CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Rhonda and I knocked on the door of the apartment where Chet and Harper were staying.
Moments later, Harper appeared wearing shorts and a T-shirt, looking surprised to see us. “Hello.”
“ ’Morning,” I said. “Do you have some time to talk?”
“Sure. Is everything all right?” Harper replied.
“Very much so. We might have a new opportunity for you.”
“Oh. Please come in,” said Harper. “I’m sorry the place is in a bit of a mess. I’m packing to move into the guesthouse with Philippa for a few days.”
“We ran into Philippa and Chet walking on the beach together, and they mentioned that,” said Rhonda as we moved inside. “They sure looked cute together.”
“I heard about Philippa from Chet before we even came here,” said Harper. “They spent a night together in New York City, and he’s never forgotten her. It seems like fate has given them a second chance. It’s so sweet.”
“Maybe not,” I said taking a seat on the couch. “Her family thinks Philippa might be bound by a family agreement to marry someone from home.”
“Oh,” said Harper. “I hadn’t heard that.”
I switched the topic. “Rhonda and I are wondering if you’d be interested in doing part-time work during weddings, helping to act as a liaison between the hotel staff and the wedding party. You’re very good with people.”
“Thank you,” said Harper taking a seat at the other end of the couch from me. “This would be in addition to my bartending?”
“Yes,” said Rhonda. “Your wedding work would be outside of your hours at the bar. We think you have potential for growth within the hotel.”
Harper gave us a thoughtful look. “Let me think about it.”
“Okay, “ I said, getting to my feet. “If you’re interested, come see us at the office before you go to work this afternoon and we’ll talk particulars. We didn’t want to proceed until we knew you were interested.”
Rhonda and I said goodbye to Harper and walked to our office talking about various options for someone like Harper.
At our desks, we quickly agreed on a salary for her and a possible schedule then set it aside for a later conversation with her.
“Now that we’ve got that settled, we can relax,” said Rhonda.
“I hope so. The wedding next weekend is small and should be easy to handle. A pleasant way for Harper to be introduced.”
“And the group luncheons this week are pretty light,” Rhonda said, leaning back in her chair. “Maybe Will and I should try to get away this week. Would you mind, Annie?”
“No, it seems like a quiet time. Where are you thinking of going?”
“To an inn in North Carolina. The mountains should be pretty and cool at this time of year,” said Rhonda.
“Sounds lovely,” I said. “Perfect for a short get-away.”
The phone rang.
I picked it up. “Hello. Oh, hi, Lindsay, what’s up?” I listened, becoming more and more horrified.
Rhonda grabbed my arm. “What is it?”
“Hold on, Lindsay.” I turned to Rhonda. “Jean-Luc has had a fall and broken his ankle. He’s on bedrest until they can get the swelling in his foot to go down and put a cast on him.”
“Oh, no,” said Rhonda.
I returned to the call and listened as Lindsay gave me more information. But I had enough to know we were in a real mess. “Thanks for the call,” I managed to say to Lindsay. “Tell Jean-Luc not to worry, we’ll figure something out.”
Rhonda let out a loud sigh. “What are we going to do?”
“Find Chet,” I said.
“And call Bernie,” said Rhonda.
###
When I tried to call Chet, I got his voice message. Frustrated with his lack of response, I trotted over to the guesthouse where Philippa was staying. I didn’t have her cell number, so it was the only way to try and reach him.
I stood outside the front door and waited for someone to answer my knock.
Philippa came to the door dripping wet from the pool. She frowned when she saw me. “Hi, Ann.”
“Is Chet here?” I asked her. “I tried to call him, but it went straight to voice message. It’s important.”
“Come on in. He’s here.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but like I said, it’s important.”
Chet was lying on his back in a chaise lounge asleep.
I went up to him and shook him gently. “Chet, wake up. I need to talk to you.”
His eyes flashed open. “Wha?”
“We’ve had an emergency at the hotel. Jean-Luc broke his ankle, and he’s on bedrest at home. We need you to come into the kitchen right away.”
Chet jumped to his feet, wide awake now. “When did this happen?”
