37. Kayla
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
KAYLA
“ S urprise!” Patti says from behind me. I turn to look at her, mouth gaping as I stand between the dining room and patio. I knew the internship board may use some of our ideas for the event tonight, but this is something else.
Every round table is covered with the exact royal blue scalloped tablecloths and warm yellow tea light center pieces I submitted with my portfolio. The large menu displayed in the foyer is a handwritten version of my own. Even the place settings, gold-leafed China, soft gold-colored silverware— everything— is how I’d imagined it in my head.
“Patti, what? This is?—”
“Your portfolio,” she finishes, grinning ear to ear. “The internship board was very impressed with your level of detail. The way you organized your presentation—showing your process of sketching and linking it to real-world examples—was excellent. They especially loved the tiered pricing structure you included and praised your use of comparison within each tier. From the small details like your table tracking cards for each server, to the logic you used when numbering the tables, it’s all very well done. It’s exactly how they would like event planning interns to present ideas to potential clients.” She smiles expectantly as she looks at me.
“Event planning? But this is a catering internship…” My face scrunches as I try to make sense of what she’s saying.
“We both know you don’t want to do catering, Kayla, and it’s clear you have exceptional skill with planning and management. I’ve been lobbying all year for the board to expand our internship program with you in mind, and you will be the first event planning intern for our EP division.” She grins, watching as I take in all the information she’s just dropped on me. I got the internship. No, I got a better internship, one that will directly translate to what I want to be doing with my life.
Looking up with tears in my eyes, I shake my head as I try to form words. “I…you… Thank you. I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Hey, you did the hard work. I’ve watched you go above and beyond for years to get here. You deserve this, Kayla.” She smiles warmly, squeezing my shoulder before walking away.
My hands tremble as I look around Trancy Hall slack-jawed, fully appreciating all the time and effort I put in to get here. I did it . All the double diner shifts, camp counseling, management positions on campus, and even babysitting have paid off. Today might be the best day of my life.
The alarm on my phone snaps me out of my trance, signaling ten minutes until the start of the catering staff meeting. I scramble to the back of the kitchen and grab my uniform before finding a bathroom to change in.
“Hey, girl,” Ashlie greets me as I reenter the kitchen, wearing an outfit identical to mine and the other servers. Her hair is securely out of the way, and she’s wearing a white button-down shirt fitted with a bowtie, a V-neck pinstripe black vest with gold buttons lining down the torso, and black slacks with black dress shoes. We line up against the wall as Patti prepares to give her pre-event pep talk.
“There will be a lot of people here tonight who expect you to give them what they ask for quickly and accurately. No matter how unreasonable the request is, you will do what is in your power to meet it. We want Seaside Catering to gain referrals from everyone in this venue based on our customer service. Everyone here tonight has verified they are over twenty-one, so keep the drinks flowing until nine-thirty p.m. Things to remember: No drama, minimize conflicts, the customer is always right. And most importantly, all tips you receive are yours to keep. The doors will open in ten minutes, and the company has requested a mingling cocktail hour before dinner is served.” She takes a breath and smiles at the staff lined up in front of her.
Patti’s being a hard-ass tonight, which is expected considering this is her reputation on the line. It’s empowering to watch her slip into boss mode when I see her young Mrs. Claus personality at the diner every day. She’s mastered the art of balancing warmth and professionalism, something I try to emulate in my own professional persona.
“And now for the exciting news.” Patti pivots. “I want to introduce our three newest interns. Ryan and Riley will be joining us on the catering team, and Kayla has been offered our newest internship, learning the ropes as an event planner.”
Clapping bounces off the walls of the empty dining room while everyone offers congratulations to the three of us. Ashlie throws her arm around my shoulder in a side hug. This excitement still feels surreal. If I weren’t looking around at my portfolio come to life, I’d have a hard time believing any of it. The clock chiming on the wall snaps me out of my celebratory daze, signaling the opening of the front doors.
In no time at all, people dressed in formalwear more expensive than the clothes in my closet combined enter the dining room. As the tables fill, our line of staff dwindles until we’re all running drink orders back and forth between the bar.
I see Kendall, Russell, and Christine in passing as I work my way through the rapidly filling dining room. Camryn and Tamryn are hunkered down at a table on the patio, so I’m sure Maggie is somewhere around here too. I don’t have time to worry about her, though, with the fast pace of the cocktail hour occupying all my thoughts.
Near the beginning of dinner, I run into Chase. He’s leaning against a wall, hands in his pockets, wearing a navy-blue suit and tie with a crisp white shirt underneath. His hair is slicked back out of his face, and those ocean blues mixed with his crooked smile are threatening to distract me. He looks so damn handsome; I’m tempted to pull him into a closet somewhere.
