Page 34 of The Estate
Chapter Twelve
Found Family
Cal put the remaining dirty dishes in the rack and closed the unit. He knew if he waited there would be plenty of hands to help him, but he enjoyed the solitude. Besides, with a commercial dishwasher, cleanup from the dinner last night was painless.
After years of Friends’ Weekends being held at the estate, the group had fallen into a good routine. People started arriving on Friday afternoon. All seven of them were there for dinner, talking, drinking, eating and getting caught up in each other’s lives. Saturday was typically a sleep-in day, followed by lunch. Games or naps in the afternoon, then a communal dinner where they all helped cook. Given that some friends weren’t as blessed in the culinary arts, it made for some great joking and fun.
The weekends had started as a way for them to stay in touch as their lives branched out. At first they met quarterly, but as time and distance became an issue, they planned one weekend a year, twice if they could. It was something he certainly looked forward to all year.
His watch vibrated with an incoming text. Rachel was apologizing for something. Wiping his hands on a towel, he grabbed his phone.
He was far more curious about Rachel than he wished to be. His first couple of impressions were that she was very in control, very buttoned up, very by the book. But working alongside herthis past week, he got glimpses of the real her. And what he saw called to him.
He’d been on hold with the liquor vendor yesterday when she’d been talking to her sister. Cal wondered at the emotions that were visible on her face. He thought at first her sister was angry, but then Rachel laughed, so that seemed unlikely.
As she’d talked with her sister, he’d seen her vulnerability and something else he wasn’t sure about. She was certainly a mystery. As was her sister. So far, Jess was two for two in coming through and fixing problems. After Rachel had hung up, Cal had asked about Jess, but she had been surprisingly evasive. Thinking of his own complicated relationship with his brother, he’d let it go.
After resolving the champagne crisis, they devoted the remainder of the afternoon to reviewing invoices in his office. He refused to admit it, but being close to her and her delightful perfume had made him feel things. Things he would not and could not feel.
To distract himself from her nearness, he ended up babbling about his weekend plans, telling her about his friends and their plans for the annual get-together. He shook his head at the memory and chastised himself again. It wasn’t like him to over-share like that. He attributed it to stress.
Reading the message, he smiled. Her first words were an apology for interrupting Friends’ Weekend.She was asking if she could swing by the estate. She’d forgotten her notebook and needed it to write up her notes this weekend. He went to type back, but his thumbs stilled. He couldn’t explain it, but something made him hesitant to say yes. But that was crazy. She just needed that damn notebook.
He texted back:That’s fine.
Her response popped up quickly:Thanks so much. Boss wants notes submitted first thing Monday.
He responded: Not a problem. Come whenever is convenient for you.
He stuck his phone in his back pocket and got back to work on cleaning the kitchen. It didn’t take long for his friends to wake up and come downstairs. He doled out coffee and started prepping food for lunch.
He found himself next to Vinny, cutting up vegetables, and had to laugh. “It always comes down to us. How is that?”
“Well, since I own a deli, I actually have qualifications. Now, while you have skill, I think your reason is more about self-preservation. After Jacks caught that pan of pasta on fire, you realized being in control of food prep is all about survival.”
“Hey!” Jacks yelled from across the kitchen. “I heard that!”
Cal smiled. Jacks was lots of things. Fun. Energetic. Compassionate. But what she was not was a cook. She was a complete and utter disaster in the kitchen. The pasta pan fire was only one of several food misadventures.
“It was a pan. Ofpasta, Jacks,” Vinny argued back. “Go ahead and deny it.Pasta. How you managed to light pasta on fire is still a mystery to me.”
“You just don’t have an appreciation for fine dining,” Jacks refuted, turning her nose up. “I was making flambe.”
“See,” Vinny joked with Cal. “Self-preservation.” Vinny rolled his eyes and went back to mixing the potato salad. Cal could hear him muttering underneath his breath. “Who sets pasta on fire? I can still smell it. Years later, and it still haunts me.”
Cal laughed. His friends were truly the best. Grabbing the platter he was preparing, he called out, “Everyone grab something, and we’ll move to the back deck.” He picked up a bag of rolls and a spatula as he walked toward the foyer.
The easiest patio access was through a sunroom centrally located in the house. It made it a pain to keep shuttling to the kitchen, but it was by far his favorite place to eat on the estate. Creating better access was on his dream wish list of improvements. That and about a million other things.
Once outside, they all spread out, falling into their usual jobs. He and Vinny manned the grill. Jacks set the patio table while Holly and Erin took drink orders. He wasn’t surprised to hear those two laughing loudly as they poured the drinks. That pair could have fun at an insurance seminar.
Ryan and Panda did multiple trips inside to bring out everything they needed. Per usual, Ryan was carrying the entire conversation. The guy had more energy and passion than one body could hold. While Panda was far more laid-back and prone to listen. The seven of them were all so different, but somehow, together, they made for a tight-knit group.
He was engrossed in making sure not to burn the burgers, so a few minutes passed before he noticed Rachel. He signaled to Vinny to take over the grill and went to greet her. She started talking even before he reached her.
“I apologize for the interruption. I was unsure whether it was better to just grab what I need and leave, or let you know I was here.”
“Not a problem,” he assured her. He was drawn to her outfit. He’d never seen her in anything but business wear. Today she had on a pair of tan shorts with a well-worn concert shirt from The Cure. Didn’t see that one coming. He wouldn’t have peggedher for a Cure fan. But the shirt was obviously a favorite. Even her hair that was usually pulled back, was loose and slightly messy.
