Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
CALM DESPITE THE CHAOS
“Stay here,” Cameron says, and slips out his office doors to head down the hall.
I do as I am told for a total of ten seconds, until the sound of shouting joins the chorus of shrill beeps, and I can’t help but go after him. The smoke hangs in the air like a haze, and the acrid smell of burnt sugar grows stronger with every step that I take.
I turn the corner into the kitchen and find myself right in the middle of Delaney and Judith’s argument that has escalated to a screaming match to overcome the high-pitched alarm.
“Not only was this rude and unjustified, but it was incredibly dangerous—”
“I told you that the cookies were done—”
“And I assumed that meant you had taken them out of the oven! Never in a million years did I think—”
“I’m a guest here, Delaney. Not your personal assistant. And I—”
“I asked you to watch the cookies for one second while I opened the door—”
“While you catered to the more affluent women—”
“That’s not what happened! Not even close—”
They continue to go back and forth while Cameron removes the charcoaled cookies from the oven and drops the smoking pan on the stovetop.
He waves the towel in front of the smoke detector to try and get it to turn off, and I run to open the glass accordion doors to help his efforts.
Val and Leah appear in the kitchen a moment later.
“What is going on?” Leah yells, covering her ears. Val takes in the scene with wide eyes and immediately does a U-turn, leaving the room as quickly as possible.
Delaney and Judith shout over each other to retell their version of events, but both pause when the alarm finally stops.
Leah takes her chance to add her two cents. “Judith, that was completely uncalled for. Delaney asking you to watch the cookies for a second does not mean that she thinks less of you.”
“Exactly! Thank you, Leah,” Delaney agrees, her hands accentuating the point. “I’ve hosted hundreds of retreats, and I’ve never—”
“Dealt with a woman who paid her own way? I can tell. Drew and I are the only working women here, and you singled us out from the get-go by making us work in the kitchen.”
I pale as everyone’s attention turns to me.
I would hardly consider Delaney telling me where the dishwasher was when I was already putting my plate into the sink as work.
And I didn’t use my own hard-earned money to come here either because Scott, Gabe, and Monika footed the bill.
Saying either of those things would only add fuel to Judith’s irrational fire, though, so I keep my mouth firmly shut.
“Wait a minute,” Leah jumps back in, pushing her long curls behind her shoulders. “We are all hardworking women here. I am a teacher, and Val is an entrepreneur—”
Judith rolls her eyes so hard that her head moves along with the motion.
“I’d hardly consider Val’s job hard work, and judging by the size of that diamond on your finger, you’ll quit teaching the second your millionaire husband’s first batch of kids turn eighteen, and he finally lets you pop out a few of your own. ”
“How dare you—” Leah shouts, but Cameron steps forward and puts his arms out like a referee at a boxing match.
“Okay, that’s enough. I’m sorry, Delaney. I know you asked me to stay in my lane, but this has officially gone too far.”
“I’ve got this. Back off,” Delaney warns Cameron through gritted teeth.
He remains calm despite the chaos and addresses Delaney directly. “I’d like to walk Judith to my office so that everyone can have some space, and so that we can adjust her travel plans for her to leave first thing in the morning, unless you have an objection to that?”
Judith interjects before Delaney can answer. “I’m local, so there isn’t any travel to adjust, but I’ll happily go with you so that we can discuss a full refund.”
“Of course,” Cameron says, calmly.
Delaney’s eyes continue to burn red with rage, but it’s hard to tell if she is madder at Judith’s antics or Cameron’s interference. It makes me feel strangely protective of him, so I take a few steps forward to insert myself into the conversation.
“How about we let Cameron handle Judith so that we can get on with our night? I am still looking forward to the wine tasting, but I need to run upstairs to get ready.”
“Me too,” Leah says, following my lead. “I only have mascara on one eye because I came running when I heard the fire alarm.”
Delaney looks back and forth between Leah and me. I hold my breath as I prepare for her to start yelling at one of us next, or to storm out of the room.
“You really do only have one eye done,” she finally says, visibly deflating.
“I know.” Leah smiles. “Let’s all go get ready and pretend this never happened.”
“I’m still standing right here,” Judith snaps, but the tension has already dissipated.
“Fine,” Delaney concedes, ignoring Judith.
Leah leads the way out of the kitchen, and Delaney follows in step behind her.
As I bring up the rear, I look to Cameron to mouth a silent thank you, just as he does the same thing to me.
We both grin at our accidental jinx, and my stomach does a full somersault.
I speed up to get out from under his gaze and remind myself for the tenth time that getting close to Cameron is a terrible idea, just as the doorbell rings.
Delaney and Leah stop and look at each other, puzzled.
“Are you expecting any other guests?” Leah asks.
“No. Everyone is here.”
Val reappears from around a corner and heads straight for the door to open it. A hulking man who is drenched from head to toe from the storm steps inside, shaking his hair side to side like a wet dog.
“Hi, I’m Ollie,” he says, and holds out a dripping hand to Val.
She recoils as she shakes it, but Ollie doesn’t seem to notice.
He continues smiling as he removes his dark-rimmed glasses that are splattered with raindrops.
He searches for a dry bit of his shirt to wipe them on, vaguely reminding me of a bumbling Clark Kent, especially with the dark, wet curls that fall on his forehead.
Val holds out her hand for his glasses, and he gives them to her with a crooked smile.
“What are you doing here, Ollie?” Delaney demands, the frustration from arguing with Judith still clear in her voice. “We were planning to come to you.”
“Cam called me. He said you guys wanted to do the tasting here because of the storm. Can’t blame you, it’s raining cats and dogs out there.
” He pauses when Val hands him back his glasses after wiping them as best she can on her black silk shirt.
He thanks her with another lopsided smile and puts them back on before continuing.
“Where is he anyway? I need him to open the garage door so I can unload.”
I follow Leah’s eyes down to Delaney’s hands that are clenched into fists so tightly that they are practically shaking.
Anxiety creeps up the back of my neck at the sheer speed at which this night has gone from bad to worse, and I wish more than anything that I could just go to my room and hide until the dust settles.
“Excuse me for a moment. I need to remind Cameron, again, about what our roles are this weekend,” Delaney says, charging down the hallway towards his office.
Leah and I exchange a panicked look as Ollie follows after her, his shoes squeaking with each step on the marble floor. Val closes the front door, muting the sounds of the storm pounding the roof outside, plunging the three of us into stunned silence.
“I’m going to go make a phone call,” Leah declares after a few seconds. “I’ll be up in my room if anyone needs me.”
She walks past Val and starts up the floating staircase, and after weighing the pros and cons, I decide to follow suit.
I’ve only known him for a few hours, but Cameron seems more than capable of handling himself, and I really, really, want to get out of these clothes.
I walk past Val with a nod, noting that she is not wearing a stitch of makeup but still looks flawless.
She nods politely back but murmurs something under her breath as I pass by.
“What’s that?” I ask, turning back.
“Insane, all of them,” she repeats.
“I think you’re probably right with that assessment.” I chuckle and continue up the stairs. When I am about halfway up, I turn back around to ask, “What about me?”
She gives a quick appraisal and purses her lips. “Still undecided.”
I laugh again. “Fair enough.” Then, I continue up to find my bedroom.