Chapter 15
Nydia sat in the McNair sunroom with Hannah, Jasmine, and Tonya and outlined the projected financial schematic for the inn. It had taken three attempts before Tonya was able to commit to attend the meeting. Not only was she working full-time at Chez Toussaints, but she was also assisting her husband and brother-in-law with catering orders.
Nydia opened the laptop and inserted a thumb drive into a port. “Tonya, I’m going to begin with you.”
The bond that had developed between her and Tonya during the six weeks she’d shared Tonya’s apartment was like mother and daughter rather than former coworkers. A failed marriage and a subsequent relationship had made the professional chef wary of men until she met fellow chef Gage Toussaint, who’d experienced a similar past. Both were divorced with twenty-something children.
Tonya smiled, flashing deep dimples in her flawless brown cheeks as recessed light shimmered off her short salt-and-pepper curls. “Thank you.”
Nydia had set up a file with the café Tonya had named Martine’s, and Toussaints for the supper club. “I decided to keep the budgets for the café and supper club separate because revenue and expenditures streams will vary greatly.” She glanced at Hannah sitting on a cushioned love seat. “Initially, until Tonya is able to recoup her investment, you will have to be responsible for the cost of purchasing the food for the inn’s guests, who will be offered a buffet breakfast. You will have to determine how much you are going to charge a guest for a daily rate, and a portion of that will have to go to providing breakfasts.”
Hannah exchanged a glance with Tonya. “I told Tonya I would be willing to cover the cost for the breakfasts.”
Nydia was slightly taken aback with this disclosure. “Is there a time limit?” she asked Hannah.
The blonde shook her head. “No. It’s for perpetuity. I will factor the cost of the breakfast in with the daily rate.”
Nydia nodded. “Okay. Have you thought about how much Tonya will be paid for preparing buffet breakfasts seven days a week?”
Silence descended on the space like a shroud as the four women exchanged glances. “I didn’t think of that,” Hannah said after an uncomfortable pause.
“I don’t mean to sound nasty, but you can’t expect her to cook and not be paid,” Nydia said in a quiet voice.
Pinpoints of color dotted Hannah’s pale cheeks. “You’re right, Nydia. I thought paying her for running the supper club would take care of that.”
Nydia shook her head. “That can’t happen. I’ve broken down every unit it takes to run the inn, and that includes everything it takes to make it operational. Lodging will have a separate budget, which will include housekeeping, repairs, and utilities. Tonya will be totally responsible for the supper club, and, Jasmine, you will oversee all employee benefits, design, recruitment, training, and development. If Tonya is having a problem with one of her kitchen help or waitstaff, then Jasmine will become the go-to person to resolve it so that she and Gage can concentrate on preparing meals for their customers. Hannah and I have agreed to open a business account that will require both our signatures for expenditures. I will closely monitor the revenue coming in from the inn’s guests and the supper club. As the inn’s accountant, I will be responsible for dispensing paychecks and reporting taxes to the appropriate local, state, and federal departments. Each of you will receive a yearly budget along with three-, six-, nine-, and twelve-month projections. I’d like for us to get together at the end of each quarter to review your budgets to ascertain whether you’re experiencing overruns or if I have to adjust a particular budget line. I know I’m sounding a little hard-nosed, but I have the responsibility for keeping the inn solvent so we all can earn back our initial investments and share in potential profits.”
“Don’t apologize, Nydia,” Tonya said. “You have to do what you need to do to make us successful innkeepers.”
“I agree,” Hannah added.
“Amen,” Jasmine intoned.
Hannah leaned forward in her chair. “I forgot to tell y’all that once the inn is up and running, LeAnn and Paige have volunteered to step in for Jasmine when she goes on maternity leave. They’ll alternate checking in and checking out guests and will fill in wherever necessary.”
“Are they tired of globetrotting?” Tonya said teasingly.
Nydia laughed along with the others. Hannah’s first cousins, retired schoolteachers, had spent more than two years traveling to six of the seven continents. Their last trip was an African safari. “They’re probably trying to catch their breath before they take off again.”
Hannah shook her head. “I doubt that. LeAnn got sick in Kenya and was afraid she’d picked up malaria even though she’d been inoculated, so it’s going to be a while before she leaves the country again. I’m just grateful they’ve offered to help out.”
“And I’m just a phone call away in the event of a HR problem,” Jasmine stated.
