Liam's Best

by Grace Kagni

  One day while she was sitting out on the sand, taking in the warm sun, she wondered if Vernazza had picked up since the flood. She hadn’t been back since then and now she spent time thinking about it. At first, it was too painful to think of her hometown because it would bring tears to her eyes whereas now, she was much more stronger and serene so she thought about helping in some way, but how? Her search on the Internet showed the town was still cleaning up months later and local businesses were having a difficult time starting over. A thought had come to her mind so she decided she would talk to Liam when he came home that day.

  The moment Liam walked in the door, he went looking for Milania and found her outside on the patio with papers scattered all over the place.

  “Hello, Baby Doll. I can see you’ve been busy today,” he smiled, kissing her on the neck.

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about this,” she said, waving her hands over the papers.

  “Sure, let me have a shower and change out of my suit and then we’ll talk over a glass of wine.” It had become their evening ritual before dinner. He went to wash and came back out not long after wearing jeans and a polo shirt.

  Milania was reading an article in Italian on the Internet and looked up when he walked out onto the patio. “Look at this. I found out that Vernazza hasn’t picked up since the flood. I want to do something but I don’t know what. It’s frustrating to see my hometown completely neglected by the country. It’s like the flood wiped it from existence and yet it thrived on the work of its artisans so the town can survive if it receives funding to open business again. It has no money to rebuild and the government is slow at handing out funding.

  “What do you want to do? Send a contribution?” he asked, willing to hand out money to help her hometown.

  “Well, funding would help but I want to initiate something to get the town back on its feet but I need your help to understand what I can do. How does one go about starting a fund or finding patrons for such a thing?” she questioned, wanting to do more than giving money.

  He smiled as he watched her mind at work. She was onto something that could be her project. They could start a fund to help Vernazza and other towns around the world in need of help to rebuild after a natural disaster. He would speak to his project team tomorrow and discuss what needs to be done to start a fund of this nature. He would set the wheels in motion for this initiative. It was a brilliant idea and she could be the co-founder with him. It was sure that as soon as they got it going and provided funding to Vernazza to rebuild, they would receive appeals from other towns around the world. It was going to be a huge project but he knew Milania was capable of the challenge. “I’ll speak to my project team tomorrow and we’ll set up a meeting so you can explain what you have in mind.”

  She got out of the chair and then jumped up on him, wrapping her arms and legs around his body. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she kept repeating as she kissed his face.

  “Okay, Baby Doll. Now let’s have a glass of wine while you tell me what you have in mind.”

  While they drank wine, she told him that she wanted her friend Rachael to help out since she was from Vernazza and she would be the ideal person to be part of the project. Plus Rachael was an accountant, which would be really useful in a financial project of this magnitude.

  “Sounds like the perfect fit. Since I know that Dalton has been spending time in Rome with Rachael, how about I call him tomorrow to schedule a video conference between the four of us to discuss where we go from here?”

  Milania was hearing about Dalton and Rachael for the first time and she was stunned but happy to know her good friend wasn’t alone in Rome. She smiled, thinking about the two. “I didn’t know they were dating.”

  “Well, apparently he couldn’t stay away so this would give us the perfect opportunity to talk with them both. Dalton, being the Director of Operations of the Miller Hotels and Resorts around the world, could give us some guidance on the different ways to approach the operational side of it.” Liam started to become excited about this project not only because it meant so much to Milania but also it would be something for her to manage once it got started. It would be her baby.

