continued. “I simply couldn’t tolerate one more person telling me what to do inmy business, especially since I already had it handled.” He didn’t dare voice that part of him had been utterly captivated by her energy. Vinny would never let him live that down.
“Speaking of which,” Vinny said, pulling Cal back to their conversation. “How are your parents?”
Having close friends who saw too much was both a blessing and a curse. Exhaling loudly, he responded, “Exactly how you think they are.”
“So, no movement from them to relax the requirements of the deal?”
“No, not yet. I’m scheduled to meet with them, but I’m not hopeful.”
“Do they understand how much of a success you already are? To have renovated the estate and launched it as a venue for functions—at a profit. Cal, that’s huge.”
Cal felt those words land. It was simple to lose sight of what he’d accomplished when faced with his parents’ continued disapproval. “Thanks, Vin. That’s deeply appreciated. But you know my parents. To them, the estate is a disappointing holding in their portfolio.
“I mean, I get it. They’re financial advisers. They don’t get my interest in hospitality, nor do they have the emotional connection to this place that I have. They set a profitability level that needs to be met. For them, it’s a case of the numbers not meeting expectations.”Of me not meeting expectations, he added in his head.
It was hard to believe his parents couldn’t see how important the estate was to him. Not only was it multigenerational land, but Pops had lived here all his life. Pops, who had taught Cal to love the estate equally.
“I’m hoping they’ll give me an extension so I can try to get a little more profit before they toss out our deal.” He wasn’t willing to consider what would happen if that occurred. “If I can get some more events booked, I think I’ll have a strong case. I want to branch out from weddings. It would open up a lot more options for us. Either way, I’ll give it my best and hope my parents relent.”
“Well, you know we all believe in you, brother.”
“Thanks, Vinny.”
“Anytime, Fitzy. And if we can help, please don’t hesitate.”
“Thanks. I will.”
“Speaking of all our friends,” Vinny said, shifting gears. “I was calling about Friends’ Weekend, but with all you have going on, maybe we should postpone.”
“No way,” Cal responded immediately. “It took us months to get all our calendars synced up to find a weekend we're all free. I’ll be damned if we cancel because I have stuff to deal with. We all have stuff.”
Rescheduling Friends’ Weekend was out of the question. It had been far too long since they’d all gotten together. While no one lived that far away, things always seemed to pop up to ruin the plans for a big get-together. Vinny, Jacks, Panda, Holly, Erin, Ryan, and Cal had been friends from the moment they met, and those bonds had only deepened through the years.
The seven of them met at Stonehill College, all living in the same dorm freshman year. From the dorm, they’d moved into college townhouses, making sure they all remained in the same housing block. Even after graduation, they’d kept in touch and were a tight group. To Cal, they were family. Far closer to him than his parents or even his brother, James.
Now that the estate was partly renovated, he was excited to host his friends. Not only to show off what he’d been working on, but to spend time with them all. Actually, during Cal’s college years several of them had visited the estate while Pops was alive. While it wouldn’t be the same without Pops, he was hoping to capture some of the same feelings. Kind of bring the estate back to life.
“Hey, I’m looking forward to it too, Cal, but in case you have to deal with your folks or book another event in there over that weekend, we would all understand. The estate is more important than one weekend.”
“I hear you, Vinny. But I haven’t even had a nibble of interest on those dates, so we are a go to have Friends’ Weekend. If that needs to change—which I know it won’t need to—I’ll let you all know.”
“Got it,” Vinny replied. “So, what should I bring?”
Cal and Vinny got into the details, handing out assignments to each of the friends as to what to bring or buy for the weekend. For Cal, that weekend couldn’t come fast enough. He just wanted to sit back alongside his friends and spend a few days laughing and talking and not worrying about the estate or the deal he’d struck with his parents.
Chapter Three
Do We Need Pizza?
Rachel looked over the crowded ballroom, trying to spot Lisa and Lottie. It had been nice of Alex to invite her to the wedding so she could witness the gown in all its glory. But not knowing anyone else made it hard to feel social.
She’d spent a good chunk of time walking through the spectacular gardens and then out to the ocean cliffs, trying to gain control of her emotions. Arguing withEmerald Eyes, akaGruff Guy, akaOwner Cal, had hit a nerve. So much of Cal’s demeanor and dismissive, condescending ways reminded her of her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Chris.
And she refused to letMr. My Name is Cal and My Ego is Everythingderail what should be a great night with her friends. She needed to concentrate on the positives. Hopefully, Cal wasn’t lying and the dinner was in good hands. He was many things she didn’t like, but she didn’t get the impression he was lying. Especially since this was his place. It was in his best interest to ensure everything went according to plan. If it didn’t, she could imagine Jennifer, Alex’s mom, would go up one side and down the other, berating Cal. Not that the man didn’t deserve a little comeuppance.
