THIS COULDN’T BE HAPPENING.
Two days before Angelo’s private jet was scheduled to sweep them off to the Mediterranean island of Halencia, Kayla received yet another phone call from Pam. However with Angelo hovering so close by and forever checking over her shoulder to see the progress she was making with their pitch, she couldn’t answer the call. No way. No how.
Kayla sent the call to voice mail before returning to the email she was composing. But a thought had been nagging at her that perhaps after their talk Angelo might have changed his stance on the company doing some charity work. There were so many worthy causes out there that really could use the power of Amatucci & Associates to make a difference. And she wasn’t just thinking of her beloved after-school program.
There were countless other organizations that were worthy of a helping hand. Perhaps it was worth a shot. What was the worst that could happen? He would tell her to drop the subject and get back to work? Because surely at this point he wouldn’t fire her, would he?
“You’ve done a really good job with this pitch.” And she meant it. Angelo was very talented and creative. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t be at the top of his game. “It might be a nice idea if you’d considered implementing a charity program at the office. I know a lot of people would be willing to help—”
“No.”
Just a one-word answer? Really? Kayla tried to accept it as his final word, but she was having problems swallowing such a quick dismissal. Why did he have to be so close-minded? Was he that worried about his bottom line?
She stared at him. How was it possible that the same man who had escorted her around the village and had shared some of his childhood memories with her could be opposed to helping charities? There had to be something more to his decision.
Maybe if she understood, she could change his mind—make him see that charities needed his special kind of help. Not everyone was gifted in getting the word out in so many different capacities from tweeting to commercials and radio spots. Not to mention that Angelo had an army of contacts in Hollywood willing to help him when needed.
“Why are you so opposed to the idea of helping out charity organizations?”
“You just aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
She shook her head. How could she be honest with him about what had her distracted when she knew that it would put her job in jeopardy? Maybe if she understood his reasons, it would bridge the divide. “Explain it to me.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and pulled out a chair next to her. “When I came to the States, I was alone. I didn’t know anyone. And I’ll admit that it wasn’t easy and there were a few scary moments.”
This certainly wasn’t the explanation that she was expecting, but she liked that he was opening up to her, little by little. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you. I mean, I moved to New York City and I didn’t know a soul here, but I was only a car ride away from my family. You practically moved halfway around the world.”
“I didn’t have a choice.” His lips pressed together into a firm line as though stopping what was about to come out of his mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. It’s just that when I was in school, I got caught up in the football team and my dream of graduating college started to fade into the rearview mirror. Now granted, that isn’t the same as working for a charitable organization, but I learned a valuable lesson—if I wanted to be the best at whatever I decided to do, I had to commit myself 100 percent. I couldn’t let myself get distracted.”
Was that happening to her with the fund-raiser? Was she spreading herself too thin? Was she trying to cover too many bases?
She didn’t want to accept that she was setting herself up to fail. He had to be wrong. “Couldn’t you have done both in moderation?”
“You’re not understanding me—I had to succeed—I had to be the best to get anywhere in New York City. Competition is fierce and if I failed, I couldn’t go home.”
“Sure you could have—”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” His intense stare met hers, warning her not to delve further into that subject. “The point is that I know what happens when people become distracted for any reason—no matter how good the cause. They lose their focus. Their ambition dwindles. And that can’t happen to Amatucci & Associates. I hate to say it, but it’s a cutthroat business. If we lose our edge, the competitors will swoop in and steal away our clients.”
Between the lines she read, if she lost her edge—if she didn’t give 100 percent—she’d lose her dream. She’d fail and return to Paradise with her tail between her legs. Her stomach twisted into a queasy knot.
She clasped her hands together. Knowing all of this, there was no way she was about to confess to Angelo that she was spending every free moment handling a fund-raiser that seemed to hit one snag after the next. He’d think she wasn’t dedicated to her career—that couldn’t be further from the truth.
She cleared the lump from the back of her throat. “And that’s why you compromise and write generous checks each year to the various organizations?”
He nodded. “I didn’t say I wasn’t sympathetic. But the office policy stands. End of discussion.”
She was more than happy to change subjects, and he’d touched upon one that she was most curious about. “And your parents—”
“Are not part of this discussion.”