  “This is so exciting,” she rubbed her hands together.

  ~~~

  The next day Liam spoke to his project team as well as Dalton and got the ball rolling. Everyone showed interest in the idea and he knew it wouldn’t be a problem finding patrons to come onboard with their idea of goodwill. Dalton and Liam set a time the next day for the four of them to Facetime and taking into account the time difference, it would need to be at 9 p.m. in Malibu which would be 6 a.m. in Rome, early enough to talk before Rachael needed to get to work.

  Milania was excited to hear what Liam arranged with his team. The first thing they needed to do was register a name for the fund and after careful thought, he wanted to give it Milania’s name but she refused using her name.

  “Okay how about we use both our names?” he asked.

  “Liam and Milania Miller Foundation?” Milania asked, listening to the title out loud. “L&M Miller Foundation or also LMM Foundation?”

  He thought about it and decided which was best. “Baby Doll, the name needs to be clear so who needs to ask for funding will know whom to contact. If the name is too generic or similar to other company, it may be confusing so I think ‘The Liam and Milania Miller Foundation’ would be the most appropriate name for our fund.”

  “How did I marry a very smart man?” she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him.

  “The same way I married a very smart woman,” he grinned, pulling her into his lap as he sat at the table.

  The next day didn’t come fast enough for Milania as she anxiously wanted to speak to Rachael about their plan. It would be a great way for her to give back to her hometown some of the luck she has had since Liam walked into her life.

  Just after dinner, Liam turned on his laptop to connect with his brother who would be in Rome to discuss the start of their fund. As soon as they connected, everyone sensed a feeling of excitement about it and were eager to get it going. Dalton and Rachael would go to Vernazza over the weekend to take pictures and speak to businesses to know what they needed to pick up the pieces. In the meantime, Liam and Milania would get the formalities of the fund started in the US and speak with the project team to get the plan in motion. They agreed to Facetime again after the weekend at the same time of day, due to the time difference.

  When they signed off, Milania was so excited that she couldn’t sit still. Lots of ideas were flowing through her brain as possibilities for marketing strategies appeared before her. She jumped on Liam’s lap to kiss him briefly before going to her drawing table to jot down what came to mind.

  He loved to see her excited about something this important. He’d worried after the flood she wouldn’t find a purpose to live but dramatically she not only overcame her worries but she has now put them to good use, helping others. He smiled at her energy to work late but didn’t want her to over do it so he worked on his laptop a little while and when he decided it was time they went to bed, he went to her studio and picked her up as she complained she wasn’t finished.

  “I need you in bed so you can finish the drawings tomorrow.” He carried her to their bedroom and placed her down in the middle of the bed. “You’re not going to be working all night, if I have anything to say about it.

  “I have to get my ideas down on paper before I forget. Please will you let me finish what I started?” she pleaded but the moment his lips found hers, and his hands started to undress her, her mind focused on the touch of his fingers.

  “I need you to wrap your arms and legs around me right now so I can make love to you,” he mumbled while his mouth found it’s way down toward her belly button. Soon he found her wetness and he was sure she wouldn’t be thinking about drawings anymore.

  The week passed very quick as Liam and Milania met several times with the Miller project team and by the time
they’d Facetime with Dalton and Rachael, the fund’s name had been officially registered. Liam thought it would be a good idea for them to travel to Vernazza to find out who needed help and give them the information to apply for funding. After having visited Vernazza, Rachael set up a town meeting for the four of them to talk to the locals and let them know about the new Foundation that could provide assistance to local businesses.

  Next step was to set up an Internet site with two themes. One would be for people to make contributions toward the Foundation and the other would be for businesses, which lost everything after a natural disaster could apply to receive funding. There would be a hotline for those who didn’t have Internet access as well as a mailroom for those who could only send requests through the post.

  Once the team had the particulars organized, the Foundation was given space in the Miller Corporation building to hold its operations. Milania was thrilled to be able to work in the same building as Liam and when she went to see the office space, she was ecstatic with the size. It already had open space and private offices with furniture, telephones and computers. It also had a large reception area with a waiting room and two large meeting rooms.

  “This place is huge,” she beamed at Liam.

  “Wait until we get it going. We’ll need people answering phones, responding to mail requests as well as online requests. It’ll be an extremely demanding business. Do you feel up to it?” he asked, worrying it would be too much for her. He already held interviews for a personal assistant for Milania so she didn’t have to do everything on her own.

  “I can do it. I have nothing else to occupy my time so it will be great to keep busy. I don’t know a lot about how the US operates so you’ll need to help me in the beginning.”

  “Baby Doll, I’ve hired a personal assistant for you. Her name is Laura Brown, and she’ll be here tomorrow morning so you can decide where to start. The human resources officer has reassigned staff experienced in this sort of work and they too will be here tomorrow morning.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck to thank him for setting up the location and for finding staff. All she needed to do was show up to work the next day. “Thank you for holding my hand.”

  “Sweet Pea, you mean the world to me so I’m going to do everything possible to make you happy.” He leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose as she still clung to his neck. “Tomorrow we plan our trip to Italy to visit Vernazza with Rachael and Dalton. By the way, I’ve had HR put Rachael on our payroll so she can work for us from Rome while she works out the finances for Vernazza.”

  “Have I told you how much I love you, Mr. Miller?” she asked, lowering his head to kiss him.

  “Actually, you haven’t told me today so I’m due for a little love.” He pulled her up to kiss her deeply on the lips as they stood in the empty offices. “How about we go home? We’ve had a busy day,” he said, taking her hand to lead her out of the new offices.

