Roman Encounter

by Lily Zante

  There was nothing Nico could do because the problem didn’t stem from anything he had done to her. “You can’t do anything. It’s not your fault.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “It’s—”

  “Complicated.” He sighed loudly. “I know. You said that last time. But what’s the reason behind it? I need to know so that I can fix it or help, or do what I can.”

  What could she tell him? That she was having a mid-life crisis twenty years too early? There was nothing she could tell him, nothing she felt comfortable telling him. “My decision to leave is not a reflection on you or the Cazale hotels or the Casa Adriana. It’s my personal circumstances.”

  Nico shook his head as he got up and folded his arms. “I want to refuse this. This is a sad day.” A shadow cast over his face and she felt even more guilty for landing this on him now.

  “I’m sorry, Nico.”

  “I’m sorry, too. I’ve placed far too much stress on you. Given you way too much responsibility and I should have known better. I should have looked after you better.”

  “Nico.” She didn’t want him to blame himself. “It’s many things, not you or the hotel or the pressures.”

  “Demetrio? Does he have something to do with your decision?”

  “He hasn’t been the easiest of people to work with, but he’s not solely to blame.”

  “But you loved working here. What did we do wrong? How could I get you to change your mind?”

  “You can’t. Please, Nico,” she said, “It’s a lot more complicated than that.” She was torn. Her heart told her that it was the right thing to do; she was in a rut and only something major, a life decision such as this, could get her out of it.

  “But you asked for leave, one to two months and I was happy for that. The offer still stands,” he said. She could see this was going to be tough for him to accept. She had to be careful not to relent and give in.

  “But—”

  “The offer still stands. What is this? One month’s notice?”

  “Three months.” Her mother’s surgery would be over and done with, and she should have found another job by then. Maybe one that was in a city but not too far—she couldn’t abandon her mother completely even with her being the monster she sometimes was—but far enough for her to have a life on her own terms.

  She needed to leave home again and stand on her own two feet. Maybe not get pregnant like Mimi had done, and she didn’t need a man to be by her side. She didn’t need anyone to rescue her. Men only broke hearts, at least, the men she seemed to meet did.

  “I’m not happy to accept this, Gina but duty makes me and, in the meantime, my offer for you to take a long leave of absence still holds, if that would help.”

  “Thank you,” she said. He nodded and walked out.

  She had resigned, and now she needed to find another job.

  Chapter 4

  “But why?” Ines looked shell-shocked. Even more so than Nico had. Gina closed the door to the office that Ines and Demetrio shared.

  “I’ve been here a long time,” Gina replied, even though that wasn’t the reason for her resignation.

  “But you love it here!”

  “It’s time to move on.”

  “Where are you going?” Ines perched on the edge of her desk, her hands resting on the table to support her.

  “I haven’t found another job yet.” She decided against telling Ines that she hadn’t even started looking, that her resignation had been a spur-of-the moment, knee-jerk reaction to a chain of events that had been set off a long time ago.

  “You’ll find something. It’s not as if you’re going to have any problem getting a good position, but aww.” Ines let out an anguished sigh. “I’m going to miss you! It’s been so good here, working in a small hotel, with you and Nico and…” She stopped, her mouth twisting into a tight line. “I hate this. Just when I find the perfect place to work at, something like this has to happen.”

  Her reaction made Gina feel even guiltier. Having Ines here had made such a change to her working life. It had been a huge help to have a working companion alongside her.

  “When do you leave?”

  “The beginning of June.”

  “At least that’s something,” said Ines, looking a little happier. “We’ve still got you for a few more months. We’ll have to go to lunch every week in that case. Starting today.”

  “I’m in Rome next week,” replied Gina.

  Ines looked crestfallen. “It’s for a week, isn’t it?”

  Gina nodded, then grew worried. Would she still be able to go on the course? Would it be fair for Nico to pay for her to go on a training course knowing that she would soon be leaving and the hotel wouldn’t benefit from what she had learned? She made a note to talk to him about it, her hopes sinking as fast as the realization that the week away she had been looking forward to was now in jeopardy.

  “If you’re ever stuck, or you need to ask me something, you can always call me. We’ll still keep in touch,” promised Gina. But she knew it wasn’t the same as working side-by-side with someone.”

  “Are you going somewhere?” Demetrio sauntered in with his usual cocky grin plastered on that smug little face of his. Gina threw him a contemptuous look. He had to have bionic ears to have caught her last words. To say nothing would seem cowardly, but to say ‘no’, would be an outright lie. It seemed logical to let him know given that he would probably soon find out, but even so, he was the last person she wanted to tell her news to.

  “I’m leaving.”

  He cocked his head as the news sank in. “You’ve been here a while. I suppose it was time for you to move on.”

  She narrowed her eyes at his response.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “I haven’t decided yet.”

  “You haven’t?” His eyes narrowed. “You’ve had that many job offers to pick from?” The sarcasm was thick in his voice.

