by Lily Zante
Talking to Ava had left him feeling concerned. It wasn’t only that she sounded worn out, or that he could hear the tension in her voice, or that the thought of her dealing with all that stress alone—while Andrea and Dino were taking it easy—made him angry. What worried him was that Ava had reached such a low point that she was considering giving up her business.
This didn’t sound like the woman he knew and his decision to go had been easy. The Cazale Ravenna lost out when it came to his wife.
“She has no idea you’re coming?” Gina asked.
“None. It will be a complete surprise to her.” At least he hoped the surprise wouldn’t backfire on him.
“How long are you planning to stay there?”
“A week, maybe.”
“Maybe?”
Nico looked up. Something in Gina’s voice sounded different. “Is that a problem?”
“No.”
“We intend to be back on time because she still thinks the Cazale Ravenna is opening at the end of February.”
“You haven’t told her yet?”
“No.” He hadn’t seen the point of telling her about the delay. He’d tell her when he saw her.
She’d told him she felt guilty for leaving Elisabetta with Elsa. There would be no need for that guilt once he got there. He’d look after their baby while Ava got on with her work. For a change, their roles would reverse, and right now, Nico was happy to let matters be.
But Gina didn’t seem so enthused. He’d been expecting her to be her usual happy and supportive self. He’d expected her to reassure him by telling him that she would take care of things in his absence. Instead she didn’t offer any such assurances and the more he thought about it, the more it dawned upon him that she’d been rather quiet during the management meeting. It had almost been as if Demetrio had been in charge and Gina had sat back, hardly saying a word.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Nico asked.
“Going on?”
“Something’s up with you, Gina. Something you’re not happy about. Is it the work?”
A flush crept up her face. “No.” A false laugh. “Why would you think that?”
“Gina,” said Nico, leaning forward. “You and I go back a long time. Don’t do this. Don’t pretend.” He could see the conflict across her face. The flicker of a changing expression. After a few seconds, she said, “I was hoping to take some time off.”
“Time off?”
“Yes.” Of course she needed time off, she’d been working crazy hours over many months. He’d been too busy worrying about his other things to properly acknowledge how much he’d pushed onto Gina. He’d intended to do something about it, give her a pay raise and time of in lieu—but what had he done? Nothing. She’d covered the hotel when he’d gone on his honeymoon and she’d done the same after his accident. It had been remiss of him not to compensate her earlier, either in the form of a bonus, or time off, or both.
He wondered when she wanted to take the time off. In his own mind he was hoping it wouldn’t be soon, not until after the Cazale Ravenna had opened, but it would be unfair of him to deny her. “How long did you want off?”
“I was hoping for a month.”
His mouth fell open. A month?
And before he could catch his breath and question her, she added, “Or two.”
Two months?
How would he ever cope?
“Two months,” he said, as if it were a prison sentence. It pained him to smile and yet this was the only answer he could give her, because he didn’t want her to fall sick or, even worse, leave.
“I know it’s a long time,” Gina said, obviously seeing that he hadn’t taken the news well. “And I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for a long time.”
Maybe that was why she’d seemed distracted lately. “I think I owe you that much time off in lieu,” he said quickly, eager to cover up his shock. “Two months should be fine. We’ll find a way to cope now that there’s the four of us.”
Was it too much for her, the pressure, the responsibility? “Is the work getting too much?”
“No.” She said, quickly. “No, Nico. The work I can handle.”
Something else?
“I’ve got personal matters to take care of.”
Personal matters? He waited for enlightenment. “Is there anything I can do to—”
“No,” she replied. “There isn’t.”
“I’m sorry. I should have made it my priority. You’ve worked hard ever since the wedding and before it. It was remiss of me to not take this up with you sooner.”
“It’s not that, Nico,” she insisted. But the phone rang then and he was momentarily torn between letting it ring and continuing their conversation, and dealing with this. The shock of Gina’s two month break had hit him hard.
He grabbed the phone receiver roughly. “Yes?”
“Silvia Azzarone for you,” said the receptionist.
What the hell? “Tell her I’m busy.” He slammed the phone down and turned to Gina. “If you ever want to discuss anything, with me or Ava, you know where to find us.”
“I know,” said Gina, getting up. “Don’t worry, she said. “I’ll wait until you get back from Denver, and for the hotel to open. I’d never leave you in the lurch, Nico. You’ve been good to me.”
Have I?
He doubted that there was much truth was in that.
Chapter 29
“Yes!” shrieked Rona, jumping up from her desk. “Another one down!”
“Cribs?” asked Ava, dubiously. She never could tell with Rona.
Her sister nodded.
“How many does that leave now?” Ava asked, feeling a sense of apprehension. She wondered if they were down to single figures yet.
“Another nineteen,” her sister replied. “Don’t worry, we’re getting there.”
Ava sucked her lips in, thinking. She had less than a week left and she was determined for all the problematic cribs to be recalled before she returned to Verona. The last thing she wanted was to hear of bad news when she was back home. In Verona she would be too far away to be able to make a difference.
