THIS WAS A very bad idea.
But it was so tempting. How could she let such a rare opportunity pass her by?
Kayla worried her bottom lip. Though she wouldn’t be working directly on the royal wedding, she’d be close at hand. Perhaps she could add an idea here and there. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to actually work on the project itself. Yet, she understood with the magnitude of a royal wedding that only the best of the best would work on the project, and that meant Angelo.
But she was needed back in New York. The ICL fund-raiser was quickly approaching, and seeing as it was her idea—it was her responsibility to make sure it went off without a hitch. However, she had put Pam, an associate at the after-school program, in charge while she was gone. And how much could possibly go wrong in three weeks?
“Please say you’ll stay.” Marianna looked so hopeful. “I could use someone on my side against my brothers, who think they know everything.”
That sold her. Marianna could definitely use some help keeping her brothers in line while she figured out her next move. “Okay, I’ll stay.”
Everyone smiled except Angelo.
Aside from the fund-raiser, there was nothing waiting for her back in New York, not even a goldfish. When she wasn’t at the office, she was at the after-school program helping kids with their homework followed by a game of dodgeball or basketball or volleyball. She wasn’t very good at any of the games, but she gave it her best effort.
For the moment, she was giving herself permission to enjoy Italy before she set to work. And this was the perfect place to start. She’d love to see more of the vineyard, and it’d give Angelo some private time with his siblings.
“Would you mind if I had a look around the vineyard?” Kayla’s gaze met Nico’s.
“My apologies. I should have offered to give you a tour earlier. I’ve had other thoughts on my mind—” his gaze strayed to his sister and then back to her “—with uh...the royal wedding.”
“That’s okay. I totally understand.” Kayla got to her feet. “I’ve never been to a vineyard before. I’ll just show myself around.”
“Nonsense. Angelo can give you the grand tour while I make some phone calls and spread the good news. And make sure he shows you the chapel.” Nico turned a smile to Angelo. “You can handle that, can’t you, brother?”
Angelo’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Kayla took that as progress between the brothers. Not wanting to give Angelo time to change his mind, she set off for the vines, hoping Angelo would follow.
He did, and he proved to be quite an insightful guide. He explained to her the difference between a larger vineyard and this boutique vineyard. While Nico produced fewer barrels of wine—less than five thousand cases a year—it was carefully processed to the highest quality with the least amount of oxidation.
As much as the history and current production of wine interested her, it was the bell tower in the distance that drew her attention. She headed for the weathered building that sat on the other side of the wall that lined the edge of the vineyard. “Is this the chapel your brother mentioned?”
“Yes. Nico and I explored it as kids. We considered it our castle. I was the king and Nico was the daring knight fighting off dragons.” Angelo smiled at the long-forgotten memory.
“You and your brother must have had a lot of fun.”
“Now that I think about it, we did have some good times.”
She smiled. “This looks like a great place for an adventure. Can we go inside the chapel?”
“It’s nothing you’d be interested in.”
“Sure I would.” Her steps grew quicker as she headed for the opening in the wall that led to the little chapel. Maybe this was her chance to let Angelo know that she’d be more than willing to help with the wedding pitch—in fact, this was the opportunity of a lifetime. Now, how did she broach the subject with Angelo?
She stopped next to the four steps that led to two tall, narrow wooden doors. It looked as though time had passed it by. Okay so it needed a little TLC, but it had a charm about it that transcended time. “Your brother is so lucky to have this piece of history on his land. Imagine all of the weddings and christenings that must have taken place here.”
“Technically it’s not on Nico’s land.” Angelo pointed over his shoulder to the wall. That divides the vineyard. The other side is Nico’s.”
“So who owns this land, then?”
“This is Palazzo di Comparino. Its owner, Signor Carlos Bartolini, recently passed away. From what I understand, there’s a young woman staying there now.”
“You know this chapel gives me an idea—it’d be perfect for the royal wedding.”
“I don’t know.” Angelo rubbed his chin. “It needs work.”
She pulled open one of the doors and peered inside at the rows of pews. The place was filled with dust and cobwebs. “It’s nothing that can’t be done rather easily.” This was her chance to put herself out there. “You know I could help you with the pitch.”
Angelo didn’t immediately respond. The breath hitched in her throat as she waited—hoping that he’d latch on to her offer. The experience from working on such a prestigious project had immeasurable potential, from a promotion at Amatucci & Associates to making her résumé stand out—head and shoulders above the rest.
“I don’t think so. You’ll have enough to do with the other accounts that need looking after.” The disappointment must have filtered across her face because his stance eased and his voice softened. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want you getting overwhelmed.”
It teetered on the tip of her tongue to ask him if this had anything to do with the kiss, but she hesitated. She couldn’t bring herself to tarnish that moment. The memory of how his eyes had devoured her before his lips had claimed hers still made her heart race.
