Brash Boss

by Roberts, A. S.

  She was a petite lady, but inside her was a strength and force that would take some reckoning with. Everything about her was borne from her desire to provide for and protect her family. It was very evident that she’d had to fight for her family before and she wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. Now that family only consisted of Nico and his brother Cade, they were all that mattered in her world. I had grown to admire her over the past few days and honestly believed that I could easily like her very much, I just hoped she felt the same about me.

  ‘I don’t know if Nico has already told you, but I was married to his grandfather, his namesake, for many years and after an unsteady first few months, they were genuinely the happiest of my life.’

  I nodded at her nervously, unsure of what was coming next.

  ‘But as the wife of one Morello to the soon-to-be wife of another, I feel I need to offer you some advice…’

  Nonna stretched out her arm and touched her hand to my forearm as she continued.

  ‘Barbara, I was once in your shoes, and I married to escape a life I wasn’t happy with.’

  ‘I…’ I began to protest but was truly grateful when she lifted her hand to stop me before the lie fell out.

  ‘They’re not easy men to be married to, but when they love you, you become the centre of their entire world, the axis point from which they pivot… I can see that you are not in love with Nico, just as I wasn’t with his grandfather when I married him.’

  I took in a quick breath trying to stop the panic that had entered my body and to calm down the now very erratic beat of my heart as it stopped, stuttered and accelerated waiting for her next words.

  ‘But that doesn’t matter, because you see love can grow. The best and longest lasting marriages start as a seed of friendship. Then a kind word, some shared laughter, a thoughtful gesture and a loving touch are freely given and all of these things will enable that seed to shoot and flourish. In the past few days, I have seen Nico wholeheartedly give you all of those things and you have reciprocated. These gestures you are offering each other are all the things needed to make the seed of friendship you have, grow into a deep, long lasting love between you both. There will be ups and downs over your years together, of which I wish you many. But when you both accept and nurture these, a solid, loving foundation will be created. It becomes so strong and so much a part of you, that you will struggle to remember anything that came before it… So, Barbara, I just want to ask one thing of you.’

  ‘Anything,’ I replied, stunned with the woman’s perceptiveness, acceptance and understanding.

  ‘Often the men who are the hardest to love, need love the most.’

  I let her words wash over me. I knew what she was asking. She wanted my promise that I’d try. That when things got difficult I’d try harder to love her brash boss of a grandson. She felt he was worth it, like her husband had been. But mainly she was checking my commitment to my impending marriage.

  ‘I’ll try,’ I whispered back.

  ‘Then you both have my blessing and my love, Bee.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nico

  ‘That’s it… I’ve had enough of watching you pace up and down and if you twist your arm around one more time to check that expensive bit of kit on your wrist, I’m telling you now that I’m likely to commit hara-kiri over there in the corner.’

  Trip’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. I stopped walking immediately and clocked him still attempting to sit comfortably on a chair I’d bought especially for the hallway and pointing to the corner by the door. It wasn’t a chair that I’d ever thought anyone would try to sit on, as it was a designer piece more than a functional piece of furniture. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my head, it would have been laughable to watch him. For the past twenty minutes or so as I’d paced, I’d seen him in my peripheral view twisting his tall frame into various shapes as he’d tried in vain to get comfortable while offering me the quiet companionship he obviously thought I needed.

  The truth was I hadn’t a clue what I needed.

  I never thought I’d be in the position I found myself in today. I had made a vow as my mamma lay dead in my arms that I would never get married and although I knew that this was a marriage of convenience for us both, over the past few days I’d grown to like Bee more and more. She brought something into my life that as yet I couldn’t decipher, it wasn’t something I’d ever felt before and it had my perfectly ordered head in turmoil.

  She had brought her life and soul into my very subjective and disreputable existence and I couldn’t work out as yet if that was a good or bad thing. But it was unexpected, and I didn’t do unexpected in my perfectly ordered world.

  ‘Brucey, come on we’re off,’ Trip shouted out.

  Bruce skidded into the highly polished, wooden hallway wearing navy blue smart pants and a white shirt that matched his dad’s. Without saying another word to me Trip teasingly messed up his son’s hair, then opened the large front door, bowing jokingly to me as he ushered me and Bruce outside. I took one last look up the stairs to where I knew Bee was getting ready and with an extra determination in my steps, I picked up my waistcoat, hooked my finger inside it and hoisted it over my shoulder.

  The moment I stepped outside, I fleetingly closed my eyes and lifted my head to look up to the clear blue sky. The sun’s rays embraced my face, like they had done for the millions of people who had come before me and I used that thought to ground me. Taking the few minutes I needed I inhaled deeply.

  Just breathe.

  In doing so, I effectively managed to shelve the unwelcome nerves and all the thoughts I’d been contemplating over, since I’d woken up in the early hours.

  ‘You’ll be needing these, Boss.’ I shaded my eyes with my hand and looked down at what he was trying to give me. With a smile I took the very aptly named Aviators from his fingertips, put them on quickly, thankful for the shade and the very welcome facade they offered.