  “Too many.” She walked towards the door, needing to leave. Something happened to her when Demetrio was around. He walked around as if he owned the world, blowing his own trumpet. It riled her especially because she didn’t understand such conceitedness. “When do you leave?” he asked, taking off his jacket and sitting down.

  She smiled sweetly. “I’m here for a few months’ yet. You can’t get rid of me so easily.”

  A few days later, she passed by Nico’s office, needing to check that it was still alright for her to go ahead with the training.

  “Why would it be a problem?” He looked flustered, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It made her wary of coming to see him.

  “Because I’m leaving.”

  “But you haven’t left yet.” He gave her a smile. “Not that I’m luring you to stay with us, but I promised to give you the necessary training and you will continue to have it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me, Gina. I should have done a lot of things right by you a long time ago.”

  “You have. You did.”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Finding another Gina is going to be impossible. But,” he threw his hands up in the air. “It is what it is. Nothing I can do about it now. Go to your course, and stick to the training plan you and I drew up last month.”

  She wanted to thank him again, for being the best boss ever.

  “Which lucky establishment are you going to?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure.” She couldn’t lie to Nico. “I don’t have anything lined up yet.”

  “You don’t?”

  She shook her head. “There are a few things I have to take care of first.”

  He nodded, as if understanding.

  “I might look further out, in another city”

  “Away from Verona?” Nico’s face was a picture of surprise. But he didn’t ask any probing questions. She was grateful that he never pried, never sought to ask her what other matters needed to be taken care of. She’d worked alongside him for so
long now, and had seen the transition from his playboy persona to family man. They understood one another.

  “I’m not sure.” She gave him a half smile. “As you can tell, I’m not sure of a lot of things.”

  That seemed to catch his attention. “If there’s something worrying you, Gina, workwise or otherwise, don’t be scared to come and tell me. My door is always open.”

  “I know, Nico.” She would never find another boss as thoughtful and as understanding as him.

  Chapter 5

  Waking up in a new city, Gina sprang out of bed eager to explore and started the day by having a warm and frothy cappuccino sitting outside in a cozy little café nestled in front of a small fountain.

  In her eagerness to be out and about, she was the first one to arrive at the offices of the training company, Fordana. She preferred being early to being just-in-time.

  It was the same at the Casa Adriana. Her early morning hours before Ines or Demetrio got there, before the crazy breakfast hour with the hotel guests, was her most productive.

  The receptionist told her she could go into the training room if she wanted, so she did. Once settled, she got out her cell phone and tried to catch up with the emails from work which had accumulated overnight.

  Not long after, a well-dressed man strode in carrying a leather briefcase and wearing a frown. He paused on entering and fixed her with a look of irritation.

  “You’re early.”

  “Would you rather I left and came back at 9?” She stared at him and held her own, remembering, at the same time, that he was the tutor who she’d had the last time. He had taught her the basics of project management last year. She couldn’t forget that closely shaved head if she tried.

  “There’s tea and coffee outside, you’re welcome to help yourself.” If he was hoping this might tempt her, he was wrong.

  “I know.” She stayed put. No way was she leaving.

  She heard his loud exhale, and watched as he walked over to his desk at the front and slid off his jacket. With his back to her, she watched riveted, noting his powerful build and the wide span of his shoulders. Her gaze plunged lower to his narrow hips, rendering her momentarily speechless. It was with some effort that she turned her attention back to dealing with Nico’s emails on her cellphone.

  ~~

  Christian Russo strode into the training center on another Monday, ready to teach another weeklong class to the latest group of middle-aged pen-pushers. At least this morning he hadn’t had to brave the traffic and pollution riding his Vespa through the streets of Rome. He’d taken the tram and the bus instead, but it had been very early in the morning, and the traffic wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

  He’d only been with Fordana for a year but in his eyes, he had outgrown this company and his position. His friend Leon had left 5 months ago and was doing well working in Milan for a different company and earning good money.

  It was time for him to move on. Training skills were transferable. Teaching morons how to use software wasn’t that difficult. He considered himself to be good at teaching. Beyond that, it wasn’t his fault if his students were too slow or too stupid to grasp concepts.

  He strode into the offices, feeling way overdressed for his job in his pinstriped navy suit, crisp white shirt and a red-and-gray checkered tie. He greeted the receptionist, smiling to himself when she did a double-take, and made his way to the training room at the far end of the hallway. He hoped he’d done enough to make an impression at this morning’s interview.

  All he needed now was coffee. A steaming cup of coffee and some quiet time to mentally go through the interview in his head.

  He was confident that he had done well. Polished and groomed to perfection, he had so looked the part, all 6-foot-2 inches of him. The receptionist at the company had lost the ability to speak when he arrived at the front desk. She couldn’t get her words right when he told her he had an early morning interview at 7.30. It had barely lasted an hour but he felt confident. He’d done well and expected to hear from them before the day was over. By his estimation, a second interview could take place as early as next week.

