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With tears in her eyes, and for the very last time as a single woman, Amanda prepared breakfast for all of them, which included eggs for healthy protein, whole-grain toast, vegetarian sausages, avocados, and fresh berries. As the veggie sausages sizzled, Audrey helped Grandpa Wes with the crossword, pondering quietly as Grandpa Wes pointed out a bird in the window. “I haven’t seen a Great Auk like that in years. Look at the wings on him!”
Amanda could have wept, but she didn’t want to ruin the mood. So, she plated everyone’s breakfast, put on the radio, and sat with three of her favorite people in the world, preparing her heart and mind for the next phase of her life. It was just as her mother had always said: it was best to start the day with breakfast. After that, you had the strength for whatever life threw at you.
ChapterTwelve
Kelli awoke to the sound of Xander’s voice. Still groggy, she kept her eyes closed, listening as Xander said, “Hello, baby. Good morning,” and then kissed her on the cheek, on the forehead, and on the lips. It took a moment for Kelli to realize she wasn’t safely tucked into bed beside him, that she was, in fact, still in her clothes from last night, her face caked with makeup, and her mind wild with stress. She felt nauseated. Her eyes popped open.
“Xander!” She rose up from the couch in her office and rubbed her eyes, feeling defeated.
Xander was, as usual, dressed immaculately in an Italian-cut suit and Italian suede shoes, and his cologne was sandalwood and leather and something else, maybe vanilla. Kelli could have basked in how handsome he was all day. Then again, she had a to-do list about a mile long, and, according to the clock on the wall, it was already nine.
“I can’t believe I slept here,” she said, trying to laugh it off.
“I kept waking up at home, looking for you,” Xander said. “I called a few times, but you must have slept through the rings.”
Kelli glanced at her phone, which was filled with missed calls from Xander. “I figured if I stayed the night, I could wake up early and jumpstart on everything I need to do today. So much for that.”
“Let me order you some breakfast.” Xander turned and grabbed a mug of coffee from the desk, which he passed to her now.
“You’re an angel,” Kelli breathed, taking the coffee. It was hazelnut and warm, and it immediately animated a few of her dead brain cells.
With Xander downstairs ordering the breakfast, Kelli changed into another work dress, sprayed her hair with dry shampoo, and redid her makeup. She then checked on the status of the vendors who were delivering goods for Amanda’s wedding that morning and early afternoon to ensure they would make it in time. According to the website that listed mailing information, all of the vendors were either on their way or had already dropped off supplies.
Xander returned with breakfast bagels piled with egg, cheese, and bacon and two more coffees.
“There’s a bit of drama in the kitchen right now,” Xander said, as though he wasn’t sure he wanted to confess this to Kelli before she ate.
Kelli groaned. “What’s up?”
“All these vendors are arriving.”
“For Amanda’s wedding.”
“Right. But it seems like their stuff is getting in the way of Chef Billiard’s stuff, and some of the kitchen staff are being really unkind to the delivery drivers,” Xander explained.
Kelli took a big bite of her bagel sandwich, already knowing she wouldn’t have time to eat the entire thing before she had to run downstairs to put out the first fire of the day.
“Next week,” Kelli assured Xander, as though she could read his mind. “I promise that I’ll find someone to take over.”
After Kelli ate one-half of her breakfast bagel, she and Xander hurried downstairs, where they parted ways. Xander had a meeting with a business associate that morning, which he’d planned to have right there in the ballroom. Meanwhile, Kelli passed by Sandra on the way to the kitchen, who smiled nervously.
“Are you holding up okay, Sandra?” Kelli asked.
“I’m holding on for dear life!” Sandra joked.
“Big wedding today,” Kelli said.
“We can get through this,” Sandra assured her. “Let me know any way that I can support you.”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing,” Kelli said as she breezed past, then shot through the kitchen door to discover a chaotic scene.
Three of Chef Billiard’s kitchen staffers, guys in their twenties who’d come to the hotel specifically to work under such a renowned chef, stood around boxes and carts that had been piled high with supplies for Amanda’s wedding. It seemed that, instead of finding a place to put the supplies, they’d decided to stand around, complaining about it. Their endless complaints meant that the rest of the kitchen was behind on breakfast orders. Just before Kelli interrupted their endless barrage of annoyances, one of the servers burst into the kitchen and said, “We have seven tables who’ve been waiting for their breakfast for over an hour. Don’t you know I work for tips?”
“If you want to do real work, come back here!” one of the kitchen staffers blared at the server. “We can trade places.”
“Right. I’m sure you’ll wow the tables with that charm,” the server said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Nobody had noticed Kelli was there, watching them, aghast. It seemed she’d lost total control over the hotel.
