5
La Casa
Peter Becker sat in his office, looking through each one of his shortlisted applicants.
He knew there was no contest as to who was the best for the job.
He pulled out Dani’s file again and checked it over.
He’d liked her from the very first instant.
The fact she’d arrived early to the interview had scored major points for Peter.
Punctuality was important for him. After years working in Switzerland, where everything ran to a precise and accurate timing, he found tardiness almost intolerable.
She’d been extremely pleasant and her CV showed she was more than qualified for the job and he knew instinctively she’d fit in with the rest of his team.
He heard the familiar footsteps of Jerome echoing down the corridor and into his office.
He glanced at his clock. Nine thirty. Peter took a deep breath.
Things must be bad at home for Jerome to have already gone to the gym and run down to the restaurant so early.
He felt for his friend and boss. Liz was making him miserable.
Peter reset all the monitors and started up today’s surveillance.
Then he pulled back his chair and made his way to Jerome’s office.
Peter walked in and scanned the large office. It was empty. Then he heard the shower running from the en suite Jerome had.
“Jerome?”
“Hey, Peter. I won’t be long,” Jerome called out.
Peter sat down on the leather couch and looked out of the window.
The rain was thrashing down. Jeez, had he run in this?
He was dedicated. Peter wished he had half his drive.
Ever since he’d known Jerome, he was always so focused.
He pushed himself to excel. He had to be the best he could be, and in his professional life he’d succeeded.
Sadly that couldn’t be said for his private life.
The restaurant had been his starting block.
He’d worked hard and studied harder to make the business thrive.
He’d expanded into the nightclub and bar business by acquiring Sky, a rooftop nightclub.
And then, to satisfy his wife Liz, he’d opened up an in-town gym, Level One, and a beauty salon for her to run.
Peter knew Jerome’s first love was the restaurant but over the past few years, Sky had taken up more of his time and now, more recently, so had the gym.
He knew the latter was purely because Liz had lost interest.
Jerome’s businesses thrived, but as he continued to conquer the business world, his private life seemed to be crumbling around him.
The Ferrettis were all about family. They were second generation Italians and were very close knit.
Jerome was the only one of the three brothers who had married.
Cosimo, the eldest, had followed in his father’s footsteps and become an accountant, carrying on in the family business.
Arsenio was the youngest brother, who was a partner in a law firm.
Both brothers had the same drive as Jerome but neither had married, both for entirely different reasons.
From a young age it had become perfectly clear to Cosimo and his family that his interest in the opposite sex was non-existent.
His father, Alessandro, had found the news hard to take but had accepted it nevertheless.
Arsenio, on the other hand, had made it his mission to make up for his eldest brother’s lack of interest in the fairer sex and had, as a result, become renowned for his playboy status.
Jerome fell smack in the middle of this wide and extreme spectrum.
The only problem was that both Jerome’s brothers were happy in their lifestyle choices, whereas Jerome sadly, was not.
Jerome had had every intention of following in his elder brother’s footsteps by carrying on in the family business, but it became apparent at an early age that Jerome struggled academically.
He became disruptive in school and an unruly teenager.
Fortunately, at the age of ten, one of his teachers recognised that Jerome didn’t lack intelligence but that he was dyslexic.
After being diagnosed, Jerome threw himself into sports, at which he excelled, and with the help of his teacher he managed to pass his GCSEs.
Jerome’s second passion was cooking. He’d always helped his mother when he was young and as he’d grown, so had his interest. He enrolled in a local college and completed a two-year catering course with a distinction.
At the age of eighteen, he managed to secure a place at the prestigious Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland, where he completed his Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management.
Peter scanned the office, his eyes flitting over the many framed certificates Jerome had acquired over the last seventeen years.
Jerome had come a long way since Peter had known him and his family.
Jerome had been a moody, angry teenager the first time they’d met on one of their holidays to the family home in Italy.
It was just after his father had died and he’d taken it very badly. Peter smiled at the memory.
His thoughts were interrupted by Jerome coming out of the bathroom. “Morning. You’re here early.”