“We’re getting there,” said Kim, walking back with a tray of hot drinks. “I’d say we’ve done very well.” She handed Ava her mug of hot chocolate.
“You sure have,” Ava replied, even though she didn’t feel she could completely rest until all were in. “You girls have done a great job.” She turned to her sister. “Have you arranged for it to be—”
“Yes,” said Rona, and rolled her eyes. “I know the drill. The customer wanted a refund. They’re not interested in buying a replacement crib from us, or for that matter, anything else.”
Ava winced. It hadn’t been the first customer who had reacted in this way. She didn’t blame them. She’d have done the same if she’d been in the customer’s shoes.
“How many of the new cribs have we sold?” Andrea had sourced a new supplier and both she and Leo had both heavily researched the history of the manufacturer. The cribs were a good alternative to the d’Este ones. But she sensed that Andrea wasn’t fully on board with her decision to stop selling d’Este cribs—especially since it wasn’t the cribs themselves that were faulty. It was easy enough for the correct fixed-side cribs to be sent out—but Ava was in no mood to give Dino more business just yet. He needed to prove himself and lose that arrogant manner of his.
“Not many,” replied Kim, sitting down. She tapped on her keyboard a few times. “Seventeen,” she announced. “But it’s early days yet. We only put the new products up a few days ago. Give it some time.”
Depending on her decision, she might not need to give it any time. It would be the new owner’s problem—if she decided to sell her business. She doodled away on her notepad, trying to figure out what to do.
“Hey,” said Kim, “Ava?” She looked up. “Did you hear me? I said we sold seventeen of the new cribs.”
“I heard you,” she said, hastily scribbling over
her scribble. “It’s not looking great.” The d’Este cribs had sold like tickets to the Superbowl. It had taken one advertisement and a newsletter. The new alternative cribs from the new supplier weren’t selling anywhere near as well.
“I sent you a link to that article on a mommy blog,” said Kim, taking a sip from her mug. “Have you had a chance to read it?”
Ava nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.” Yet another blog talking about the crib problem. But this particular article seemed to focus more on Nico’s wealth and her own story—as a woman from Denver who’d gone to Italy and found love. It was hardly an informative and factual piece.
“I’m not sure it’s bad publicity,” said Kim.
“Isn’t bad publicity good?” Rona asked.
“No,” Ava replied, she held her warm cup in both hands, savoring the heat from it. “I think bad publicity is bad publicity.”
The idea to sell out was looking more appealing by the day. When she’d left Elisabetta this morning, she had paused to think what it might be like to stay at home and look after her all day without any of these business headaches swallowing up her time. Articles like the one that Kim had mentioned seemed to be a sign of the way in which her decision should go. But at the same time, she also had to think of what the consequences of her selling the company might mean to Rona and Kim.
Her sister now worked at the warehouse five days a week instead of working from home a few days and a few days in the office. It was something that Ava had enforced after she’d bought the warehouse. But whether she worked at home or in the office, Ava knew that her sister benefited from being employed. She could work from home under urgent circumstances, if Tori was sick, or if Carlos worked a double shift.
It was the same for Kim. The woman had been a virtual assistant, providing remote support when the store had been a sideline for Ava, but as it had grown in the past year, she’d recruited Kim full-time. She was a single mom and thankful for the opportunity, but more than that, Kim treated her work as if she owned it. She always went over and above what was expected of her. Nico had noted her work ethic and had often suggested to Ava that Kim could cope with more responsibility. That was back in the day when Ava had had plans to expand and to open a sister store in Europe, a plan she had put on hold as her pregnancy had progressed.
Those dreams now seemed fragments of the past.
Now she had other priorities.
She could sell the business at a good enough profit. Sales had been phenomenal the past year and if she sold for a multiple of earnings, she would do well out of the sale.
“Bad publicity doesn’t have to last long,” said Kim, “We’ll wow them again soon enough. We’ll find some more amazing products to sell.” She settled back in her chair and began typing away. Nothing seemed to dampen her spirits though it was obviously easier being an employee than a boss. “You always sound so positive,” Ava remarked.
Kim turned her head, taking her focus away from her work. “I love this job. I love our company. So what if we’ve hit a bad patch,” she said, as if it were nothing major. “All businesses have them. It’s unfortunate ours resulted in young children getting hurt but it’s not something we did on purpose. We learn from it and move one, and we should be thankful that nothing worse has happened.”
Ava marveled at her ability to be so positive. She’d felt that way once--formidable, dauntless and unstoppable. Once.
“Have the Hardings filed a lawsuit?” Rona asked.
“Not yet.” She’d been looking out for it, ready to give to her attorney to deal with but as yet there was nothing.
“Anything from the Dawson woman?”
Ava shook her head. Surprisingly, that one had gone quiet.
“Are you going to visit them?” Rona asked. “I’ll come with you if you want support.” Trust her sister to look for any excuse to get a day out of the office.
Ava hadn’t even considered the option of visiting this family, not after her experience with the Hardings. It had turned quiet from both families and they hadn’t heard anything further from either set of parents. “They’ve threatened but I can’t do anything unless they file a lawsuit.”
