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The Quintessential Q
Chapter Forty One
Multi-tasking
*Note to readers: I don't speak French, have never taken French. So what Francois says to Edward is literal rather than a colloquial translation. I'm sure that there are some French speakers out there who could translate it better to put a true French swing on the phrase. Apologies in advance if I make you wince at my slaughtering of the language.*
Emily's room at the mansion she is already on the phone. First things first-- she calls the messenger service after boxing up the Deception documents. They'll be there in about twenty minutes to pick it up. Glancing down at her watch, she realizes she is running late for breakfast but makes one more call. This to the secretary at Deception who runs her schedule. She leaves a message that she needs a conference call with the talent booker for the shoots and leaves a time during her free period when she will call back. Lets the secretary know there is a package coming her way with all the homework in it for distribution. As an afterthought she requests the phone number for Orchid's agent. Hanging up she grabs up the package for Deception and makes her way downstairs.
The Breakfast room of the Mansion. Edward is on the phone to the alarm company. "What time was this code entered into the system?" Edward gives the company Emily's alarm code. "11:58p? Thank you." Edward hangs up the phone in time to see Emily rush through the doors. "I don't know how you can be so perky when you don't get any sleep. I know you have a midnight curfew but weren't you cutting it a little close last night?" Edward grouses.
"How do you know when I got in last night? Nobody was still up." Emily frowns and then it clears as it realizes. "You called the alarm company, didn't you? Grandfather, that is just as bad as me punching a time clock in and out!"
"It's proof in case your mother decides to get testy, so don't look at me that way, little girl." Edward huffs. "Monica was still up when I retired with your Grandmother last night. She was on the phone with your father complaining that you'd only been off restriction for one night and already you were pushing it."
"Pushing it is right!" Emily drops the package on the breakfast table and it lands with a hefty thud. "I stopped by Deception after school and got caught up with everyone. I also picked up a week's worth of work. Work I did rather than catching up with my friends."
"Work comes first." Edward insists. He picks up the package addressed to Deception and is satisfied merely by the weight. The girl had been busy. "So what have you been doing on the promenade project."
"One day. I've only been off restriction for one day!" Emily protests. Emily slumps into a chair next to Edward at the table.
Edward rises and grabs the coffee pot and pours Emily a cup and one of his own. "If we waited for that damn Reginald or the other staff around here it would be lunch time already." Edward mutters. He sets the coffee down on the table and pokes Emily in the middle of the back. "Sit up straight."
Em straightens automatically at the poke. And she lifts slightly as she feels Edward pushing in her chair for her. Edward pulls up a chair next to her. Emily meets Edward's insisting gaze. She grudgingly admits. "I have someone lined up to do the coffee kiosks. That's all I've been able to get done on the promenade. It's one of those businesses that can start without having all the start up costs and construction. And the construction and dock crews will make sure the kiosks keep busy. They are suppose to open today."
"Today!" Edward exclaims. He'd been expecting mounds of paperwork and a progress report-- not progress.
"Maddy Reynolds-- the business owner already has the business licenses and permits. She owns kiosks by the courthouse and down in the business district."
"What's our cut?" Edward leans in.
"We aren't getting a cut." Emily continues over Edward's protestations. "Unless she moves into one of the storefronts once they are completed. Maddy is bringing her own real estate and business so to speak. She has her own contracts with her own venders. She might give you a senior citizen's discount but that's about it." Emily takes a sip of the coffee and frowns.
"Bite your tongue. What... what is wrong?" Edward also takes a sip of his coffee. He chokes and then he swallows-- hard. "He's trying to kill us!" Edward pops out of his chair and stalks to the kitchen. "No breakfast ready, cold coffee. What are we paying that damn foreigner for anyway. Sure as hell isn't his good looks and I can't understand a word he says."
"Grandfather..." Emily races after him trying to slow him down but Edward is undeterred easing Emily from his path and into the kitchen slamming the kitchen door in her face. The ensuing argument can be heard through the door. "Oh this is not good. Not good at all." Emily races back up the stairs to Lila's rooms.
Johnny's van eases down the promenade. Later in the day it would be closed to vehicles but this early the venders could get in and out. He sees the activity of the new kiosks being put together. The one closest to the docks has already got a line in front of it. Dock workers wanting coffee despite the kiosk not yet being ready for business. Pulling in next to a black van. Johnny climbs out of his van and walks around to meet this Maddy that first Emily and then Benny had told him about. Only because of their warnings is he not surprised when a black teenager climbs from the van her hands full with coffee cups and lids and juggling the canister of propane that run the espresso and coffee machines. "Can I help?"
Maddy almost drops what she is juggling and Johnny grabs the propane. "Thanks. Who the hell are you?"
"John Cook. I believe you're expecting me."
"Cook's Confections. Right. I'm a little busy right now."
"I know how it goes. I opened a restaurant myself this year."
Maddy pauses. She looks at Johnny really looking at him. "I know of you. I read the reviews of the restaurant in the Herald. Congrats-- you're kicking booty over there. Now that your working there fulltime and Moreno isn't in your hair anymore. That wedding at the Quartermaines didn't do the business any harm either."
"Except I lost my chef in that deal." Johnny admits. "You seem to be up on all the details."
