Chapter Fifteen
“Who’s that one from?” Kenzi asked her assistant, Liz, who carried a gallon-sized vase shaped like a mason jar full of flowers. The condolences came at a steady rate, and Kenzi’s office looked more like a greenhouse than a weathered barn stall.
The wall behind her was covered in aged wood, the colors varying. A large black-and-white print of her grandfather as a child leading the award-winning heifer across the barnyard filled the space between the two windows. Kenzi loved that picture and had the print made the week she moved into the office.
“This one is from the Night family.” Liz set the spray of flowers on the coffee table. Her pretty cream lace skirt fluttered around her knees, and her ever-present brown cowgirl boots often announced her arrival.
“Ah.” Kenzi put her hand over her heart. The Night family owned and operated one of the dairies that supplied their ice cream factory in Idaho. They had been in the dairy business for as many generations as Kenzi’s family. Because they’d taken such pride in the animals’ bloodlines, breeding with only the best and even buying livestock from across the pond, their herd was one of the healthiest and highest producing in the nation. “That was kind of them.”
Kenzi went back to monitoring the Facebook page. Pinned to the top was Dad’s obituary, and under that were hundreds, if not thousands, of comments. She wanted to like or answer each one personally. The fact that their customers cared enough to post about Dad or even just a note about how much they love the ice cream he made touched her heart. There was more to this business than just satisfying a craving. Dad made it more, and she wanted to do the same, but the sheer number of comments was overwhelming, and she hadn’t even looked at Instagram yet.
Liz straightened and smoothed down her skirt. “Mr. Westport is on the tour.” She paused, glancing around the room. “Where should I put him when he returns?”
“What do you mean?” Kenzi blinked the sting out of her eyes. If she kept reading these, she’d end up in tears for sure.
“Our only open office is, well, your dad’s, and I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to put him in there, all things considered.”
Kenzi’s stomach dropped to the floor. “No. No one should take Dad’s office.” Raquel would flip, and for once Kenzi wouldn’t blame her. “Which reminds me—we need to set up a meeting with the executive committee to go over what’s happening with the company now that Dad is officially gone. I’m sure they’re wondering what we plan on doing.”
“They aren’t the only ones.” Liz grimaced. “People talk.”
Great. “Then this needs to happen today. Check with Raquel to see what time she’s available.”
“And if she’s not available today?”
“Schedule it anyway. We need to keep the rumors from getting out of hand.” No matter which way the final vote went, having a steady company that looked as good in person as it did on paper was a priority.
Liz nodded and left to send emails and make phone calls and accept flowers on behalf of the family and corporation. Kenzi promised herself fifteen more minutes on Facebook, and then she would move to the next item on her list.
Before her time was up, Raquel marched into the office. Her hair was pulled back again and her lips were painted a light pink. “Day one and you’re already acting like the boss.”
Kenzi continued to type her thanks to a man who had left a lengthy message about how Hazel’s Dairy Delights treated their employees like real people and how they’d helped him through his fight with cancer. She remembered the man, who worked in their factory, because they’d donated to his medical bills. “If you’re referring to calling a meeting to inform the executive committee of the pending vote and state of the company, then yes.” She hit “post” and motioned for Raquel to take a seat. “I want to keep this company in one piece, so yes, I’m going to act like I want that to happen. And I’m going to work towards it. Thankfully, until the vote, our goals are the same.”
“Really?” Raquel’s mouth was lined with disbelief.
“Yes, really. The stronger the company, the more money it would bring inifwe were going to sell—which we aren’t.”
“We’ll see.”
“Well, until either of us officially takes over Dad’s office, we’re on the same team.”
“I see your point and I concur.” She glided into the chair. Sometimes, the way Raquel moved, it was like she didn’t have any angles. Perhaps the sharp edges were all in her personality instead. She continued, “Lunette won’t answer her calls. I checked in with the nanny, and she says it’s unlikely she’ll make it out of bed before three.”
“We’ll have to proceed without her.”
Raquel rubbed her temple. “Such a waste of a beautiful mind. She’s smarter than both of us put together.”
Raquel’s weariness brought Kenzi’s to the surface. “Is she okay?”
“It’s just a bad hangover.”
They lapsed into silence for a few minutes, each deep in their own thoughts.
Kenzi picked up a pen and rolled it between her fingers. “Do you ever feel like we’re stuck in the same pattern with her that we were with Dad? I mean, are we doing any good by allowing her to continue on this path?”
“I tried. Believe me, Kenzi, after Hattie was born, I begged and pleaded, I even bullied her, and it didn’t help. She has to want to change. We can drop her off for rehab, but she has to sign the admittance papers or we have to have her ruled unfit to make her own decisions.”
“You’ve looked into this.” Guilt built inside Kenzi. She’d been so focused on her own hurt during that time that she’d let her sisters down.