  When they arrived home, Liam barbecued meat while Milania made a pasta sauce. By the time they sat down to eat, it was late so they enjoyed their meal with a glass of wine and then went off to bed soon after. They made love once before drifting off to sleep from exhaustion.

  The next few days passed quickly as they fell into a routine. They went off to work in the morning, had lunch together if their schedules allowed them to and then drove home at the end of the day exhausted but happy. Their housekeeper would leave them dinner on the stove since they arrived home late nearly every night, hungry and tired from the day.

  Liam had instructed his pilot they would be flying to Italy on Monday of the following week and on the Friday before they departed, he woke up feeling drained. He got out of bed and stumbled back from dizziness.

  “Amore, are you not feeling well?” Milania asked. She had never seen him sick so it was strange to see him like that. Maybe he was working too hard.

  “I’ll be okay once I have a shower. I’ll skip my morning run – I don’t think I’ll have the energy to go jogging this morning,” he said, rubbing his face with his hands.

  Milania walked to his side of the bed and felt his forehead to see if he was sick. He was a little warm but nothing too dramatic. “Maybe after coffee and a shower you’ll feel better. I’ll turn on the coffee machine.”

  “Thanks, Baby Doll.” He got up slowly and felt queasy for a moment but then it passed. When he walked into the kitchen, Milania had started making eggs for breakfast and the smell made nausea come up. “I don’t think I can eat anything this morning.”

  She looked up to see his pale face as he sat down at the breakfast bar. “Amore, you don’t look too good. Why don’t you stay home today?”

  “No, I have an important meeting this morning which I can’t postpone.”

  “Then come home after the meeting if you don’t feel any better,” she kissed him on the forehead to feel if he was warm and she sensed he was warmer than before. “Amore, do you have a thermometer? You should check to see if you have a fever.”

  “No, I don’t have one.”

  “Okay, then we’ll stop at the pharmacy on our way in to work and I’ll buy something for fever too.” She poured him a cup of coffee and watched as he took the cup back to the bedroom. He wasn’t feeling well but he wouldn’t stay home.

  He felt better after coffee and a shower, and said there was no need to stop at the pharmacy but Milania insisted so she ran in while he waited in the car.

  She knew whatever it was would hit him when he least expected and knew it would be better to have what they needed in the house when the virus or flu hit hard. When they arrived at work, she told him to let her know later how he felt and then each went to his own office.

  The morning passed quickly as Milania worked with Laura. She really liked her and was happy Liam took the initiative to hire Laura. They were working on a letter to send out to the Mayor of Vernazza when Liam knocked on the door.

  Milania looked up to see Liam standing by the door, pale and sick by the sight of him. Laura left the room to let them talk.

  “Amore, you’re sick and you need to go home.”

  “I know. My meeting just ended and I’ve hired a car to drive me home. Here are the car keys,” he said, holding out the keys.

  She walked to him and felt his forehead, and realized he was burning. “Amore, you have a fever. Sit down a moment and let me take your temperature. It’s a good thing we stopped at the pharmacy on our way to work this morning.

  He slumped down in a chair and waited while she went to her bag to pull out what she’d bought that morning. The thermometer was the type that read the temperature in the ear so she fitted it inside his ear and waited for it to read the temperature. It read one hundred and three degrees. “What does it say?”

  She could see his eyes were glossy from the fever and she needed to get him home. “It says it’s time you go home and get into bed. I’ll get Laura to cancel the car and I’ll drive you myself but in the meantime, take these two tablets for the fever.” She pulled out two pills and gave him her bottle of water and then picked up her bag to take him home.

  “No, you have a lot of work to do. The driver can take me home,” he said, getting up.

  “Don’t argue with me. I’m taking you home and then putting you to bed before I come back here after lunch. Now let’s go,” she said firmly.

  He followed her out of the office, not feeling up to arguing with her and they took the elevator to the garage. On the way home, the nausea started to creep up again and by the time they reached the house, he barely managed to take off his jacket before running to the bathroom to throw up.

  In the meantime, Milania made him a tea with lemon and instructed their housekeeper, Filomena, not to disturb him but if she could prepare a soup for dinner, it would be much appreciated.

  When she returned to the bedroom with the hot tea, she found him sitting on the bed fully dressed holding his head so she placed the tea on his nightstand and helped him undress and get into bed where he tu
rned to his side. “Amore, try to sleep. You’ve probably caught the flu.”

  “Is that why I feel like shit?” he croaked.

  “Yes, Amore. It’s probably the reason you feel like this.” She watched as he closed his eyes and dozed off to sleep. She placed his phone on silent to let him sleep and left it on his nightstand in the event he needed to call her. She bent down to kiss him on the forehead and felt it was cooler so she got up to leave but before going back to work, she left the pills and a glass of water by the bed as well as the thermometer.

  When she returned to work, her afternoon was busy meeting with the staff on the progress. They spent the rest of the day going over last minute details before their trip next week to speak to local businesses in Vernazza. The team had prepared a fantastic brochure with all the information needed to request assistance. They’d printed ten thousand copies, which Milania would be taking to Italy on Monday. She felt drained at the end of the day and when it was time to go home, she was relieved to get into the car and drive home.

  When Milania arrived home, she found Liam still in bed. He looked worse than that morning and his body was shivering. She took the thermometer to read his temperature and saw it read one hundred and three degrees. It was high again. “Amore, did you take more pills during the day?” She needed to know when was the last time he took pills.

  “You gave them to me this morning,” he whispered while he rested on his side. He didn’t look like he had moved from when she left him that morning.

  “Amore, you were supposed to take two tablets every four to six hours.” She suddenly realized she couldn’t leave him on his own. He was like a child when he was sick. She took two tablets and gave him a glass of water to swallow the pills. Then she went to the bathroom to get a wet facecloth to put on his forehead. She wiped his face with the cold facecloth and then rinsed it before placing it on his hot forehead. Then she sat down on the bed beside him, watching him.