She didn’t know what her next step would be.
But at least she was free of her father’s control.
Chapter 28
One Day Until the Wedding
Victoria stared down Connor’s high-end coffee maker. Why couldn’t he own a Keurig? Or a Nespresso, like the one in the Blackwood Cellars break room? Instead, he possessed a fancy model he’d ordered from Italy back when he still had money.
Though she’d scoured his kitchen for a set of instructions, she’d come up short. She didn’t want to damage his precious machine, but if she didn’t get some caffeine into her system, she’d have a raging headache. It was bad enough she’d woken up criminally late, feeling groggy and hungover after indulging in brandy-laden eggnog with Jess and Connor the night before.
They’d left for work an hour ago, but she’d been too lethargic to get out of bed. Why should she? She didn’t have a job or anywhere else she needed to be. And she couldn’t summon the energy to go for a run. It had taken all her willpower to sit up, fling back the covers, and drag her sorry ass over to the shower.
Given how miserable she felt, she was incredibly grateful for her brother’s support. When she’d first arrived at his apartment the previous afternoon, she was so exhausted she crashed out on the futon in his guest room and slept for three hours. Though she’d planned to spend the evening wallowing in misery, Connor wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, he and Jess ordered Chinese takeout and coerced her into sharing funny holiday stories. After dinner, they started in on the eggnog while watchingElf—one of their favorite Christmas movies.
But now, she was alone with no one to pull her from the brink of despair. After another attempt at deciphering the coffee maker, she looked up the model online and found a PDF of the manual.Success. She fired it up, made an Americano, and sipped it slowly.
Now what?
She was tempted to call Missy to see if Ben had filled her in on the catering debacle. No matter how relaxing her spa day had been, she was bound to explode once she heard the news.
It’s not your problem. You quit, remember?
Even so, her sense of professionalism nagged at her. She’d put so much work into the wedding that she hated the thought of it falling apart at the last minute. And she truly regretted the way she’d let Rafael down.
It pained her to think how much she’d hurt him. She’d let Ben fire him, even though he’d done nothing wrong. Not only had she been too weak to fight for Rafael, she’d put his family’s business in jeopardy. She was selfish beyond measure, caring only about her pathetic desire to please her father. She let her fear of his disapproval dictate her actions, and in doing so, she betrayed the man she loved.
You need to make this right.
But how?
She could apologize to Ben, like her father had asked. But she knew how her ex’s mind worked. Though he might enjoy seeing her beg, he wouldn’t give in. He wanted to punish her for sleeping with Rafael.
But Missy didn’t care about Victoria’s love life. All she cared about was having the perfect wedding.
If Victoria called her, she might be able to salvage things. She was about to pick up her phone when it rang abruptly, causing her heart to skip a beat. But when she answered it, June’s name showed up on the caller ID. She cringed at the sound of the older woman’s voice.
“Victoria?” June said. “What thehellis going on? I saw your note, and then your father came by with the wedding binder. He told me you quit. Now I’m in charge and have to find a new caterer?”
Yet another reason to feel guilty. In the war between Victoria and her father, June had ended up as collateral damage. “I’m sorry. My father and I had a big blowup yesterday.”
“I get it. The man’s a bear. But I don’t know what to do. No one’s available and the wedding’s tomorrow!” June’s voice cracked. “Is there any way you could convince Ben to rehire Tres Hermanos? Like, plead, beg, grovel.Anything?”
“I’ve been thinking about it. If I approach Missy and get her on board, she could probably persuade Ben to change his mind.”
“That might do it,” June said. “She wants her wedding to be perfect, and it won’t be anywhere near that if she doesn’t get her extra-fancy, sit-down dinner.”
“Exactly. Give me until noon to fix this. Okay?”
“Thank you. If you can’t pull it off, I’m going back to the break room and eating more brittle. I’d rather have another cracked tooth than deal with your father when he’s like this.”
As soon as she got off the phone with June, Victoria mulled over her plan of attack. Rather than call Missy, she sent her a lengthy text. With any luck, she’d have results soon.
She considered putting on her business armor but decided against it. Instead, she’d face Missy as is, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and leggings, her hair in a messy braid. Rather than worry about carbs or calories, she toasted a sesame seed bagel and smeared it with cream cheese. When her phone pinged with a series of texts from Missy, she didn’t reply. Her message had included Connor’s address. She wanted to hash things out face-to-face.
Within twenty minutes, she was gratified at a pounding on the door. She opened it and invited Missy inside.
Unlike Victoria, Missy was dressed to impress—pearls, heels, and a pink cashmere sweaterdress that showed the slightest hint of a baby bump. Her blond hair fluffed around her like a righteous halo. She strode into the room radiating fury, like one of those yappy little dogs that bark at the slightest provocation. “What the fuck! You can’t quit.”
