The Vineyards Of Calanetti. Rebecca Winters
here and now. “Sorry. I just had a thought.”
“About the account?”
She nodded. “It’s coming along.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you have so far and we can work on it together?”
She glanced down at her closed notebook. “That’s okay. I know you have more important things to concentrate on. I’ve got this.”
Angelo’s dark brows drew together. “Listen, I know that things haven’t exactly been right between us since, well, you know...the kiss. If that’s still bothering you—?”
“It’s not.” Yes, it was. But not the way he was thinking. The kiss had been better than she’d ever imagined. And she knew that it could never happen again. She had too much on the line to risk it all by fooling around with her boss.
The truth of the matter was the pad of paper also contained her thoughts for the benefit concert. Angelo had a strict policy about not taking on charity accounts—he believed there were too many good causes and not enough time to help them all. Kayla couldn’t understand his stance, but then again she’d never been in charge of a large company. Maybe there was more to it than what she knew.
The one thing she did know was that she couldn’t let Angelo find out that she was organizing a fund-raiser while on this trip. She didn’t want him to have a reason not to consider her for a promotion or worse yet to have her replaced as his assistant. She wasn’t sure how he would handle the situation. In all of her time at Amatucci & Associates, she’d never witnessed anyone going against company policy. Angelo was a man no one wanted to cross.
“I’m just jotting out some ideas. Nothing specific yet.” She caught herself worrying her bottom lip, hoping he wouldn’t take exception to her not coming up with something more concrete. After all, they were on a timetable and the clock was ticking. “I spent the morning on the phone with the art department and Mrs. Van Holsen—”
His brows drew together into a formidable line. “Why didn’t you get me?”
“I...I didn’t want to disturb you. I’m supposed to be here to lighten your load.”
He shook his head. “I can’t spend all of my time on one campaign. That isn’t fair to the other clients. I have to stay on top of everything. Next time you speak with a client, I expect to be in on the call. Understood?”
“Yes.”
He let the subject go as he continued on with some other business items. “By the way, while I was on the phone with the office I mentioned that we’d been unavoidably detained in Italy, but I didn’t go into specifics. I don’t want any rumors starting up that we put off longtime clients in favor of this royal wedding pitch. I won’t risk my company’s reputation for something that is never going to happen.”
Kayla’s mouth gaped before she caught it and forced her lips together. “Is that really what you think?”
He nodded. “Pretty much.”
“But why?”
“Well, I can’t see what a royal couple would find so endearing about Monte Calanetti. I think everyone, including my brother and sister, are getting worked up over something that will never happen.”
“I don’t understand. If that’s truly what you think then why go to all of the bother to delay your return to New York and work on a campaign that you’re certain will fail?”
He shrugged. “It’s an obligation that I owe them.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I owe it to Nico and Marianna—you know, for skipping out on them. For letting them fend for themselves with parents who were more wrapped up in their marital drama than worrying about their children.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. I didn’t tell you any of that so you’d feel sorry for me. In fact, I don’t know why I mentioned it at all.”
“I’m glad you did. I’d like to think that we’ve become more than coworkers.” When she met his drawn brows, she realized that she’d said more than she should have. “I...I don’t mean about the kiss. I just thought we might be friends, too.”
A wave of relief washed over his face easing the stress lines. “I would like that.”
“You would?”
Slowly he nodded, and then a smile tugged at his lips. “Yes, I would.”
She couldn’t help but smile back. She noticed how the worry lines bracketing his eyes and mouth smoothed. She’d never seen him look so worried before. Why would that be? He was amazing at creating winning pitches. He was amazing in a lot of ways.
Realizing that she was staring, she turned away, but by then, her heart was beating faster than normal. Images of the kiss they’d shared clouded her mind. She’d tried to put it out of her head, but the memory kept her awake late into the night. What had it meant? Had it meant anything? Because there was no way that a wealthy, successful businessman who could have his choice of women would fall for his assistant.
Kayla reached for a tall, cool glass of iced tea. “Would you like something to drink? I could go and get you something.”
“Thanks. But I’m all right.” He looked at her as though studying her. “Can I ask what direction you think the wedding pitch should take?”
“Really?” She sat up straighter. “You want my input?”
He nodded. “I thought you might have some ideas that I hadn’t thought of.”
“I do...have ideas, that is.” She struggled to gather her thoughts.
“I’m listening.”
She’d done a lot of thinking about this—probably too much, considering she hadn’t even been invited to help with the royal pitch until now. “I’m thinking that regardless of whether they go big or small, they’re going to want elements that play into an elegant yet traditional event.”
“That’s true. If they wanted a contemporary feel, they certainly wouldn’t come to Monte Calanetti.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“What’s bothering you?”
“I’m just trying to figure out why this village made the short list for the royal wedding. I mean, there’s nothing special here. I’ve gone round and round with this, but I still have no answer. It’s not like it has amazing history like Rome or the heartbeat of the nation like Milan or the stunning architecture of Venice. This is a little, old village.”
“And it’s tripping you up when you’re trying to come up with a unique pitch.”
Angelo hesitated as though he wasn’t sure whether or not to confide in her. Then he sighed. “Yes, it’s giving me a bit of a problem. No matter which way I go at it, I just can’t find that special quality that will put Monte Calanetti head and shoulders above the other locations.”
Kayla smiled and shook her head. “You just don’t see it because you take this place for granted. It’s your home, but to outsiders, it’s something special.”
His gaze met hers. “You think it’s special?”
She decided a neutral stance was best. “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
“Then how can you tell me that I’m blind to what’s in front of me when you haven’t even made up your mind?” His voice held a disgruntled tone.
She smiled, liking the fact that she could get past his polished persona and make him feel real genuine emotions. “I mean that I need to see the village.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she held up her hand, stopping him. “And driving straight through it to get to the hotel does not count. It was more of a blur than anything.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m