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NICO WROTE FOUR DRAFTS of the letter to his parents before finally deciding to send it as it was, offering a silent prayer as he handed it over to the hotel employee.
“Oh, wait a moment. There’s another message for you, sir.”
He accepted the folded note, a feeling of déjà vu coming over him since he had received the same only the night before.
This was another from Mr. Travers, asking if he would like to meet over dinner at the hotel that evening.
“May I use your telephone?”
Of course he would dine with Mr. Travers, Nico knew without a second thought, but he was very worried about what he might find out.
He might have been excited as well as nervous about speaking to him before the note last night, and especially after the conversation between the maids Nico had overheard that morning, but now, he knew that his interests were unimportant compared to a family emergency.
How was Faith handling this? If her mother was involved, she had to be upset. The family, the Davenports no matter what their last names may be, were very close, and that had been clear to Nico soon after he met Mr. Travers.
“This is Nico d’Amici. May I speak with Mr. Travers?”
A woman on the other end of the line asked him to please wait, and he tapped the counter in front of him, impatient to find out what was going on.
And how he might help.
If he could help.
“Yes, Nico. Are you free around seven this evening?”
Their conversation was short and emotionless, Mr. Travers’ tone flat, and they agreed to meet here at Nico’s hotel, where they might find a measure of privacy on the back deck, which faced the ocean.
Everywhere in Newport seemed to have an ocean view, or at least a glimpse at the greenish-blue waves now and again. Manhattan might be an island, but there was so much bustle about that it was hard to see the water most of the time.
And it certainly wasn’t easy to walk along it, dipping one’s toes into the waves as they rolled in.
He took a deep breath and willed himself to calm his mind, of all his thoughts and worries, and pray instead for peace for this family who had done so much to help others.
When Mr. Travers arrived, Nico was shocked. He wasn’t the same man who was cool and collected every morning, his suit pristine and his smile calm and even.
Mr. Travers offered his hand, and Nico shook it, his surprise evidently clear.
“Please, let’s sit. And I apologize for my appearance, it’s been a difficult day.”
The other man’s hair was uncombed, part of it pressed against the side of his head flat and some in the back fluffed out. His shirt was buttoned unevenly, and he imagined, if Mrs. Travers was anything like his own mother, she was the one who took care of buttoning him up neatly.
“My wife’s sister-in-law is ill, and she’s been concerned about her for a few weeks. Last night we had some distressing news, which only became worse this morning, so she’s quite upset.”
A waiter appeared, his nose in the air as he recited the menu for the evening.
Mr. Travers waved him away as he shook his head.
“It is of no consequence. Bring whatever is fresh.”
He rested his hand on his head, his elbow on the table, as the waiter turned away, seemingly unbothered by Mr. Travers’ dismissal.
“That was rude, and I’m sorry for it. I don’t like to see my wife in such a state, and of course, Evie was in tears earlier. And Arthur . . . he’s been my closest friend since I married his sister, and he’s distraught.”
Nico cleared his throat, and Mr. Travers looked at him.
“It is none of my affair, sir, but if I can help, I’d like to.”
The waiter came with plates and glasses, but neither Nico or Mr. Travers paid much attention.
“These are women’s troubles, and I’m sorry to continue to carry on about them. Besides, I asked you to dine with me not only to explain, after a fashion, today’s lack of progress with your design but something else. Something I hope will interest you.”
When Nico didn’t respond, unsure if he should in any way, the other man continued.
“I’d like to take on an apprentice. You may not be aware of this, but it was how I learned the business, and the craft, of architecture. Faith and Thomas assist me because they have an interest and enjoy it, but I don’t believe either of them wish to pursue it as a career, no matter how much potential they might have.”
Nico felt his eyes narrow, not sure where this was going. Was Mr. Travers going to tell him that he didn’t want him to continue to help with his family’s project, because he was going to have an apprentice instead?
“You look a little angry, which is something new. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a negative mood before, Nico.”
Mr. Travers looked confused, but a small smile played along the corners of his mouth, and Nico was glad he could offer some distraction from the man’s worries, even if Mr. Travers was completely incorrect about his reaction.
“No, not at all. Perhaps I just don’t understand what you mean by telling me your plans.”
The waiter returned and Mr. Travers waved him off before he could reach the table.
