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27
Jane spent the next week at work avoiding Austin as best as she could, and was surprisingly successful. She hoped not having him around would help her feelings change, because she knew she needed to take her sister’s advice and forget about him.
She felt better knowing Austin would be more visible at The Oxford, and become more of a frontman, and not with Jane and her team. He would be perfect being a family spokesperson for The Oxford because it was right up his alley. Being able to chat and schmooze with very important people seemed to be one of his superpowers. Normally, the regulars at The Oxford were well-to-do locals, and many of them were well-known people in the Rhode Island area.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to hide, or avoid him, forever but the good thing was that right now she was continuously busy and she had her head down all day long. At the moment, there was nothing to worry about for Kat and Mike’s upcoming wedding. She knew all that craziness would begin to unfold in the next couple of days as their wedding was officially one week away.
“Hey there, girlfriend,” a friendly voice said from Jane’s office doorway.
Jane looked up to see Kimberly standing there with a huge smile on her face. She looked like a ray of sunshine in a yellow maxi dress.
“Kimberly,” Jane smiled, glad to see her, “what’s going on?”
“I just wanted to come by and say hello,” she said with an innocent smile. “I know this wedding has put you in overdrive over the last couple of weeks, so I just wanted to check in with you.”
“Oh, my God,” Jane answered, thankful for Kimberly’s friendship, “it’s been crazy. Between the Kat and Mike wedding and trying to keep up with all our other events going on, my head is spinning.”
“I still can’t believe they whisked you away to L.A. for one sampling. Imagine having that kind of money,” Kimberly said incredulously.
Jane smiled and nodded, knowing that Kimberly was from that kind of family money, but appreciated her thinking it was outrageous. “It was quite the experience, believe me,” Jane answered
“How’s it been working with you-know-who?” She asked.
Jane knew she was talking about Austin since she had vented about him to Kimberly when he first came to work at The Oxford. She didn’t want to lie to Kimberly, but she also didn’t want to give her feelings away. Kimberly walked around with her heart on her sleeve, but Jane didn’t want to give away any hints about how she really felt.
“He hasn’t been too bad,” Jane answered truthfully.
“Are you serious?” Kimberly replied, sounding surprised, waiting to see if Jane was trying to pull a fast one on her.
“Yeah,” Jane nodded, “believe it or not, he’s been helpful with the planning for Kat and Mike.”
“So what exactly does he do?” Kimberly asked.
Jane sat back in her seat. “Well, he doesn’t do event details like we do, but he’s been good at being a family point person for The Oxford, and… it seems Kat’s wedding planner has taken a liking to Austin, so he’s on top of all of those plans, too.”
“Oh,” Kimberly nodded with a smile, “On top of?”
Jane laughed, “Oh, stop! Molly McKee has been a little demanding with his time, but Austin doesn’t seem to mind.”
“I’m surprised by that,” Kimberly chuckled. “But as long as he’s not making your job insane, that’s all we can ask for. I mean, if you have a family business, it’s nice for people to actually meet the family behind it.”
“Yes,” Jane answered, “hopefully we will be able to continue to book more high-profile type weddings like this one. I mean, after Kat tagged us on her social media, interest in The Oxford skyrocketed. I’m not even kidding, I’ve had hundreds of inquiries from brides, so believe me… all this hard work has been worth it.”
“That’s incredible,” Kimberly added. “That’s good news for The Oxford. Looks like we’ll be busy in the future.”
Jane nodded in agreement. “It’s been incredible, and Mr. and Mrs. Drew are thrilled with the response over the last week. I swear I’m going to have to hire more people for our team. So going back to your original question, having Austin attend these high-profile meetings, as the family rep, is a good way to use his skills in the family business. I honestly think they weren’t sure where he would fit, and they were hoping for the best.”
“Well, he’s been wining and dining like a freaking pro all week long in the restaurant,” Kimberly smiled. “I know they moved him to be a frontman, but I'm telling you, you should see him. I mean, I know he can be annoying as hell because he’s… well, he’s Austin,” Kimberly laughed, “but he knows everyone. He’s just like his mother and father.”
Jane smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat, thinking about him in the restaurant, working the room, and doing his best to meet and greet guests. “The guy was made for the spotlight here, that’s for sure.”
“Doesn’t seem like his brothers are interested in being in the spotlight,” Kimberly said shrugging her shoulders, “I chat with them almost every single day. They have zero interest in being part of the business as a spokesperson. They enjoy staying in the background. But people love having a Drew out front…and Austin’s good at it, and people are eating it up,” Kimberly said.
Jane laughed at Kimberly’s bluntness. She loved that about her and appreciated her honesty and friendship. “So he’s been down in the restaurant all week, huh?” Jane asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“All week,” Kimberly replied with a nod. “And I don’t know if you knew from working with him on the wedding stuff, but he’s a major flirt.”
“Oh, yeah, I know,” Jane replied, trying to play dumb.
