Chapter Twenty-One
Kelsey
It’s only been a day since Beck left, but I’m finding myself falling back into old habits.
Completely consumed with work at the inn, I’m left with little time to fixate on his absence.
It’s not that I don’t miss him terribly, because I do; it’s just that today The Rockport Beach Inn is hosting a wedding for the daughter of a Boston politician and it could mean huge publicity for my tiny inn.
I spent yesterday making sure everything was delivered and set up to the specifications I discussed with the bride and her soon-to-be husband.
The white wooden folding chairs arranged in rows overlooking the water and the ivy-covered trellis with the hand chosen pale pink roses slipped in periodically; all of it centered perfectly on the entrance to the dock.
It was around midnight last night that the tent was finally put up and the paper lanterns hung. All of this accomplished with my hard-working team of employees and Erin.
It’s times like this that I am forever grateful to have Erin in my life. She doesn’t have to help me, but for some reason, she never says no. I realize how lucky I am to have a friend like her, even if she won’t just admit she might be in love with Ryan.
The thought makes me giggle as I picture the two of them getting married in a ceremony just like this, and even though they just met, I have a feeling about the two of them. Just like I did with Beck and me when we met back all those years ago. Sometimes it’s just right.
I stand back and take it all in. It looks amazing, exactly as I pictured in my head and I close my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief just as Erin walks up next to me and gives me a little bump with her hip.
“Hey, girly,” she says, smiling. “Looks beautiful, but we gotta get moving. The florist just pulled up and we gotta get these tables and chairs dressed.”
I chuckle a little before giving her a questioning look. “I thought I was in charge here, bossy pants.”
“Looks like you’re just standing around to me.”
“Pfft, what, need someone to boss around since your boy’s been gone?” I ask as I link arms with her and walk back towards the inn.
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, but tosses in a, “Maybe” and a wink and I immediately feel myself grinning like a kid on Christmas. This is the closest she’s come to admitting she actually likes Ryan and it makes me giddy.
Convening in the kitchen, I begin to give my staff directions on dressing the chairs and tables, while Erin barks out orders to the florist. A few minutes later, everyone has dispersed; working dutifully as Erin and I meet up in my office.
“Shit, your job is a lot of fucking work. I’ll take five year olds over this any day,” Erin says as she falls into a chair in front of my desk.
“Thanks so much for all your help. I seriously couldn’t have done any of this without you. Have I told you lately that I love the shit out of you?” I ask, while fluttering my eyelashes at her.
“Don’t mention it and no, you haven’t professed your love for me lately, but I feel the same way.” She winks again and pulls herself up from the chair. “We should probably head home to shower and change before the wedding.”
I nod in agreement. With the ceremony taking place at dusk and the reception to follow, we only have a couple of hours before this wedding is in full swing.
“I have to check in with the kitchen staff and my servers before I go. I need to make sure everything is running on time and that they don’t need anything. After that, I’ll head home.”
Erin stops in the doorway and gives me a strange look; it almost appears like she’s nervous. She wets her lips and then asks, “You sure you’ll be alright alone? I can stick around.”
“Nah. I’ll be just fine. The house is secure now; it’s been checked a million times over.
Things have been pretty quiet around here lately and with half the force on tonight for the wedding, nothing’s gonna happen.
” I shake my head, dismissing Erin’s concerns.
“And I’ll give Bella a seek and kill command before I send her into the house. ”
“Sounds good, but I’m not sure Bella could hurt someone if she tried. I’m not entirely sure she’s as much of a killer dog as you think.”
Upon hearing Erin say her name, Bella instantly sits down on top of Erin’s feet, her tail wagging obsessively as she looks up at her with those big eyes.
“See?” Erin says, flipping a hand at Bella. “Sweet as sugar.”
“She’s bred to kill, Erin. She just likes you.” And to prove my point, I give Bella a command and she immediately leaves Erin’s side and stands next to me, baring her teeth and letting out a low growl. “Now you see,” I say, poking back at Erin.
“Got it,” Erin says, backing away and shaking her head.
“I’ll see you back here in a bit,” I say as Erin heads out of the office.
“Later, sweets,” Erin responds, giving me a wave over her shoulder.
