Page 24 of The Estate
Exiting through the front door, Cal went left, past the house and onto a crushed stone pathway. As they approached the chapel, he gave Rachel some of the history of the striking white two-story building.
“The chapel was a carriage house before it was converted, which explains its rather unconventional look. Actually, at some point, it possibly was a barn. I’m just not sure.” There were one-story wings on each side of the main section so the chapel could accommodate additional guests. He’d made sure that the front section where the bride and groom took their vows was elevated to afford everyone a good view.
Cal gestured toward the left. “It’s not visible because of the trees, but there’s a large barn toward that end of the property,not too far from the ocean. There are some wonderful areas I aim to use more strategically. Like converting the barn to a distillery. Adding seating and picnic tables down by the ocean. The views are incredible. We can do a more in-depth tour another day.”
By then they’d reached the chapel, and Cal grabbed his keys from his pocket. Unlocking it, he swung the large door inward, frowning when it creaked. That was a terrific noise in a haunted mansion, not so much during a wedding service. He made a mental note to come down and fix it before their next event.
Rachel walked into the space and instantly turned to gaze up at the stained glass window he’d commissioned for the center facade. Cal conceded that he did the same thing most days. The piece looked fantastic from the outside, but when the afternoon light reflected a multitude of colors inside the chapel was where it truly shined. Pun intended.
Rachel’s face was awash with the kaleidoscope of colors. She turned again and peered at the floor, stepping back to observe the colorful patterns as a whole.
“There’s just something enchanting about sunlight through stained glass,” she murmured.
“I agree,” Cal said, moving to stand beside her. “It was super pricey to have done, but I think it makes our venue stand out all the more. Besides,” he continued after a pause. “I just think it’s cool.”
Rachel smiled up at him, “Me too.”
“So I need to check on the tile repair work in the restroom.”
Rachel laughed. “What is it with you and the bathrooms today?”
Cal smiled back. “The glamorous life of running an event venue.” He shrugged as he moved off to check the repair. Rachel stayed in the main room and when he came out, she was examining the wooden plank floors.
“Are these original?” she asked when he drew near.
“Yes,” said Cal, beaming. The wide plank flooring was utterly spectacular. His pride and joy in this project. When he’d discovered that the old barn had the same planks, he practically danced a jig. That floor would look amazing when he set up the distillery tasting room there.
“We sanded it down, of course, but not too much. I wanted to capture the character and age of the wood.”
“It’s beautiful. And with the high ceilings and wooden beams…” she paused before looking at him. “You’ve created an amazing space here.”
He wasn’t used to people being so free with their praise. While it made him uncomfortable, it also filled him with pride. It was nice that someone else could see what he saw.
“It would be a shame if your parents sell the property and someone tears it down,” Rachel said. “I’ll have to note that in the report that there are great wood salvage companies that can harvest all this and make sure it’s reused.”
And just like that, reality crashed back down. Cal felt his jaw tightening again. “We should head back,” he stated gruffly. “We have a lot of information to go over.”
Cal wasn’t looking forward to slogging through any of it, but it beat standing here in his grandfather’s building that he’d spent months renovating and have her look at it with dollar signs.
Worse, dollar signs for his parents.
Because it was merely an asset to them.
Just an investment that needed to perform as demanded.
Chapter Nine
One Step Forward
Walking into the restaurant, Rachel immediately spotted her sister Jess, her purple hair distinctly noticeable. Rachel toyed with the zipper of the white hoodie she had in her car. By the time she’d left the estate, she hadn’t had time to change. So it was either the hoodie which looked odd with her dress pants and shoes, or it was wear the dirty blazer.
Happily the hoodie was clean and hid the dirt she’d also discovered on her shirt. She was sure that a few of the stains weren’t dirt, but more likely grease. Hopefully, they would come out.
Reaching the table, she gave Jess a huge smile as she slid into the booth. “Hey there, you. How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” Jess replied. “Work’s been going well. Unfortunately, Jill’s been sick, so I’ve been covering. Although I don’t mind so much. The extra pay has been nice, even if the hours are long.”
Jess was an assistant manager at a restaurant. Rachel knew she liked the job but couldn’t help thinking about what could have been. In college, Jess had been excited about her dreams. Her desire was to work for a tourism board doing marketing and PR. She had an associate’s degree in travel and tourism, and had even been considering switching to a four-year marketing degree, but Chris soon put an end to that.