  For now, he’d have to suck it up at Fordana. Arriving early, he was looking forward to the half hour of quiet time before the course attendees arrived. Entering his room, he paused at the sight of a woman sitting at the far end of the front row. She looked up as he walked in and his eyes were drawn to the navy blue headband sitting on her prim little head. She wasn’t middle-aged, but much younger, and she fixed him with a cool glare that would have made a lesser man squirm.

  “You’re early,” he growled. “The course doesn’t start for another half an hour.” The tone of his voice had come out sharper than he’d intended, given the stunned silence that followed. “Would you rather I left and came back at 9?”

  When she put it like that, her words were sobering. “No. You can stay,” He cleared his throat, back tracking. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.”

  She didn’t say anything, but looked at him as if she was about to. Forcing a smile, he walked over to his desk and unbuttoned his jacket. There was nothing that grated more on him than over-eager boring-as-hell course attendees.

  Chapter 6

  He was happy when the class emptied and everyone left for lunch. They were a so-so bunch of people, most were project managers, there were a couple of analysts and other department managers.

  That woman, the one with the cutesy headband, he was sure he recognized from before. He taught so many classes, had such an intake of attendees that it was difficult to remember, and she didn’t particularly stand out. During the class introduction she mentioned that she worked at a hotel in Verona and that his was her second course at Fordana. He definitely didn’t remember her, yet looking at the online data link, he saw he’d taught her back in October.

  He was supposed to go with them, especially on the first day, but he had no burning desire to sit around pretending to be interested in their jobs or to listen to how they used the project management software in their line of business.

  Besides, the restaurant used by the company was across the street, maybe a five minute walk from the training center, if that.

  He’d lost his enthusiasm for the job, for the city, for everything. When he’d first moved here from Turin, the appeal of Rome had drawn him here. What wasn’t to like when surrounded by the history of the world? Every cobbled street and alleyway he walked down, every corner he turned was steeped in history and culture.

  At first he had enjoyed discovering the ever-changing routes from here to there, the bridges, staircases, piazzas and labyrinths, the meandering curves and tunnels that tempted him to other parts of the city. But, sometime during the last few months, he noticed the grime and the dirt more, and the traffic and ineffective public transport increasingly irritated him. Not to mention the crazy taxes, and steep rents and the noise.

  He wanted change.

  He bit into his panini, eager to catch up with the latest soccer news now that he had some peace and quiet. Teaching could be mentally draining, especially standing up and talking all day; explaining the same thing over and over. Each class had its share of idiots, though thankfully, the number in his current group was low. Most had a good grasp of the fundamentals and the lesson was moving along at a good pace.

  He heard a faint knock, then footsteps as Emilio, one of the other course trainers, walked in. His colleague wore the look of a man who needed something.

  “Can you do me a favor?” he asked, adjusting his tie, casually.

  “Like what?”

  “Any chance you could entertain the Belgians for me for a few hours after work?”

  Christian scowled. He would have preferred a simpler request. Like Emilio asking to borrow a board eraser.

  “You won’t have to put up with them for too long,” Emilio insisted. He was considered the top trainer at the company on account of having been here the longest and having worked closely with the development team when t
hey were writing the software. As such, he was always responsible for training staff from their offices around Europe.

  “How long?” Christian asked.

  “A couple of hours.”

  “Where?”

  “The usual place. Trussardi.”

  Christian groaned. He hated Trussardi. An evening at the hot and sweaty, dark and dingy bar near the city center, where they played music most nights until the early hours, didn’t appeal. For some reason, which he never understood, Emilio had always liked this place.

  He didn’t.

  “A couple of hours?” He wasn’t happy about this sudden encroachment on his free time, and he had no desire to waste his evening, especially entertaining a bunch of people he barely knew, much less cared about and what they did. What a pain in the ass. And he still hadn’t heard back from the recruitment agency regarding the interview this morning.

  He was starting to feel resentful—of being here, of not hearing back from the interview, of being around people he’d rather not waste any more time with. And he was mad at Rachele. The woman had been away for too long and his frustration was rocketing sky-high.

  “I promise that when I meet with the sales guys, I’ll scope out the vacancy for you.”

  When he put it like that…

  “Sure.” A favor for a favor. He could do it in that case. Emilio knew he was getting itchy feet but unfortunately, moving into the sales team here at Fordana wasn’t easy. He wasn’t so sure he wanted it that badly either, but it was a backup plan. The sales people liked to recruit salesmen from outside, not their own trainers, even if they happened to know the software inside out.

  “You’re the man.” Emilio’s face lit up like a candle and he pointed a finger at him as if it were a gun. “There are only two, Clara and Lucas. On a scale of one to ten, I’d give her 6, if that’s any consolation.”

  Christian puffed out a large breath. No. He didn’t need any consolation, and he definitely wasn’t interested in any entanglements. He had the perfect little arrangement already set up. But Rachele had been away for a month, on a business trip to Toronto. She was due back next week, and not a moment too soon.