Baby Steps

by Lily Zante

  “Ava,” said Nico, placing a hand across her lower back. “You haven’t met the newest additions to our management team.” Nico introduced her. “This is Ines our marketing manager and this is Demetrio.” He purposely left out the job title since Demetrio already seemed so hung up on it.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you both at last,” said Ava warmly shaking hands with them both. “Nico has told me so much about you.”

  “Could I hold her a little longer?” Gina asked.

  “You can hold her for as long as you want,” Ava said.

  “I’m going to sit down by the sofas. I won’t be far,” said Gina and walked away hugging the baby.

  Nico reached out for Ava’s hand. “This is a nice surprise.” He wondered how she’d found the time to get away from her computer.

  “I wanted to get out,” replied Ava. “I feel cooped up in the house all day.” He’d experienced the same thing during his time off. “You need to get out more,” he told her.

  “That’s what Andrea said. She wanted the two of us—me and her—to out one evening.”

  “Why don’t you? I’ll look after Elisabetta.” But, just as he thought she might, Ava made a face as if this was a concern. “I don’t want to leave her yet, she’s so young.”

  “I’ll be able to cope.”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about.” She smiled and laid a hand on his arm even though he didn’t find her remark calming.

  “I am her father,” said Nico, defensively. “I’m pretty sure I can look after her.”

  “I know you can. It’s me.” She raised her hand to his face for one tender moment. Maybe what they both needed was a short trip somewhere where they could rediscover their passion and romance. He took her hand and started to lead her towards the conservatory.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Gina and the baby.

  “To sit in here and have a cup of coffee with my wife, or we could go for a walk in the gardens. Elisabetta is in good hands; I trust her with Gina, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but—” She still didn’t look too certain. He stopped and let go of her hand.

  “But what?” asked Nico, annoyance crept into his voice.

  “I came in to grab a few files as well as to see how I could rearrange my office.”

  “For what?”

  “I’m thinking of working from here, maybe, for one or two days a week.”

  “Already?”

  “Not right now,” she said, hastily. “But hopefully next month when Elisabetta’s three months’ old. I’ll have weaned her off the breast by then.” She looked away quickly but all he could think was that it was too soon for her to be heading back to work. It wasn’t ideal anyway. She already spent too much time on her computer at home, liaising with Kim and Rona in Denver. She had never really let go of her work, apart from the days surrounding Elisabetta’s birth. Apart from that, she had been juggling time between Elisabetta and her business. No wonder she had no time for him.

  “Next month? What about Elisabetta?”

  “I’d bring her in with me.”

  “Here? While you work? You might as well work from home.”

  “Or I could get a babysitter to look after her around the Casa Adriana while I work for a few hours.”

  “Have you thought this through properly?”

  “I know I don’t want to spend a year at home.”

  “But you have Kim and Rona handling things in Denver,” he said. “I don’t understand why you still need to be so hands on, especially at a time like now—when she’s so young, and you need to rest.”

  She gave him a cutting stare. “And you have Bruno and his workmen dealing with the Cazale Ravenna, Nico.” Her voice took on that edge he’d come to know. “But that doesn’t stop you from calling him three or four times during the day.”

  Had she been counting? “I call him a few times,” Nico replied defensively.

  “But you went to Ravenna earlier this week to find out how things were.”

  “Because I hadn’t been in nearly a month.”

  “But if Bruno is handling things for you why do you need to be there?”

  His body tensed as he tried to formulate a reply. His wife seemed determined to say her piece but he didn’t want to get into a disagreement over work. Now that she was here he wanted to avoid things turning bitter, the way most of their conversations seemed to end, these days.

  “And why are you here now?” She asked. “Why don’t you let Gina and Demetrio and Ines take care of things?”

  She was going in for the kill. “They do,” he replied, looking around to make sure that Ines and Demetrio had left. “But I’m better now and I need to get on with things.”

  “You never really stopped, Nico. Even when you were at home unable to move around properly, you still had the phone stuck to your ear. We’re not so different after all.” She walked over to Gina and left him standing alone, pondering about what had just happened.

  He pressed his lips together and was left feeling as if she’d pummeled into him without taking a breath. Whether it was being cooped up at home or a mixture of tiredness and lack of sleep, his wife was mad about something. Nico followed her towards the sofas.

  “I could hold her all day,” he heard Gina say as she handed the baby back to Ava.

  “You’re welcome to,” Ava replied as Elisabetta waved her arms around in delight.

  “Why don’t you come over one day?” Nico asked, joining them. Maybe having company visit her would be good for Ava, especially if she didn’t seem took keen to go out. Maybe it was time he got some friends over for dinner to spend time with them? A plan began to hatch in his mind. Why not invite Leo and Andrea at the same time?

  “Why don’t you come over for dinner one evening?” he asked. “We could ask Leo and Andrea over, too, couldn’t we?” He sought Ava’s approval as he made the suggestion.

  “Er—yes,” she replied, hugging the baby to her shoulder.

  “I don’t know. You both seem so busy right now—” Gina began.

  “But we have lots of help,” he said, thinking of Elsa and Helena. “The extra company would be good, wouldn’t it?” Nico asked, looking at Ava again in an attempt to gauge her reaction.

