Chapter Seventeen
Marcus
“That was amazing, right?” I asked my mother. When Zamora headed to the kitchen, Eli stood and excused herself before heading to the ladies’ room.
“It was, and she should be the head chef of this place.”
“Nah, she has her catering business, and plus, John is a cool dude, and I’m sure if I would had asked him for some new ideas, he would have been up for the challenge.”
“True, but still Zamora in my opinion is a better fit.”
“I’m sure and I’ve been meaning to ask you, why on earth did you refer her to Eli? What made you think that was a good idea?”
She hunched her shoulders innocently. “Well, Zamora is just getting started, Eliana is a up and coming designer. The business would be good for Zamora. Eliana will meet tons of brides at her shop and if Zamora knocks it out of the park with your wedding, which I know she will. Just imagine how many clients she can refer to her,” she explained, and I hadn’t thought about that way.
“That sounds good,” I said, nodding. “But you didn’t think that that would cause a bit of friction? I’ve barely spoken about Zamora to Eliana, so I wish you would have just given me the heads up.”
“Well, if I had done that, you would have said no,” she said, and Eli came back to the table.
She sat. “So do you think I’ll get my salad before dinner time?” she joked, glancing at her watch.
I stood. “Let me go and check on it for you really quick?” I said, but Zamora was heading back with a tray. Relieved, I reclaimed my chair, and Zamora placed a huge bowl of veggies, nuts, cranberries, and sliced avocados in front of her.
“I made you two choices of dressing, spicy lemon olive oil and creamy balsamic,” she added, putting two gravy bowls onto the table, giving a point to the two different flavors.
“Wow, this salad looks beautiful. This should be a menu item. The dressing, I appreciate, but I don’t really do spicy,” she expressed, scrunching her nose with displeasure.
Handing her a spoon. “Well, I really wish you’d try it, because it has a hint of spice, nothing overpowering, and I’m more than confident that you’ll like it,” Zamora suggested.
Eliana hesitated, but then she took the spoon and dipped it in the dressing. She leaned in and gave it a tiny taste. Not sure she had enough, she went in again, put a bit more on her spoon, and gave it another try. The corners of her mouth curled up and she gave a nod, confirming that she did like it. “See, I told ya,” she said.
“Yes, but I want to sample both,” she said, giving the other one a heftier spoonful and then slowly pulling the spoon from her mouth with a moan. “That is so amazing. I think I need some cooking lessons. I mean, can you teach me how to make this?” she said as she drizzled the dressing over her huge bowl of salad.
“I’d be happy to,” Zamora said with a smile.
“Honey, please enjoy your salad and allow us to discuss things in more detail,” I said, standing.
She stopped chewing. “What about and why can’t I sit in?” she questioned. I knew she wanted to tag along that morning, but I didn’t think she’d want to be in on the business part of the meeting. I wanted to sit down with Zamora, Alisha, my AGM, and John, my head chef, to discuss menu changes, timelines, and new F&B budgets. Giving me a little nod, Zamora walked away, heading towards the kitchen.
“Well, you can, but I’m sure you wouldn’t be interested in what we have to discuss,” I suggested, and then my mother spoke up.
“Yes, my dear. They have confidential hotel business to discuss. Why don’t you and I talk about this upcoming wedding while my son and his employees talk about the hotel business,” my mom added.
She stabbed her salad roughly and then spoke. “That’s fine. Go handle business Marcus. She didn’t sound too pleasant, and I was wondering what was really going on with her. Eliana never had an attitude before and seemed to be way more mature before. How she was starting to act was raising my brows.
I leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I won’t be long.”
“Take your time, son. We need to catch up,” my mom added, referring to Eliana. I wanted to say more about the tension we all had going on, but I proceeded to concentrate on work. As soon as I walked into my office, I went over to pour a shot of Whiskey. It was barely noon, but the morning had already got off to a rocky start. Having Zamora and Eliana in the same room didn’t need to ever happen again. ZeeZee giving Eliana cooking lessons, tips, or classes would be a hell to the no for me. I’d make sure to express that concern to Zamora, because I didn’t want to argue with Eli about it.
A couple of moments later, the staff, including Zamora, walked in. We got started. I quickly fell into a workflow with them as we covered products, forecasted new cost, and new menu design. We came up with some clever names for the new dishes and renamed some of the old. When Zamora stood to leave, I made sure that I told her that I’d holla at her before I left the hotel. When I got to back to the dining room my mother was sitting alone, and I wondered where my fiancé was.
“Hey, where’s Eliana?” I asked as soon as I approached the table. My mom looked up at me, and I took a seat.
“She had to go. She had a client call about a missing button or broken zipper. Anyhow, she asked me to tell you to call her after your meeting,” my mom explained with a nonchalant wave in the air.
“Okay, now do you have a moment to tell me why you dislike Eliana all of a sudden?” I asked.
“What? Where do you get that from? I don’t dislike her. I don’t like her attitude at times and how she oversteps sometimes.”
“Overstep? How?”
“I don’t know, with adding her idea for vegan menu items or asking why she can’t sit in on a meeting. Y’all aren’t married yet, and she is talking like a wife, not a fiancée. When we were trying to discuss wedding ideas, every idea her mom and I said got shut down and frowned upon. I’m just slowly watching her change from the impressive, smart, ambitious, and humble person I met a couple of years ago. It’s like when you proposed to her, her personality has been a bit snooty,” she expressed.
I didn’t dispute it because I noticed some subtle changes too, and her actions the last few nights have been out of the norm. “I get it, but cut her some slack. She is adjusting to the changes we’re both experiencing right now. A lot is about to happen with us combining finances and business. I don’t think she meant any harm. She just wants to be in the know, mom and I wouldn’t mind if she learned the hospitality side. After all she is going to be my wife. If she can help me out around here, I’d be grateful.”
“Well, you don’t have to rush into full disclosure about the hotels. She will be your financial priority, and that is for sure. Pump your breaks with access to the hotel’s finances. What goes into your personal account is y’all business, but what goes into our LLC is our family business.”
“Of course, but as an owner, that may change after we get married,” I returned. If me and my wife could work side by side, that would be a dream for me.
“Ummmm, will you be becoming a part owner of her wedding gown boutique?” she asked, and I paused before answering.
“Well, no, but I’m sure I might be one day, if it comes to that. I mean, that’s her thang, not mine.”
“And this hotel is our thang, not hers. Now, your tech store is all yours. You own that solely, and may share that with your wife, but this here belongs to our family, and your offspring. I suggest you get that prenuptial agreement drawn up before you and your bride exchange vows,” she said standing.
“No, Eli and I don’t need a prenup, ma, that’s not the woman I’m marrying.”
She paused in her tracks. “Marcus, don’t be a fool. We didn’t raise a foolish man, so take my advice. Just know if things go left, and you don’t make it till death do you two parts, she won’t walk away empty-handed. You aren’t broke, and she will not have access to the family’s wealth,” she said and leaned in an kissed me on the top of my head, like a mother would. “Think about it, because I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this one.”
“That’s because she’s not Zamora,” I disputed, and my mom didn’t back down.
“No, that’s not true. I’ve just known Zamora for a very long time, and her personality and character has been consistent. She is genuinely a great woman, but I want my son happy with his choice, not mine. I’d never ill advise you son, even if you were marrying Zamora.”
“But if it was ZeeZee, would we be having this conversation?”
“Considering our history with Zamora, no, but if it resembled the vibes that I get from Eliana, yes,” she said, and before I could respond, Zamora approached.