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.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HE WAS AS ready as he would ever be.
Angelo kept telling himself that, hoping it would sink in.
As the royal limo ushered them through the streets of Halencia toward the palace, Angelo stared out the window. Mounting tension over this meeting had his body stiff. This sort of reaction was unfamiliar to him. Usually he was calm, cool and collected. He was the expert when it came to marketing. But ever since he’d let his guard down around Kayla, he’d lost that cool aloofness that he counted on when doing business.
She’d gotten past his defenses and had him connecting with his emotions. He just hoped he hadn’t lost his edge—the confidence needed to execute a pitch and sell the buyer on his—er—their ideas.
The flight had been a short one as Halencia was just a small island nation not far off the coast of Italy. Angelo had noticed how Kayla kept to herself, working on her computer. He had no idea what she’d been working on because at that point the pitch had been locked i
n. They had the talking points nailed down and the graphics were in order. He’d made sure to include what he considered the key element—a sample menu from Raffaelle’s restaurant. All combined, he hoped this pitch would clinch the royal couple’s interest.
Kayla had even insisted on bringing along some of the baked goods for the royal couple to sample. They were fresh baked that morning and delivered to their hotel suite. He’d tried to taste them, but Kayla had smacked his hand away with a warning glance. Everyone in Monte Calanetti was excited and more than willing to do their part to help.
But Kayla had him worried. She’d been so quiet on the flight here. And now as she leaned against the door of the limo with her face to the window, the bubbly woman who toured Monte Calanetti was gone. He didn’t recognize this new person.
He cleared his throat. “Are you feeling all right?”
Kayla turned to him, the dark circles under her eyes were pronounced. His gut tightened.
She smiled, but her lips barely lifted at the corners. “Sure. I’m fine.”
He wasn’t going to argue the point when it was obvious that she was anything but fine. “You did an excellent job preparing the pitch.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it all depends on what the royal couple says.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter whether they chose Monte Calanetti or not for the wedding, I know for a fact that you went above and beyond for this project.” He hated how his praise seemed to barely faze her. She’d worn herself out and he’d been so busy trying to tie up all of the loose ends for this pitch that he’d failed to notice.
On the flight to Halencia, he’d been mulling over how to recognize Kayla’s tremendous effort. He decided to share part of it with her now. “And when we get back to New York, you’ll be rewarded for your accomplishments not only with the royal pitch but also with the success of the Van Holsen account.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? I...I mean thank you.”
Before she could say more, her phone buzzed. She swiped her finger over the screen and frowned. Her fingers moved rapidly over the touch screen as her frown deepened.
Even Angelo had his limits. Work could wait. They were almost at the palace and having her upset was not going to be a good way to start their meeting with the royal couple. He reached out and snagged her phone from her. She glanced up and her mouth gaped open. Then her lips pressed together into a firm line and her gaze narrowed.
She held out her hand. “It’s important.”
“It can wait.”
“No, it can’t.”
The car slowed as they eased through the gates leading up the drive to the palace. “We’re here. Forget the rest of the world and enjoy this adventure. It isn’t every day you get a royal invitation to a palace.”
Kayla turned to the window as they wound their way up the paved drive lined with statues and greenery. It was very prestigious and yet it wasn’t overly pretentious. In fact, he found it quite a fitting reflection of their nobility. He just hoped that they’d find the prince and his bride to have the same unassuming demeanor.
When the palace came into view, Angelo was taken by surprise at the enormity of it. The palace stood three stories high and appeared to be a large square with towers at each corner. The outside was painted a sunny yellow while the numerous windows were outlined in white. Grand, sweeping stairs led the way to a large patio area with two enormous doors in the background that granted access to the palace.
There weren’t that many things in life that still took Angelo’s breath away, but he had to admit that this palace was an amazing piece of architecture. And with the abundance of greenery and bright flowers, it was definitely like stepping into paradise. He couldn’t even imagine what it must be like calling this place home.
The car swung up the drive and stopped right in front of the palace. To one side was a garden with a fountain in the center. It was quite inviting. He could easily imagine taking Kayla for a stroll through it after dinner as the setting sun cast a watermelon hue over the sky. They’d stop to admire a flower and she’d turn to him. The breeze would rush through her hair as her gaze would meet his. Then his attention would move to her lips. No words would be necessary as they’d lean into each other’s arms.
“Angelo, this is amazing.”
Kayla’s voice jerked him from his daydream, which was in fact amazing. “Um...yes. This is quite beautiful.”
“Is this your first visit?”