  “Uh—yes, he’s right. We don’t get out much,” Ava said.

  “It would be lovely,” Gina concurred.

  “We’ll arrange a date,” said Ava. “I’ll find out when Andrea’s free.”

  “And Leo,” said Nico.

  “They’re not together.”

  “It doesn’t matter. He was there with me at the hospital, they both were. It’s the least we can do.”

  Ava shrugged.

  “Let me know,” said Gina, giving Ava a quick kiss on her cheek. She touched the baby’s hand and rushed off.

  Left alone, Nico looked at his watch. “How about we go to lunch?”

  “My mom and I are going to Gioberti’s.”

  “You are?” He asked, disappointed.

  She nodded as she laid the baby back in the stroller. “Now that I’m out of the house, I want to make the most of my day.”

  He didn’t like Gioberti. “Why don’t you go someplace else?”

  “Because Gioberti’s has the best gamberoni.”

  He gave her a tight smile. “There are other restaurants in Verona. Better ones.”

  “But we’re going to Gioberti’s. You can join us if you want.”

  He shook his head. “You go ahead.” He looked around. “Where’s your mom?”

  “In the gardens. She wanted to see Salvatore about something.”

  Chapter 8

  Elisabetta still woke up at night every three hours for a feeding. The one time Ava had mentioned this to her mother, Elsa had laughed. “You think your baby cares how much sleep you get?”

  How did working women do this? The ones who commuted and left their babies with babysitters? If she and Connor had married, would this have been her life? Her previo
us job as a freelance copywriter might have sustained her, but for how long? And if she had married Connor, then she would never have come to Italy or found these products, and maybe her side hobby—which was what her online store had been back then—might have trickled to a slow death.

  She doubted whether Connor would have been happy enough for her to be a stay at home mom and whether he would have taken on the responsibility of being the breadwinner. He had certainly surprised her when he’d asked her for a loan. It was still eating away at the back of her mind, one of those things that she preferred not to think about, and which was so low on her list of priorities. And she also felt guilty for not having told Nico. It never seemed to be the right time and she knew her husband didn’t like any mention of Connor. Her ex had said he’d pay her back but so far he hadn’t paid a dime. She feared that Connor would hope that she would forget. He had sent them a Christmas card, but he hadn’t even acknowledged Elisabetta’s birth and she knew that Rona had made it a point to let him know.

  She secured the diaper across Elisabetta’s stomach and then bent down and blew a raspberry on her stomach. The baby laughed, and kicked her arms and legs, so Ava did it again. She stared down at her daughter, her face glowing with love as she held out her index fingers and watched as Elisabetta clasped her tiny hands around them.

  Ah, the joys of being a mother.

  The love she felt towards this tiny bundle was overwhelming and Ava wondered what it would be like to give Elisabetta a brother or sister.

  Already?

  She shook her head. “Your Papa would say yes in an instant,” she said, using the same word that Nico had used to address his own father. She already knew that Nico wanted more babies, he’d agree to it now if he could. She felt sure he’d want her pregnant all the time, but she had other plans. She wasn’t set up to be a trophy wife or a baby making machine. She was an independent woman, a business woman and entrepreneur, as well as a mother. She’d make it work. She would, with or without Nico’s support.

  A second baby would come when she felt the time was right for her. She had much to do before then, as well as slipping in a visit to Denver sometime towards the end of the year when Elisabetta would turn one.

  As much as Ava was looking forward to having friends over for dinner, she was also dreading it. She struggled especially with the structure of her day what with Elisabetta’s on-demand feeding and random evenings where her colic acted up. It helped that Helena was cooking the meal, but even then Ava wasn’t in the mood to entertain anyone and by the time Friday arrived, she was beginning to wish Nico hadn’t organized it.

  She blew another raspberry on Elisabetta’s peachy soft feet then looked up when her cell phone buzzed in the back pocket of her jeans. She grabbed it, stroking Elisabetta’s foot as she answered it.

  “Kim?” She instinctively felt uneasy because Kim only called when it was something important or if there was a problem.

  “I don’t want to alarm you but—” It wasn’t the best way to begin a sentence, especially when Ava was already stressed about her guests turning up for dinner.

  “What is it?” asked Ava, feeling alarmed already.

  “We might have a problem with the cribs.”

  “What kind of problem?” Her breath stuck in her throat.

  “I’m not entirely sure yet but we’ve had several reports from people saying that these weren’t what they’d ordered.”

  “What do you mean?” Her insides churned as if she’d done a 360 degree loop on a roller coaster ride. “Did you double check the orders and the catalog numbers?”

  “Yup.”

  “And you’ve checked the items in our warehouse?”

  “Yes. It looks fine to me.”

  “We need more information from the customer.”

  “I had an email a few days ago and then someone called this morning. The lady sounded pretty angry. She said something about it not being a static crib.”

  “We only sell static cribs.”

  “I know. I checked their orders with our catalog.”

  Ava rubbed her forehead. It didn’t make sense. There had been recent shipments in November and December but this was the first time they’d had any problems.

  “Do you know which shipment these cribs are from?”