“Apparently, last night. I’ll have more information later. Right now, we have a crisis on our hands. The wedding breakfast is going on now and we have a fully booked dining room for dinner tonight.”
Chet pulled on a pair of shorts over his bathing suit, grabbed his shirt and sandals and gave Philippa a hug. “I’ll check in with you later, Phil.”
“Is there any way I can help?” she asked me.
“Possibly,” I said. “I’ll let you know. Harper is going to come talk to Rhonda and me after she gets settled here at the house. Why don’t you come with her?”
“Okay. I’d be happy to help in whatever way I can,” she replied with eagerness.
###
Chet and I walked to the hotel and went directly to the kitchen. Rhonda and Bernie were with the kitchen staff.
“Fortunately,” Bernie was saying. “You all have been well-trained by Jean-Luc to do your jobs.” He looked at us.
“And we have a new chef on board who will be able to help oversee the kitchen during this period of recovery for Jean-Luc. I want you all to respect his authority. He, with Ricardo’s help, will take on Jean-Luc’s role until he’s able to return. ”
Rhonda and I glanced at one another with approval. Ricardo Perez was a sous chef who’d been with us a number of years and was loyal to the hotel. He would understand the need for him to continue in his role while helping Chet.
“For this last minute change in menu, we’ll need to come up with an idea for dinner this evening,” said Ricardo. “Going forward, we’ll take it one day at a time. Jean-Luc has his special dishes which I don’t think we should mess with.”
“I agree,” I said. “Why don’t we do something entirely different? We could offer a special prix fixe Italian menu along with our usual menu.”
“Chet can handle that, can’t you?” Rhonda asked him.
“Yes,” said Chet straightening. “Ricardo and I will work on the selections and give you a menu to approve.”
“Right,” agreed Ricardo.
“Great,” said Bernie. “Bring it to me ASAP and we’ll see if we can get some publicity for it.”
“Terri Thomas at Sabal Daily News owes us a favor,” I said. “It’s too late for tonight, but maybe we’ll be able to offer it tomorrow, too.”
“A different way to add to our business,” said Rhonda.
“Okay. Looks like we have a plan. I must get back to overseeing the departure of our wedding guests, especially the parents of the bride,” said Bernie.
After he left, I turned to the kitchen crew. “Let’s make Jean-Luc proud.”
“Yes,” said Rhonda. “You can do it.”
As Chet and Ricardo headed for Jean-Luc’s office, the rest of the staff scattered in the kitchen. Jean-Luc had insisted that everyone know their job and at least one other in case of an emergency like this.
Rhonda and I went to our office and sat down facing one another.
“This is going to be a true test not only for Chet and Ricardo, but for the entire staff,” said Rhonda. “I didn’t want to mention it in front of the others, but do you think it’s wise for us to offer a special Italian meal?”
“Do you mean in light of our disagreement with Jonny Arno?” I asked.
Rhonda shrugged. “What if our Italian menu becomes something our guests want us to continue?”
I could feel my temper rising. I’d been so careful in my first marriage not to annoy my ex. It had kept me from doing what I wanted. I couldn’t let that happen again. Rhonda and I had the right to do what was necessary with our business.
Rhonda chuckled and waggled a finger at me. “You don’t have to say a word. I see the expression on your face and have your answer. You’re right. We shouldn’t be worried about it.”
A knock on the door diverted our attention.
“Come in,” said Rhonda.
Harper and Philippa walked in.
“Harper, please have a seat,” I said. “Philippa, follow me. You might be able to help Chet and Ricardo with a special menu.”
When Philippa and I approached Jean-Luc’s office, Chet and Ricardo were working on a computer.
“I thought you gentlemen might want some help. Philippa could have some ideas for you.”
“Great,” said Chet. “Ricardo, this is Philippa Ferrara. Phil, this is Ricardo Perez, the sous chef.
“I’ll leave you to it,” I said, not wanting to interfere any more than I had.
###
In the office, Rhonda and Harper were talking about our wedding business.
I took a seat and listened to what Rhonda was saying about our growth in that area and how Lorraine wasn’t able to devote as much time to it.
“Anything to add, Annie?” Rhonda asked.