Nydia managed to redirect everyone’s attention back to her schematic. She was able to get estimates from Tonya for the start-up costs for her supper club. Tonya said she and her husband were going to forego a salary for the first year to maximize profits.
Tonya gathered her tote and stood up. “I’m sorry to cut out so early, but I’m usually in bed by ten because I need to get to the restaurant at six to prepare for the lunch crowd. Gage and I have decided to host a small gathering at the house a week from this Sunday. It will be our first time entertaining friends and family as a married couple.”
“What time Sunday?” Hannah asked.
“Any time after one.”
“Do you want us to bring anything?” Nydia questioned.
Tonya nodded. “Yes. You can bring your new man. And he can also bring his daughter, because Gage’s sisters are bringing their kids. The same goes for you, Jasmine. You can invite your in-laws because the more the merrier. I must say catering the Singletons’ anniversary and yours and Cameron’s wedding proved to be priceless. The food critic from one of the dailies who attended both events came to the restaurant to interview us. He went on and on about the dishes we prepared, and I indulged in a little shameless bragging when I told him about the DuPont Inn and our plans to serve a buffet breakfast to the inn’s guests, and that Toussaints will be open to the public.”
Hannah gave Nydia a long, penetrating stare. “You and Lamar are a couple?”
Nydia lowered her eyes. “Yes and no.”
“Please enlighten me.”
She glared at the attorney, because she didn’t like being put on the spot in front of the others. Nydia wasn’t bothered discussing her love life, or lack thereof, one-on-one with Jasmine or Tonya, but she drew the line when she had an audience.
“We’ve agreed to see each other.”
Hannah smiled, and lines fanned out around her brilliant green eyes. “Good for him. St. John told me women were lining up to get Lamar’s attention once they found out he was single, but he didn’t seem the least interested in them. And good for you, Nydia, because you deserve someone decent after that parasite you were dealing with.”
Nydia held up her hand. “From this moment on I want all of us to swear that we will never mention Danny Ocasio again.” The three women held up their hands in agreement. She inclined her head. “Thank you, ladies.” She didn’t know why, but Nydia felt a sense of relief that she could reveal that she was involved with Lamar.
She did not have any expectation of anything beyond their seeing each other, and she planned to enjoy the time they would spend together. He’d openly embraced seeing himself as a nerd, but he wasn’t anything like the nerds she’d encountered in college who’d preferred hanging out together discussing their courses rather than attend a campus social mixer. Although a serious student, Nydia did take time to socialize with fellow students.
She spent the next forty-five minutes going over Hannah’s budget and projections. The former corporate attorney gave her a conservative number of employees needed to keep the inn operational. Nydia had recommended a rotating staff of part-timers to avoid paying overtime. She also suggested Hannah cross-train her employees in the case of terminations or absences. Kitchen help should be familiar doing laundry or cleaning suites.
“That’s really a good idea,” Hannah agreed.
“I’m glad you like it. If I had to make beds, clean bathrooms, and vacuum every day I’d find myself just going through the motions. But if I could be assigned to the laundry room every other week, or assist in the kitchen, it would break up the monotony of coming to work.”
Jasmine took a sip of water, peering at Nydia over the rim of the glass. “If Hannah is going to agree to cross-training her employees, then I’ll definitely keep that in mind when I interview applicants. Someone may be willing to do laundry, but may object to working in the kitchen.”
“Do you plan to institute a probationary period before we put them on the payroll as permanent employees?” Hannah asked Jasmine.
Jasmine nodded. “Yes. Three months is long enough to ascertain whether to keep them or let them go. I also intend to do a criminal background investigation on everyone before they’re hired, because we can’t have guests accusing us of theft if something goes missing.”
“I know someone who can do the background checks,” Hannah said. “We went to law school together before he went on to work for the FBI as an investigative analyst.”
“Hannah, I know you don’t want to set up cameras in the suites because it would violate your guests’ privacy,” Nydia said, “but do you intend to install safes for them to secure their valuables?”
“Definitely,” Hannah replied. “I’ve already ordered them.”
Nydia entered all of the information she needed to complete the budget for the inn.
Jasmine was next, and she told Nydia what she needed to become the human resources specialist and co-manager for the inn.
It took less than three hours to complete the interviews, and she’d gleaned most of what she needed to begin putting together a draft of preliminary budgets. She would revise and update them closer to the date of the inn’s grand opening.
