Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Forty-Six

When Scarlett got to the hotel she told Ella, "I have registered you for first grade at Swan Academy. Have I told you how many of your friends are in your class?"

Ella smiled at her mother. She said, "Yes, Mama you did. Jenny, Vera, Lottie, and …."

"Beryl."

"I don't know Beryl very well."

"This is a perfect time for you to get to know her."

"Yes, Mama."

Ella was feeling a lot better about going to school now that she knew they weren't all going to be strangers to her.

During the entire time, the staircase was being torn out, Mammy and the children were at the National Hotel. At night, the entire family stayed in the suite. Three days later, the family had moved back into the mansion. Calvin had tried to limit the amount of noise in the afternoon during the children's nap time. He wondered if Mrs. Butler even noticed. It didn't matter. He did it so he would not have to deal with Mrs. Butler and her unreasonable demands.

In two and a half weeks, the new staircase had been installed. For the next several days there were items that needed to be corrected but a month after Calvin had met the Butlers he was walking out of the mansion with his check. One thing for sure, he would never work with the Butlers again.

Calvin rode his horse to Bono's Construction and walked into the office. When Bob saw Calvin, he said, "What can I do for you?"

"You fucked me over by referring the Butlers to me, but the job is over now. Let's go get a whiskey and you can tell me about your trials with that couple."

"You mean Abby and Norman or as I like to call them – Abnormal."

Calvin laughed and said, "Yes, abnormal. Come on."

"Let me get my hat."

Bob closed up his office and they went to a small saloon down the street. The two men spent the rest of the night trading war stories. Not just about the Butlers but about all their pain in the ass customers. At one point, Calvin said, "The worst part about people like the Butlers is they don't even know what pains in the butt they are."

Bob laughed and said, "None of the difficult customers realize they are difficult customers.

Both men laughed. It was a very enjoyable evening for both men. By the end of the evening one might consider them friends which they may have been but nonetheless by tomorrow morning they would once again be the competition.

That evening at the mansion, Scarlett said, "I am so glad that is all over, but everything will need dusting for the next month."

"It isn't impressive but at least it is safe."

"I think in the end Mr. Hobbes did a decent job."

"Me too."

"I guess we will use him again if we need something changed."

"Yes, we will."

"Did you mail your mother the picture?"

"I mailed my mother a picture of all of us, the one of Bonnie, Gerry, and me, the one of you and me, and the individual ones of Bonnie and Gerry."

"I hope she likes them."

"We will never know. I should have just sent her the one of all of us," Rhett's words held so much bitterness but there was nothing Scarlett could say that would ease that bitterness. He added, "I may reduce her support check."

"Alright."

"Do you still send your aunts a check?"

"Mr. Powe does. Those two lots Charlie left me that I have rented out cover the amount of the check I send to those old hags."

"Did I tell you that I saw Mr. Wilkes going up the back stairs with a girl while I was at The Painted Lady?"

"No, you didn't. So, the rumor you started was actually true."

"No, I think when Mr. Wilkes heard the rumor, he decided to abandon the last of his gentlemanly ways."

"I saw him the other day at the bank, and he does seem happier than I have seen him in an exceptionally long time. Maybe happier than I have ever seen him."

"He probably is. There is a certain amount of tension evoked by always having to behave properly."

"I am certainly a lot more relaxed now that I am no longer worrying about my reputation."

"Of course, you achieving sexual satisfaction all the time helps you relax also."

Scarlett ignored Rhett's statement and said, "Fanny sent me a note telling me the Grand Opening of the new store will be next Saturday on June fifteenth. We will have to go. Just us. We will leave the children with Mammy. I am hoping there are too many people at the Grand Opening for it to be safe to bring the children."

"Of course, you should tell all of your friends."

"I should."

"Yes, drum up some business for the Elsings since it appears that Fanny doesn't mind doing business with gutter trash."

"She will do business with anyone who has the money."

"Pride is great, but one can't eat pride."

"So true, my love."

Mrs. Cloud was able to produce a tasty pastry which was acceptable, but it didn't compare with the croissants Scarlett had been able to purchase in Paris. Rene came by one afternoon and asked her to taste the croissant he had made. Scarlett tasted the pastry and while it was better than Mrs. Cloud's croissant his was not as good as the Paris creations. Rene had brought with him other pastries he had made from recipes in the book.

Scarlett said, "Although they are very good and while your croissant is tasty it is not as good as the ones I bought in Paris."

"Scarlett, I wrote my cousin in New Orleans who has always had an interest in cooking. I asked him about the croissant, and he said the way to achieve the desired flakiness is to have a steam oven."

"Oh. How much do those cost?"

"Two hundred dollars."

"Two hundred dollars? That is a small fortune just to bake perfect croissants."

"Yes, but that is not all we could cook with it. Hear me out. My cousin is willing to move to Atlanta and be our chef. We could open a French restaurant that is only open for lunch."

