Rebecca Winters - The Vineyards Of Calanetti

Mr. Amatucci’s steady gaze met hers. “You’re sure you’re up for this project?”

She pressed her lips together, no longer trusting her mouth, and nodded. She’d have to reschedule tonight’s meeting for the fund-raiser.

“Good. If you need help, feel free to ask one of the other PAs to take over some of your other work. The Van Holsen account is now your priority.”

He gathered his tablet computer and headed for the door. “I’ve got a meeting. I’ll be back later.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Without a backward glance, he strode out of the room, looking like the calm, cool, collected Angelo Amatucci that everyone respected and admired for his creative foresight. But how he was able to shut down his emotions so quickly was totally beyond her.

What was she going to do about her meeting tonight? It didn’t help that she’d been the one to set it up. Somehow she’d been put in charge of the Inner City League after-school program fund-raiser. The program was in a serious financial bind. ICL was a great organization that kept at-risk kids off the streets after school while their parents were still at work.

Kayla had been volunteering for the past year. Helping others was how her parents had raised her. They had always been generous with their spare time and money—not that they had much of either. Kayla may have hightailed it out of Paradise, Pennsylvania, as soon as she could, but there was still a lot of Paradise in her. And she’d swear that she got more back from the kids and the other volunteers than she ever gave to any of them. For a girl who was used to living in a small town of friends, it was a comfort to have such a friendly group to keep her from feeling isolated in such a large city of strangers.

There was no way she could reschedule tonight’s meeting. They were running out of time until the charity concert and there was still so much to plan. Somehow she had to make this all work out. She couldn’t let down the kids nor could she let down her boss. The thought of Angelo Amatucci counting on her felt good.

Not only was he easy on the eyes, but she really enjoyed working with him, even if he was a bit stiff and withdrawn most of the time. But now that she’d witnessed him emotionally charged, she couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like to get up close and personal with him.

* * *

Angelo shook his head.

Marianna pregnant! Impossible.

Okay, so it wasn’t impossible, but why had she been acting so irresponsible? It wasn’t as if she was married or even considering it. She changed romantic interests faster than he changed ties—never getting too serious—until now. Nico didn’t even know the father’s name. What was up with that?

“What do you think, Mr. Amatucci?”

He glanced up at his youngest and most promising account executive. This was a meeting to discuss the campaign for a new sports car that was going to be revealed later that year. The car was quite nice and was sure to create a buzz of attention.

But for the life of him, Angelo couldn’t keep his mind wrapped around business—no matter how important the account. His head was in Italy at the village of Monte Calanetti—where he should be dealing with his sister’s life-changing event.

Angelo glanced down at the presentation on his digital tablet and then back at the account executive. “I think you still have work to do. This presentation is flat. It isn’t innovative enough. There’s nothing here to sway a twentysomething consumer to take out a sizable loan on top of their college debt in order to have this car. I want the ‘must have’ factor. The part that says if I have this car all of my friends will be envious. This isn’t just a car—this is a status symbol. Do you understand?”

Mike glanced down and then back at Angelo. “But this is what the client asked for.”

“And it’s your job to push the envelope and give the client something more to consider—to want.” Maybe he’d been too quick in his determination that Mike was going to be an asset to Amatucci & Associates—unlike Kayla, who was constantly proving she was an independent thinker. “Try again.”

Mike’s mouth started to open but out of the corner of Angelo’s eye he could see the copywriter give a quick shake of his head. Mike glanced back at Angelo. He nodded his agreement.

“Good. I expect to see something new in forty-eight hours.”

Again the man’s mouth opened but nothing came out. His lips pressed together, and he nodded. Now if only Angelo could handle his little sister in the same no-nonsense manner. He liked when things were easy and uncomplicated.

But now, with time to cool down, he realized that his only course of action was to return home—to return to Italy. His gut knotted as he thought of the expectations that he’d failed to fulfill. Back in Monte Calanetti he wasn’t viewed as someone successful—someone influential. Back home he was Giovanni’s son—the son who’d fled his family and their way of life, unlike his younger brother who took great pride in their heritage.

With the meeting concluded, Angelo made his way back to his office. With the decision made to leave first thing in the morning, he had to figure out how to handle his current workload. His clients would never accept having their accounts turned over to anyone else. They paid top dollar for one-on-one attention, and they would accept nothing less.

In order for him to stay on top of everything while traveling abroad, he needed someone who was good in a crisis, levelheaded and an independent worker. Kayla’s beautiful face immediately sprang to mind. Could she be the answer?

He hesitated. She did have a habit of being a bit too chatty at times. But this was an emergency. Allowances would have to be made.

More importantly, he was impressed with her work ethic and her attention to details. She was hungry and eager—two elements that would serve her well. And best of all, she had an easy way with people—something that might come in handy on this trip.

He stopped next to her desk. “Ms. Hill.” She glanced up. Her green eyes widened. How had he missed their striking shade of jade until now? He cleared his throat, focusing back on the business at hand. “How’s the Van Holsen account coming?”

Color pinked her cheeks. “Mr. Amatucci, I...I haven’t gotten to it yet. The phone has been ringing and I’ve been sending out information for some other accounts.”

She looked worried as though she’d done something wrong. For the first time, Angelo wondered if everyone who worked for him was intimidated by him. He didn’t like the thought of Ms. Hill being uncomfortable around him. He knew he wasn’t an easy man to get to know, but he didn’t like the thought of striking fear in the hearts of his employees.

“Relax. That’s fine. Besides you’ll have plenty of time to brainstorm on the flight.”

“Excuse me. The flight?”

Since when did he speak without thinking it through first? It had to be this mess with Marianna. It had him off-kilter. “Something urgent has come up. I need to travel to Italy. And I need a competent person to accompany me.”

“Me?” Excitement lit up her whole face. Before today, he’d never noticed that behind those black-rimmed reading glasses were not only mesmerizing green eyes but also a beautiful face—not that he was interested in her, or anyone. Ms. Hill clasped her hands together. “I’ve never been to Italy. I’d love it.”

“Good. That’s what I was hoping you’d say.” But suddenly he wasn’t sure spending so much time alone with her was such a good idea, especially now that he’d noticed the unique color of her mesmerizing eyes and her intoxicating scent. He swallowed hard. But it was too late to back out now. “You need to understand this trip will be business only, not a holiday.”