AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 21
Essex
This evening, me and theMrs. find ourselves at Botanique Eatery in Rosemary Beach, Florida, waiting for Paul Walton and his wife Olivia to arrive. I do business dinners occasionally, but this is my first one as a married man. It’s an exciting prospect. No hiding. No pretending. Quintessa doesn’t have to worry about who’ll see us. We can be free to be ourselves.
“I’m nervous,” she says, rubbing her hands together.
She’s wearing a black dress that stops to her knees. Her hair is straight – no curls – laying on her shoulders. The red lipstick automatically draws my eyes to her lips. They tempt me constantly.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll do most of the talking.”
I kiss her on the cheek, hoping it helps to soothe her anxiety. “Don’t forget to stand if he greets you with a handshake.”
“Seriously, Essex?”
“I’m just making sure you know the proper business etiquette.”
Moments later, the maître D is showing Mr. Walton and his wife to the table. I stand up, shake his hand and Quintessa follows my lead, shaking his wife’s hand as well.
I say, “This is my wife, Quintessa. Quintessa, this is Paul Walton and his wife, Olivia.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Quintessa,” Paul says.
“And what a beautiful name,” Olivia adds.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you both as well.”
We all sit. Quintessa immediately focuses on the menu. She’s studying it intently. I lean over to her and ask discreetly, “Do you see anything you want for a first course?”
“I don’t know what half of this stuff is. What’s a foie gras duo?”
“Foie gras is liver.”
“Ew. I’ll stick with the crab cakes.”
I look up at Paul and Olivia and say, “The wife wants crab cakes. To go with that, I’ll order scallops, baked oysters and the tuna tartare for the table.”
“With all of that, I just may forego the entrée,” Olivia says.
I respond, “You say that now, but wait until you see the portion sizes they got here. It’ll make you appreciate all the courses.”
I tell the waiter the appetizers to bring and request two bottles of red wine, then say, “So, we finally sealed the deal with Walbridge Industries. All I can say to that is welcome aboard, Mr. Walton. You will not be disappointed.”
“Thank you. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve been with the same company for twenty years. It’s good to put some fresh eyes on things. And please call me Paul. There’s no need for such formalities when we’re going to be working this closely together.”
“You got it.”
The waiter is back with the wine. He opens one of the bottles and pours us all a glass. Shortly after he comes back with the appetizers. Quintessa tries the crab cakes while studying the menu to decide on an entrée.
“Mmm, these are delicious!”
“Then I guess I better try one,” Paul says, reaching for the platter in the center of the table.
His wife goes for the tuna, then says, “Quintessa, tonight shouldn’t be all about the menfolk. What do you do?”
“Oh, I work for—”
“She’s transitioning to being a stay-at-home wife and coordinating some charity events for the company,” I say to stop her from telling my client she works for DePaul & Company. I don’t know if it would rub him the wrong way that my wife works for me. It rubsmethe wrong way, so there’s no telling what he would think about it.