“Let’s hope we hear nothing further from them. I dread the day we get hit with a lawsuit,” said Kim.
But the fact that things had suddenly gone quiet made Ava even more anxious and her insides knotted at the thought of a lawsuit landing on her lap. “Why are you dreading it?” she asked Kim. This wasn’t her headache.
Kim put down her cup. “I’d hate for anyone to sue us. I couldn’t bear the thought of our business going bankrupt. Think of all that hard work you’ve put in.”
“We’ve put in,” Ava corrected her. “I couldn’t run this company alone, not without you two helping me.” Expanding the team was the reason she’d been able to do so much, as well as getting married and having a baby.
“Next stop is our European operations,” said Kim, referring to the ideas that Ava had shared with her last year. Ava stared down at the drink in her hands and watched grains of undissolved chocolate powder float around the surface of her half-empty drink. She looked up and her nervous eyes met Kim’s questioning stare. “We’re still going ahead with that plan, aren’t we?”
“I’m not sure,” Ava replied, looking away. “I haven’t had time to think about it.” She didn’t relish the thought of ending Kim’s dream job.
“How about we have a meeting tonight?” Kim asked, excitement bubbling up in her eyes. Ava groaned at the idea of a meeting. She was already meeting’d out. But Kim seemed to have mistaken her silence for contemplation. “Now that you’re here, we should use this time to decide on the future plans for the business. You know, expansion and growing the product line and all that other stuff that we can’t talk about properly in emails.”
“Do we have any more of those chocolate chip cookies?” Rona asked, getting up from her chair. “I need some mid-morning chocolate.” She disappeared into the small kitchenette area.
“I haven’t had time to think about any of that,” confessed Ava. Her trip here had been purely an emergency one and she hadn’t even considered the idea of using it for anything else.
Kim made a face. “You’re worried about the Hardings, aren’t you?”
Ava shook her head. “It’s not that.”
“We could get take-out at your place and take turns looking after Elisabetta, if that’s what you’re worried about.” She looked at Ava, cocking her head and when Ava didn’t say anything, she said, “Are you—are you having second thoughts about the business?”
Ava could picture it now—Kim’s heartbreak when she owned up to her new game plan. A coward’s way out. She’d leave Kim with no option but to return to her previous role as a VA. The woman was far too hard-working and business-minded to be a virtual assistant. Far too loyal and ambitious. She’d never be able to run her own business, not without an injection of money, not as a single mother supporting a young son. She pictured Kim and Danny struggling to get by. Ava shuddered at the thought of it. How could she do that to her? The hope in Kim’s eyes burned too brightly for Ava to pour water over it and extinguish her dream.
“I’m not sure about a lot of things right now,” she said, excelling at vagueness once more. “But it has crossed my mind.”
“No,” Kim said it as if Ava had been thinking of committing a murder. “You can’t.” She shook her head, her eyes wide and that hope extinguished. “You’ve built something successful, Ava. You’ve—we’ve come too far to give up now. It would be a mistake.”
Ava sat back and placed her hands on the back of her shoulders, just below her neck. For some reason it felt slightly reassuring. “Lately, it all seems so difficult. I thought I loved it, but it’s taken so much out of me.”
“It’s called running your own business,” said Kim, getting up and walking over to her desk. “Nobody said it would be easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. It takes a lot of guts and balls and hard work.”
&nb
sp; “There must be easier ways of earning a living.”
“There is but I can’t see you answering to a boss.”
Ava sighed loudly. Being married to someone like Nico meant that she never needed to work again. Before she could answer, Kim said, “The image of you sitting in the front row at the Milan fashion shows, dripping in designer clothes doesn’t really fit, either. It’s not you, Ava. You’d be bored.” Kim wasn’t going to stop until she’d prised the idea out of her head. “Trust me,” said Kim. “I’ve worked with all sorts of entrepreneurs before, from stay-at-home-moms running their business from their kitchens, to a couple of guys running an international business from their basement. It’s not easy. You’ve come a long way, I don’t think you understand how much you’ve achieved. So many small businesses fail before they get to the end of their first year.”
Ava closed her eyes, not ready for more conflicting advice. “I don’t know. Right now, I can’t focus on things too clearly.”
Kim shrugged. “Don’t have a knee-jerk reaction. I know you’ve had a lousy day and nightmare parents to deal with but don’t let that rush you into making a decision that might affect the rest of your life.”
Rona cruised back in with a brown paper bag. “Cookie, anyone?”
Chapter 30
She looked haggard. Sunken eyes, thinner lips.
He was tempted to ask her what was wrong, but more than that, he wanted to know why she was here.
“I called the other day but your receptionist wouldn’t put me through.”
“I was busy and I’m busy now, Silvia,” Nico said, his jaw tightening. He had an evening flight to Denver and a to-do list as long as a row of Cypress trees. But even if he had nothing to do, watching paint dry would be preferable to talking to Silvia. “What do you want?”
She ran her hands through her straggly hair. It wasn’t platinum blond anymore but dull, as if it had been trodden on with half-muddy boots. “I wanted to see you.”