If it wasn’t the kiss, why was he turning away her offer of help? Was it just as he said, not wanting to give her too much work? Or did he feel she wasn’t up to the task of working on something so important?
With the wind temporarily knocked out of her sails, she turned back to the villa. She wasn’t giving up. She would show Angelo that she was invaluable.
* * *
What was the problem?
Two days later, Angelo paced around the hotel suite. He needed a fresh approach to the wedding. It had to be something amazing—something unique to Monte Calanetti that would appeal to a prince and his intended bride. But what?
He was stuck. This had never happened to him before. He inwardly groaned as his mind drew a total blank. This was ridiculous. He clenched his hands into tight balls. He had absolutely nothing. And that was so not like him.
He liked to think outside the box. He liked to push boundaries and experiment, but all he could think of was why would anyone would want to get married in Monte Calanetti? What special qualities did they see in the village for it to make the royals’ short list?
He poured himself a cup of the now-lukewarm coffee. The silence of the suite was getting to him. Kayla had cleared out early that morning, claiming she wanted some fresh air while she worked on the mock-ups for the Van Holsen account and answered emails. She’d been great about taking on additional responsibilities, allowing him time to brainstorm. Not that it was helping him much.
In fact, she’d done such an exceptional job that maybe he should see what she could do with this wedding stuff. After all, she was a girl, and didn’t they all dream about their weddings?
Suddenly the image of Kayla in a white dress formed in his mind. His body tensed. As quickly as the image came to him, he vanquished it. She’d be a beautiful bride, but for someone else. He wasn’t getting married—ever.
Determined to stay on point and to get her input on the wedding, he headed downstairs to the pool area. He opened the door and stepped outside, momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight. Once his vision adjusted, he glanced around, quickly locating his assistant. She was at a shaded poolside table. She lifted her head and smiled, but it wasn’t aimed at him.
She wasn’t alone. A young man stood next to her table. Angelo’s gut knotted. He told himself that it was because she was supposed to be working, not flirting. His only interest was in her getting her work done in a timely fashion. But as the chime of her laughter carried through the gentle breeze, Angelo’s mouth pulled into a frown.
He strode toward the table. Kayla didn’t even notice him approach as she was captivated by the young man.
Angelo cleared his throat. “Hello, Kayla.”
Both heads turned his way. Kayla’s eyes opened wide with surprise. The young man drew himself up to his full height as though he was about to defend his right to be flirting with Kayla. The guy had no idea that Angelo had no intention of challenging his right to gain Kayla’s attention. After all, it would be for the best if she was interested in someone—as long as it wasn’t him. But that would all have to wait, because right now she was on the clock. And he needed her help.
Angelo used his practiced professional voice, the one that let people know that he meant business. “How’s the Van Holsen account coming?”
“Uh, good. Dino was just asking about the royal wedding.”
“He was?” Angelo stepped between Kayla and the young man. “What do you want to know?”
The young man glanced down, not meeting Angelo’s direct gaze. “I...I was just curious if the rumor was true that they might pick Monte Calanetti for the wedding.”
“It is. Is there anything else?”
Dino shrugged his shoulders. “I guess not.”
“Good. Kayla has work to do now. If you’ll excuse us.”
“Uh, sure.” Dino leaned to the side to look at Kayla. “I’ll see you around.”
“Bye.”
Angelo took a seat next to Kayla. “It seems you’ve found yourself an admirer.”
“Who? Dino?” She shook her head. “He was just interested in what I knew about the royal wedding, which wasn’t anything more than he’s heard through the grapevine. How’s the pitch for the wedding coming?”
“Good.” Liar.
He wasn’t about to admit that he, Angelo Amatucci, couldn’t come up with a dynamic pitch that would turn the prince’s and his bride’s heads. No way. What would Kayla think of him? No. Scratch that. He didn’t want to know what she’d think. She’d probably laugh at him.
“I’m glad to hear it’s going well. I know that I’m not the only one who’s anxious for the pitch. Imagine a royal wedding. The whole world will be watching it and you’ll have played a big part in it.”
“Not a big part.”
“You’re too modest. You’re like the village hero now.”
Just what he needed was more pressure. He swallowed down his uneasiness. “You’re assuming that the prince will choose this village, and that’s a big leap.”
“But why wouldn’t they pick Monte Calanetti? From the little I’ve seen, I think it’s a lovely village.”
“That’s just because you didn’t grow up here.”
Her green eyes widened. “You really didn’t like living here?”
He shook his head, but he wasn’t going to get into the details of his childhood or his strained relationship with his parents. Kayla had already been privy to more about his private life than anyone else ever. But something told him that his family secrets were safe with her.
Not in the mood to talk anymore about this village or dwell on the fact that he’d wasted two days without coming up with anything striking or fascinating, he decided to turn the conversation around. “How is the work going?”