Page 8 of The Rented Bride

Chapter Four

Cassie dropped into the chair in the kitchen’s small office and listened to the fifth ring of her call to PK Wait Staff. The hired crew was nearly an hour late. Her team, along with the four extra staffers she’d hired, were busy setting up tables, moving furniture for better traffic flow and overseeing the kitchen setup. But she would need the extra staff to wait on the guests once the party filled up.

The phone picked up and a voice said, “Thank you for calling PK Wait Staff.”

“May I speak with Ms. Denton?” Cassie said before she realized the voice was a recording.

“We’re sorry. Office hours are 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Please call during normal business hours or leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

What? Cassie pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the number she’d dialed. Yep, she recognized the number. It was the cell phone she’d called when she booked directly with the owner of PK Wait Staff, Brenda Denton.

Cassie ended the call and vaulted from the chair. Two minutes later, she knocked on Meg’s open door and entered as Meg shifted her gaze from one of the monitors to her.

“Hey, Cassie—” Her smile dropped off. “Uh oh, what’s up?”

“Ten of the wait staff I hired haven’t shown up.”

“What?”

Cassie nodded. “PK Wait Staff was supposed to send them.”

“Is it possible they’re late?” Meg asked.

“All ten?” Cassie said. “Can I see the work order from Gallagher Event Planning?”

“Of course.” Meg shuffled through papers. “Damn,” she muttered. A glint appeared in her eye. She handed the paper to Cassie.

Gallagher Event Planning had also contracted with PK. “They aren’t coming,” Cassie said. “The only explanation is sabotage. This is my fault. I should have checked.”

“This is business,” Meg said through tight lips. “Brenda and Teri need to get over it. Don’t screw the chef on the counter and you won’t lose your job.” Meg stood, rounded her desk, and began pacing. “When Trent finds out he’s going to be furious.”

Cassie had entered nuclear meltdown. “Don’t they realize this is suicide?”

Meg shook her head. “I can’t imagine that Gallagher could pay PK enough to make sabotaging us worthwhile. We have a contract with PK, not to mention, to wrong a man like Trent Weston, well, as you said, it’s suicide.”

“Brenda Denton didn’t strike me as underhanded,” Cassie said. She considered herself a savvy businesswoman. How in God’s name had she been caught off guard like this? “I’m usually a good judge of character.”

“I haven’t worked with PK before,” Meg said. “I don’t know Ms. Denton.” She blew out a breath. “Guests will be arriving within the hour. How will we possibly replace ten people on such short notice?”

“I’d feel most comfortable if I had all ten,” Cassie said. “But we really only need an additional six.”

“What?”

Cassie nodded. “I have begged, borrowed and stolen every favor I was owed to make sure things went off without a hitch—which is to say, I always overcompensate. I hired four more wait staff from another company.”

“Cassie!” Meg cried. “You’re a genius.”

“A genius would have hired ten more wait staff,” Cassie said. “We’re still six short.”

“That’s not so bad,” Meg said.

“It’s not as bad as being ten short, but it’s not good. Do you have anyone who can work as servers tonight?”

“Mr. Weston hires only the best people. I can round up some help. And I’ll call my sister, Tess. She’s home from college on break. I know she’d love to help. She planned to be here for the party anyway.”

“They just have to be able to carry a tray,” Cassie said. “And we need server attire. Black dress pants and a starched white dress shirt. Bow ties for the men. Is that possible?”

Meg grinned. “Absolutely. Both Trent and his grandfather have a wardrobe that would be the envy of every red-blooded woman.”