Page 48 of The Estate
Rachel glanced at the new text message and laughed. It had been over a week since she’d seen Cal in-person, but they’d been texting frequently. After dinner with Lottie and Lisa, she’d gone home and promptly gone to bed to avoid thinking about anything else. Her brain was fried.
But she’d sent a text to Cal the next day concerning the software, asking if he wanted a demonstration. She’d been afraid of his response, but he’d declined, saying he trusted her judgment, except when it came to choices in coffee. That had sparked a heated exchange which had led to some fun messaging.
She’d just settled into her office chair this morning when Cal had sent her a message:Thinking today may be a PBF blondie day.
Rachel:That bad already? Or are you just being dramatic because you want a blondie?
Cal:If ever there was a blondie worth drama, it would be the PBF.
Rachel:Truer words have never been spoken.
It was a relief to have some easy communication with him. She worried that when they next met, they would have some awkward moments after their disagreement. Now it felt like theywere safely past that. Both of them moved on from that moment. And thankfully so.
Work had progressed quickly in getting a new system installed for Cal. Rachel had coordinated with the in-house team, and so far it looked like a fairly quick and drama free implementation. The final step was up to Cal and her to complete over the next few days. The actual transfer of data was fairly straightforward, but Cal was right. There were always some hiccups in any project. Hopefully, everything would go as smoothly as possible.
She looked over the information she collected one last time and saved it out to the project folder so Seth could review it. The next few days would be all about putting in the new system, so her aim was to get Seth some material to review in the meantime. They’d met a few more times and while he seemed pleased with the overall progress, he still made a point of reminding her they needed a strong showing on this project. Making her even more nervous now, especially with a last-minute software system installation.
Add to that the soul searching the Lisa and Lottie dinner had kicked off, and she’d had a lot to contend with. She’d been taking a long look at herself and wasn’t happy with a few things she saw. She had to accept that there was some truth in the feedback she’d been hearing.
At first, she wanted to latch onto Lisa’s idea that she just hadn’t met the right person. While that was most assuredly true, when she reflected on it, she realized her reserved manner wasn’t just in her romantic relationships. It was with her friends too, although to a lesser extent.
Even in rebuilding the relationship with Jess, it dawned on her how she’d been holding back. Protecting herself, waiting forthe other shoe to drop. Or for Jess to disappear again. It made her sad but also more determined than ever to explore the why underneath all of that and work on it. Lottie had been spot-on with that suggestion. This was not who she wanted to be.
Shutting down her laptop, she made sure she had everything she’d need before heading to the estate. She’d be working down there for several days, less if the conversion went well.
Driving down, she managed to tie herself in anxious knots again about pretty much everything. She practiced some deep breathing, hoping to quell the negative voices. It was important for her to be in a positive head space for this.
Pulling into the driveway, she felt her shoulders drop as she cruised down the tree-lined drive. There was just something magical about driving under that green canopy. She wondered what it would look like in the winter. The road dusted with snow, and some twinkle lights draped through the branches of the trees.
Yeah. Still magical.
The majestic stone house stood before her warm and welcoming. This really was the best view of the property with those beautiful blue and purple hydrangeas dancing in the breeze. She had to agree with Cal’s assessment. It did feel like coming home.
A large truck blocked the entrance, forcing her to park farther away. They must be getting a delivery of something. Slipping past, she entered the foyer and heard voices coming from a side room she hadn’t noticed before. Cal was helping two other gentlemen position a large video arcade unit against the far wall.
She paused to just watch Cal. She was struggling with how she viewed him. It was easy to keep him in the arrogant ass column,but seeing him with his friends and their interactions of late had shown her another side.
Her opinion was being pulled in a lot of directions, and she didn’t care for it at all. To make it worse, he was growing more attractive by the minute. She felt a physical response to him. She wasn’t dead. Of course, her body responded to him. He was gorgeous.
She also really needed to do an amazing job on this project and not only meet, but exceed Seth’s expectations. But more and more she was questioning what was the right course of action for White Hall, which got all tangled up with Cal and his persistence and passion for keeping the estate.
Moreover, Cal’s parents, Jay and Celeste Fitzgerald, were her clients and she was obligated to do her best for them. Not just because she was paid to do that, but because that was who she was. She always wanted to give her best and help people. One reason she moved to client services was so she could work directly with customers.
But hearing more from Cal’s friends and what she could glean from Cal himself, her thoughts about the couple were far more troubling. It seemed like Cal had never had his parents’ support, not even when he was a kid. And that made her heart hurt. It also made his attachment to the property and his passion for preserving it far more compelling to her.
Looking through Cal’s business plan had been eye opening. While still in the development stage, his ideas were well thought out, inventive even. He made an impressive case for continuing on the course of preservation while expanding the offerings. She wanted to discuss the plans with him, but she needed to come clean about taking it from his office. She hadn’t found a way to do that, and guilt drowned her whenever she thought aboutit. For now, it sat on her desk, a reminder that as far as White Hall Estate was concerned, there were options other than a golf course or McMansions. Strong options.
The one thing the plan made crystal clear for her was that of the two parties, Cal seemed to be the only one trying to truly prioritize White Hall Estate’s well-being. It seemed that his parents were simply looking for the most lucrative way to unload the property.
“Rachel, hey,” Cal called, pulling her from the whirlpool of her thoughts. She watched him walk over, his sleeves rolled back, dirt smeared across his jaw. He’d obviously been hands-on for this delivery. “We should be done here in a bit. We got a late start.”
Rachel examined the other items ringing the room. “What exactly have I walked into?” she joked.
Cal’s face lit up with a grin. “Special request from this weekend’s bride and groom. They wanted an arcade for their guests. Granted, it went from a few machines to now this whole room. We had to scramble a bit to get space cleaned out so they can use it. But they’ll have the arcade of their dreams at the wedding.”
“That’s so fun,” she replied.
“Yeah, they have a mutual love of pinball and arcade games. They even went with a wedding on a Friday night as it’s less expensive so they could up their arcade budget.”