"Like a café or wait what was that word I learned in Paris? I remember. A bistro."

"Yes, a bistro. We would have a limited selection at first, but we would have a lot of French pastries. We could open up our shop in the part of town the Yankees live in to get their trade."

Scarlett stood up and got her purse. She took out a five-dollar bill. She said, "Tell your cousin to come for a visit. Let's see how good a chef he is. Let's see how good these recipes are. We will negotiate from there."

"Thank you, Scarlett."

As Rene was rushing out of the parlor, Scarlett said, "What about these pastries?"

"Keep them. I have more at home."

Scarlett called for the maid. When Susie arrived, Scarlett said, "Carry all of these pastries to the kitchen. They will be served after supper."

"Yes ma'am."

After supper everyone was happy to try the pastries, and everyone enjoyed them. Rhett said, "These are pretty good without the steam oven."

"I know. If they are even better with the steam oven, then they will be flying out of the bakery."

"Why are you doing this for Mrs. Merriwether?"

"No, not for Mrs. Merriwether but for Rene and Maybelle. Despite everything they have continued to speak to me. This is a chance for them to be independent of Mrs. Merriwether."

"Always a beautiful thing to be independent."

"Not for us. We like being dependent on each other."

"Indeed, we do."

"Besides, won't it be great to be able to get real French food."

"Yes, it will. I think Rene has a good idea of just serving lunch and just serving a limited menu. Less overhead and his food will be more valuable because of the scarcity of it."

The next day Rene came by just to tell Scarlett his cousin was leaving New Orleans immediately and would be in Atlanta in two or three days. After Rene left, she smiled. It was nice for someone to be excited about something.

Scarlett took her daughters to Mrs. Marshall's dress shop to have Ella's jumpers made. Scarlett was aware enough that Ella would want her clothes to look like everyone else's clothes. Scarlett had smiled when Genie had asked, "Mama, can I have a jumper also."

"Of course, Genie, but you are still not going to school yet."

A scowl arose on Genie's face, but Scarlett didn't pay any attention to it. Genie could get happy in the same clothes she got unhappy in.

Soon it was the middle of June and the Elsing's second stores grand opening was upon them. Fanny had done it right. Scarlett had always known that Fanny and Maybelle were friends, but she had not known how close they were. Fanny was giving away small pieces of pastries made by Picard's French Bistro. There were also little sandwiches. The refreshment table was just inside the door of the store. While Rhett and Scarlett were at the refreshment table Rene made both of them a plate with every type of food on the table on the plates. While he was putting the food on the plates, he was telling them what the names of the foods were. Rhett and Scarlett couldn't remember the names. After finishing their plates, they walked back over to where Rene and another man were standing and Rhett said, "If Scarlett decides not to invest in your food business let me know, I will invest."

Rene said, "Scarlett, Captain Butler, this is my cousin Claude, the chef."

Scarlett said, "Get together your figures and come see me Monday at nine with your partner. I will not be a partner but an investor."

Both Rene and Claude said, "Thank you."

As Rhett and Scarlett walked away, he said, "That was smart of Fanny to give away free food."

"There is Fanny. Let's go talk to her."

After the couple joined Fanny, Scarlett said, "Whose idea was it to give away free food?"

"It was Maybelle's and mine. She said, 'I need to find some place where people would be willing to try Claude's food.' I said, 'How about at my Grand Opening Saturday?' I gave Maybelle some money. Rene and Claude went out and bought all the supplies they needed. I don't think either of the two men have slept very much in the last four days. It seems that Rene has always wanted to be a chef but never tried because … well it wasn't gentlemanly."

"Everything is delicious. The store looks great."

"Phil and Hugh haven't been able to leave the cash registers."

"That is wonderful."

"I feel so unladylike to feel so proud of this new store."

Rhett said, "Isn't that your son over there?"

"Yes, that is my Louie."

"Mrs. Welburn…"

"Fanny."

"Fanny, pride, honor, and being a lady aren't going to put food in his belly and clothes on his back."

"Fanny, Louie looks better than I have ever seen him. That is why we are doing it. How is Anna Beth?"

"Happy to be Mrs. Elsing."

Both ladies laughed and Rhett smiled. He didn't know what the joke was, but maybe later Scarlett would tell him.

Scarlett and Rhett saw India and PittyPat at the Grand Opening, but the women only nodded at each other. Nobody walked across the room to speak to the other. India because she hated Scarlett, PittyPat because she was scared of Captain Butler, Scarlett and Rhett because they didn't like either India or PittyPat.

The couple spoke to several people while they were at the store. One man said to Rhett, "We need to get that deal completed before November."

"Yes, we do. I will work on it next week."

"Alright."

Scarlett didn't pay any attention to what the men were talking about. Rhett and his fellow businessmen were always saying things she didn't understand.