Nydia hugged Hannah. “I’m going to take a few days to go over everyone’s projected budget before we meet again to finalize them.”
“When do you need me to transfer the funds into the account?”
“Not until the contractor gives you a proposed completion date for the renovations. I estimate opening the business account a month before you plan to open for business.”
Hannah closed her eyes and ran both hands over her hair. “I’ve waited so long that I’ve given up predicting a grand opening. I’ve cried, wrung my hands, and spent so many a sleepless night that St. John refuses to listen to me anymore when I bring it up.”
“You’ve got to stop stressing over something over which you have no control, Hannah. The inn will open when it’s time.”
“Now you sound like St. John.”
“That’s because your husband is right,” Nydia said in a conciliatory tone. “Most construction projects are not completed on time. Whenever I pass a new construction site the signs will usually project the season of a particular year, because engineers try to factor in problems that may arise.”
Hannah lowered her hands. A hint of a smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “Look at you. Hanging around Lamar has rubbed off on you.”
Nydia wanted to tell Hannah she was wrong. With the exception of telling her about his not wanting to bid on a project that would take him away from his daughter for days at a time, she and Lamar did not talk about his work. He’d spoken to Kendra about his inability to share breakfast with her when he had to go out of town on business, and he was mildly surprised when his daughter said she wasn’t a baby and wasn’t going to cry if he left her with Miss Ramona for a few days. He’d thanked her over and over for her advice to approach his daughter, and then said he still had a lot to learn about raising a girl.
“It happens,” she said instead.
“I was sincere when I said I’m glad you found someone who will treat you with the respect you deserve.”
“Thank you, Hannah.”
“There’s no need to thank me, Nydia. You should know better than any of us that we don’t bite our tongues when it comes to issuing advice or telling one another what we probably don’t want to hear. But, in the end, it’s always the truth.”
“Why do you feel the need to get maudlin, Hannah?”
“I know sometimes I can get emotional, but this too will pass as soon as the inn opens.”
“And once it opens you’ll forget about all of the setbacks,” Jasmine said. “Meanwhile you need something to take your mind off the inn.”
Hannah exhaled an audible breath. “You’re probably right. Paige and LeAnn have tried to get me to join them in a bowling league with a group of retirees.”
“Why haven’t you?” Nydia questioned.
“They need one more person to make a foursome for their team.”
“I might join you,” Nydia volunteered.
With wide eyes, Hannah stared at her. “Are you serious?”
Nydia smiled. “I’m very serious. How long, what day, and when does it begin?” she asked Hannah.
“It’s for six weeks, and they meet for the first time next Wednesday night.”
“Hold on, I need to call my father.” She picked up her cell phone to call her father. She didn’t have to wait for him to answer. “Papi, I need you to overnight me my bowling bag.” She paused. “Yes, send it to me at the hotel. Mami has the address. Thanks, Papi. Y te amo.”
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Hannah swore. “You bowl like that?”
Nydia nodded. “When I was in high school I bowled with a league that met at an alley in the Bronx. I must say, we were awesome!”
“What was your highest game?” Jasmine asked.
“I average around two-forty, but I did bowl a perfect game twice.”
Hannah pumped her fist. “Yes!”
Nydia powered down her laptop. Once she’d begun bowling seriously she decided she needed her own ball, because most times she wasn’t able to find one that fit her fingers or one she could lift easily without injuring her wrist. “Don’t forget to text me the address.”
“I’ll pick you up at six-fifteen. We begin bowling at seven.” Hannah shifted her attention to Jasmine. “Do you want to join us?”
“I’m not going to bowl,” Jasmine said, “but I’m willing to keep score. Don’t bother picking Nydia up. We’ll come together.”
Nydia and Jasmine hugged Hannah before taking their leave.
* * *
Nydia stared through the windshield listening to the slip-slap of tires on the roadway as Jasmine left Marigny and headed for the CBD. She felt her first financial meeting with her fellow innkeepers had gone well. It would take time to develop preliminary budgets before she requested another meeting. She knew Hannah was frustrated with the slow pace of the renovations in the centuries-old mansion, but Nydia knew once they were completed and the inn was open for business, her angst would dissipate like a drop of water on a heated griddle.
Jasmine gave Nydia a quick glance before returning her eyes to the road in front of the Honda. “I can’t believe you never told me you bowled.”
