The Vineyards Of Calanetti. Rebecca Winters
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?”
COULD SHE PRETEND she hadn’t heard Angelo?
Kayla had spent a large chunk of time at this poolside table. With most of the guests either off sightseeing or attending other engagements, it was a peaceful place for her to jot out more ideas for the Van Holsen account. But after going back and forth between the art department and the very demanding client, they were still missing the mark.
It didn’t help that her ideas for the Van Holsen account had stalled. For the past half hour or so, she’d been jotting out ideas for the fund-raiser back in New York. The event was their last hope to keep the after-school program going for so many at-risk kids and it was weighing heavy on her mind. There were still so many details to iron out.
And as exciting as it was to be working with Angelo Amatucci on what