Jerome shrugged and nodded as he knotted his tie.
“You ran in this?” Peter motioned to the window with his head.
“Yes. I got soaked. Certainly got my blood pumping through my veins. Just need my caffeine and nicotine fix and I’m set up for the day,” Jerome joked, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Decided on our new staff member yet?”
“Yeah. I’ll be calling her soon.”
“Her?”
“Dani. You met her yesterday.”
Jerome nodded and stifled a smile.
“How’s the gym doing? You seem to be spending a lot of time there lately. Customers are asking about you.”
Jerome raised his eyebrows at the comment.
He knew this was Peter’s way of finding out what was going on between him and Liz.
Jerome sat behind his desk and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.
“The business is doing well. I just need to find a good manager.” He shifted in his seat, avoiding eye contact with Peter.
“I thought that was Liz’s role.” Peter brushed his grey trousers nervously.
Jerome sighed, then rubbed his forehead. “She’s finding it too much, I think.”
“Too much?” pushed Peter.
Jerome looked up at him and sucked on his top teeth, his eyes narrowing as he toyed with the idea of confessing what was really going on. He knew he could trust Peter, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit to his friend what he obviously already knew. Peter waited patiently for his response.
“It’s not working out. I think she liked the idea of having a gym and salon but it’s a lot of work.”
“Well, maybe she could go part time and you employ an assistant for her.” Peter disliked Liz. She was spoilt and self-centred. Jerome was permanently trying to cover up her faults and in the process ran himself ragged just trying to keep her happy, which she never was.
Jerome nodded slightly. “It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
Peter left his gaze fixed on to Jerome and waited for him to elaborate.
“The assistant she had unfortunately left a week ago. Liz hasn’t been in since, so I’ve had to cover them until I find suitable replacements.”
“He left? He was very good. Did he find a better position?”
Jerome huffed and closed his eyes, rubbing his face. “Yes, you could say that. The position he found” – he paused a moment, then looked up at Peter – “was on top of my wife,” he mumbled.
Peter shot up from his seat. “What! He and Liz were having an affair?” Jerome closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.
Peter looked down at his friend and regretted his unguarded outburst. This was obviously painful for him.
It did, however explain why over the last few weeks Jerome had been spending more time at the gym and at home.
He’d obviously been trying to either find out for sure or trying to work things out with Liz.
“I’m not sure if it’s in the past tense yet,” Jerome ground out.
“Forgive my frankness, Jerome, but are you telling me that you think the affair is still going on?”
“Yes,” Jerome said quietly.
Peter’s jaw dropped as he stared at a grey-faced Jerome.
A thousand thoughts ran through Peter’s head, ranging from wanting to kill Liz for doing this to his friend and to slapping Jerome into some sort of action.
Why was he so calm? Why hadn’t he thrown her out?
He was a successful, wealthy, good-looking guy and he was allowing some trumped-up nobody to make a fool of him.
Then his eyes dropped to the silver framed picture on Jerome’s desk of Alessandro and Kara – of course, his children.
Peter paced over to Jerome’s desk. “What are you doing about it? Do you need me for anything?”
“To be honest, I really don’t know what to do.
It’s no secret Liz and I have had problems from the start.
The children made it harder too, for her.
” He rose from his seat and began to pace around the office.
“I want to make it work, but the last six months have been difficult. Nothing makes her happy. She spends all day out of the house and as little time as she can with the children. I’m lucky we have such a great nanny.
She blames my working hours. That I’m always either here or at Sky.
” He rubbed his forehead again. “But I need to be here and there. It’s my job.
It’s what gives us our lifestyle, that she takes full advantage of and enjoys,” he huffed.
He walked over to the window and looked out over the river as the rain continued to pour down. “She wants my full and undivided attention and doesn’t give me any leverage on that at all. I can’t split myself into pieces.”
“And the guy? The affair? How do you feel about that?”
“She said it was a one off. To get my attention. But…”
“You don’t believe her.”
Jerome shook his head.