Page 84 of The Estate
Rachel explained what she wanted to do with Jess’ help, earning her shrieks of joy from Lottie. Even Lisa looked suitably impressed when Rachel detailed the reasons behind it.
“I still don’t see where you need our help, Rachel,” Lisa said. “I mean, other than moral support.”
“Don’t underestimate that moral support,” Rachel replied. “I’m going to need it. As I said, I think I need to see myself differently. And while we’ve been talking, I can’t stop thinking about that.”
Turning to Lottie, she asked, “I don’t suppose you have any killer dresses for a fancy gala, do you?”
Lottie sat back surprised, “Actually, I do have some evening gowns.” She paused, head tilted, scrutinizing Rachel carefully. “Now that you ask, I have a gorgeous one that would be stunning on you.
“It’s a vintage style tuxedo dress in a deep blue satin with an A-line silhouette that flares out at the waist. The v-neckline isn’t too deep; it’s the structured collar and the embroidery around the waist that brings the drama and elegance. And the dress is good to go. Doesn’t need work at all except maybe a nip and tuck here or there.”
The blue hydrangeas at the estate flashed in Rachel’s mind. That was exactly the color she needed. And if Lottie thought it would look good, she knew it had to be true. She beamed at her friends, “I think I just found a new dress for the gala.”
“Wait!” Lottie waved her hands frantically.
“Let’s have you try it on first,” Lottie laughed. “Make sure it fits!”
“Frankly,” Rachel said. “You had me at blue satin. This seems like a message from the universe agreeing with the change. Speaking of which,” Rachel fingered the ends of her hair. “Maybe it’s time to make some other alterations.”
Lisa clapped gleefully, “This is going to be so fun!”
She had to do some hard work to pull it all off, but Rachel agreed with Lisa. All she could do was pray that everything fell into place, and then hope Cal agreed. In any case, she would do her mom and dad proud and move forward with the best she could give.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When the Rubber Meets the Road
Rachel gave her hair a final twitch and smoothed the waist of her cashmere sweater. It felt like she’d been flying at full speed since Wednesday night. After dinner with Lisa and Lottie, she’d hit the ground running.
Her talk with Jess had been emotional but productive. Rachel couldn’t remember ever feeling as positive about their relationship as she did now. Their argument and the fallout had been particularly gut-wrenching, but it seemed to clear the air and bring them closer.
Fortunately, her sister had also agreed to help with the ‘grand romantic gesture’ as Lottie was insisting it be called.
And god bless her stylist for fitting her in last night. Rachel ran a hand through her now far shorter hair. Her shoulder length hair had been replaced with the relaxed, tousled waves of an inverted angled bob. The closely clipped back felt neat under her hand but was super short.
When she’d quickly texted photos of the new hair style to Jess, Lottie, Lisa and Alex, the approval had been swift and unanimous. They all agreed the shorter cut framed her face perfectly, the angle of it highlighting her jawline.
Now all she had to do was get used to it. It was startling to see every time she looked in the mirror, but happily each time she did, she found something else to like about it.
Rachel hadn’t stopped there. After the joy of realizing that Lottie’s amazing blue gown was an almost perfect fit, she decided to change her office wear for today’s big meeting. She swapped her normal buttoned-up business suit skirt and blazer for a burgundy sweater and black pants. Still professional, Lisa assured her, but a little softer.
So far, her plan seemed to be going smoothly. Jess was coordinating with the vendor to get them access to the estate today without Cal knowing. It cost a bit more for the rush job, but it was worth it. If it went according to plan, she could pick up the surprise for Cal tomorrow, right before the gala.
Now, hopefully, today’s meeting with Cal’s parents went as well. Seeing herself differently had certainly bled over into the project. Thankfully, Cal was too busy overseeing preparations for the gala, so she only had to contend with Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald.
She entered the conference room, greeted Cal’s parents ,and took a seat next to Seth. After the reports were distributed and her laptop was displaying, she glanced at Seth who gave her and encouraging nod. Taking a deep breath, she launched into the presentation, confident in the company’s findings. This part was straightforward. It was the deviation at the end of the meeting that had her stomach in knots.
She could feel Seth nodding along as she went through the slides. She hoped he would still be as agreeable as when she strayed off the approved path. She hadn’t shared her plans with him, convinced he would veto her idea. She just had to hope he could see the merits in the end.
The official report was fairly short, but packed with data, as was the presentation. She made sure to refer the Fitzgeralds’ to the printed copies before them. At one point, both madenotations on the report. Rachel wished she could glimpse what they’d written. What she would give for just a brief insight into their thoughts thus far.
As she finished, Seth smiled at her. The presentation had gone exactly to plan. While she closed down her laptop and thought about how to segue into her objective, Seth turned toward the Fitzgeralds.
“I realize that was a significant amount of information we just went over, so please let us know if you have any questions now, or down the road as you digest the material. You have some strong options to choose from for White Hall Estate. And again, please let me thank you for your business. It has truly been a pleasure working on this project.”
“Thank you both,” Mrs. Fitzgerald said. “It’s clear a lot of work went into this. We obviously made the right decision to collaborate with Connor & Associates in shaping our family’s future as we try to act in the estate’s best interest.
Mrs. Fitzgerald kept talking, but Rachel’s brain had stalled on those words. ‘The estate’s best interest.’There it was. Her way in.Surely it was a sign from the universe. The project was always about serving the estate’s needs.