"Yeah, except for the one about when the shift changes were down here. I should have had everything set up an hour ago. I thought they started at seven not six." Maddy works around her employee setting up the kiosk to the exact specifications of her others. Everything in it's place. Her moves are sure, confident if rushed. There was nothing she hated more than being caught off guard. But it was her own damn fault. She should have asked for one more day from Emily. One day to do a little recon. Luckily she'd pulled her best employee off the courthouse gig to do the startup over here. Once the place was up and running she could head off to school with the knowledge that problems would be handled.
Johnny automatically hooks up the propane checking and double checking the connections. "I've got some stuff in the van if you're ready for it."
"Ready or not." Maddy sighs and walks over to the van next to hers. Johnny opens up the back and there are boxes and boxes of muffins, croissants, and misc. bakery goods. "I'm not ready for this." Maddy steps back her hands on her hips. "I expected a couple dozen items. For goodness sake we just opened today... there is no way."
"I couldn't sleep last night." Johnny admits. "I guess I got a little carried away. Emily said you had other kiosks to supply too."
"Yeah, there is that." Maddy glances down at her watch. If she hurries she can make a circuit of the kiosks and drop off the bakery stuff.
"Each box has an assortment." Johnny mutters. He knows he overdid it but there was nothing else that was going to clear his mind of last night. Even the baking hadn't helped.
"Good. That will work." Maddy takes five of the boxes and puts them in the back of her van for the other stands. Then she takes four more and passes them along to the employee who now that she has power is kicking ass on the line and getting people to work with hot lattes and a smile. Maddy makes short work of creating a display and then stores the rest. She confers with her employee to make sure things are under control before pouring herself and Johnny a cup of coffee and walking back to the vans. She hands Johnny his coffee. He takes a sip realizing he's running on fumes. "Okay so this used to be your beat, according to Benny. What is everyone's schedules?"
Nikolas stares out the plate glass window. The cup of coffee in his hand goes unnoticed. The sun rises unnoticed. Finally he turns away from the window and his thoughts. He sets down the cold coffee and picks up the videotape on the desk. He'd watched it more than once. The first time through he'd been horrified, amused and then horrified again. There was no way it should be a surprise that Emily could take Katherine down and so neatly. Deception had been the proof if Katherine continued to underestimate Emily that was her problem.
Feelings of anger on behalf of Katherine were quickly suppressed when Nikolas remembered the bruises on Emily: her face and her arm. Katherine could count herself lucky that day. A) she hadn't run into Nikolas and b) there hadn't been a parapet available. Nothing that Emily had done was as permanent as the vengeance that had run through his mind that evening at Kelly's. Hair grows back, blemishes fade, and cars could be repainted.
It was the second time through the tape the realization hit. Emily had to have been in Katherine's rooms at the hotel to accomplish her... submarining of Katherine. The timing, damn the timing. Emily was Lucky's source-- the one who brought him the information about the fertility kit in Katherine's medicine cabinet. The one person he didn't want reminded of his stupidity in bedding Katherine had found the evidence. She'd warned him through Lucky of Katherine's plan. But did Emily believe he was still seeing Katherine? That he had been at risk from Katherine's scheme? Could Emily believe he was toying with her? Would his past continue to haunt him?
Emily accompanies Lila and Reggie down the elevator of the mansion to the door of the kitchen. "You see what I mean?" The raised voices continued within.
Lila winces while Reggie starts taking mental notes of the combination of insults and vulgarities. Not even while Cook had been here had there been such a fuss in the kitchen. The sound of breaking crockery has everyone starting. "Emily, darling, have your grandfather drop you off at school on the way to the office."
"Right. I think I need to be leaving right now." The front door bell rings. "Oh what now?" Emily exclaims in exasperation. She looks over at Reggie who is totally focused on listening to the old man tear into the chef. Em shrugs and answers the door. A messenger stands there.
"I'm suppose to be getting a package for Deception?" The young man flinches at the sounds of another bout of breakage. "Um ... is everything okay? Do you need me to call the cops?"
"Wait here." Emily runs to the breakfast nook and grabs the package for Deception. "Here. Thanks for the offer but we have everything under control." Emily shoves the package in the direction of the messenger and then firmly shuts the door leaning up against it. Bedlam-- she was living in Bedlam. No wonder Carly refused for the most part to step foot in the mansion. There were too darn many similarities to Ferncliffe, only this time the inmates were running the asylum.
" Mange merde et mort, vieux chevri!" Emily winces at the disgusting image. The door flies open popping Reggie in the head dropping him to the floor. Emily rushes to his side. "Madame Quartermaine, this is totally unacceptable I cannot work under these conditions. I quit." Francois continues without stopping to the front door and opens it.
Edward stalks out behind Francois. "You can't quit, you poser! You're Fired!" Edward hollers after a retreating Francois. "Where are the dogs? I'm going to sic the dogs on him." Edward starts looking around. "Annabelle! Raoul! You damn mutts, where are you when there's work to be done! Reginald, I want him strip searched at the gate to make sure he isn't taking off with the silver."
"Edward! Edward!" Lila finally gets Edward's attention. "Edward, Emily needs a ride to school."
"Reginald can take her." Edward asserts ready to take off up the drive after Francois.
Reggie groans and tries to regain his balance leaning against the wall. "I think Reginald has a concussion and needs to go to the ER."