Page 53 of The Estate
Realizing what he was doing, he looked up, only to be caught in her gaze. Her eyes were wide, pupils blown, and although she looked shocked, she also looked interested.
There was no other way to put it.
He was in trouble.
Big, big trouble.
Chapter Eighteen
Tour the Grounds
Cal pushed back from his desk, moving his head side-to-side to loosen the stiffness in his neck. They’d been working on the software conversion for a couple of hours today. It was the last day and finally things were in a good place. He’d despaired of ever finishing and while it had been a lengthy couple of days, things had come together nicely.
Looking over at Rachel, he hated to admit he enjoyed having her here. She made work more fun and interesting. They felt like a team. It had been ages since he’d felt like someone was on his side, cheering him on, working alongside him to help the estate succeed. It was a heady combination.
Not to mention her perfume was driving him crazy.
Since he’d taken her to lunch, by unspoken agreement, they had talked only about work. Looking at the new system he realized she was spot-on. It would save him considerable time and hassle. Not that he begrudged her that she was right. It was just one more element that attracted him to her.
When he saw what the software could do, he thanked her for pushing ahead with it. Again, she’d blushed that lovely shade of pink like she’d done at lunch. He mentally yelled at himself to not step in and kiss her.
Checking his watch, he interrupted Rachel, “I’m going to put in an order at Vinny’s for dinner. You in?”
He watched as she finished what she was looking at and clicked her mouse. He knew she hit the save button. She was obsessed with making sure things were saved. He got the point, but her strict regime often made him smile.
Looking over, she straightened and rolled her shoulders back. “I’m starved.”
“Same. What do you want?”
“Ana V on a hard roll, no tomato, extra sauce.”
“Woman after my own heart,” he said, making a note of her order. “The Ana V is one of my favorites. With that bit of extra orange BBQ sauce, it is perfection.” When he went to grab his phone, she stood up and went to grab her purse.
“Here. Let me pay for that.”
“No way,” he replied. “This one is on me. We’re celebrating.”
She scowled at him while he called Vinny with the order. When he hung up, she stared him down, arms crossed over her chest. “Don’t you think it’s a little early to be celebrating? You’re going to jinx the replacement system before it’s even in place.
He chuckled, his head shaking. “No. I’m not jinxing the system. I’m buying you dinner as a thank you and a celebration because Trace showed me the paperwork this morning. The Connecticut Historical Society Gala has officially moved to White Hall Estate! And I can’t thank you and Mrs. S enough for all your work helping us land this event.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You got us the lead, and that’s major. It’s a large event and is well known in the state. I’m confident it can help us attract other functions here besides weddings. It would be wonderful to get some corporate meetings or retreats on the books.”
“Congratulations, Cal. I’m delighted for you. Mrs. S said it was popular with local politicians and celebrities. If you’re planning to start a distillery on the grounds, having officials familiar with the estate might help come licensing time.”
That would be fantastic if it were true. Although without the infusion of cash from the trust payout, it would be years until he could consider launching the distillery, but each step forward was a win.
“Any chance to get the White Hall Estate name out there positively helps when we need to get licenses, variances or any other type of approvals. I want White Hall to not just be a name on a form. I want as many people as possible to have a memory of the place, attending an event, a moment in time. That’s why I gave the Historical Society a nice discount for listing us in the program and on their social media as a sponsor. It will get our name in front of people.
“And if the gala goes off well, we’ve already discussed holding next year’s gala here along with few other Historical Society events. So there’s a lot at stake.”
“I’m so happy for you, Cal. You’ve worked hard and made this place a showpiece.”
Her praise lifted his spirits, and he felt energized. That she saw his effort and understood what had gone into getting to this moment meant the world. He didn’t realize how much he wanted someone to share this with. His parents were certainly not interested. They only wanted to hear about the bottom line. Or when Cal would drop this estate nonsense and come do ‘real work’ at their firm. His brother James hadn’t spent as much time at White Hall as Cal, so he really didn’t understand Cal’s need to preserve the property.
“Vinny’s arriving in about thirty minutes,” he said. “Think we can wrap this all up in a bow before then and be done for the day?”
