Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 59304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Your defeatist attitude isn’t helping matters.”
I almost snap at her, but I bite down to stop myself. Her attitude has changed so much since arriving here. Perhaps it’s because she’s ill, but that doesn’t make it okay.
My heart is pounding at the prospect of doing this alone.
“Will there be a pay rise?”
Veronica frowns. “I’m a little insulted that this is your first concern.”
“What’s insulting about that? I have always been open about wanting fair compensation for my work. In my interview, you said my straightforwardness was the reason you hired me. If I’m going to do this–and take on all the extra stress it entails–I think I deserve to be paid accordingly.”
“There will be a bonus upon successful completion of the event, yes.”
I tap my finger against my chin.
“You’re thinking of your mother,” Veronica says.
“I am. With a bonus, we might finally have enough for her to start her catering business again.”
“A moment ago, you sounded like you were too intimidated to even try.”
“Can you blame me, Veronica?” I snap.
“I’m not sure I like your tone.”
“Fair enough, but can you? Going from being your right hand to orchestrating an entire event for an Old Money family with a whole island’s worth of logistics to keep track of–it’s a jump.”
“Are you up to the challenge?”
I almost say no, I’m not. She needs to fly in backup. But there would be repercussions if I admitted defeat here.
“How are you feeling?”
“You’re wondering if I’m going to recover in time to help you.”
“This is a week-long event, a week-long buildup to the renewal. There’s time.”
“The truth is, I feel awful. It’s like there’s a spike in my head and barbed wire in my throat and poison in my stomach. You should make your decision based on the assumption you’ll be doing this alone, all of it.”
I think of my mom with tears in her eyes. I did my best… The letters from the bank, her dream crumbling to ash…
I’m not entirely sure I’m up to the challenge, but I know one thing. If I don’t try, I won’t forgive myself.
“I can do it,” I affirm.
“Are you sure?”
No.
“Yes,” I tell her, trying to sound certain. “I’m the right woman for the job.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I trust you to make sure this goes off without a hitch.”
“How much input do you want from this point forward?”
“I need to focus on recovering,” she says with a sigh.
“Okay, sure, fine. Yeah. Makes sense.”
Before I leave, Veronica says, “Good luck.”
I walk back down the beach, sweating, not from the heat, but from the sudden responsibility. This is huge. If I mess it up, it could have serious consequences, not just for me, but for Evermore Events. Veronica is trusting me with her baby.
But if I do well, I get a bonus… and I’ll earn Veronica’s respect, meaning I’ll get more solo gigs.
Trial by fire.
I return to Fantasy Boat Rental. A man I don’t recognize approaches me. He’s around fifty, maybe mid-fifties, bald on top with black-grayish hair sprouting from the sides. Oddly, when I saw Dario, I thought of the streaks in his hair as silver, not gray.
I need to focus.
“Hello… Siena, yes?”
“Yes, hello. I don’t believe we’ve met.”
He offers a hand covered in gold rings. “My name is Edoardo Bianchi, brother of the groom. Everybody calls me Eddy.”
“Nice to meet you. Is there something I can help you with?”
“I wanted to confirm that the boat tour is going ahead.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Ah, good,” he responds, looking almost angry, but I can’t think why he would be. “I heard whispers there might have been some kind of mix-up?”
I shake my head. “Everything is under control, Mr. Bianchi.”
He smiles thinly. “Eddy, please. Call me Eddy. We’re all friends on this beautiful island, aren’t we?”
Something about the way he says it gives me the creeps, but obviously, I don’t let that show. “Sure, we are.”
He pats me on the shoulder. “Good–that’s what I like to hear.”
When he walks away, I rub my shoulder, as if cleaning away his touch.
CHAPTER 4
DARIO
During the boat tour, I’m on a different boat than Siena. She’s on the one, two boats ahead, and she’s too busy talking with my mother and father to notice me. But I notice her, her hair down now instead of tied up, glimmering in the sun. Mother laughs at something she says, touching her on the arm in the way she does when she likes someone.
I sit with my uncle Eddy and my godfather Rocco. Rocco is the consigliere of the Bianchi Family, though he’s not related by blood. Rocco and Eddy–they’re like yin and yang, Uncle Eddy dark and brooding, whereas Rocco is more like me, quick with a smile and a joke.
Eddy never wanted to be consigliere, or so he claims. He prefers to operate from the shadows, never desired the responsibility and the exposure that came with being second-in-command. But sometimes, I wonder… especially when he looks at Rocco like he’s thinking about pushing him into the pristine blue.