  ‘Thanks… Once a pilot…’

  ‘Yeah, always a pilot,’ he added and laughed, ‘and well it’s the least I can do, best man duties and all that.’ He grinned back at me after placing a matching pair over his own eyes and a child sized pair on Bruce.

  We began the walk up the hill from my home to the nearest village, probably looking like we’d walked off the set of The Blues Brothers. Although we walked slowly and stopped occasionally to speak to a local who wanted to offer their congratulations and to shake my hand, we still arrived at the church far too early. I decided to take advantage of the free time to have a good look around while Trip played with Bruce in the small, paved area outside.

  The church had been built when Crete was part of the Byzantine empire and loving history as I did, it was a great place to try to waste time before I had to take my place in front of the alter. It was an amazing structure and I made a mental note to bring Bee back up here on another day so she could photograph it. I could already picture the happiness on her face as she spent the time trying to capture the way the sun hit the building with her new camera.

  What the hell?

  I pushed my Aviators back up to the bridge of my nose hoping the action would dislodge the strange compulsions in my head and looked up. I ran my eyes over the church’s terracotta roof tiles that protected the one storey building and then down to its thick, sand coloured walls on the outside and the sign that advertised the World Heritage protected frescos on the inside.

  Finally, having nothing else to look at outside, I took off my sunglasses and made my way in. In a bid to offer some protection to the fading colours on the plaster, the small chapel that would only seat ten on a good day was lit by candles the way it had been for the many centuries before. I knew Trip had already gone inside and looking around quickly as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, I saw that he had sat down in position with Bruce alongside him. I nodded at him when he caught my eye to check I was okay. Then I began to walk around trying to focus on the pictures that had been painted hundreds of
years ago on the now damaged walls, hoping my interest in them would help me not to overthink what I was just about to do.

  I could rarely remember feeling more uncomfortable in my own skin and the occasions that sprung to mind, all had a bad memory attached to them.

  Let it go. You’re in control of this one.

  But was I?

  I knew that this hurriedly thought up arrangement had the potential of going ass up. I wondered, and not for the first time since I’d kissed her back at the IHOP, if I’d thought all of this out as thoroughly as I did everything else in my life. I knew the answer, so refused to reply to my own thoughts.

  I put one finger inside the collar of my fitted white shirt and moved it around in front of my throat. I tried without much success to create a pseudo feeling of release instead of the constricted feeling the tailormade shirt was giving me. Even though the inside of the church was cool compared to the outside temperature, I was thankful that I’d decided to skip the jacket to the light grey, three-piece suit I’d bought especially for the wedding ceremony. I now understood that it would have only added to the feeling of restriction that was beginning to grow inside of me.

  ‘Sit down… here have a drink’ As he spoke Trip smacked one of his hands down on the empty wooden chair next to him and the sound reverberated around the quiet space. I looked over at him as he shook a bottle of water at me trying to tempt me.

  ‘What, are you the boss of me now?’ I asked half annoyed and half entertained that he could see right through me and crossed my arms over my chest in defence. I knew I was being an asshat, but I seriously couldn’t have cared any less than I did right in that moment. I was way, way out of my comfort zone and I was determined I was going to drag his ass right down there with me.

  ‘Calm yourself… as I’ve said before, it’s my best man duties that’s all.’ His grin showed me just how much he was loving how uncomfortable I was beginning to feel. ‘I can see your mouth is drying up and we need to be able to hear your dulcet tones as you say your vows, don’t we?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ I said the words, but I hadn’t even managed to convince myself they were true. I hadn’t felt this ill at ease in a long time.

  I wasn’t sure what I was most uncomfortable with, the fact that I was ill at ease or that I was actually feeling.

  The laughter that left Trip and Bruce after Trip nudged him and pointed his finger at me so his son could join in, amused me enough to half-heartedly join in with them.

  ‘Nic, I’ve never seen you look more agitated.’

  ‘I’m… well, I’ve never been married before. I’m not sure what I am.’ I sat down as instructed, making sure I pulled my trouser legs up a bit so they wouldn’t knee and resisted the temptation to run my hands through my perfectly held in place hair. Instead I took the bottle he had previously offered and after ripping off the top, I glugged down some of the cool, reviving liquid.

  ‘You’ll be fine once you see her… at least that’s how I felt when I saw Kendall walking towards me… Although, I know this is different.’ He said the last part slightly quieter.

  ‘Yes, it’s certainly different,’ I replied, staring down at the worn floor that had seen thousands upon thousands of people as they had celebrated their new beginnings and I wondered if they’d all felt like I did now.

  The clatter of heels on the flagstone floor behind me let me know it was nearly time. I passed the bottle back to Trip and stood up while I waited for Bee to enter.

  The feeling of Kendall’s hand on my shoulder made me turn my head towards where she had taken her place behind us.

  ‘My…my, you three boys scrub up nicely, I might just have to marry one of you,’ she teased.

  ‘That’ll be me, Perky. Don’t you get any other ideas.’ Trip grinned at her as he picked up the hand she’d placed on my shoulder and kissed it.