Chase snags me by the elbow, tugging me out of the pathway of the other waitstaff. “I know you’re working, but I wanted to say hi before you got too busy,” he says with a grin. His fingers caress the back of my arm. “And I wanted to hear about the internship.”
“Hi.” I respond, my voice rushed as it mimics the pace in the dining room. “I can give more details later, but?—”
Glasses crashing behind the bar shifts my attention back to the dining room. Patti rushes to the bartender’s aid, giving me a few extra seconds to talk. I slide my eyes back to Chase, and we stare at each other for a few seconds, trying to keep our smiles polite and our distance professional since we’re both at work. “I’ll fill you in about the internship later.” Stepping closer to him, I deliver a message I hope he thinks about until he takes me home tonight. “And I think you should keep the suit on when we get back to your place,” I whisper, giggling at the way his eyebrows shoot upward.
“You got it.” He winks, squeezing my arm before heading off toward the ballroom. My stomach flips over three times as I watch him walk away, heart thumping at the realization that he’s mine and I’m wholeheartedly his.
I love him, and I’m his.
“Whew, I forget how good he looks in a suit,” a cool voice says from behind me. I turn to see Maggie, biting her lip as her eyes follow Chase walking down the hallway. My first instinct is to sneer.
She’s not going to ruin this night for me.
I reconfigure my scowl into a hospitable smile and ask her, “Can I get you anything?”
“Oh, I think I can get him myself. Thanks though.” She saunters off toward the patio, and if it wasn’t for the constant stream of orders coming in, I’d find a way to trip her smug ass.
After a thirty-minute presentation in the ballroom, we’re ready for the dinner course, and I’m pulled aside by a staff member named Krista. “Table twenty-six on the patio has requested you as their server.” My eyes move along with hers as she gestures to the table where Maggie and her friends sit. “They were adamant, and since we have to ‘meet every unreasonable request,’ I’ll trade you for one of yours.”
We pull out our table tracking cards, and I peel off my number thirteen sticker as she hands over the number twenty-six. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before nodding and trudging outside. She’s not going to ruin this night for me. “What can I get for you?” I ask with a smile, unabashedly faking my way through the interaction. If I don’t give them the satisfaction of my annoyance, I can get them what they need and get away quickly.
“We want full bottles of the house red and white,” Maggie informs me, rolling her eyes like she didn’t call me over here.
“Sure. Anything else?”
“Just the wine for now. I’ll get some dessert later.”
I nod and wind my way back inside to the bar. Once inside, I place the order and take a minute to look around the dining area. Chase’s table is in the corner, and I’ve been avoiding looking over there to keep from distracting myself. Right now, though, I can’t help but take a peek, just wanting to get another look at him in that suit. Glancing that way, I notice he’s not there. I scan the crowd and see him bouncing between tables, laughing with almost everyone he talks to. The ease in which he talks to people is effortless, and I catch myself smiling as I watch him network. My heart.
The bartender hands over the two bottles of wine, and I steel myself, fixing my face before walking back outside to deal with the trio again.
“Here you go,” I slide the bottles on the table before reaching into my apron for my corkscrew. Camryn and Tamryn whisper about something, while Maggie taps her foot, looking me up and down as I open the bottles.
“You know it’s never going to last between you two, right?” she says as I place the newly opened bottle of red wine on the table and reach for the white.
“Can I get you anything else, Miss St. Clair?” I reply tersely, ignoring her jab as I place the second bottle of wine down in front of her.
She’s not going to ruin this night for me.
“You two don’t make any sense together. Chase is basically technology royalty, and you, well, you’re just the help.” Her smirk is smug, like she’s delivered some kind of devastating blow that will knock me down a few pegs, where I seemingly belong.
Screw it.
Something in me snaps. Not enough to cause a scene, but just enough to flip off my hospitality switch while I deliver some devastating news of my own.
Leaning down so we’re eye level, I stare at Maggie with my eyebrows pulled together, gathering as much faux pity as I can muster. “Oh, you haven’t heard?” I ask, knowing full well she has no idea about the news I’m going to share. Everyone else at The Bluffs has kept my being Kendall’s daughter a closely guarded secret for now, at my request.
Maggie’s eyes narrow as she folds her arms across her chest and leans back, obviously disgusted that I would dare get so close to her face.
“Kendall’s my dad, so I guess that makes me technology royalty, too, cousin .” I know she and I aren’t technically related, but adding in the term feels like a nice way to drive home just how close our circles really run. The combined looks of rage, horror, and surprise on her face fill me with giddy satisfaction, knowing my message was received as intended. Standing up straight, I smile at the trio before turning on my heel. I walk back into the dining room, refilling the water glasses of my other tables as I go.
