AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Qasim thought he could feel his nerves grating, but admitted his frugal assistant had a point. No one could argue the fact that the Bauer family had no qualms about giving back. The annual Grape Gathering had been established by Rose Bauer, and Vectra had done more than simply continue her late mother’s charity extravaganza. It had been her idea to hold a special day exclusively for the very kids the proceeds from the Grape Gathering admission tickets were to benefit.
Local children from low-income families and those living in homeless shelters in and around the greater San Francisco area were invited out for a day of grape picking. The event began with a mountainous breakfast and continued with breaks for generous lunch and supper buffets.
“Think of the money we could save,” Minka urged her boss. “Vectra probably wouldn’t even charge us to hold the event there.”
Qasim shifted on his seat at the head of the long table. Rubbing his eyes, he attempted to veil the doubt lurking there. After the other night, the charitable mistress of Carro Vineyards might very well charge an arm and a leg for the privilege of hosting.
An arm and a leg is right—my own!
“We’ve got nothing to lose by asking,” someone at the table said.
“I like the idea of having it at a vineyard instead of some stuffy old hotel,” another agreed.
“Great idea, Mink,” someone else cheered.
Will stood suddenly and began to collect his belongings. “You guys will have to excuse me. Good luck, Minka. Sim, do you want me to keep working on this, or should I turn the event back over to Minka? It’s been her baby for a few years now.” He tugged at his tie indignantly. “Maybe she wasn’t as ready to give it up as you thought when you asked me to handle it.”
“I don’t think she’s looking to have all that work back.” Qasim attempted to play the role of peacemaker. It was very necessary for him to be fully committed to the conversation. Just then, however, he had no real interest in locales, budgets or any other aspects of the early-morning meeting.
After leaving Vectra’s, following their heavy conversation, he’d told himself that it was for the best. It was what he’d wanted after all, right? An involvement between them wasn’t the best idea, was it?
“Nothing’s set in stone, Will,” he said, “but anything that puts more money into the hands of the kids I’m trying to help has to be worth checking out. We keep Minka pretty busy around here. I’m sure she’s not trying to heap more work on her plate.”
Minka waved a hand. “Definitely not trying to grab more work.”
Will nodded stiffly. “Then I’ll just wait to hear from you on when I can get back to my job.”
The room was silent as everyone watched Will leave.
Qasim pushed back from the table. “If there’s no more business, meeting adjourned. Minka? Stick around.”
“So? Was I right?” he asked her when they were alone. “Do you really have enough on your plate, or is this your way of telling me you want back in on organizing the charity weekend?”
“I swear I have enough to keep me busy. I only got the idea after seeing Vectra the other day and then going over those hotel projections Will dropped off.” Minka pushed at the edge of the legal pad before her on the table. “I just thought I’d be a better person to talk to her about it than Will.”
“Agreed.” Qasim left the table and went to pour himself a glass of cranberry juice from the bar cart.
Minka doodled on the pad while Qasim prepared his drink. “Can I ask you something?” She looked up, taking his silence as permission to continue. “Do you think Will’s the best person for this job?”
“Concerns?” Qasim’s interest in business was then very much back on track. He tilted back some of his juice and waited for Minka’s response.
“No, only it takes a certain amount of patience and finesse to put these events together. Maybe Will would like something different but doesn’t feel right asking after everything you’ve done for him already.”
Qasim came back to the table, sat on its edge. “I thought giving him something far removed from what he was used to might be the way to go.” He gave a skeptical smile. “You think I screwed up?”
Minka was quick to shake her head. “No, Will handled the job very well, in my opinion. Putting this event together isn’t easy. Hopefully, he’ll find his other responsibilities a breeze after this.”
“Yeah...his responsibilities have a lot of people concerned...I’ve never seen anyone cooler under pressure, and he’s been in some situations where ‘cool under pressure’ is a coveted skill,” he tacked on, not meaning to reveal quite so much.
