Chapter Thirteen
Sweets for the Sweet
Rachel could still hear Cal and his friends laughing as she walked into the office.
She didn’t know what she expected, but Cal’s friends were a surprise.
She couldn’t remember a more enjoyable day with people who were basically strangers.
They had welcomed her with open arms and made her feel right at home.
And when Cal started up with the song title battle, she was shocked. He’d certainly come a long way from Mr. Grumpy and Condescending that she’d met at Alex’s wedding.
Looking around the office, she couldn’t see her notebook. Although given the state of the office, that wasn’t surprising. She’d hoped this would be a quick retrieval. No such luck.
Flipping through the stacks of paperwork on the chairs, she was discouraged when it didn’t appear. She’d thought she’d left it on a chair. Although it easily could have been moved as Cal was searching for things.
Moving to the desk, she started sifting through piles. And that’s when she found it. Not her notebook, but something of Cal’s. Something that shocked her.
While it wasn’t surprising Cal had a written five-year plan for White Hall Estate; he’d said as much. What she hadn’t expected was it to be as formal or well thought out as it was. Naturally, she’d started scanning through the document.
It only took seconds for her to be hooked. When he’d said he had plans for the estate, he wasn’t kidding. His vision for the future of land and business was remarkable.
The event expansion was all laid out, as was the bed-and-breakfast he mentioned.
But all of those projects were after the older barn was converted to a distillery as funding for future development would come from in-person and online liquor sales.
That was what drew Rachel in, especially after she scanned the market analysis and financials he included.
The distillery option appeared to be a potentially powerful business model. The proposed marketing strategy capitalized on the family history of distilling. Granted, it was more of a bootleg variety, but how Cal had positioned the brand made that work in his favor.
With just a cursory glance, the project’s viability and Cal’s passion were leaping off the page. She was beginning to agree that White Hall was a truly special place. A place that should be preserved.
The Fitzgeralds did say they aimed to serve the estate’s best interests. What if Cal’s plan was the best option? Did their dismissive attitude toward their son extend to his proposed plans? Were they blinded to the possibilities? Wasn’t she honor bound to investigate any potential options?
Seth hadn’t really given her a suitable answer on presenting alternatives to the Fitzgeralds. Until she had the green light, the potential distillery was a side project to research on her own time. But if it looked like a strong option, she’d bring it up for discussion.
But what she wouldn’t give to have more time to explore Cal’s very detailed plan and extensive supporting material. She wanted time to read the entire plan and analyze the data. It was certainly a lot to think about.
With a final glance at it, she put the document back where it had been. She needed to find her notebook and get back home so she could finish typing up her notes.
When she finally located her notebook, she tossed it in her bag. She hesitated for the smallest of seconds before grabbing the five-year plan and putting that in as well. It was stupid and impulsive, but she did it.
Driving off the estate, she called Jess.
“Hey little sister. What’s up,” Jess answered cheerfully.
“Hey there. Hope I’m not calling at a bad time.”
“No. Actually I’m not working tonight, so I’m home.”
“I was wondering if I could get your opinion on something.”
“Sure thing. What do you need to know?”
“Um. Actually, can I bring it to you?” She hedged.
“Sure,” Jess replied slowly. “Is everything okay?”
Before Rachel could edit herself, she told Jess about her time with Cal and his friends and now the plan that she’d just taken from Cal’s office. When she finished, she sighed and waited for Jess’ reaction.
“Whoa.”
“I know. I know.” Rachel moaned. “I mean, it’s not that big a deal. If I had asked Cal to read it, he probably would have said yes. I briefly considered walking back out and doing just that, but I preferred not to interrupt again.”
“And you didn’t want him to say no,” Jess offered.
“And I didn’t want to risk him saying no,” Rachel agreed.
Jess was quiet a beat too long, making Rachel squirm. After what felt like a year but was probably only a few seconds, Jess replied. “Come over. Bring the plan. I’ve got pot roast in the oven and salad. More than enough for two.”
Rachel let go of a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Thanks, Jess. See you soon.”
Hanging up, Rachel shook her head. Today had suddenly turned into lots of unexpected ups and downs. Again with the roller coaster she hated. But being able to swing in spontaneously and see Jess made her heart sing.