I check in with the kitchen staff and the servers and everything seems to be falling into place.
I watch as one of the kitchen staff places a few more roses onto the already decorated cake, while another continues chopping strawberries for the strawberry poppy seed spinach salad that’s on the menu.
There doesn’t seem to be a thing out of place, but like always, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s just a hazard of the job.
And just as I’m about to let out the breath I feel like I’ve been holding for the last two days, I’m hit with it.
“Kelsey, I don’t know how this happened, I swear I checked the invoices and ordered everything,” my head chef, Marco says, looking down at an invoice he has in his hand. “But somehow we’re short the two pounds of fresh mozzarella for the herbed tomato and mozzarella bites.”
“Shit, Marco,” I say, and he cuts me off.
“Kelsey, I’m so sorry, I know this is the last thing you need. I swear I made sure everything was ordered and checked in correctly. It was all here yesterday morning.” I can hear the panic in his voice and I feel terrible.
“No, no, Marco, this is my fault,” I say, reassuring him and I see his body relax almost straight away.
“I had one of the chefs make up a batch of Caprese salad yesterday for Erin and me. I meant to pick up the missing mozzarella this morning; I just forgot. I’ll head over to the supermarket right now.
I already called ahead to make sure they put it off to the side for me. ”
“No, Kelsey. Go home and get ready. I’ll pick it up,” Marco says before wiping his hands on a towel he has slung over his shoulder.
“I owe you. I really should pay you more,” I say, giving him a playful swat on the arm.
“You tell me that all the time,” he says, smiling as he strips off his chef’s coat. “And there’s a reason I stick around. You pay better than any restaurant within a twenty mile radius.”
“Thanks, Marco. I’ll be back soon. Call me if you need anything.”
“Will do, boss,” he says, flashing me the long-range walkie-talkie he has clipped to his pocket.
This was something Beck implemented before he headed back to Boston.
He didn’t want more people than necessary having access to my cell number, so he purchased ten long-range walkie-talkies for my staff at the inn to use to get in contact with me.
He was concerned about my number possibly getting back to Jason somehow and he didn’t want to take any chances.
So far they have proved somewhat useful and somewhat comical as Erin and I have now made up call names for ourselves. She uses them regularly to torment my staff at the inn with her inappropriate humor.
“Breaker, breaker one-nine, this is Ginger Snap. I’m looking for my pussy.
Has anyone seen my pussy? Hairless and answers to the name of Sugar Lips,” Erin said as it echoed on every radio throughout the inn, prompting a riot of laughter from my kitchen staff and the teenage boys I hired to re-stain the front and back decks.
Sometimes I wonder how she ever got her job shaping the minds of small children, but I figure if she had to behave like a kindergarten teacher twenty-four seven, I’d probably really hate her. She definitely makes life interesting.
A couple of hours later, I’m freshly showered, changed, and waiting on the front porch of the inn for Erin. The wedding is set to begin in an hour and I’ve already done a sweep of the property to make sure everything is in place and ready to go.
When she walks up, my jaw nearly drops. She’s wearing an emerald green halter dress that makes her flawless pale skin stand out and her eyes glow. Paired with sky-high yellow heels and Erin’s signature smile, she looks stunning. I’m going to have to beat the guys off her with a stick tonight.
“Look at you, missy,” I say, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “You look... hot.”
“Thank you,” she says. “Looking quite lovely yourself,” she adds with a nod. “Basic black always looks good on you.”
“Trying to keep it simple. I don’t want to distract from the bride, right?” I chose a plain, but still eye catching black strapless dress.
Erin winks at me and pulls out her phone. “Pictures for our boys?” she asks, and I smile brightly. Our boys…another step closer to her admitting she’s into Ryan.
We snap a few selfies before Erin commissions one of Finn’s deputies to take a few more of us. After she gets her phone back, she takes a quick shot of her cleavage and I shake my head at her.
She sends them off to Beck and Ryan and within seconds her phone chimes. Flashing her phone to me, we both laugh at Ryan’s response to the pictures.
Ryan: Holy fucking shit. Tell me you aren’t wearing panties under that dress, Red.
Erin: No panties, no bra.
“You are such a tease,” I say and she gives me a wicked look.
