Adeline sighed as she sunk into her bed. She felt like her head would explode from the lists of flower arrangements, lights, cutlery, and balloons.
Her father had assigned her the task of double-checking every single party arrangement, which meant making many, many phone calls.
"White and gold bouquets," she'd tell them.
"Which shade?" they'd reply, leaving her dumbstruck.
"What are the options?"
"Cream, pearl, ivory, porcelain, lace..." and on they went. Who knew there were so many different shades of white?
She couldn't wait to be done with all this event planning.
"Isn't this the job of the event coordinator?" she'd asked her father.
"Yes, but often as leaders we must supervise and review every little detail," he replied sternly.
So now she was stuck with the arduous task of making sure everything was in tip-top shape for the gala next week. Nothing could go wrong, or she would be the first one to blame.
She began to doze off, thinking about how she would finish reviewing all the arrangements by next week. It wasn't long before Bertha's obnoxious bell woke her, ringing loud and clear.
"Yoo-hoo! Addie-dear!" Bertha called from the dining room. "Lunch is ready."
Adeline groaned, forcing herself to get up. "Coming," she mumbled.
She almost did a double take when she saw her father seated at the other end of the long table. "Dad?" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Hello Adeline," he said flatly without looking up from his phone. "I decided to finish work from home today. And see how you were doing with the gala arrangements."
"Right," she smiled nervously, taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. "It's going well. I was making calls all morning."
"I presume you're not done," he glanced up at her.
"No, not yet. I'm taking a break." She forced herself not to roll her eyes.
"Shrimp scampi, Chef Ryan's specialty," Bertha broke the silence as she came out of the kitchen, placing several plates down on the table.
"Thank you Bertha," Adeline smiled. "My favorite."
"Just like your mother," Bertha smiled warmly until she noticed her father's dark expression. "Excuse me," she cleared her throat, walking away quickly.
Adeline glanced at her father, who still maintained the dark expression that had taken over at the mention of her mother. Every now and then moments like these would happen, where someone would slip and mention the unspoken name, instantly changing her father's demeanor.
She cleared her throat, hoping to change the subject. "How was work today?"
"Same as usual," he replied flatly. "You should come in more often," he added, looking up at her with sudden interest. "Mr. Stevens is looking for someone to fill the supervisor role for one of his upcoming projects. You'd qualify."
"Maybe," she mumbled, although the answer in her head was 'Absolutely not.' The farther away she was from Phipps, the better.
They ate the rest of their meal in silence, until her father finished and rose from his seat. "I'll be in my office."
As per usual. Adeline rolled her eyes.
She decided to go outside for a bit. It was still day out, and she was in need of some fresh air.
A cool spring breeze greeted her as she stepped out the front doors. She turned around the corner of the mansion, heading to the manicured gardens where she found Miguel tending the pink roses.
"Good afternoon," she greeted him warmly, stepping onto the stone pathway in the middle of the garden.
"Adeline, what a surprise," he turned around, grinning under his wide straw hat.
"Sorry I haven't had much time to come out here. I've missed the garden." She breathed in the sweet aroma of the blooming flowers. "How are the chrysanthemums doing?"
"Take a look for yourself." The gardener led her to the backmost bed, where pink buds stood proud and tall on their little stems.
"Why, Miguel, what sorcery have you done?" she laughed in surprise. "These were only tiny sproutlings last I saw them, and that wasn't too long ago."
"No sorcery, mija," he shook his head. "You helped me plant these, and they'll bloom soon thanks to your good work."
"Oh please, I only helped a little bit. You deserve all the credit," she smiled as she stroked the pink buds.
"No, no, I've always said you got the green thumb. Just like your mother," he murmured quietly.
"Well, I've learned everything I know from you. You've been the best teacher."
"Come," he smiled. "Let's prune the roses."
They worked together for a while, pruning several beds of roses, watering all the flowers and trimming the boxwood shrubs.
Adeline had worked with Miguel in the garden ever since she was a little girl. It was the one place where she felt like she didn't have a care in the world.
Just as the sun began to sink down the hills. they headed over to Miguel's "rest stop," a gazebo in the back of the garden surrounded by shrubs and flowers.
They sat in silence, sipping on some diet cokes from his mini fridge.
"Thanks for having me," she said. "I needed this."
"Thank you, mija, for helping me. And bringing me company," he smiled.
After saying goodbye she went back inside the house, now well-lit by the grand chandelier.Before going to bed, she looked over her to-do list one more time, making sure she'd completed all her tiresome tasks.
"Schedule a meeting with the floristry, check. Adjust candelaria arrangements, check. Contact the music coordinator, check. Schedule Nate's suit fitting, ch-" she stopped herself, realizing she'd forgotten to do that.
She obviously didn't trust Nate to get his own suit, so they would be going to her family's private boutique for a suit fitting.
She grabbed her phone, sending a quick text to Nate asking when he was free. He replied instantly.
I can do Wednesday afternoon, he replied.
Perfect. I'll send you the location.
Thanks.
"Well, that's settled," she sighed. She'd give Pietro a call tomorrow to schedule the appointment.
She sank into her fluffy bed covers. In just two days I'll meet the country boy, she thought.
Then a sudden thought hit her. What if he knew who she was? Her full name was on the website, after all.
She hoped not. Everyone always looked at her differently after they found out she was Phillip Augustus's daughter.
He's probably never heard of Phipps before, she decided. After all, he was likely from some rural town in the middle of nowhere.
Why should he know that she was the daughter of a billionare?
* * *
Hey there! Thanks for reading Chapter 2 of Accidentally My Man! I'm posting a chapter every week, so stay tuned next week for Chapter 3! I'm so excited for this story and would love for you to continue reading.
Xx,
Amethyst