“It’s been a long time since I last picked up a ball, and I hope I haven’t lost my edge.”
“I’ve tried bowling a few times but gave it up when I always threw gutter balls.”
Nydia stared at the brake lights on the car in front of them when traffic stopped for a red light. “It took me more than six months before I was able to bowl above ninety.”
Jasmine laughed softly. “You know folks on the other teams are going to think you’re a ringer, especially since you’re too young to be a retiree.”
“They can think whatever they want. What they can’t do is show prejudice because of my age.”
“True. I’m glad I’m going to be there to witness their reactions when you show up with Hannah and her cousins.”
Although she hadn’t bowled in years, Nydia knew it was like riding a bike. She was certain once she put on her shoes and held her custom-made ball the skills she’d acquired over the years would resurface.
“Chica, I need your opinion.”
Nydia registered concern in Jasmine’s voice. “Talk to me, mija.”
“Cameron wants to take a week off and drive over to Galveston Island to look at vacation properties.”
“That sounds like a wonderful plan. What’s the problem, Jasmine?”
“We are still living in a hotel while our home is undergoing extensive renovations, and now he wants to go and buy more property.”
Nydia stared at Jasmine as if she’d taken leave of her senses. “Why are you complaining about how he wants to spend his money? Have you forgotten you had one husband who would’ve left you with nothing if you hadn’t asked Hannah for legal advice to hang onto what you’d worked so hard for?”
“I know, but I don’t think we need another house.”
Nydia took a deep breath, held it, and then let out slowly. “Don’t be a fool, Jazz. If the man wants to buy a vacation home on the beach where you both can kick back and relax, then don’t fight with him about it. All of us have been given a second chance, mija,” she continued, this time in a softer, more conciliatory tone. “Hannah lived with a man who’d cheated on her for more years than she could count and she stayed with him because she honored her marriage vows until his cheating ass died. Then, there’s Tonya, who was married to a man who attempted to control her life so much that he didn’t want her to succeed, and her only way of getting away from him with her daughter was to escape like someone on the FBI’s most wanted list. And thanks to you, Tonya, and Hannah preaching to me to get rid of the bum and kick his sorry ass to the curb, I was finally came to my senses to look out for Nydia Stephanie Santiago. You have a good man, Jasmine. A man who loves you and that baby you’re carrying, and I don’t want you to blow it because all of a sudden you woke up to the realization that you’re a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need a man to take care of you or give you what you need.”
Jasmine’s eyelids fluttered. “I know Cameron loves me, and I love him but—”
“This is the last I’m going to have a discussion with you about Cameron,” Nydia said, interrupting her.
“I thought you were my friend, Nydia, so why are you taking his side?”
“I’m not only your friend but your sister, mija.” Nydia combed her fingers through her hair, trying to find the words to say to Jasmine as not to upset her more than she was. “What do you want, Jazz? I mean really want.”
Jasmine turned into the hotel’s parking lot and maneuvered into her reserved spot, and shut off the engine. She stared straight ahead, appearing as if carved out of stone. Only the rising and falling of her chest indicated she was still breathing.
“I want to give birth to a healthy baby,” she said after a noticeable pause.
“And that is all we should be talking about. Not about Cameron buying a beach house, or whether you’ll be able decorate your home here in New Orleans. And while you’re complaining about living in a hotel there are thousands of people who live on the street, sleep under bridges and in alleys every single day in every big city in the country. When did you become such an elitist?”
Jasmine closed her eyes. “Why are you so angry? I know Danny did you wrong, but there’s no need to take it out on me.”
Nydia bit her lip and counted slowly to ten. She had to control her temper or say something that could possibly end her friendship with the one woman she had come to think of as her sister. She’d confided things to Jasmine she hadn’t with some of her family members.
“I am not angry.” She had enunciated each word. “Danny didn’t do anything to me that I didn’t permit him to do. And it was the same with my college instructor. What I refused to do is internalize things where they fester and negatively impact my life. The day I moved in with Tonya was the day I changed. The day my father carried me into the ER because I was in so much pain that I believed I was dying, my life changed completely. And when I woke up after surgery and my mother told me the doctor said I would’ve died if I’d waited one more day because the infection had spread throughout my body. That’s when I was reborn. I don’t give a damn about a man or a job, because they come and go. It’s the same with where I live. There was a time when I believed owning property was the next rung on the ladder of success for a young thirty-something professional woman. Now, the only thing that matters to me is staying healthy. Everything else is irrelevant!”
