Page 35 of The Estate
And, of course, she looked marvelous. And he hated it.
Well, not hated it. The opposite, really. He liked it very, very, much, and that’s what he hated. He tried not to notice how attractive she was or how he liked her smile. Her purpose was to work here, and he needed to remember that.
Before he could say anything else, Jacks walked up, introducing herself and sweeping Rachel away to meet everyone. When Jacks called out to Panda to go grab another place setting, Rachel disagreed and tried to refuse.
She turned and saw Cal. She was still shaking her head, trying to say no. He didn’t even need to see Jacks giving him the evil eye over Rachel’s shoulder, to know that resistance was futile. Jacks got what Jacks wanted.
“You should stay,” he called over, enjoying her exasperated sigh. “Work can wait.” He was smiling when he turned back to the grill to add one more hamburger.
“Did you just say work can wait?” Vinny asked, sliding up next to him.
“I did,” Cal replied hesitantly. He didn’t like where this conversation was going already.
“Interesting,” was all Vinny said before he walked away.
Cal looked at Rachel, now with a drink in hand, laughing with his friends. The visual constricted his breathing, and he was forced to concur with Vinny. This was interesting.
Moments later, she made her way over. She was fiddling with her glass, her lips pressed into a line.
“I really am sorry, Cal. First, I intrude on your weekend and now I’m staying for lunch. I can just sneak out the back,” she offered.
Cal couldn’t contain his bark of laughter. “First of all, if you think Jacks will allow you to slip away, you’re kidding yourself. The woman is a tornado of positivity. And she’s set her sights on you having some fun today.”
Rachel glanced at his effervescent friend and smiled. “Yeah. I kind of got that feeling.”
“Second, I’m glad you stayed for lunch.” Cal wanted to take back the words as soon as they left his mouth. She turned back to him, her eyes widening, as she processed the implications of his statement. He hesitated briefly before adding, “You can see White Hall as more than an events venue.”
He wasn’t certain, but he thought he saw disappointment in her eyes, but he pressed ahead, eager to regain his footing. “One of my expansion plans is to open as a bed-and-breakfast. In addition, this patio would be great for a small bridal lunch or business meeting, with a few improvements.”
Rachel turned slowly, and he watched her assessing the space and thinking through possibilities. “Yes,” she replied. “It is a pleasant area that would work for a smaller gathering. Something casual.” With a laugh, Rachel looked over at his outfit, making Cal puff out his chest before he caught himself.
“What?” he asked. “You don’t like my dress down look?” he said sarcastically, gesturing to his T-shirt and shorts.
“It suits you,” she said eventually. “Much more relaxed. And approachable,” she added. “I even like the scruff on your jaw. Gives you a rogue kind of look.”
“More like a moonshine bootlegger,” Vinny said as he swooped in to grab the platter of burgers. “You two going to join us? Because I’m starving!”
Rolling his eyes at his friend, he gestured to Rachel to precede him. “After you.” Approaching the table, he had to admit; it was a little weird for his worlds to collide like this. Having her here with his friends might be a mistake. Hopefully, it wouldn’t backfire.
Rachel sat at the opposite end of the table, next to Jacks. The two were engaged in an animated discussion, easing some of his concern. Grabbing the bowl of potato salad, he turned his focus to the friends seated around him, losing himself to the moment—beautiful day with good food and even better company.
Pops would have loved today. In college, Cal and his friends made the trek to spend weekends here a couple of times a semester. Pops treated them all like family. They spent time with him in the kitchen cooking, talking around the table late into the night, or sitting out on this patio watching time roll by.
His friends said it was the magic of White Hall, but Cal knew better. It was the enchantment of his grandfather. That was the heart of the estate.
Even when he was younger and spent summers there, he couldn’t remember a time when Pops wasn’t entertaining people with his stories, cooking up dinner for friends, or helping out the neighbors in one way or another. He made White Hall a safe place not just for Cal. Pops inspired fun and laughter, encouraged community and caring, and welcomed everyone to his table.
He couldn’t imagine seeing the estate turned over to people who didn’t know Pops or, God forbid, a developer that wouldraze the old buildings Pops had loved only to replace them with fairways or McMansions.
As Cal and his friends got older, these moments when they were all able to gather became fewer and fewer, so he was damn sure he was going to enjoy every moment. Besides, it was a relief to forget for at least one weekend that all this was being threatened, and he was powerless to stop it.
He wouldn’t stop trying to save it, though. He couldn’t. Pops may be gone, but there was still some of his magic in White Hall, and Cal was determined to keep it safe. Whatever he had to do, he would do.
Jacks’ voice suddenly raised over the din of the other conversations, silencing everyone. “Cal! You made her do plumbing repair?”
“What’s wrong with that?” he huffed. He was just about to clarify that Rachel had been assisting not actually handling the plumbing repair when he had an idea. Thinking quickly, he replied deadpan, “If I had to take care of it all by my lonesome, that would have made me cry.
“AndBoys Don’t Cry.”