“It is. I’ve never done business in this part of the world before.” Though he had done business in a great many other countries.
As beautiful as the grounds were, Angelo’s attention was drawn back to Kayla. He had plans for her. A surprise after their big presentation. At first, he’d been hesitant, but now, seeing how weary she was, he was certain that he’d made the right decision. He just hoped she would relax long enough to enjoy it.
He still had the feeling that she was keeping something from him—something that was eating at her. But what was it? Was she worried that he’d make another move on her?
The thought left him feeling unsettled. Granted, he wasn’t that good at reading women. They were forever a mystery to him, but he’d swear that she was into him and his kisses. She’d come alive in his arms. He was certain that he hadn’t imagined that. So then, what had her putting an unusually big gap between them in the limo?
* * *
He was impressive.
Kayla sat in one of the plush chairs in the palace’s state room. Instead of taking a closer view of the ornate ceiling with large crystal chandeliers, the red walls with white trim, the huge paintings of historical figures or the priceless statues on pedestals, her entire attention was focused on Angelo as he stood in the front of the room in his freshly pressed navy suit and maroon tie. Every inch of him looked as if he’d just stepped off the cover of a men’s magazine. He was definitely the most handsome man she’d ever laid her eyes on.
And his presentation was truly impressive. If this didn’t sell the royal couple on the benefits of holding the royal wedding in Monte Calanetti, then nothing would. Angelo’s talk was informative while containing bits of entertainment. Sure, he’d gone over it with her back in Italy, but somehow here in front of the royal prince and his bride, it seemed so much more special—more dynamic.
“Monte Calanetti offers a variety of services from a world-renowned chef to the most delicious bakery.” Angelo moved off to the side while Kayla started the slideshow presentation on a large high-definition screen. “You can see here an overview of the village—”
With the slideshow up and running, Kayla’s thoughts spiraled away from the presentation she knew verbatim. Instead, she was amazed by the man making the presentation. Though he didn’t have the best one-on-one people skills, he was truly amazing when he was selling an idea. His voice was strong, sure and unwavering. His tone was cajoling. And his posture was confident but not cocky. No wonder he was the best in the business.
So then how in the world was he so inept when it came to dealing with people—people like his family? People like her? Why did he have to make it so tough to get close to him?
Why couldn’t he let his guard down and take a chance on love like the crown prince and his Cinderella bride? Kayla’s gaze moved to the soon-to-be couple, envious that they seemed to have it all—success, stability and most of all love.
But as they sat there surrounded by their staff, Kayla didn’t see any telltale signs of love. There were no clasped hands. No loving gazes when they thought no one was looking. No nothing.
Kayla gave herself a mental jerk. She was overthinking things. Of course they were being all businesslike. This was their wedding—a wedding that would have all of the world watching. That had to be their focus right now.
Still, there was something that nagged at her about the couple,
but she brushed it off. Whatever it was—bridal nerves or such—it was absolutely none of her business. She had enough of her own problems.
* * *
He’d nailed it.
Angelo wore an easy smile. The presentation had gone without a hitch. Everything had fallen into place just as he’d practiced it over and over again with Kayla in their hotel suite. He had a good feeling that Monte Calanetti would be in serious contention for the site of the royal wedding.
After the slideshow presentation was over, Angelo asked, “Are there any questions?”
“Yes.” The bride, Christina Rose, sat up straight. “I didn’t see anything in your presentation about the chapel. I’m particularly interested in it.”
Angelo’s gut knotted. He’d been wrong. His gaze sought out Kayla. He was certain that she’d be wearing an I-told-you-so look. But her chair was empty? Where had she gone? The next thing he knew Kayla was standing next to him. What in the world?
“Hi. I’m Kayla.” She sent him an I’ve-got-this smile. “The chapel is my part of the presentation.”
He moved away and went to take a seat. What in the world did Kayla have up her sleeve? He thought they’d settled this back in Monte Calanetti—no chapel presentation. His back teeth ground together as he remembered that call had been his.
Angelo leaned back in his chair while Kayla put photos of the chapel up on the screen with a pitch that he’d never heard before, but it sounded like music to his ears. So the little minx had gone behind his back and done exactly what he’d told her not to do.
And he couldn’t be happier.
After Kayla finished her short presentation, the bride spoke up again. “The chapel—you mentioned that it had just switched ownership—the new owner—have they approved the use of it for the wedding?”
Seriously? That had to be the first question. Kayla’s gaze momentarily strayed to him. He had no help to offer her, but he was anxious to see how she handled the question.
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