  “I can double check but I’m pretty certain. Hang on—I can check now.” Ava waited with bated breath, letting go of Elisabetta’s foot.

  “Kim?” She picked up Elisabetta and laid her on her shoulder as she paced around the room.

  “I’m double–checking.” As always, Ava was glad that she was dealing with Kim and not her sister Rona.

  “Yup. The ones we’re getting the complaints about are from the December shipment.”

  “How many cribs have we sold and dispatched?”

  “Around two hundred but, again, I’d need to check.”

  “Don’t send any more out,” Ava warned as Elisabetta nuzzled her nose into her shoulder, often a signal that she was ready to sleep.

  “I won’t. Let me look into it here and I’ll get back to you.”

  “Ava!” Her mother’s voice sounded from the distance.

  “I’m up here, Mom!”

  “Leave it to me,” Kim said, “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay,” said Ava, and hung up.

  “Your guests are here,” Elsa announced, walking into the nursery and casting a disapproving at Ava. “You’re not even dressed and Andrea and Leo are already here.”

  “They are?”

  Was it already 8 o’clock?

  “They are.”

  “And Nico?” Ava asked, handing Elisabetta over to her mother.

  “He’s not here yet,” her mother replied

  Where was he? This whole thing had been his idea. The thought of her guests unattended downstairs made her even more tense.

  “You need to get dressed, honey, and get downstairs quickly.”

  Ava wiped her hand across her face. She was torn between calling Nico and asking him where the hell he was and rushing to take a shower. Where had the time flown? Elsa coo-ed and aaah-ed and showered the baby with her own Grandma brand of loving while she decided what to do.

  “Ava, your guests are waiting.”

  “But I need to take a shower.” She reeked of thrown up baby milk and other baby smells.

  “I thought that’s what you were doing. You were up here long enough.” Elsa fixed her with a stare that saw right through her. “Were you on your computer again?”

  “Please, Mom,” said Ava, grabbing the dress she’d laid out on her bed, then she changed her mind. At the last minute she opted for comfort instead. Rushing to her closet she picked out a pair of elasticized trousers and a loose top.

  “Why don’t you take Elisabetta downstairs, while she’s playing happily,” Ava suggested. She could quickly get ready while her guests fawned over Elisabetta. Silently, she prayed that Nico would be here soon.

  Or else.

  Chapter 9

  “I volunteer to babysit whenever you want me to,” Andrea announced, as Elsa left the room with the baby.

  “I’ll bear that in mind,” Ava replied, taking in Andrea’s warm brown wraparound dress. It was plain yet stylish and the way it hugged her super slim body, it was difficult not to stare. Even Leo’s gaze drifted a few times, Ava noted. She suddenly felt drab and dowdy in her middle aged outfit and she wished she’d worn her dress instead and looked as if she’d made an effort while dressing.

  Nico still hadn’t arrived. Typical. She filled up their wine glasses and wished that she could drink some wine too. One more month of breastfeeding and she’d be able to.

  “To friends,” she said, clinking glasses with them. “Nico and I wanted to take you out for a meal but we don’t get to go out as much as we used to.”

  “Feeding on demand can’t be easy,” Andrea agreed, speaking as if she knew all about breastfeeding.

  “And Nico has a lot going on at the moment,” Leo remarked.
“Andrea said he’d returned to work full-time.”

  “He never really went part-time,” Ava replied. “Even when he was at home he was constantly calling Bruno or Gina for updates.”

  “Just like you,” Andrea said.

  “Just like me, I suppose,” Ava agreed, reluctantly. They sat back down on the sofas. “I know he’s under a lot of pressure.”

  “It can’t be easy, following in Edmondo Cazale’s footsteps.” Leo said.

  “It isn’t,” Ava agreed. “This definitely isn’t a good time for him, and I know he has a lot riding on this hotel.”

  “You poor things,” said Andrea. “You’ve both had an awful time of things lately. Maybe we should have invited you over.”

  Ava shook her head, looking horrified. “That would have been difficult,” she said, sipping her lemonade. “I’d have had to bring diapers, and a change of clothes for her, and then walk around with her on my arm. She’s not used to new environments. They always freak her out and she’d likely be unsettled.” As if on cue, Elisabetta let out an ear-piercing shriek from the other room.

  Andrea sat forward. “What was that?”

  Ava didn’t flinch. “She has colic. At least, I’m told it’s colic—this episodic crying for no reason. It happens most evenings.”

  Andrea looked shocked. “Aren’t you going to see to her?”

  “My mom or Nico will beat me to it,” said Ava, cocking her ear towards the door and waiting.

  “Isn’t there something you can give her?”

  “We’ve tried all sorts of things,” Ava replied. “Nothing really seems to work.”

  “Still, it must be such a help to have your mom over.”

  “It is,” replied Ava staring nervously in the direction of the door, when the noise didn’t die down They all smiled at one another politely. “Please excuse me a moment.” She got up to go and tend to her but as she stepped out into the hallway, the cries stopped. She heard the front door close and saw Nico walk in.

  “Sorry,” he whispered, putting down his briefcase. He walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Elisabetta is acting up.”