As she made her way back around the perimeter of the ballroom, the doors to the outer terrace opened. Her father and Senator Macalister came through it, giving off the powerful aroma of cigar smoke. Bracing herself for a possible confrontation, she forced a bright smile on her face. “Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves.”
The senator nodded. “You’ve done a hell of a job, Victoria. Just marvelous. People will be talking about this wedding for months.”
“Glad to hear it.” Even if her father never deigned to write her a letter of recommendation, the wedding would stand as evidence of her abilities as an event planner.
“It’s a damn shame you’re not going to be a part of our family, but Missy…” He trailed off.
“She’ll make Ben very happy. I’m sure he’s thrilled about the baby.”
That might have been a lie, since Ben had seemed more stressed than thrilled when he’d confronted her on Wednesday night. But his father didn’t to know that.
“Yes, indeed. I’m proud as hell to be a grandpa.” The senator glanced across the room. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go do a little more glad-handing.”
As he walked away, Victoria found herself face-to-face with her father. Though the ballroom was filled with people, they could have been alone for all the wariness she felt. The same feeling she always got when he called her into his office to reprimand her. Vulnerable. Immature. Ready to be humbled. She straightened up and reminded herself she had nothing to be ashamed of.
“Mac’s right,” her father said. “Despite everything, you’ve outdone yourself.”
Even if she didn’t need his approval, old habits died hard. “Thanks, Dad. Sorry you’re not getting Ben as your son-in-law.”
Not that she was remotely sorry. But she could be gracious.
“I’m not so sure about Ben. He’s been playing the drunken fool tonight. If he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps, he’ll need to keep an eye on that drinking.” He let out a long breath. “Look, if you want your job back, we can put all this behind us. And if you insist on dating that caterer fellow, I won’t object, even though I think you could do a lot better. I’ll grant you his food’s been excellent.”
You think I could do a lot better?Was this her father’s idea of a concession? If so, it was half-assed at best. Still, she was pleased he’d conceded to anything. Though she had no intention of ever working for him again, she didn’t want to antagonize him either.
“I’ll let Rafael know you liked the food. But as for my job, I think it’s best if I look elsewhere, just to spread my wings a little. The challenge might be good for me.”
He gave a grunt. “Fair enough. But Blackwood Cellars is always open to you. I’d better go check on your mother and see if I need to cut her off. Can’t have her making a scene.”
Victoria winced. Her poor mom. At least she had her plans for New York in place. She watched as her father walked off. No matter how tough things got, she was never going back to work for him again.
As the DJ cranked up the tunes, urging everyone onto the floor with a little “Uptown Funk,” she slipped into the kitchen, grateful for some respite from the noise and the heat.
Rafael leaned against the kitchen island. The sleeves of his white chef’s coat were rolled up, and a sheen of sweat coated his forehead. But he’d never looked sexier. She glanced around at the empty kitchen, wondering where the catering staff had gone. They still had hours of cleanup ahead of them.
“Rafael?” she asked. “Where did everyone go?”
“Since we’re done with the dinner service and the cake, I gave them a break. They wanted to check out the gardens.”
She came closer and slipped an arm around his waist. “Good idea. You’ve all done an amazing job. I’ve gotten loads of compliments on the food. Even my father liked it.”
“Really? It must have killed him to admit it. Martin will be thrilled.” He laughed. “Get this—he’s been busting his ass all night, catering that private dinner in San Diego, but he’s been texting me every hour to check in.”
“And he’s impressed, right?” She didn’t think she could bear it if Rafael hadn’t redeemed himself.
He grinned. “Yeah. But he’s jealous that he’s missing out. Poor bastard.”
Victoria leaned her head against his shoulder as a tsunami of exhaustion crashed over her. She wished she could hide out in the kitchen with him until the wedding ended, but they both had work to do.
“Do you want to get together tomorrow?” he asked. “Martin gave me the day off.”
She smiled, excited at what she was about to reveal. “I’d love to. I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow, because my mom gave me an early Christmas present. She booked two nights for me at the Rancho Bernardo Spa and Resort, for tonight and Sunday. The resort is ten minutes from your place.”
Rafael turned so he was facing her. He pressed his forehead against hers and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Sounds like heaven. But with all the cleanup, we won’t be done until one. And we’ll both be wiped.”
“Even if we’re too tired tonight, we can have fun tomorrow. Sleep in. Order room service. Visit the spa.” She lowered her voice. “Have noisy, passionate sex in a private suite. It’ll be like Baja.”
Except better, because this time their relationship didn’t have an end date. And they weren’t keeping any secrets from each other.
