Chapter Eleven #2
Before long, she was pulling into the property, focused on making some serious inroads on the invoicing system.
She proceeded to Cal’s office, surprised when he wasn’t there.
They’d agreed to meet and go over everything this afternoon.
Dropping her notebook on a chair, she went in search of him.
It was a big estate, but there were only a limited amount of places he could be.
Retracing her steps, she detected sounds emanating from the kitchen. Sticking her head in, she saw Cal with someone she didn’t recognize. She was about to turn and leave when Cal spotted her. His eyes widened, and he checked his watch.
“Damn. Rachel, sorry,” he apologized. “Can you just give me a minute, Paul?”
“Sure thing. I’ll go grab that folder from my car. I need to make sure we’ve gone over everything.” Paul took another look around and said, “It will be tight, but I’m sure we can make it work.” With a tilt of his head to Rachel, the man walked out.
Seeing Rachel’s curious glance, Cal said, “A caterer. Trace set up the meeting and forgot about it. She wasn’t here, so I jumped in.”
Cal must have read the disdain on her face, because he added, “I know. I know. But I can’t handle Trace right now. Even with her mistakes, I still need her to keep this place running.”
Rachel’s shoulders dropped. “Of course, Cal. Sorry. I can only guess how frustrating this is.”
Cal acknowledged her with a tight smile.
She looked around the kitchen. The caterer was right.
The proportions of the kitchen weren’t that large, given the capacity of the ballroom.
The kitchen would also limit any plans to expand event size.
She could see why the Fitzgeralds had listed a commercial kitchen as a necessity if the event business continued.
Cal shook his head and walked over. “Sorry, I lost track of time. But this should wrap up quickly. Then we can dive into whatever you need.”
“We should catch up with Paul. You know,” Cal continued, his voice dropping slightly, “to ensure there weren’t any other mess ups. Cause surely, we’ve reached our quota there.” He laughed and started to walk out of the kitchen.
He paused in the doorway to look back, a hint of a smile and his eyes twinkling with humor, making Rachel’s heart beat a little faster.
How was it possible he was more attractive when he was up to no good? It said something about the man he was, that he could find something humorous about the situation.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Well now, you jinxed it.”
Cal barked out another laugh as his eyes met hers. “Just what I need,” he replied.
When they entered the foyer, the caterer was flipping through a file folder.
“How does it look, Paul?” Cal asked. “We good to go?”
“Yes,” he replied, drawing out the word. His focus was still on whatever he was reading in the file. Eventually, he looked up. “I think we’ve discussed everything we need. The only thing I have a note on that you didn’t mention was the champagne.”
“The champagne,” Cal repeated cautiously, causing Paul’s eyes to narrow.
“Yes, the champagne. The bride and groom requested a specific label. My distributor didn’t have it,” he prompted.
Cal glanced at Rachel. She was going to kick him in the shins. This is why you didn’t jinx things.
“The champagne. Sure,” Cal replied.
Paul sighed heavily. “Trace said she would look into getting it and let me know, but I haven’t heard anything.”
“She probably has a note about it on her desk,” Cal replied. “But just to be certain, can you give me the name? I’ll check into this and call you with an answer,” he emphasized.
Paul rattled off a name while Cal made a note on his phone. He assured Paul, once again, he would be in touch.
When the door shut behind the caterer, Rachel turned to Cal. “Trace didn’t have the name of that champagne in the event file, did she?”
Cal rubbed his forehead. “No. No, she did not.” He held her gaze. “Although I wasn’t lying. She may very well have a note somewhere on that desk of hers.”
Rachel wanted to tease him about his own messy desk, but it wasn’t the right time. She also wanted to give him that kick in the shins for jinxing things, but it was no fun when he looked this stressed out. It must be tough doing all this by yourself without proper help.
“So, we find the champagne,” she replied.
“My fear is that Trace contacted our usual suppliers, and when they couldn’t help, she stopped trying. I’d be very grateful for your help, Rachel. I’m sure between the two of us, we can find it.”
“There you go, jinxing things again. Do you ever learn?” Rachel hesitated briefly before reaching for her phone.
Before she could dial, Cal asked, “Calling the illusive sister, again?”
Rachel looked down at her phone, reluctant to talk about why she had mixed emotions about calling her own sister. She conceded that sharing and talking with Jess about the project was nice. But as usual, Rachel feared leaning on her sister too much.
Inhaling deeply, she looked at Cal. Hopefully, none of her emotions showed. “Jess will most likely know a few people we can contact. Even if your regular vendor has it, having additional names of potential vendors is always a good idea.”
“Agreed,” Call replied. “I’ll call our vendor and get that process started. This is not how I saw my day going,” he continued. “I have all my friends coming this weekend and I was really hoping to be focusing on that.”
“Oh, it’s Friends’ Weekend?”
Cal smiled. “Yes, it is. We haven’t all been together in about a year, so we’re really looking forward to it.”
“Well, let’s get this handled and then finish up our work so you can focus on that.” Not waiting for a response, she took a few steps away and put the call into Jess.
“What can I do for you, little sister?” Jess said as she answered the phone.
“Is now a good time?”
“I have some time. I’m working the evening shift at the restaurant. What do you need?”
“I’m calling cause there’s an issue…”
“At the estate,” Jess interrupted with a laugh.
“At the estate,” Rachel repeated, her heart sinking. She shouldn’t be bugging her sister with this.
“What did that event planner do now?”
“We need a specific champagne that a bride and groom have requested. The caterer doesn’t have it.”
“I know I said call me if you had any questions, but I meant about events in general, not linens and champagne,” Jess joked.
Rachel felt her chest tighten. She realized Jess was most likely joking, but her comment landed a little close to home. “I’m so sorry, Jess. I absolutely will stop.”
“Hey!” Jess said sharply. “No. Don’t stop.” She was quiet for a moment. “I like that you need me. That you’re relying on me.”
She cleared her throat and continued. “I enjoy talking events. Any part of events, even linens and liquor. I haven’t since… well, it’s been some time, and I could go for having more conversations like this.”
The bottom dropped out of Rachel’s stomach. “Are you not happy in your job?”
“Oh, I am,” Jess said lightly. “It’s a good place for me to be, as I’ve been getting my bearings again. It’s been… a safe place. But I’m enjoying the questions and challenges you’re calling with and also just talking about event planning. So please, call me with anything.”
“By the way… ” Jess’s voice got brighter. “Who’s catering?”
It took Rachel a moment to shift gears and respond, “Um, his name is Paul? I think the company name was Tupphalls or something like that?” Rachel replied. When her sister burst into laughter, she couldn’t understand why.
Jess finally stopped laughing long enough to tell her. “It’s not Tupphalls. It’s Two Pauls. Two Pauls Catering actually,” Jess chuckled. “I know them, or of them I should say. They have an excellent reputation.”
Rachel laughed, “I’ll let Cal know.”
“You do that. Now, let’s talk liquor. I work with Luke’s Liquor and will text you their information. I’ll send along a few other names, but unless the couple is looking for something really rare, Luke’s should manage to find it for you.”
“You’re the best, Jess.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
After agreeing to meet up for dinner next week, Rachel ended the call. Looking down at the phone, Rachel wondering if talking with her sibling would always be so conflicting.