CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
We entered the hotel and went directly to the kitchen. Jean-Luc had returned to duty wearing a special leg brace. He was determined not to lose control of his domain, and we didn’t blame him.
We told him about the dinner Rhonda and Chet would work on at Rhonda’s house and he had no problem with Chet working there. He was in training, after all.
“It’s wonderful to see you back,” I said. “But don’t overdo it or Lindsay will be upset with not only you but with Rhonda and me.”
He laughed. “Believe me, she was glad to have me out of the house. And she knows how much I love my work here at the hotel.”
“You rest when you need to,” said Rhonda. “Use the chairs in the breakroom.”
We installed a couple of lounge chairs there. For people working on their feet all day, it was a way to give their backs and legs some relief.
We went to Consuela’s part of the kitchen to get coffee and a treat.
“Hello, ladies,” she said. “You’re getting an early start to the day. What do you think about the news of Jonny being killed?”
“I think he made too many enemies,” said Rhonda.
“Still, I was surprised,” I said.
Consuela shook her head. “He was not well-liked. His staff hated working there. I don’t know what will happen with that restaurant. It’s bound to be better.”
Rhonda and I accepted the plates she handed us and grabbed our cups of coffee.
We were sitting in the office when Rhonda’s cell phone rang.
She frowned at it and picked up the call. “Rhonda Grayson.”
A smile broke across her face. “Hi, Vinnie. Thanks for calling. Yes, Ann and I are fine, but I want to thank you again for taking us away from what could’ve been a nasty situation.”
She listened and turned to me. “Vinnie wants to know if we remember anything else he should know about.”
I let out a long sigh. “I think you should tell him about our encounter with Brock. I think he may know something about the graffiti.”
“I agree,” Rhonda said and told Vinnie our suspicions. “Really?” she said. “Okay, if we think of anything else, we’ll call you at this number. Thanks again. I meant it when I said come visit us.”
Rhonda ended the call and turned to me. “Vinnie said they’re looking into tax problems with Brock.”
I lifted my shoulders and let them drop. “He never learns.”
“Brock may be off our backs for a while. Sounds like he’s in more trouble than we thought,” said Rhonda. “After we finish our coffee, let’s walk over to Chet’s apartment and talk to him about tomorrow. We’ll want our two couples there.”
###
As Rhonda and I stood outside the apartment, we could hear voices inside. We knocked and Harper came to the door. “Hello. Come on in. The four of us are discussing the latest news.”
“My mother called to tell me that my grandfather and Luciano’s are here visiting,” said Philippa. “She told me about Rhonda’s plan to have us all come for dinner tomorrow night.”
“And for me to help you create an Italian dinner at your home,” said Chet.
“Yes,” said Rhonda. “It will be more informal, more comfortable at my house. I have a professional kitchen with enough space so we can work together on the meal.”
“It’s important for all of you to be there,” I said. “You’ll need to request time off from your jobs. Luciano, I understand you’re going to be working in the dining room as a wine steward.”
He nodded and smiled. “I did a trial service last night.”
“Okay,” said Rhonda. “Chet will be working with me tomorrow and all of you will come to dinner. I’ll ask you to arrive a few minutes early for a six o’clock dinner.”
“Make it an excellent dinner. We want our grandfathers to be in a jovial mood,” said Philippa.
“Absolutely,” I said, and then Rhonda and I left.
###
Rhonda and I reported the latest to Bernie and returned to our office to work on finances and marketing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thankfully, the private dinner that had been scheduled was moved to the following week, and I wouldn’t have to worry about that.
As a way to include them, Rhonda asked Liz to come up with individually designed and printed menu cards for tomorrow’s dinner guests. Angela agreed to make the dessert—Rhonda’s special tiramisu.
Vaughn had already delayed his trip, so he could attend the dinner. It was important to Rhonda and me to have him there. We hadn’t discussed it, but this dinner affected all of us and the pleasant outcome we hoped to achieve. We’d just have to wait to see how it worked out.
###
The next morning while I worked in the office I was surprised by a visit from Enrico.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said.
“Not at all. I’m just doing my usual work,” I said. “Won’t you sit down? Can I help you with something?”
He took a seat in a chair in front of my desk.
“I’m here because I want you and Rhonda to know that I’m one of the people who invested in Osteria Arno as a favor to a friend.
I and others are very sorry for the way Jonny tried to engage in unhealthy competition.
With his death, I’m not sure what will happen to the restaurant, but I wanted you to be aware of my connection to it. ”
“Thank you for telling me. Rhonda and I have no hard feelings at all toward the restaurant and the people behind it. We simply never wanted to be lured into Jonny’s idea of competition. We are pleased to have Jean-Luc at the hotel.”
“And now you have Chet Waring,” said Enrico.
“For the moment,” I said. “He’s been training with Jean-Luc, and we like him a lot. How do you like the house Catarina has chosen?”
Enrico smiled his approval. “I think it’s perfect for us. I might never have thought of moving to Sabal if I hadn’t been approached to invest in a restaurant here. But having visited and done some research, I became happy with the idea.”
“It’s nice that your father and his friend can visit. Catarina was pleased they could see for themselves that it’s a wise decision.”
“Yes, I’m glad, too,” said Enrico. “The two men are old and want their families to be settled.”
“In this day with everyone traveling and exploring new opportunities, I’m not sure that’s possible. It’s certainly risky to try and predict the best outcome.”
“True, true,” said Enrico getting to his feet. “Thanks for your time. I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”
“I can’t wait. Chet and Rhonda’s Italian cooking is the best,” I said.
“Their dinner at the hotel was fantastic.” He gave a polite bob of his head goodbye and left the office.
Sitting alone again, I thought it might be wise to talk to Rhonda about this news tomorrow. Today, she’d need all her energy to prepare for the elegant meal she planned at her home.
Liz called to say that she and Chad had been invited to the dinner.
“It will be a special evening out. There will be sixteen of us,” Liz said. “I’m working on the menu cards now.”
“I’m looking forward to it myself,” I said. “How are the kids?”
“Fine,” Liz said. “The Ts are loving kindergarten and I’m happy to have some alone time with Gabe. It’s so easy with him.”
I laughed. “Don’t you sometimes wonder how you did it with the triplets? It makes being with one so easy.”
“Maybe it’s the baby thing, too. He’s my last one.”
“I know how that feels. For me, you were my last and only one.” I sighed at the memory of those times I couldn’t carry those other children to term. The pain was real.
“I’ve got to go,” said Liz. “One more thing. Any chance I could borrow one of your sundresses?”
“Sure. Why don’t you and Gabe meet me at my house for lunch, and we’ll pick one together? I’ll bring salads from the hotel and fix Gabe something.”
“Thanks, Mom. See you in a bit.”
We ended the call, and I thought, as I often did, how lucky I was to have Liz and her family living in Sabal.