“What a menace,” Ashlie says after I briefly recap what happened outside, leaning against the wall at the back of the dining room. We’ve hit a lull, with the guests wandering around the venue, admiring the Victorian architecture and the beautiful garden outside in the courtyard. “Cape Cod and Tampa just sat there and didn’t say anything?”
“Nope, Camryn and Tamryn were whispering back and forth, like usual.”
“Switch tables with me, just this once.” Ashlie cracks her knuckles. I bump her shoulder with mine, snorting at her implication.
“The night’s almost over. They’ll be off to New York and we’ll never have to see them again.”
“Well, I’ll never have to see them again. You, on the other hand, have a dad and siblings who she’s related to. I think you’ll have to deal with her periodically. Why not put her in her place now?”
“Because this is work, and I’m a professional,” I say, stretching my back as the ache from being on my feet all evening sets in. She’s right, though. I will probably run into Maggie again at some point, and the call to set her straight gets louder each time I interact with her. “Besides, she’s harmless.”
“She’s annoying is what she is, and she wants your man.”
“Yeah, but still harmless.” I raise my eyebrows in an attempt to get her to let it go.
“Okay, okay, you’re right. It helps that your boyfriend is a Golden Retriever personified. That boy is crazy about you, girl.”
I smile, biting my lip as I remember Chase pulling me aside earlier. He looked so damn good, and in a few short hours, I’m going to enjoy getting up close and personal with that suit he’s been wearing all night.
The bell sounds in the kitchen, signaling us to begin preparation for the dessert course. Ashlie and I grab trays and turn in opposite directions to our assigned regions. I’m bent over a table on the patio, stacking plates and glasses, when I feel someone brush my arm. Expecting another server, I turn distractedly, keeping my eyes on the table before meeting a pair of piercing blues.
Straightening my vest, I stand and smile. “Oh, Hi, Mrs. Wilmington. Can I get you anything?”
“Now, Kayla, you know good and well I want you to call me Christine,” she says with a smile.
“Okay. Christine, can I get you anything?”
“Not at all. I wanted to tell you how great of a job you did here. Kendall was telling us how he remembered seeing a lot of the design elements tonight on your portfolio. Everything here looks amazing. You have quite the talent.”
“Thank you,” I say, beaming back at her. “It’s taken a lot to get here, but everything looks better than I could have ever imagined.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted to say congratulations, and I’m so happy Chase found you.” She squeezes my arm and makes her way back inside.
Taking a deep breath to bolster the sense of pride I feel about this event, I look around the courtyard. Guests mill around the shrubs and flowers, and my eyes meet a dark-haired ballerina with a perma-scowl. Maggie stands at the arched entrance alone, wineglass in hand, smirking at me like an evil little pixie. I straighten my back and give her a smile with a little finger wave before turning to grab the tray stacked with dishes.
As the night has progressed, guests have shed their fancy jackets and shawls. The dining room now resembles that of a business dinner crowd, with alcohol lending to loud laughter and people sitting wherever they choose. Slowly, my colleagues and I are beckoned to refill drinks and swap out dessert choices. I glimpse Chase slipping out of the dining room, mingling with another table or three full of people outside .
Guests have started to make their exits the closer we get to ten o’clock, and I’m making my rounds with pitchers of water, when Camryn comes up to me. Her voice is high and nasally, so I know for sure she’s Camryn. “Tamryn needs a refill,” she tells me, and whips around without another word. There’s no clarification, no indication of what exactly needs to be refilled. She just turns on her heel and walks back across the patio like she expects me to follow. Trying hard not to roll my eyes, I brace myself for the return to table twenty-six to see what else they could possibly need.
“Did you enjoy dessert?” I ask, looking around at the three untouched slices of cheesecake while I move around the table to fill their water glasses.
Giggling, Tamryn turns to me, and with her much deeper voice says, “Oh, I think Maggie’s enjoying a different kind of dessert right now.” She juts her chin toward the courtyard. Without a second thought, I turn to look over my shoulder.
I go still as stone.
Down the stairs, through the courtyard archway, on the ledge of the water fountain, sits Maggie. Except she’s not sitting on the ledge, she’s sitting on Chase’s lap, her fingers tangled in his hair, kissing him while his hands rest on her leg. They whisper something back and forth before turning and looking right at me. And somehow, I’m no longer serving ballerinas on the patio. I’m transported back to my freshman dorm room, looking at Evan and my roommate.
Alone, together.