CHAPTER FIVE
After seeing Robbie off to school and saying goodbye to Cindy, I headed for the hotel. Though it was early, I wanted to make sure Chet was on board with the day’s special activity. It would also give me time to walk on the beach.
When I arrived at the hotel, I said hello to Consuela and peeked into the kitchen. Chet was busy chopping tomatoes for the gravy he was preparing. Later, he and Rhonda would create the main course.
“How are you doing?” I asked him.
“Good,” he said. “An authentic gravy has to be cooked all day, so I’m glad I could get it started. Rhonda told me that unusual requests like this come up from time to time.”
“Yes, that’s part of the hotel business with different guests coming and going with demands for special service. I’m glad you decided to accept Jean-Luc’s job offer. We still have more paperwork for you to sign today. Stop by the office when you’re free.”
I looked around the kitchen at the staff members who were busy preparing for the breakfast rush. In addition to our guests, the dining room was open to locals and visitors. A meal at The Beach House Hotel was a treat for anyone who loved tasty food.
I went back to Consuela and chatted with her for a moment before grabbing a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.
A few minutes later, still enjoying my coffee, I looked up as Bernie knocked and entered the office.
“ ’Morning! How are you?”
“A bit frustrated. Have you seen the local newspaper? Terri Thomas at the Sabal Daily News has written an article headlined, “A Battle Between Two Greats.”
“Wha-a-a-t?” I said, taking the paper from him.
Terri had interviewed Jonny Arno and written about his new restaurant opening up. She then segued into a piece comparing Jonny and Jean-Luc, claiming that a battle for adulation for the two chefs was about to happen between the two of them.
I sat back in my chair and looked up at Bernie. “I wish she hadn’t created her story that way. Though it might seem like a smart idea to increase business for both restaurants, we don’t want anything to do with Jonny Arno. Not after knowing the kind of man he is and the connections he has.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Bernie. “We don’t want to appear as if we need that kind of publicity.
We’re an upscale place with an excellent chef and excellent service.
For all the enthusiastic speculation, I doubt that will be the case with Osteria Arno, especially if people like Brock Goodwin are associated with it. ”
Rhonda appeared, and we showed her the article.
“Battle, my ass,” she sputtered. “Jean-Luc’s reputation doesn’t need to be tarnished by some imagined battle. Terri should have talked to us before publishing something like this.”
“I have a feeling that Terri was contacted by someone on Jonny’s team. Someone we might know.”
“I’m going to wring Brock’s neck,” Rhonda said.
“I think we should say nothing about the article, not respond to it in any way,” said Bernie. “As we agreed earlier, we don’t need to. I’ve got a meeting right now. Good luck with the Ambassador. I’m planning on welcoming him to the hotel and will try to stop by the cocktail hour to speak to him.”
“Thanks,” I said. “Amelia wants us to make him feel especially welcome.”
Bernie left, and I turned to Rhonda. “How’s the cooking going?”
“Chet is off to a satisfactory start. The sauce smells like my grandmother’s kitchen,” she said with a pleased look. “The veal I ordered will be delivered shortly, along with the Castelvetrano olives and other specialty items.”
“I’m going to call Tropical Fleurs and have them create a table centerpiece for us, incorporating the red, green, and white colors of the Italian flag. Something subtle, but nice. And as soon as Annette comes in, I’ll arrange for her to supervise the event staff for cocktails and dinner.”
“It sounds like things are under control. I’m glad because I promised Angie I’d go to a teacher’s meeting with her this afternoon to discuss Sally Kate’s issues at school. I told Angie I’d pay for a special tutor.”
“That’s terrific,” I said. “Sally Kate is an adorable child. I would hate to see her self-esteem suffer.”
“Yes,” said Rhonda. “She’s a bright little girl, and I don’t want her to think otherwise.”
“Rather than call someone at Tropical Fleurs, I think I’ll go downtown to visit them. Danielle and her staff are very creative, and I want to talk to her about something unusual not only as a centerpiece for dinner, but for something special in the Presidential Suite.”
“When you get back, we’ll have our usual pre-wedding meeting with Lorraine and her staff.,” said Rhonda. “I heard the groom is the son of some media mogul, and we need to make sure everything goes smoothly.”
“Yes, I think his father is a bigwig at Apple. The bride is the one I worry about. If the groom is smart, he’ll simply show up and just say ‘I do’.”
Rhonda and I laughed together. If it were only that simple.
###
It was such a lovely day that I decided to walk the few blocks to Main Street.
As I did, I was reminded of what a beautiful place Sabal was.
Condos and large homes lined the beach and filled a block or two inland.
Main Street consisted of interesting, upscale shops whose windows held treasures of all kinds.
Pots of flowers stood outside doors adding color to the palm tree-lined street.
Passing a little alleyway, I thought of André’s, a French restaurant I adored. I vowed the next time Vaughn was at home, we’d have a meal there.