  ‘This might just be your lucky day, Mr. Clynes,’ she answered and as always when his parents flirted in front of him Bruce giggled at the two of them. ‘And this is most definitely your lucky day, Nico. I can’t wait for you to see her… She will take your breath away.’

  ‘Thanks.’ I smiled over my shoulder at the words she’d just bestowed on me and understood, as I swallowed deeply, that it wouldn’t be the first time Bee had caused that reaction from me.

  Watching her totally spellbound as she gazed at the dragonflies while they danced on top of the pool the other night and then again when I’d kissed her the other morning on the beach at sunrise.

  Yeah, I totally knew the woman could take my breath away and truthfully it scared the fuck out of me.

  Movement to the side of me caught my eye as Pearl took her place, then as my grandmother took the place next to her, I smiled my thanks over to her. Traditionally she should have been sat behind me, but not wanting Bee to feel like she only had Pearl, she had informed us that she would be sitting on her side of the church. I watched as she reciprocated my smile, then blew me a kiss and just on cue turned her gaze back to the front.

  Trip elbowing me hard in my ribs as he wordlessly instructed me that Bee had arrived, made me turn to look back behind me at the stone archway. The moment she walked through the door and into the tiny church my breath was snatched away from me, just as I’d been warned it would. Nothing I could have rehearsed would have prepared me for the sight that met my eyes.

  Stood by herself was the most beautiful woman I had ever had the unequivocal pleasure of laying my eyes on. Given the life I’d led up to a few weeks ago when she’d landed back into my life, I knew I’d looked at far more than my fair share. With the sunlight behind her, shining on her blonde hair, she reminded me of an angel in one of the many frescos I’d been studying so closely, while I’d waited for her to arrive. Her eyes were downcast as she looked into the flowers that she clutched tightly with both of her hands and for a split second I had to resist the urge to go to her. Instead I waited, with a fear that felt like a dagger twisting in my heart that we’d got this far and now she was about to change her mind and run.

  Feeling like a fish out of water I shifted my stance and my shoes, which I’d had polished to within an inch of their lives, scuffed the stone floor. The sound travelled around the silent church and appeared to break her from her thoughts.

  The moment she lifted her head and our eyes met, I knew that my life as I knew it so far, was well and truly over. I heard myself clear my throat out of habit and then sensed as the emotion that had been trapped inside of me dissipated.

  Standing in that small place which was dedicated to a God my family believed in, I swore right then and there to him or her, to do better, to be better, in the hope he or she would allow me to have the one thing I hadn’t even realised I truly wanted or needed.

  Barbara Daniels.

  The very beautiful Bee.

  I offered her a smile and as if she had been waiting for some sort of acknowledgement from me, she started her slow procession down the aisle. Her slow walk gave me all the time I needed to take her in. Her dress was perfect, it was simple and understated which showed off her natural beauty. I knew her choice would have pleased my grandmother, but as it fitted her to absolute perfection and showed off her figure it also ticked all of my boxes. The bouquet my grandmother had picked from my exact instructions made her eyes pop even in the dim candlelight.

  On instinct, and without giving it a second thought, I held out my hand to her as she took the final few steps to stand next to me. Without any hesitation she placed her hand in mine and I was sure that I was the happiest I’d ever been.

  I led her towards me and lifted her hand up in mine to place a gentle kiss onto it. Still smiling at each other and giving a great rendition of a couple of lovesick fools we turned to face the priest.

  * * *

  Slowly, we walked out from behind the heavy oak door of the Greek Orthodox Church, to be greeted by clapping and the flurries of petals that were being thrown into the air by the local villagers. Looking at Bee stood next to me, abs
orbing the congratulations and excitement from the strangers outside of their local church, made me glad that I’d made it a priority to help the local people as soon as I’d made up my mind I wanted to live here.

  She looked happy and I was pleased I’d played a small part in that.

  In truth, I’d done what I knew worked, I’d greased the wheels in the local area the only way I knew how, with money. Not only did it make my planning application more straightforward for the house I wanted to build, but it had also meant that we’d been accepted into the local community when we’d helped to rejuvenate their local clinic.

  For a few minutes, the air around us was full of the smell of the wildflowers they were throwing over us. Holding onto her hand and placing my arm behind myself I kept us still, just on the outside of the open-sided, oak beamed porchway. It was polite to wait to accept their congratulations and although it was now late in the afternoon the strength behind the sun’s rays was still almost as blinding as it had been on our walk up here earlier. I knew our eyes would need time to adjust from the candlelit church we’d just come out of. But the overwhelming thought running through me, was to prolong the feeling of happiness that being stood there, holding Bee’s hand and knowing that we’d just been married, gave me.

  Again, what the hell?

  As I waited for my pupils to become adjusted to the sudden bright light, I once again became aware of her small hand that I’d clasped tightly in mine. She turned her head to look up at me, unsure of just what was coming next.

  ‘Time to go home, Mrs. Morello.’

  The smile that lit up her face, I knew I’d remember for the rest of my life. The sense of panic that quickly followed, bolting through my body at the words I’d just used, I knew I’d remember even longer.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Bee

  ‘Time to go home, Mrs. Morello.’