“He loves it,” she shoots back.
“I’m sure he does.”
Erin’s phone chimes again, but this time it’s Beck.
Beck: You ladies look stunning. Give my girl a message for me, tell her she looks beautiful and I wish I was there.
“And there’s your boy,” she says, grinning at me. “He’s so sweet.”
“I know, right?”
Erin and I go our separate ways; each one of us set on making sure everything is perfect. I put Erin in charge of flowers and the cake, while I’m taking care of the food and making sure everything is in order for the bride on her big day. It’s pure chaos, but the best kind.
It seems that everything has fallen into place, not a single issue has come up since this wedding began and I finally collapse in a chair and admire all my hard work.
Each table is set with a stunning arrangement of pale pink roses and small lanterns filled with tea lights.
The paper lanterns strung from the tent are lighting the dance floor and illuminating the grounds of the inn.
It’s all beautiful and all of it was created by me.
Even I’m shocked at the fact that it came together.
I exhale hard and close my eyes as Marco sets two plates down at the table and Erin joins me seconds later. Both of us finally sitting down and having something to eat.
“God, that was exhausting,” she says, taking a bite of her chicken. “But you did an amazing job. How’d the interview with the paper go?”
“Thanks. It did turn out really well, but I couldn’t have done it without your help,” I smile at her gratefully. “And the interview went well. Guess they’re gonna run the article next weekend in the lifestyle section. So we’ll see if it does anything for The Rockport Beach Inn.”
“That’s so cool,” Erin says. “Your parents would be really proud of you.”
“Thanks, Erin,” I say, fighting back the tears.
She’s right. I don’t think they would have ever dreamed The Rockport Beach Inn would become one of the most talked about inns outside of Boston, let alone that it would eventually host weddings, book fishing charters and whale tours, and book up a year in advance.
It is quite shocking even to me and I’m the one who orchestrated it all.
In thinking about it all, I worry that I might not be able to leave it behind, to take a step back and move to Boston with Beck.
I want to make this work with him more than anything, but I’m not sure I can give up everything I’ve worked for and not just what I’ve worked for, but I’m not sure I can give up all my friends and family here, too.
I look over at Erin who has a stupid grin on her face and her phone in her hand. I know she’s texting Ryan and it makes me so happy to see that look on her face. She deserves more than anyone to be happy, especially after all the shit that has happened with her family.
She ended up running away to Rockport, but I think in moving here, she found her real home and her real family. And now that she has Ryan in her life, he sort of completes her in ways I never imagined. He’s good for her.
“You ever see yourself getting married?” I ask her and she doesn’t answer, continuing to type a message out on her phone. It takes a couple of seconds and I let her have her time with Ryan. I get it. It sucks being away from someone especially when it’s so new.
Tossing her phone onto the table, she looks at me and smiles. “Not until just recently,” she answers with complete sincerity in her voice.
I should give her shit, but I won’t. I’ve known Erin a long time and she rarely shares her feelings. This admission is huge for her, so I just smile at her and hope for the best for her and Ryan.
“How about you?” she asks staring out at the water, the music softly playing in the background as the wedding draws to a close.
“Of course. I mean, when I was younger I was certain I would marry Beck. But you know, things change and for a while I wasn’t sure I’d ever find someone else.
After he left it was really hard because I felt like our whole future was planned out and he went and ruined it by leaving.
” I stop as I recall all of it. Still fresh in my mind, but somehow not as painful now that I know I have him back.
“Do you really think he ruined it?” she asks and I know what she’s getting at.
“I don’t know. Knowing what I know now, I realize he wouldn’t have been happy being the chief in Rockport, living the life his dad and his grandpa did. I think we both knew all along that was Finn’s life, not Beck’s. It was just hard for me to admit it, and even harder for me to let him go.”
Looking back on all of it, I think I romanticized a life for us that would never have been the reality.
I was young and na?ve and in love, but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.
I was coping with far too much at the time and I think I took it out on Beck more than I should have.
But I also can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had just compromised and moved to Boston with him.
“So what are you gonna do now?” Erin asks, and it pulls me from all the thoughts of my past.
“I guess I’ll just wait and see what happens.”