Chapter 18
Kennedi
“Baby, let me take this call before we leave,” I called after Bryson as he headed to the door.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.
We had been prepared to leave for the hayride that would take us around the property while getting a history of the property. I had been excited to go, but my phone rang just as we were preparing to leave.
“Yeah. This is work,” I muttered as I saw Angelique from HR calling.
He frowned at me and walked back inside. I answered the call as Bryson sat on the couch. I felt his eyes on me as I paced away to the kitchen.
“Hi, Angie. Is everything okay?” I greeted her by the nickname we all called her.
“No, it’s not. Where have you been? I’ve been calling you.”
“I’m on vacation. What’s going on?”
“I wanted to inform you that they will be voting on Milicent’s replacement tomorrow.
She asked that I call you and let you know.
Your attendance isn’t mandatory, but it is strongly encouraged that you be present when they vote.
There are three candidates up, and they’re doing something they’ve never done before. ”
My stomach twisted in a knot as I thought about that. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to show my face around the company before they voted, but I was out on vacation, and Caroline knew that.
“What is that?”
“They’re giving each of the candidates an opportunity to do a presentation before they vote on Milicent’s replacement.”
“Why am I just hearing about this now?”
“Kennedi, I have called you every day since Friday afternoon when I was first advised of the decision. I have left you several voicemails and text messages, and you haven’t returned any of them.
I kept calling each day in hopes that I would get through to you.
I wasn’t certain if you decided to turn your phone off while you were on vacation or not, but I wasn’t giving up on you, because you’re my preferred candidate.
Obviously, I don’t get a vote, but I wanted to make sure that you had every opportunity to put your best foot forward. ”
“I haven’t gotten a single voicemail or text message, Angie.”
“Well, I’m sorry. I’m not sure why not. You may not have had good service wherever you’re at, but I’m letting you know that you need to be here in the morning.”
“In the morning? Not the afternoon when they usually meet?”
“Unfortunately not. One of the board members has an urgent appointment scheduled for later, so they requested the meeting be moved up.”
I pressed my hand against my temple as I felt my head beginning to pound. This was stressful at best. I wanted the promotion so badly, but it seemed like I wasn’t going to be in the running simply because I couldn’t make it there.
I turned back and looked over my shoulder at Bryson, who was watching me closely. I couldn’t get a read on him, and I wasn’t certain what he was thinking or feeling.
“And you think that my best shot at getting that promotion is to be there in the morning?”
“I do. You can make your presentation that way and leave them astounded. Remove any doubt that they may have about why you deserve to be the next fashion editor.”
“As tempting as that may sound, Angie, I’m sorry. I won’t make it to the meeting tomorrow. I’m on vacation, and I’m putting some boundaries in place.”
“You’re making a big mistake, honey.”
“If they don’t promote me because I refused to come off vacation to impress them, then I don’t need to be in that position anyway, Angie. If I don’t get promoted because of that, then maybe this isn’t the company for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. I hope that they’ll vote for me, but if they don’t, then . . . maybe it’s time that I cast my net elsewhere.”
“Okay. Well, I called and told you. I’ve done my due diligence. I wish you the best of luck. Honey, go ahead and enjoy the remainder of your vacation.”
“Thanks, Angie. I will.”
I ended the call and walked back to Bryson.
“What’s going on?”
I explained it to him, sharing everything that Angelique said.
“And you haven’t missed any calls or texts?”
“Nope.”
“Do you need to go? We can go if you need to, baby.”
“I’m grateful for your show of support, but it’s important to me that you and I continue this vacation together. It was much-needed time away. If I lose you, then what the hell good is my career anymore, right?”
“You’re right, but are you good?”
“I’m disappointed, honestly. It hurts that I might lose this opportunity just because I’m not there.”
“We can go, baby. Your disappointment is valid, as are your feelings to want to be there. I’m here for whatever you need me to do.”
“I need you to take me to this hayride so that we can learn the history of this place.”
He bent down and kissed me. Taking my hand, he replied, “Let’s go.”
“ . . . returned to the plantation and purchased the land from the original owners, who had initially been their slave owners. They turned it into an arable farm. Although it was very humbling for the Bunch family, there was nothing they could do because they were losing everything and could no longer feed their own family. They had sold off everything that they had, and selling the property to their former slaves was their last chance for survival.”
We were riding past the B others, she might be found knitting or fishing, but mostly she liked to go for late-night swims.
“One evening, in the middle of the fall, she came down here looking for that same peace as always.
They had more travelers at the big house than usual, and she had been up working since five that morning.
Her daughter, Hope, had come down to the lake looking for her mother because they had another unexpected guest.
“They had only recently had all the cabins built, and one of the cabins was still free. Hope needed her mother’s help getting the cabin ready for the guest. But when she arrived, she found her mother in the lake in distress.
She jumped into the lake to try to save her mother but struggled to do so.
She tried freeing her mother from a snake that had gotten hold of her, but her mother suffered a heart attack before she could.
“The snake released her mother and turned its assault on her, sinking its venomous fangs into her arm. By the time anyone found the two, it was too late. James Grace, Marion’s husband, was devastated at the loss of his wife and only child.
They say he went deep into mourning, took his granddaughter, and left the property.
He raised her alone, and she eventually returned to the property many years later to reclaim it after she was married. ”
“Who ran the house in their absence?” Kerris asked.
“One of the farmhands who worked here. He treated this place like his own. He loved Hope, although he wasn’t the father of the child. He mourned her loss as well.”
“What happened to the baby’s father?” I asked.
“Faith’s father was a married man who had returned to his wife. He was only a traveler passing through here for the summer. Poor James never knew the man seduced and took advantage of his only child until long after the man had left.”
My heart broke over the story of the property owners. Their story was such a sad one. We continued the ride all over the property. The driver dropped all the residents of the cabins off at our cabins before they returned up the hill to the B&B.