29. Lowri
LOWRI
S ean wanted me to cancel my lunch appointment with Cassie, particularly after we learned no other rooms were robbed and only my laptop and work papers were stolen. He’s worried that I’m being targeted for some unknown reason.
Despite Sean’s concerns, I insisted on going forward with my plans. It’s been several hours since I discovered the robbery, and without a laptop, I can’t work. There’s no reason not to enjoy lunch with my bestie.
This day needs a restart, so I freshen my makeup, pull my casual burgundy dress out of the closet, and find my matching lace bra and panties. There’s something about sprucing up my makeup and pulling on luxury underwear that gives my confidence a boost.
With a guard in tow at Sean’s insistence, I go to meet Cassie.
Normally, I would have fought Sean about the security guy but not this time.
Considering the events of the last twenty-four hours and the potential threats, I’ll admit my fear level has risen several notches.
Sean would prefer to lock me safely inside his apartment, but that’s a no-go for me. I won’t cower in a corner.
Besides, catching up with Cassie and taste testing her new recipes will greatly improve my day.
Climbing the Grand Staircase on the far side of the casino, we walk past the Olympic Torch Bar and find the door to Pinot & Pie. It’s the restaurant Cassie will call her own for the next month. This has been her secret dream for as long as I can remember, and it’s finally coming true.
Testing the door, it’s unlocked as promised. I wander inside and gasp in awe.
My eyes are drawn upward. The ceiling is at least three stories high.
Letting my eyes scan the rest of the space, I continue to be wowed.
The décor is stunning. Floor-to-ceiling gray slate tiles with vertical, charcoal striations create accent walls, and contemporary, crystal light globes dangle from the ceiling at various heights throughout the room.
Modern designs can feel cold, but not here.
Deep-purple drapes hang between the full-height windows overlooking the Aegean Sea.
Dark carpeting with cream accents covers the floor, and soft violet spotlights focus on each table.
Together with the overall dim lighting, these features give this marvelous space a warm and welcoming vibe that draws me further into the room.
Looking around, I don’t see Cassie. Workers are busily installing various finishing touches, so I ask one of the men where the chef is. He points to a frosted glass partition on the far-right side of the room.
Stepping around the partition, I find double swinging doors.
Aha! Of course, the chef is in the kitchen.
I can’t help giggling. It’s funny to think of Cassie as the chef .
We’ve always been either law students or lawyers, stressing over clients and deadlines.
Now she’s delving into her creative side and conjuring up delicious and artful food for the rich and famous.
Pushing one of the doors open, I call out, “Cassie, are you in here?”
“Lowri, come in. I’ll be there in a minute,” she shouts from somewhere to my left.
Following instructions, I enter the giant kitchen and walk toward a long stainless steel table covered with chopped carrots, celery, and onions.
As I turn my head, Cassie is hurrying toward me. “Are you okay? I got your text and rushed to your room. The guards wouldn’t let me in. What happened?”
“I’m fine now. My purse was stolen yesterday, and today my room was ransacked. It’s been a traumatic morning. Luckily, I was with Sean last night, and I wasn’t in my room when the thief broke in this morning.”
“Yeah, we’re going to talk about you and Sean in a minute. First, what was stolen? Anything valuable?”
“They took my laptop and work papers. It’s strange, they left behind two hundred dollars in extra cash that I’d hidden in a dresser drawer under my lingerie.”
“They probably didn’t have time to search the drawers.”
“That’s what’s strange. The dresser drawers were pulled open. The cash was in plain sight after they rummaged through the top drawer.”
“That is odd.”
“I’ve been helping Sean with the investigation into the accident that killed Mr. Brentwood during the pyrobatics show.
The fact that my work papers were taken makes Sean and me suspect someone didn’t want a record of what I learned from interviewing the various performers.
We’re also questioning whether my purse was specifically targeted last night because someone wanted my cell phone with the recorded interviews.
“That sounds like the plot of a suspense movie. Events like that don’t usually happen in real life. The two thefts probably aren’t even related.”
“I know, but we haven’t come up with another explanation for why they took my work papers.”
