Page 32 of The Estate
Before long, she was pulling into the property, focused on making some serious inroads on the invoicing system. She proceeded to Cal’s office, surprised when he wasn’t there. They’d agreed to meet and go over everything this afternoon. Dropping her notebook on a chair, she went in search of him. It was a big estate, but there were only a limited amount of places he could be.
Retracing her steps, she detected sounds emanating from the kitchen. Sticking her head in, she saw Cal with someone she didn’t recognize. She was about to turn and leave when Cal spotted her. His eyes widened, and he checked his watch.
“Damn. Rachel, sorry,” he apologized. “Can you just give me a minute, Paul?”
“Sure thing. I’ll go grab that folder from my car. I need to make sure we’ve gone over everything.” Paul took another look around and said, “It will be tight, but I’m sure we can make it work.” With a tilt of his head to Rachel, the man walked out.
Seeing Rachel’s curious glance, Cal said, “A caterer. Trace set up the meeting and forgot about it. She wasn’t here, so I jumped in.”
Cal must have read the disdain on her face, because he added, “I know. I know. But I can’t handle Trace right now. Even with her mistakes, I still need her to keep this place running.”
Rachel’s shoulders dropped. “Of course, Cal. Sorry. I can only guess how frustrating this is.”
Cal acknowledged her with a tight smile.
She looked around the kitchen. The caterer was right. The proportions of the kitchen weren’t that large, given the capacity of the ballroom. The kitchen would also limit any plans to expand event size. She could see why the Fitzgeralds had listed a commercial kitchen as a necessity if the event business continued.
Cal shook his head and walked over. “Sorry, I lost track of time. But this should wrap up quickly. Then we can dive into whatever you need.”
“We should catch up with Paul. You know,” Cal continued, his voice dropping slightly, “to ensure there weren’t any other mess ups. Cause surely, we’ve reached our quota there.” He laughed and started to walk out of the kitchen.
He paused in the doorway to look back, a hint of a smile and his eyes twinkling with humor, making Rachel’s heart beat a little faster.
How was it possible he was more attractive when he was up to no good? It said something about the man he was, that he could find something humorous about the situation.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Well now, you jinxed it.”
Cal barked out another laugh as his eyes met hers. “Just what I need,” he replied.
When they entered the foyer, the caterer was flipping through a file folder.
“How does it look, Paul?” Cal asked. “We good to go?”
“Yes,” he replied, drawing out the word. His focus was still on whatever he was reading in the file. Eventually, he looked up. “I think we’ve discussed everything we need. The only thing I have a note on that you didn’t mention was the champagne.”
“The champagne,” Cal repeated cautiously, causing Paul’s eyes to narrow.
“Yes, the champagne. The bride and groom requested a specific label. My distributor didn’t have it,” he prompted.
Cal glanced at Rachel. She was going to kick him in the shins.This is why you didn’t jinx things.
“The champagne. Sure,” Cal replied.
Paul sighed heavily. “Trace said she would look into getting it and let me know, but I haven’t heard anything.”
“She probably has a note about it on her desk,” Cal replied. “But just to be certain, can you give me the name? I’ll check into this and call you with an answer,” he emphasized.
Paul rattled off a name while Cal made a note on his phone. He assured Paul, once again, he would be in touch.
When the door shut behind the caterer, Rachel turned to Cal. “Trace didn’t have the name of that champagne in the event file, did she?”
Cal rubbed his forehead. “No. No, she did not.” He held her gaze. “Although I wasn’t lying. She may very well have a note somewhere on that desk of hers.”
Rachel wanted to tease him about his own messy desk, but it wasn’t the right time. She also wanted to give him that kick in the shins for jinxing things, but it was no fun when he looked this stressed out. It must be tough doing all this by yourself without proper help.
“So, we find the champagne,” she replied.
“My fear is that Trace contacted our usual suppliers, and when they couldn’t help, she stopped trying. I’d be very grateful for your help, Rachel. I’m sure between the two of us, we can find it.”