They might not be, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t understand a whole lot more about them now. At last, the pieces of his family life started to fall into place. She had wondered why they weren’t at the villa to greet Angelo. Nor were they around to help their daughter cope with her unplanned pregnancy. There was definitely discord, and it must run quite deep if Angelo still wasn’t ready to broach the subject.
Something told her that he’d closed himself off from that part of his life and focused on his business not so much because he was worried about losing focus, but rather because he found his business safe. It lacked the ability to wound him the way family could do with just a word or a look. That was why he was so cold and professional most of the time. It was his shield.
That was no way to live. There was so much more in life to experience. And she desperately wanted to show him that...and so much more.
But how was she to help him if he wasn’t willing to open up?
* * *
“Help! I don’t know what to do. Everything is ruined.”
Kayla’s heart lurched at the sound of Pam’s panicked voice. She gripped the phone tightly and reminded herself that Pam tended to overreact. Things with the ICL fund-raiser had been going pretty well. Ticket sales were still lagging but the radio spots were helping. What could be wrong now?
“Pam, slow down.”
“But we don’t have time.”
“Take a deep breath. It can’t be as bad as you’re thinking.”
“No, it could be worse.” Pam sniffled.
Okay. What had happened this time? Did Pam lose another file on her computer? Or misplace the phone number for the manager of the headline band? Pam did blow things out of proportion.
“Pam, pull yourself together and tell me what happened.” While Kayla hoped for the best, she steeled herself for a catastrophe.
“They canceled.”
Kayla sat up straight, knocking her empty water glass over. Surely she hadn’t heard correctly. “Who canceled?”
“The band.” Pam started to cry again.
Impossible. “The band quit?”
“Yes! What are you going to do?” She hiccupped.
“But they can’t just quit. We have an agreement—a contract.”
“That...that’s what I said. They said there was a clause or some sort of thing in there that let them back out.”
Kayla rubbed her forehead. This couldn’t be happening. What was she supposed to do about it all the way in Italy?
“I...I just can’t do this anymore. Everyone is yelling at me.” The sniffles echoed across the Atlantic. “I can’t.”
Oh, no. She couldn’t have Pam backing out on her, too. “Calm down.” Kayla’s hands grew clammy as she tightened her hold on the phone. “You can’t quit. The kids are counting on us. We can’t let them down.”
“But what are you going to do? You have to fix this. I can’t.”
Kayla wanted to yell that she didn’t know but that the whining wasn’t helping anyone. “I don’t know yet. What did the band say was the problem?”
“They got a contract with some big band to be the opening act on a cross-country tour. They leave before the concert.”
It’d certainly be hard to compete with a national tour. Most likely this was the band’s big break and Kayla’s heart sank, knowing that wild horses couldn’t hold them back. And to be honest, she couldn’t blame them. This was what they’d been working toward for so long now. But none of that helped her or the fund-raiser.
Kayla struggled to speak calmly. “Just sit tight. I’ll think of something.”
“You know of another band that can fill in at the last minute?”
She didn’t have a clue where to find a replacement. In fact, she’d totally lucked into that first band. A friend of a friend knew the band manager, who liked the idea of free publicity. Where in the world would she locate another band?
“I need time to think.” Kayla said, feeling as though the world was crumbling around her.
“But what do I tell people?”
“Tell them that we’ll have an announcement soon.”
Kayla ended the call. Her mind was spinning. She didn’t know how she was going to save the event. The enormity of the situation was only beginning to settle in. With no headline act, there was no point. The tickets would have to be refunded. The Inner City League after-school program would cease to exist.
All of those at-risk kids would be turned away.
No! She refused to fail them. Visions of Gina’s smiling face, Patrick’s pout when she didn’t have time to throw the ball with him and Lilly’s anxious look as she’d handed Kayla a new drawing filled her mind. And there were so many more faces—all counting on her to come through for them.
Something splashed her hand. Kayla glanced down to see a tear streak down the back of her hand. She lifted her fingers and touched her cheek, finding it damp. At that moment, she heard the door to the suite open. She took a deep calming breath and dashed the back of her hands across her cheeks.
“I’m back.” Angelo’s deep voice echoed through the large room. “Did I miss anything?”