With wide eyes, Jasmine’s expression mirrored shock and another emotion Nydia could not identify. She didn’t know what she had to do or say to convince her former coworkers that she was not the same person who’d commiserated with them in Hannah’s apartment that warm, sunny May morning. Okay, she’d concede that she did break up and reconcile with Danny a few times, but once she moved and left no forwarding address and blocked his number, Nydia knew she had left her past behind.
“I’m sorry,” Jasmine apologized as tears filled her eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said, sniffling as she struggled not to cry. “I don’t know if it is hormones or that I feel as if my life is spinning out of control. I’m married to a man who I still think of as a stranger, and even though I always wanted a baby I wanted to plan for it.”
Unbuckling her seat belt, Nydia leaned over and hugged Jasmine. She had no idea her friend was experiencing so much uncertainty. She’d believed Jasmine had found her prince and they were going to live happily ever after.
“Weren’t you the one who told me even though you were married to Raymond for twelve years you still didn’t know him?”
Jasmine blinked back tears before they fell. “Did I?”
“Don’t play yourself, mija. You know right well you said it. Look at Hannah. She was married to her first husband for almost thirty years, and she had no idea he was sleeping around until he had a heart attack and felt the need to confess his sins.”
Shaking her head, Jasmine emitted an unladylike snort. “That’s when she should’ve smothered the cheating bastard with a pillow!”
Taken aback by Jasmine’s outburst, Nydia gave her a long, penetrating stare. “Now, who’s angry?”
“I’m not angry, but bored as hell. I’m not used to not working. That’s why I took that part-time position with the social services program last year. And I’m jealous of you because you manage to keep busy doing the books for your restaurateurs, and now you’re working up the financial records for the inn. And don’t forget you’ve offered to teach Lamar’s daughter to make pasteles. Right now I’ve hit a brick wall with shopping for things for the new house because I’m not certain what paint colors I want or the final dimensions of some of the rooms.”
Now Nydia understood Jasmine’s frustration. She wasn’t one to sit around and do nothing. As a creative person she had to keep busy. “I saw a needlecraft shop along a side street in the Upper French Quarter, and it reminded me that you knit and crochet. Why don’t you take it up again and make a few pieces for the baby?”
“What were you doing in the Upper Quarter?”
Nydia smiled. “After Lamar and I left Momma’s Place we went for a walk because I wanted to see the French Market. Then we went back to his house, and I saw how you’d decorated his daughter’s room.”
Jasmine’s expression brightened. “I loved redecorating her room. Even though I’m a resource specialist, decorating is still my passion.”
“Well, you’ll have your work cut out for you once you move into your new home. You can strap man-man or little mama on your back like the women in Africa and do your thing.”
“You’re right. I do have something to look forward to.”
Nydia angled her head. “Are we finished with this pity party or you do want to hang around for the after-party?”
“I’m done,” Jasmine stated firmly. “I’m going inside to tell my man that I’m ready to look at vacation homes, and I want it big enough so we can invite friends and family for one humongous sleepover.”
“That’s my girl.” Nydia got out of the minivan and walked with Jasmine into the hotel.
“Tell Lamar I said hello when you see him,” Jasmine as she headed for the elevator that would take her to her suite.
“Catch you later, mija.”
“Luego, chica.”
Nydia made it to her suite and set the leather tote with the laptop on a chair in the dining area. Spending several hours with her fellow innkeepers was definitely an eye-opener. Hannah and Jasmine were upset because they’d believed renovations on their properties were going much too slowly. She could understand Hannah’s frustration, because the projected grand opening had been pushed back a number of times, pending approval of permits and the malfunctioning of the massive wrought-iron gates protecting DuPont Inn. The workmen were currently installing the elevator in the main house and working on converting the guesthouses into the café and supper club.
It wasn’t as if Hannah and Jasmine didn’t have somewhere to live. Hannah lived with her husband in a large house in Marigny, and Jasmine in an adjoining luxurious suite at the Louis LaSalle.
And Nydia had not lied to Jasmine about not concerning herself with anyone or anything but her health, because she had not realized how close she was to dying until she was informed she would have to spend days in the hospital and be given massive doses of antibiotics to offset the sepsis.
All three future innkeepers had married men who loved and protected them, and that was what Nydia wanted if or when she fell in love and married.