Tropical Fleurs was a couple of doors down, and I stopped to look at a display in the window, created, no doubt, for one of the businesses in town. Store window displays were rotated throughout the day,
When I went inside, Danielle, the store manager, greeted me. “Hi, Ann! What brings you here?”
“I have a special dinner tonight at the hotel, and I’m wondering if you can create something unique for our visitor. It’s an Italian dinner theme, and it’s to be a small group.”
“I know you can’t give me any more information than that but let me ask how formal the dinner will be?” said Danielle.
“It will be very formal,” I said, unable to tell her who the dinner was for.
One of the reasons The Beach House Hotel had done well from the beginning was our policy of providing our guests privacy.
We never mentioned who was staying with us, and our staff signed NDA agreements preventing them from disclosing that information.
“When do you need it?” Danielle asked.
“Delivered by five o’clock,’ I answered.
“I’d like something both tropical and natural with the red, green, and white of Italy’s flag.
Something that acknowledges Italy but showcases the flowers of Florida.
And we’d like to have dark green candles, perhaps surrounded with a bit of the pieces in the arrangement.
We need something similar for the Presidential Suite. ”
Danielle placed a finger on her cheek thoughtfully. “I think I have what you want. I’ll put something together and text you a shot of it for your approval.”
“That would be lovely,” I said. “I trust you to do your usual excellent work; I just wanted to make sure you understood how important this is.”
“I saw Terri’s column in the paper this morning,” said Danielle. “How does Jean-Luc feel about being in a contest with Jonny Arno?”
“We haven’t spoken to him about it. Rhonda, Bernie, and I aren’t interested in competing. We’ll continue to carry on as we always have.”
“I hear both good and bad things about Osteria Arno. But to be truthful, we did get the contract to provide flowers for them. It’s a strange arrangement with them.
They forced us to give them a percentage off our normal prices.
For an initial time, we can work around it, but still I thought it was pushy on their part. ”
“Who did you negotiate with?” I asked.
“The manager is a man named Tony Costello. I was surprised when I learned the name of the restaurant. It’s similar to the title of the cookbook he recently released.”
“I think it must be a matter of pride,” I said. “I’ve heard Jonny has a big ego.”
“I normally wouldn’t say anything about another customer, but Brock Goodwin stopped by to tell me I owe him for mentioning my name to Tony Costello. How anyone can stand him is beyond me. You’d think he was the mayor of New York, not the president of his neighborhood association.”
“He’s a thorn in my side and Rhonda’s. He has been since before we opened.
I don’t want to say too much, but I’d be cautious working with the new restaurant he’s involved with.
” I wanted to say so much more but didn’t.
I didn’t want any fighting to begin with him or the people behind Jonny’s new restaurant. The idea terrified me.
###
That afternoon, after Rhonda and I met with Lorraine regarding the wedding, I was pleased to see Liz and Angela come into our office.
“Hi, Mom! We’re here to interview Harper Lewis. We’ll report to you after our meeting,” said Liz proudly.
“Wonderful,” I said, getting to my feet and hugging each of them.
“I have to go home and change clothes for the evening’s activities.
But I’ll be back in time to talk to you after you speak to Harper.
Rhonda is busy putting together some food for tonight’s important dinner.
It’s an upscale Italian dinner like her grandmother used to serve. ”
“I hope there are leftovers,” teased Angie. “I know what she’s making.”
I studied small, dark-haired Angela standing next to my tall, blond daughter and was grateful that they’d gone from being freshman roommates at Boston University to life-long best friends. It was through our daughters that Rhonda and I became friends.
###
At home, I stripped my clothes off, freshened up, and put on one of my standard dresses used for social events like this—a simple, black sleeveless sheath with a chunky gold and diamond necklace, solitaire diamond earrings, and comfortable black sandals.
The doorbell rang, and I went to usher in Liana Sousa, who helped us out from time to time. She was always willing to see that Robbie was fed a healthy dinner and was comfortably settled for the night before I came home from hosting events at the hotel.
“Hi, how are you?” I asked her. “Thanks for coming at the last minute. I know you’re busy with college classes and an active social life.”
“College would never have happened if you hadn’t paid for my schooling,” Liana said. “I’m happy to help in return.” Vaughn and I had decided to pay her on a regular monthly basis in order to retain her for babysitting services anytime we needed it. The plan had worked well for all of us.
Cindy gamboled at Liana’s feet, wanting attention.
Liana picked her up and hugged her.
“Robbie will be home after swim practice,” I said. “I’ve arranged for a ride home. I thought you could make him his favorite tacos for dinner.”
“That’s easy. I’ll take care of it. I froze ingredients for them the last time I was here,” said Liana. “I know Mr. Sanders likes them too.”
“Yes, he does.”
“When is he coming home?” Liana asked. “I’ll make another batch of sauce and fillings for him.”
“He won’t be through filming for another couple of weeks,” I said, inwardly sighing. The last few weeks of any filming seemed to take forever. For everyone.