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4
Driving up to The Oxford still gave Jane goosebumps. It was grand, spectacular, and breathtakingly beautiful. Turning down the long driveway leading to The Oxford, guests were met with expansive green grounds filled with meticulous, trimmed grass and pretty, seasonal flowers. Since it was the beginning of April, tulips were in bloom and gorgeous shades of pink and purple lined the driveway to the main building.
The main building was a historical, brick mansion that Mr. Drew had converted into an events space more than 40 years ago. He had invested all of his money, blood, sweat, and tears into the old, rundown place that everyone considered a money pit. People had warned him not to invest in it, to stay away from it, but he, along with his new bride, wanted to roll the dice. He had begged and borrowed from everyone he knew, putting all his eggs into this one basket back in his early twenties. He saw the place as his future, as the future for his family. He saw it as the centerpiece of something big. He wanted to defy the odds and create something useful and meaningful for people in the community. It took him five years to get the restaurant up and running and then, throughout the years, he slowly added to the business when he saw more potential. The Drews had transformed The Oxford into a masterpiece, gaining fame and respect in the local area over the last 40 years, along with accumulating great wealth, and securing a name for the Drew family in the world of hospitality in the New England area.
Jane always put extra effort into her work outfits because, in her job, image mattered. She needed to look polished, professional, and stylish on a daily basis. The Oxford was an upscale establishment, so there was no such thing as wearing denim to work. Denim was for days off, not for the office. This particular morning, she had put extra effort into finding the perfect outfit for her meeting with Austin and Mr. Drew. She was nervous about coming face-to-face with Austin again after all these years, and she wanted to look good, real good. Thankfully, her salary had almost doubled when she was hired at The Oxford, so she had extra money to put toward her wardrobe. Growing up, her parents never had extra money for expensive clothing, so she and Ali made the best with what they could afford. It was so nice now to be able to afford nice things because clothing gave her an extra boost of confidence at work.
As she walked through the front door of The Oxford, she was immediately greeted by the staff at the front desk, all of whom were so kind, friendly, and nice. Mr. Drew had created a loyal, hard-working team of people who loved their jobs. She felt a true connection to the staff and loved being part of the team. They all shared the goal of ensuring that each person who entered the establishment felt appreciated and welcomed. Guests were treated like family, and many of them returned again and again.
“You look gorgeous today, Jane,” a friendly voice echoed behind her. “You never wear pink, which means you must buy more of it… immediately! It looks amazing on you.”
Jane turned, easily recognizing the voice, and smiled at Kimberly. She worked on Jane’s team at The Oxford and was young, chic, adorable, and on the pulse of all things trending. She was way too pretty for her own good. She had long, light brown hair that was always done in some intricate boho braid, big blue eyes, a high-pitched voice, a tiny petite frame, and always a smile on her face. You couldn’t miss her when she walked around The Oxford, and when Kimberly said you looked good, you listened.
“Thanks, Kimberly,” Jane said as she walked over to her. “I wanted to look extra good for my big meeting today.”
“Oh, yes,” Kimberly whispered, rolling her eyes. “Is this the meeting with whom I think it is?”
“Yes,” Jane answered, shrugging her shoulders, not wanting to mention any names because you never knew who could be listening. “I want to make sure I make a good impression.”
“Girl,” Kimberly added, “you couldn’t make a bad impression if you tried! Besides, that pink silk blouse with those black trousers and Gucci belt look exceptional. Not to mention, I don’t think I’ve seen you in those gorgeous black high heels before. You’ve added three inches to your frame. You look rich!” she laughed.
“I look rich?” Jane laughed, “Well…fake it till you make it, right?” Jane winked. “Although this outfit alone took my entire paycheck last week.”
“Well,” Kimberly added, looking her up and down. “It shows. You look amazing. I might need to borrow that blouse.”
“Coming from you,” Jane said, looking over at Kimberly’s gorgeous pink Love Shack Fancy mini dress, “that’s a huge compliment.”
“Oh, you always look great,” Kimberly said, knowing that Jane always came in looking fashionable. Jane was more conservative in the fashion department than she was, but that was because she was the Director of Events and had to deal with clients in a much different way than she did since Jane was the boss of their team. At 21 years old, Kimberly loved pushing the fashion edge a bit, but she was lucky to have the family funds and means to be able to do it. She didn’t necessarily need this job; it was more for fun and to prove to her parents that she could hold a job, but she took it seriously and loved the people she worked with.
“By the way, what time’s the meeting? Just so you know, I haven’t seen him come in yet,” Kimberly said, looking behind Jane to keep an eye on the front door. “All the other brothers are in, but not Austin, not yet,” she whispered, looking at Jane with a not-so-surprised look.
“Our meeting is at 11 am, so in about two hours,” Jane replied. “I’ve gone through all my notes and have jotted down all the details I have so far for the big celebrity wedding coming up,” she ended with a smile.
“Which we’re not allowed to discuss,” Kimberly winked. “But I’m dying to scream it from the rooftops!”
“I know. Believe me, I know. We’re not allowed to say anything publicly until she makes the announcement herself on her social media,” Jane added.
“And we don’t know when that will be, right?” Kimberly asked.
Jane shook her head with a frown, “No, not yet. Her manager said it would be soon. But I don’t know what soon means. This wedding is in four weeks, so I hope she announces it sometime in the next few days, so we can start promoting it here. I’m dying to get the word out.”
“This place is going to be slamming the second word spreads. It’s not exactly ever quiet here, but my God…” Kimberly sighed. “It’s going to be crazy!”
A huge smile spread across Jane’s face, “I know! I can’t wait!” she replied in a giddy tone.
Kimberly smiled while shaking her head, “Your workload might triple, but you don’t seem to have a care in the world about that! Talk about cool as a cucumber. I just want to make sure I’m in some of the photos that are put out there from the wedding,” she winked. “That will skyrocket my social media visibility.”
“Oh, please,” Jane shot back. “You’re already there. You have tons of followers. You actually should be running The Oxford’s social media channels, you would kill it… but I’m not going to suggest that to anyone because I don’t want to lose you from my team! Every time I see your social feed online, you’re always somewhere glamorous after work hours. You’re on every A-list invite in Rhode Island.”
“Hey, I try,” she laughed, with a cute shrug.
“The Oxford was smart to grab you,” Jane smiled. She had heard from some of the other employees that Kimberly’s father was a good friend of Mr. Drew’s and that was how she got her job at The Oxford. But that connection, if true, didn’t seem to impact Kimberly’s job performance. She was good at what she did, and it seemed she enjoyed event planning. She was a true people person, and she had the power to make everyone smile.
“I keep telling you that you should start joining me when I’m out on the town,” Kimberly teased.
“Oh, my God,” Jane chuckled. “I feel like I would be an old lady compared to all of your friends. I’m 29 years old. I don’t think you want me weighing you and your crowd down.”
“Oh, stop!” Kimberly laughed back. “You should come out and let us find a guy for you!”
