Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
“Let me get this right. You want to use our business as your personal film set?” Kasia muttered, with her hands on her hips.
Marianne caught Tierney’s eye with a pleading look. “The series will be about the workings of a modern hotel and restaurant that uses local ingredients, not about me.”
“But you’ll be coming in to show us how to do things better?”
This wasn’t going well. “No, that’s not what it’s about.”
“Hey, honey, this sounds like a good opportunity for promoting the hotel. We’re always looking for more event bookings.” Tierney wrapped her arms as well as she could around Kasia. She was now almost as wide as she was tall.
“The baby will be here by the time filming starts, and I’ll be able to look after everything. It won’t cause you more work.”
“I very much doubt that.”
Marianne optimistically thought Kasia sounded slightly less grumpy about the idea.
Kasia looked over Tierney’s shoulder to where Joey leaned in the doorway, hands in their pockets. Marianne had offered to go it alone, but they’d insisted on coming.
“And what do you think? As if I couldn’t guess.”
Joey shrugged. “It’s your call.”
Tierney turned and raised an eyebrow.
“Yours and Tierney’s. Don’t agree to anything you don’t want to do.” They pushed off from the door frame. “But don’t miss a great opportunity just because it wasn’t your idea.”
Marianne smiled to herself. Joey could speak to Kasia in a way she wouldn’t tolerate from anyone else.
Kasia blinked slowly. “Okay.” She looked to Tierney. “We’re in?” Tierney nodded quickly, smiling.
“Let’s do this.” She turned to Marianne. “Get the production company to speak to me or send over whatever contracts we need to sign.”
Kasia turned to Tierney and Joey. “And if it all goes terribly wrong, I’ll remember who manipulated me into this.” She smiled to lighten the comment and even Joey broke a smile. Marianne let out the breath she’d been holding.
“Thank you so much, both of you. This is going to be exciting for all of us, I promise you.”
Marianne was still on a high when she called Imelda with the news. “Yes, just make sure everything’s going to happen. I’ve got a lot riding on this. It needs to be good.”
When she ended the call, she dropped her phone in her lap and rubbed her face. Did she really know what she was doing? Hosting a solo TV show was new ground.
“It’s going to be amazing. People will love you.” Joey smiled up from where they were assembling a wooden floor puzzle despite Denny’s best efforts to spread the pieces across the room.
“I fear you may be biased.” Nevertheless, Joey’s confidence buoyed her, and she slid from her chair to help.
“Denny, look at the picture on the box.”
“Train.”
“That’s right. So, we put all the pieces together to make the train.” She took his piece and slotted it into the part Joey was holding. Their fingers brushed and she enjoyed the jolt that went through her.
Joey placed the pieces together and smiled as they directed Denny to add his shape to the puzzle.
“See, this is a wheel and that’s a wheel. They go together.”
Denny giggled with joy when the piece fitted, and the train was nearly complete. Joey pushed the next piece in his direction, and he added it clumsily. “Denny make a train.”
“You have, sweetpea. Just a couple more pieces.” Marianne passed him the chimney part and he looked at it carefully before trying to force it into the rear end.
“No!” He shrieked when it wouldn’t fit, and before Marianne could stop him, he’d knocked all the pieces apart and thrown them across the room.
Joey gathered him in their arms before the tantrum could escalate. “How about we get you ready for bed?” They caught a little fist gently before it reached their face. “And if you stop shouting, maybe Mama will come and read you a story.”
Denny stopped screaming immediately. “Owls?”
“Only if you’re a good boy for Joey, sweetpea.” She hauled herself up off the floor and kissed him on the forehead.
“And if you’re good, too, I’ll have a beer waiting for you.”
Joey smiled as they stood with Denny. “I’ll do my best.”
When Denny was finally settled, they sat together on the couch; Joey idly flicked through TV channels as Marianne skimmed a magazine.
“I’d like to take you to Paris.”
Joey muted the TV. “Paris?”
“Yeah. You said you wanted to see places and try different cuisines. I can’t think of a better place to start.” Marianne snuggled closer. “And I can show you all my old student haunts.”
“I’d love that, but what about Denny?”
“We’ll arrange something. I can’t promise it’ll be a long holiday, but I’d like to take you.” She wanted to take them on a trip they’d never forget. She wanted to experience everything with Joey, and yet if sitting here with them on the couch of a rented cottage was all they would ever do, that would be enough, too.