“You explained it well,” I said. “What we’re looking for is someone like yourself, Harper, to work a few hours on the weekends we have a wedding in-house to trail a wedding group, making sure they have what they need.
You’d be following plans that were already made and some that might be spontaneous.
It wouldn’t be for every wedding, depending on size and group activities.
We’d make sure there’d be no loss of pay if it affected bartending time. ”
“Would I do this alone?” asked Harper.
“You’d be part of the wedding team but would have no responsibility in making the plans,” I explained. “You’d help see that those plans were successful. Lauren is an assistant to Lorraine Grace, who manages weddings with Annette Bruner. But she can’t always do her job and tag the group.”
“For instance, the mother-of-the-bride in our last wedding fell by the pool,” said Rhonda. “If someone had checked in with that group occasionally, perhaps some kind of intervention might have happened.”
“I know from working in the bar that the last wedding group consisted of a bunch of drinkers who could be difficult to deal with,” said Harper. “Are they all like that?”
“Absolutely not,” Rhonda said. “But even easy-going groups need to have someone they can turn to for help from time to time. The reason we thought of you is that you seem to fit in with most groups because you’re friendly and naturally helpful.”
“It’s something to think about,” I said. “We have a small group wedding next weekend so probably don’t need your help until the wedding following it.”
“Thank you. I am interested. I like the hospitality business and want to learn what I can,” said Harper. “I especially want to work with your daughters on helping to pull in a younger crowd for happy hours.”
“Superb. They want to do that with you,” I said. “As busy mothers, they don’t have many free hours, but they know that one day they’ll take over for us and want to keep active in the business as much as possible.”
“Just as you’d do for weddings, you can be the person to help things along with projects for the girls. It’s something the three of you should discuss,” said Rhonda.
A wide smile stretched across Harper’s face. “I like that idea a lot. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“We’ll set up a time for you to meet with Lorraine and Lauren,” I said.
Harper rose. “Thank you again. I’ll wait to hear when you want me to meet with the wedding department.”
She left the office, and Rhonda and I faced one another.
“Just another day at the hotel, huh?” Rhonda teased.
I laughed. “A day like so many others.”
###
Chet, Ricardo, and Philippa brought a copy of the menu they’d given Bernie to us.
After looking at it, I was impressed. “It’s simple but allows a varied selection of food.”
“It’s very typical of a Sunday dinner in Italy,” said Philippa. “But it won’t be family style.”
“There’s nothing that we can’t handle,” Ricardo said. “Phil has even offered to consult with the antipasti. And we have the food on hand but will need to order more for tomorrow.”
“Okay, then. As long as Bernie has approved, type up the menu and print it on heavy stock paper to be added to our regular dinner menus,” I said. “It’s a fair price for the four course meal.”
“I agree,” said Rhonda. “With a choice of two main courses and two desserts, it should sell well.”
“The wine package is something that Bernie approved,” said Chet. “With a choice of four different wines, it should please everyone, with wines for each course.”
I checked my watch. “Time to get to it.”
“How is the rest of the day going, Chet?” Rhonda asked.
“We checked before we came here. We’re on schedule, thanks to Ricardo.”
Ricardo gave Chet a little salute, and then the three of them left the office.
“That chicken piccata sounds delicious,” Rhonda said. “Guess I’d better grab something for lunch. Who knows when we’ll have another chance if the day continues like this.”
###
We walked into the kitchen and went over to Consuela. “How did the breakfast go?”
“Fine,” she said. “I’ve got a cooperative team for breakfast and lunch. What’s happening with dinner with Jean-Luc gone?”
We filled her in on the Italian special.
“Even the Ambassador’s daughter is helping out,” said Rhonda. “It couldn’t work better for my matchmaking skills.”
Consuela and I glanced at each other and laughed.
“Now, now. You know my rate of success is very high,” said Rhonda seriously. “Did you notice the way Philippa and Chet stared at one another, Annie? I’m tellin’ ya, it’s a very hot romance in the making.”
“What about the person Philippa is supposed to marry? said Consuela. “You told me all about him.”
“I don’t think it’ll ever happen,” said Rhonda stubbornly.
I shook my head. I thought the situation was a lot more complicated. But I, like Rhonda, would have to wait and see.