Page 66 of The Estate
With her hands now empty, Rachel looked over and saw Cal standing behind her. She stepped back beside him as Lisa, Lottie, and Mrs. S were talking.
“You remember Mrs. S, right,” she asked quietly.
“Maybe?” he intoned. “I don’t think I ever officially met her. But I certainly was in her bakery enough that she looks familiar.”
“Okay. Let me introduce you. And just so you get all the connections, the Jackie and George she’s playing cards with are Adam’s parents...”
“That part I got,” he smirked at her, his eyes dancing with humor.
“Anyway,” she stressed. “Then I guess you know they own MacDonald Dry Cleaners in Jennings. Adam and Lottie are dating. In fact, they officially started dating at Alex’s wedding.”
“That was a hell of a wedding,” Cal said with a wink.
Her breath hitched. It should be illegal for a man to be that attractive, she thought, trying to downplay her reaction. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Rachel stepped toward the group.
“Mrs. S,” she interrupted, putting a hand on Cal’s arm. “I’m not sure you remember him, but this is Cal Fitzgerald.”
Mrs. S took a second to regard Cal before smiling. “Of course, I remember. He and his brother were both regular customers for quite a while.”
“Mrs. S,” Cal said. “It’s great to see you again.”
“And you Cal,” she replied. “I hear you were able to help my friend out with her gala.”
Cal’s smile grew. “I was and I really appreciate you recommending she contact us.”
“My pleasure, dear. Now, I have to run,” she added, looking at Lisa. “You behave yourself and have fun. And I want a full report on the blueberry buckle.”
With assurances of a thorough taste testing, Mrs. S left, and the group sat down at the large table Jake had set for them. Cal sat next to her, of course, but she hadn’t factored in how close they would be. She registered his presence, jumping slightly when his thigh brushed hers. She had the crazy thought that if she just leaned slightly, she’d be engulfed by his heat. Something made her want to curl up into him and just bask in his energy.
Once everyone was seated, Lottie rose. “So, we have a gift for you,” she sang, causing Lisa to scowl. “I know. I know,” Lottie waved her off. “But Alex, Rachel, and I thought it was perfect.”
Rachel only smiled harder when Lisa turned to glare at her. “Ignoring the no gifts rule is just fun, but the three of us also decided we needed to make an exception for this particular present.”
While Rachel was explaining, Alex reached underneath the table and with Jason’s help, pulled out a plant. Thudding it on the table, she smiled. “We’ve named him PJ.”
“PJ?” Lottie interrupted. “You named it PJ?”
Alex glared over at Lottie. “We named it PJ.”
Lottie looked over to Rachel, who gestured in exasperation. “Don’t look at me, I did no such thing.”
“We’ve gone over this,” Alex exclaimed. “Plants deserve names.”
Rachel tried not to chuckle when she saw Lisa’s eye roll.
“And we, yes we,” Alex shook her head at Lottie. “Named him PJ. Don’t you remember?”
“No,” Lottie laughed. “And I know I’ll regret this. But what the hell does PJ stand for? Because I’m sure it stands for something.”
“Pajamas?” Someone threw out, starting a chorus of responses.
“Plant justice?”
“Private jet!”
“Air Force Special Tactics pararescuemen,” Adam tossed out last, making everyone turn in his direction. “What?” he responded with a shrug. “My uncle was a PJ.”
Alex huffed, “No. Absolutely not. We named him PJ for Plant Jubilation. You know.” She paused, looking pointedly at Lottie and Rachel as if one of them would remember. “Because we had to be sure to get a happy, healthy plant, so it had a better chance of survival,” Alex announced as if it was the most logical choice.
