Page 13 of Canapés at the Beach House Hotel
Tropical Fleurs was a couple of doors down, and I stopped to look at a display in the window, created, no doubt, for one of the businesses in town.Store window displays were rotated throughout the day,
When I went inside, Danielle, the store manager, greeted me.“Hi, Ann!What brings you here?”
“I have a special dinner tonight at the hotel, and I’m wondering if you can create something unique for our visitor.It’s an Italian dinner theme, and it’s to be a small group.”
“I know you can’t give me any more information than that but let me ask how formal the dinner will be?”said Danielle.
“It will be very formal,” I said, unable to tell her who the dinner was for.One of the reasons The Beach House Hotel had done well from the beginning was our policy of providing our guests privacy.We never mentioned who was staying with us, and our staff signed NDA agreements preventing them from disclosing that information.
“When do you need it?”Danielle asked.
“Delivered by five o’clock,’ I answered.“I’d like something both tropical and natural with the red, green, and white of Italy’s flag.Something that acknowledges Italy but showcases the flowers of Florida.And we’d like to have dark green candles, perhaps surrounded with a bit of the pieces in the arrangement.We need something similar for the Presidential Suite.”
Danielle placed a finger on her cheek thoughtfully.“I think I have what you want.I’ll put something together and text you a shot of it for your approval.”
“That would be lovely,” I said.“I trust you to do your usual excellent work; I just wanted to make sure you understood how important this is.”
“I saw Terri’s column in the paper this morning,” said Danielle.“How does Jean-Luc feel about being in a contest with Jonny Arno?”
“We haven’t spoken to him about it.Rhonda, Bernie, and I aren’t interested in competing.We’ll continue to carry on as we always have.”
“I hear both good and bad things about Osteria Arno.But to be truthful, we did get the contract to provide flowers for them.It’s a strange arrangement with them.They forced us to give them a percentage off our normal prices.For an initial time, we can work around it, but still I thought it was pushy on their part.”
“Who did you negotiate with?”I asked.
“The manager is a man named Tony Costello.I was surprised when I learned the name of the restaurant.It’s similar to the title of the cookbook he recently released.”
“I think it must be a matter of pride,” I said.“I’ve heard Jonny has a big ego.”
“I normally wouldn’t say anything about another customer, but Brock Goodwin stopped by to tell me I owe him for mentioning my name to Tony Costello.How anyone can stand him is beyond me.You’d think he was the mayor of New York, not the president of his neighborhood association.”
“He’s a thorn in my side and Rhonda’s.He has been since before we opened.I don’t want to say too much, but I’d be cautious working with the new restaurant he’s involved with.”I wanted to say so much more but didn’t.I didn’t want any fighting to begin with him or the people behind Jonny’s new restaurant.The idea terrified me.
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That afternoon, after Rhonda and I met with Lorraine regarding the wedding, I was pleased to see Liz and Angela come into our office.
“Hi, Mom!We’re here to interview Harper Lewis.We’ll report to you after our meeting,” said Liz proudly.
“Wonderful,” I said, getting to my feet and hugging each of them.“I have to go home and change clothes for the evening’s activities.But I’ll be back in time to talk to you after you speak to Harper.Rhonda is busy putting together some food for tonight’s important dinner.It’s an upscale Italian dinner like her grandmother used to serve.”
“I hope there are leftovers,” teased Angie.“I know what she’s making.”
I studied small, dark-haired Angela standing next to my tall, blond daughter and was grateful that they’d gone from being freshman roommates at Boston University to life-long best friends.It was through our daughters that Rhonda and I became friends.
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At home, I stripped my clothes off, freshened up, and put on one of my standard dresses used for social events like this—a simple, black sleeveless sheath with a chunky gold and diamond necklace, solitaire diamond earrings, and comfortable black sandals.
The doorbell rang, and I went to usher in Liana Sousa, who helped us out from time to time.She was always willing to see that Robbie was fed a healthy dinner and was comfortably settled for the night before I came home from hosting events at the hotel.
“Hi, how are you?”I asked her.“Thanks for coming at the last minute.I know you’re busy with college classes and an active social life.”
“College would never have happened if you hadn’t paid for my schooling,” Liana said.“I’m happy to help in return.”Vaughn and I had decided to pay her on a regular monthly basis in order to retain her for babysitting services anytime we needed it.The plan had worked well for all of us.
Cindy gamboled at Liana’s feet, wanting attention.
Liana picked her up and hugged her.
