Page 69 of The Estate
“I’m jealous, Jake,” Lottie huffed. “I feel like we missed seeing so much of the place during Alex’s wedding. All I can remember is the ballroom. Maybe,” she turned to Lisa. “We should see if we can crash this gala thing. That way, we can check out the entire property. Rachel has been raving about it, I just have to see it,” she laughed.
Both Lisa and Alex nodded along, laughing when Rachel shot them dirty looks.
“What?” Lisa cried. “You’ve been working over there for a while and every happy hour is White Hall Estate story time.”
Rachel gave Lisa a dirty look, promising dire consequences later when they were alone.
“White Hall Estate story time,” Cal murmured, pulling her focus back to him.
She felt a blush climb up her cheeks. “Well,” she demurred. “I may have mentioned it once or twice.”
“In addition, your sister Jess had a full rundown before she got to go in person. At this point, you’re like a virtual tour guide,” Alex said, tossing Rachel entirely under the bus.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she promised retribution to all her friends after this. She was officially and completely embarrassed now. She heard Cal’s chuckle next to her.
Looking at him, she saw the merriment dancing in his eyes. She smiled, knowing it was a lost cause to try to salvage any sort of dignity at this point.
“I guess there’s only one thing to do,” Cal said, raising his voice to the whole table.
Rachel cocked her head, wondering where he was headed with this.
“You’re all invited to White Hall tomorrow,” he finished, laughing outright when he was met with a cheers and clapping. “But if you are looking for any food or drink, you’re out of luck. The kitchen is bare.”
“No worries,” Jake replied. “We’ll make it a potluck.”
“I am not bringing my blueberry buckle,” Lisa stated, which made everyone laugh.
“Don’t worry, sunshine,” Jake laughed. “I believe we all know better than to ask that of you. Especially on your birthday weekend.”
“Do you have a grill we can use?” he asked Cal. At Cal’s acknowledgment, he turned back toward the group and started planning. “I’ll bring everything for burgers. Does that work? Who can bring some things to drink?”
“Are you sure?” Rachel asked Cal quietly. “You have a lot going on.”
“It’ll be great, Rachel,” he assured her. “We don’t have any events tomorrow. And please, bring Jess along, if you’d like. I know she’s seen the estate, but I’d hate for her to miss out on the fun.”
“Thank you. She’d like that. I’ll see if she’s available. Um,” she looked over to where the others were talking amongst themselves, planning the visit. “You seemed surprised that the caterer hasn’t visited yet.”
Cal’s brows furrowed. “Yeah. That doesn’t sit well with me. I’ll need to check in with Trace. Perhaps there was a scheduling conflict. But you know, given that we have limitations with our kitchen size, we make it a practice to have chefs out for a visit well before the event. The logistics of the kitchen sometimes impact the menu choices.”
He sighed. “I just hope Trace has it under control, and we haven’t backed ourselves into a corner. I had a discussion with her about job performance. The meeting went well, and she seemed fired up about moving forward. But hearing this makes me doubt her, and I hate that. When I follow up with her, she says she’s on top of it.”
Cal ran his fingers through his hair before dropping his hand down to the table heavily. “But we need this high-profile event to go flawlessly.”
Without a second thought, Rachel grabbed his hand. “It will be an exceptional event, Cal. I’m sure of it. As you said, it’s probably just a scheduling conflict. Trace understands the importance of this event to you and White Hall.”
Even as Rachel said the words, she had a twinge of doubt. So far, that woman hadn’t shown herself to be on top of things. But if he already talked to Trace about her performance issues, then this event should be a fresh start. She gave Cal’s hand a squeeze. She’d think positive, and keep her fingers crossed.
Cal canted his body toward her and searched her eyes. Giving her hand a squeeze back, he said, “Thanks, Rachel. That means a lot. I’ll keep a positive attitude.” His eye danced as the corner of his mouth lifted. “Well, until I check with Trace and confirm everything is fine.”
Rachel smiled back, glad she could ease his concern, even if only briefly. But then she became aware of Cal’s thumb gliding over her skin in small circles. It was distracting as all hell. And she didn’t want him to stop.
In that instant, it was as if only they existed. The warmth from his hand flowed over her, growing as it cascaded through her body. His piercing green eyes scanned her face, the intensity like a physical caress.
There was something about being the sole focus of Cal’s gaze that left her feeling breathless and shaky but also emboldened and beautiful. But underneath the swirl of emotion was a cold stark fear that she couldn’t completely push away. She had to acknowledge that being with Cal made her feel things. Brought her back to life in a way she hadn’t felt for years. And as much as she wanted to curl up in the warmth of him, a small whisper in her mind kept coming back to one question.
What happened when it all went away?
Chapter Twenty-Two