Talk about a loaded question. “Um...no.” She struggled to sound normal as she kept her back to him. She blinked repeatedly and resisted the urge to fan her overheated face. “Nothing much happened around here.”
“You were right about approaching my brother.” He paused. “Kayla?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason I’m talking to the back of your head?”
She shook her head. “I’m just finishing up an email.”
“Do you want to hear this?”
“Um...yes. Of course. I can do two things at once.”
There was an extended pause as though he was deciding if she were truly interested or not. “Well, I asked Nico for permission to offer up his vineyard as one of the sites for the wedding. The photographer from the village is stopping by tomorrow to take some professional photos.”
“I’m glad the meeting went smoothly between you and your brother. What about the new owner of the neighboring vineyard? What did you say her name was?”
“Louisa something or other.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I talked to her about using her vineyard, since it’s larger than Nico’s place, but she was adamant that she wants absolutely nothing to do with the wedding.”
“Really? How odd.”
“Not as odd as this.”
“What do you mean?” Kayla hated putting on this pretense, but she knew that he would never abide her splitting her work hours between the royal wedding and a charity event. He’d already made that abundantly clear.
“You won’t face me and there’s something off with your voice.” His approaching footsteps had her body tensing. He knelt down next to her. He placed a finger beneath her chin and turned her face to his. “Now tell me, what’s got you upset?”
His voice was so soft and comforting. All she wanted to do in that moment was lean into his arms and rest her face in the crook of his neck. She wanted to feel the comfort and security of his strong arms holding her close. She wanted him to tell her that everything would be all right—that they would work together to find a solution.
But none of that could or would happen. Angelo would never understand how she’d knowingly gone behind his back to work on this fund-raiser instead of focusing solely on the royal wedding. She’d never be able to justify her actions to his satisfaction.
“I’m fine.” Her gaze didn’t meet his.
“You’re not fine. Not by a long shot.” As though he’d been privy to her thoughts, he reached out and pulled her to him.
She shouldn’t do this. It wasn’t right. But her body had other thoughts and willingly followed his lead. Her cheek pressed against the firmness of his shoulder and she inhaled the spicy scent of his cologne mingled with his male scent. It was quite intoxicating.
Her eyes drifted closed and for a moment she let go of everything. The silent tears streamed down her cheeks. She took comfort in the way Angelo’s hands rubbed her back. It wove a spell over her and relaxed muscles that she hadn’t realized were stiff.
“I’m sorry for working you too hard.”
She dashed her fingers over her cheeks and pulled back. “You aren’t making me work this hard—I want to do it. I want to do everything to make our pitch stand out.”
He ran his hands up her arms, sending goose bumps racing down her skin. “But not to the point where you’ve worn yourself to a frazzle. Look at you. You’ve gotten yourself all worked up.”
She shook her head. No matter how much she wanted to open up to him, she couldn’t. They only had two days until they had to catch a plane to Halencia, and they still didn’t have a completed pitch. And what they had didn’t sparkle. And it didn’t scream “pick me.” There was something missing, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. And now, add to it the problem with the fund-raiser and she was at a total loss.
“Kayla, if you won’t talk to me, how can I help?”
Her gaze met his, and she saw the worry reflected in his eyes. “You can’t.”
“Why don’t you give me a chance?”
He just wasn’t going to let this go. His eyes begged her to open up to him—to trust him. But she couldn’t give up her dream of being the sort of person that Angelo Amatucci would want as an ad executive—she’d given up everything to follow this dream. She couldn’t return to Paradise and face her parents as a failure.
“The truth is I...I have a headache.” And that wasn’t a lie. The stress of everything had her temples pounding.
He studied her for a moment as though weighing her words. “Did you take anything for it?”
“I was about to, but I hadn’t made it there yet.”
Angelo nodded as though he knew what needed to be done. “Go lie down on the couch and rest—”
“But I have stuff that needs done—”
“Later. Right now, you’re going to rest. I’ll get some medication for you.”
His thoughtfulness only made her feel worse—about everything—most especially that she couldn’t open up to him. She was certain that he would have some amazing suggestion that would save the fund-raiser, but she just couldn’t risk everything she’d worked for. Instead, she’d have to pray for a miracle.