“I mean, Nico, that I want you to be my apprentice. You’ve never said that you wanted to go into design or architecture, but your thoughts, your creative process, mirrors my own so well, and it makes me wonder if it is because we both grew up in a city where so much of it went on around us. Buildings of so many variations, construction that defied science and accepted art, and . . . it occurred to me that you would be a good fit. That we would be a good fit.”
Nico sucked in a breath.
He was either imagining this entire situation or a prayer was being answered.
When Mr. Travers began to laugh, Nico knew for certain it was the latter.
“I’m sorry, sir, it’s only that I was hoping to ask you if I could work with you on a more permanent basis once the restaurant was finished. I don’t know how my family will feel about it, and I just posted a letter to my parents telling them about my interest in becoming an architect.”
Mr. Travers waved again, this time encouraging the waiter to bring whatever he was carrying in his hands. Nico didn’t look, as he was focused on the man’s expression, and the words Nico was still so stunned to hear.
“But you’ve only just returned from a visit home. Why didn’t you speak to them about it in person?”
He wasn’t proud to admit his reasons to Mr. Travers, who he wanted to impress, especially when he was giving Nico a tremendous opportunity.
One he hoped he could take without hurting his family.
“The grocery is very busy. I admit that my time back home was exhausting, most of it spent in the store, where all of my family helps, even my youngest sister, Claudia, who is nine. We all have our responsibilities, but as the oldest, my parents count on me for some of the ones the children can’t do yet.”
And also the ones his parents didn’t want to admit became difficult for them as they grew older.
“I don’t want to abandon them, but I would like to accept your offer. You’re right about my interest, and I don’t want to let this chance pass me by.”
Mr. Travers tilted his head in thought, and leaned back in his chair. Nico was relieved to see him relax a little after having such an emotional time with his own family.
Faith would be a comfort to her mother, regardless of what was happening, Nico thought, but how was she handling this difficulty?
“This would be a paid position, Nico. You should be able to afford not only your own upkeep here at this hotel, if you wish, but also the hire of at least one person for your family’s store. Once the restaurant is open, there will be even more business, more income, and the need for more employees as well. I think we can manage to figure this out to benefit both you and your family.”
He opened his hands as he shifted in his seat, looking at Nico with a smile that made him look like a much younger man.
“And it would benefit me as well, to have a mind such as yours working alongside me.”
Nico didn’t know how to respond. He was used to praise from his parents, or comments about his appearance, but this sort of approval from a man he respected, based on his intellect, was overwhelming.
“I appreciate your consideration of my family situation, more than you know.”
Mr. Travers nodded, and when he picked up his salad fork, Nico followed his lead and they ate their dinner together in companionable silence.
When Mr. Travers left the hotel, Nico prayed that he would be able to take his relaxed mood home to his family, and offer them the comfort they needed.
When his thoughts turned to Faith’s sweet smile, he added a prayer for her as well, and that the Lord would bring them together again soon.
When the knock on his hotel room door came early the next morning, Nico grunted as he rolled out of bed, the wake-up reminder coming just as he was falling back asleep.
Whatever he had eaten the night before with Mr. Travers didn’t agree with him, and he had been up most of the night dealing with the after effects of some sort of fish he had never eaten before.
As much as his family ate fish, he couldn’t imagine what it was.
He poured a glass of tepid water from the pitcher on the table by his bed into a glass and took a long swallow, easing his thirst as he looked out the window.
Another bright and beautiful day that would become humid and muggy by the time the sun reached overhead, and if he was fortunate, he might see Faith at Mr. Travers' house before the morning was over.
But he hadn’t asked about her last night, and he didn’t feel as if it was a good time to do so. Surely if he asked, Mr. Travers would realize he had more than a passing interest in his niece.
And that might jeopardize his apprenticeship.
That was a complication Nico hadn’t considered until now.
He turned down the tea offered by the young man at the front desk, who began to speak about the breakfast offerings as well.
Nico’s stomach churned as he walked away and out the door, the very idea of eating anything an appalling prospect.
The walk to the Travers home cleared his mind, and his thoughts turned to the Lord again as they had last night, urging Nico to remember that he had so much to be thankful for, even before Mr. Travers had shared this new opportunity with him.
Lord, I may take your many blessings for granted, but I am truly grateful. Please bring healing to those Faith loves, as well as to her. I hope it is not too selfish to ask again that I may see her, if only to be certain she is well.
He wondered what God thought of such a self-centered request, but his mother always taught him that he should not be afraid to speak his mind, even when it was in prayer, so he allowed his heart as well as his mind to lead him.