“If they were on top of your laptop, they probably grabbed the papers with your computer and will toss them into the trash. Do you have backups?”
“Yes. My laptop is backed up to the cloud, and Sean had a replacement phone in my hands early this morning. I can recover everything.”
I ignore Cassie’s raised eyebrows. She’s wondering why Sean purchased a new phone for me. I’ll skip the explanation. My thoughts are elsewhere anyway.
If there was a sinister, orchestrated plan behind the thefts, the thief wouldn’t know I had backups.
They would assume the thefts eliminated the proof of what the witnesses said to me.
Not knowing that, will the thief intimidate the witnesses into not speaking up again?
Will they come after me for what I remember?
I shudder at the thought, but that’s masked by the rumbling of my stomach.
“I heard that. We better feed you quickly. You must be starving.”
“I am.”
“Then you’re in the best possible place. You won’t be hungry after what we’ve planned for the tasting.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. You look so professional in your fancy, black chef’s coat. It even has your name on it. But why does it say Cassandra instead of Cassie?”
“Because Evan had the coats made for me, and he always uses my full name. I’m lucky he didn’t put Princess-to-be Cassandra on it as he threatened. He wants to tell the world about our upcoming wedding.” She laughs.
“That’s hilarious. I can’t believe how much your life has changed this year. It started with us both working our asses off as lawyers in San Diego. Then you finally took a chance and entered the guest chef competition thanks to a little prodding by me.”
“I know what you mean. Now I’m chef here for a month, and a real prince swept me off my feet and proposed. It’s too much to process.”
“You’re living your fairytale.”
“I know. Evan pinches me daily to remind me this is all real,” she says looking upward, arms sweeping around the kitchen.
“Are you sure that’s the only reason Evan pinches you?” I joke.
“Very funny. Let’s go out to the dining room. I’ll show you around while the team finishes the tasting dishes.”
“Okay.”
I’m thankful Cassie’s been in my life since law school. She’s the sister I always needed. Nothing against my brother, but there are certain things only another woman understands.
With those thoughts, emotions wash over me.
I’m not sure how much longer we’ll have each other with all the drastic changes in Cassie’s future.
It hadn’t occurred to me before. Our lives are diverging quickly.
The thought of not having Cassie to turn to, when times are tough or something exciting happens, leaves me with an unsettling emptiness.
Reining in my selfishness, I promise myself that I won’t rain on her well-deserved happiness.
So, biting my lip, I quash the sense of looming loss, at least for now, and force a smile.
Excitement in her voice, Cassie points out the off-white chairs and purple, upholstered booths. “I can’t believe they made all the changes so quickly. What do you think? Do you like it?” she asks.
“It’s spectacular. What did it look like before?” I ask as she guides me to sit on a bench seat in one of the booths while she sits in a chair across from me.
“It was an outdated theme and far from ideal for a new opening.”
“Sean must have spent a fortune redoing this for you.”
“Not exactly for me. Kai takes over as the permanent chef soon after my month ends. Sean promised to renovate before then. Kai asked if it was possible to finish the remodeling in time for my opening instead. That way we could work out any kinks ahead of his debut. When I agreed to Kai’s plan, Sean arranged for this magical transformation to take place a few weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
And Kai was kind enough to ask for my input on the redesign. ”
“Isn’t it odd that another chef would be okay with you using his remodeled kitchen and restaurant first?”
“We met during the guest chef competition and got along great. Kai’s ego isn’t as big as those of the chefs on cooking shows.
Besides, I’m helping him out. He’ll be guaranteed a smooth opening.
We’ve had fun working together on the theme too.
It didn’t take long to decide that purple should be the main color, and the restaurant should have a modern, comfortable feel.
We told the designers and let them work their magic.
The result was this magnificent design.”
“Wow. They nailed it,” I say.
“They did. The designers are incredibly talented. I wasn’t sure about the wood and glass trim on the booths at first. Then they brought in this brown walnut with the dark chocolate streaks and swirls, and it was a perfect contrast to the purples, grays, and whites,” she says, reaching up to stroke the highly polished trim.
“I’m no designer, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” I say, glancing around the room once again.