When her sister had first come back, there had been so much distance between them. It was as if they forgot how to talk to each other. So this level of ease was something that Rachel didn’t take for granted. And when dinner turned into a lively discussion of the plan, she treasured every moment.
It also left her researching the distillery industry late into the night on Sunday, trying to confirm the data Cal had presented. When she finally went to sleep, she was happy that so far, everything she’d found backed up Cal’s information.
◆◆◆
“So basically, you crashed his party, and mooched a meal,” Lisa said in her most sarcastic tone.
They were in the break room at work and Rachel was once again making a pot of coffee for the office. One day she’d walk in to find a full pot, but it hadn’t happened yet. It was beginning to feel like hunting for a unicorn.
“No,” Rachel laughed. “Well, yes, but…” Hearing Lisa say it like that made it all the more cringy, and it was pretty cringy to begin with.
She’d just about cried when she realized she didn’t have her notebook at home.
Seth had been so emphatic about wanting her notes this morning.
She felt she had no other choice but to text Cal.
“I didn’t mean to.. I mean I didn’t want to…” Rachel said. “It just sort of happened before I knew it was happening.”
It was bad enough interrupting his friend’s weekend, but staying and having lunch was like doubling down on rude. Although Cal had been right. His friend Jacks was a force to be reckoned with.
She did have to admit, once she relaxed, she’d had a fantastic time.
Cal’s friends were great and entertained her over lunch with so many amazing stories.
She also heard some passing comments about Cal’s parents.
She was reluctant to pry, so she had asked nothing further, but from what she gathered, they revered and missed Cal’s grandfather terribly, but almost everyone disliked Jay and Celeste Fitzgerald.
Together with Mrs. Mac’s assessment of the couple, a very unflattering picture was forming of who her clients actually were.
It didn’t sound like Cal had an easy time of it growing up.
And their times at the estate made her understand a little more why he was holding the property so closely.
It wasn’t a simple case of legacy. White Hall Estate sounded like Cal’s refuge.
One he’d invited his friends to share in.
“Nope. Sounds like a classic party crasher situation from what I’m hearing,” Lisa said, pulling Rachel from her thoughts.
“Lisa,” Rachel groaned. “You’re making it worse!”
“I’m not making anything, any certain way.
I’m just stating facts,” Lisa grinned over at her.
“Besides, it distracted you enough that I managed to sneak away with a cup of fresh coffee,” she lifted her mug and turned to go.
“Fresh coffee in the morning is a requirement,” she called over her shoulder.
“You’re evil,” Rachel replied with no heat.
“Well, that’s true,” Lisa said, pausing at the door. “But it wasn’t me that invited myself to Cal’s this weekend. You should have just stolen some furniture from there and called it a day,” she laughed as she vanished down the corridor.
Rachel’s stomach dropped as Lisa’s words hit home. Grabbing a cup of coffee, she quickly added cream and sugar before retreating to her office. Frankly, she had no idea what came over her yesterday.
Which brought her to the moment that was still twisting her stomach into knots. Just taking Cal’s written plan without asking was insane. She still couldn’t believe she’d done it.
Rachel rubbed her forehead, feeling the dull throb of a headache brewing. She’d have to be honest with Cal, but for the moment, she was focused on the possibilities the plan laid out.
After pausing for a moment, she logged onto her computer and started compiling the information.
She saw that Seth had been going through her notes, adding a few comments and questions.
Today’s focus was pulling together White Hall Estate’s financials.
It’s hard to see where it could go if you didn’t know where it was.
Seth found her later, hunched over her computer, scowling. His knock on her doorjamb startled her. “Oh hi, Seth. Sorry. I was completely absorbed with something.”
“Seems that way,” he replied. “Sorry to disturb you. I was merely checking in but can come back later.”
“No. No,” she said, rubbing her head, only now realizing the dull throb had blown out into a full-on headache. “Now’s great. I need a break from this, anyway.” She aimed a disgusted look at her computer screen. It wasn’t the computer’s fault, but she was going with guilt by association.
“What are you working on?” he asked.
“I’m trying to pull the financial data from the software used at White Hall.” she said, wondering for the millionth time how in the world Cal got anything done with that damn software.