Chapter 22
22
It’s the persistent sound of a knock on my apartment door that wakes me up.
Shit. What time is it? Have I overslept? I was messaging with Priya until late, filling her in on how things were going, but not actually telling her any of the details because – come on – look at the mess I’ve made for myself. She’s not feeling great, and she’s probably worrying about me. The last thing she needs is to hear all about the chaos I’m bringing to the trip.
I must look rough, and half asleep, but it sounds important so I pull on a robe and go to see who it is.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, as though that’s going to make a massive improvement, I open the door.
I relax as soon as I see that it’s Andrea, armed with what looks like bags of shopping.
‘Oh, good morning,’ I say.
‘ Buongiorno , bella , come è stata la tua nottata? ’ he replies.
‘Not a clue,’ I say with a laugh.
‘Something for another day,’ he replies. ‘But, for now, I thought you might like breakfast.’
‘Always,’ I say, feeling the smile spread across my face as I step aside to let him in.
‘Take a seat at the table,’ Andrea instructs with a smile. ‘I’ll prepare the food.’
I watch him as he buzzes around the kitchen, and I’m sure that he can’t possibly know where everything is, but he makes it look like he’s lived here all his life.
‘So, how is the pitch coming along?’ he asks, glancing over his shoulder as he puts the coffee on.
‘Good, I think,’ I reply.
‘I think what you’re doing is perfect,’ he reassures me. ‘What Beppe really cares about is traditional Italian family values. If you do something that shows that, he will definitely pick your idea.’
I nod in agreement, grateful for his encouraging words.
‘The thing Liz and even James often forget is that a huge part of marketing is to do with human nature, and how people’s minds work. Liz thinks that if something is sexy it will sell, but that’s not always the case. She thinks if you can make something go viral, and be the absolute best, you’ll succeed, but you only have to think about the must-have, hard-to-get items that pop up every now and then, like toys or energy drinks, and once they’ve had their moment they disappear. Products shouldn’t aim to be the most popular and the most talked about, because that doesn’t always last. Sometimes it’s more important to be established and consistent. There will be brands that you use all the time, because you know them, and you trust them, and they’re not sexy but they do the job. Come a Casa needs to be pitched as a part of the family, not some new cool, sexy thing, because the kind of people who like new, cool, sexy things aren’t brand loyal. They’re always on the lookout for better. But I already know that’s what Liz is going to do, so, we’ll see…’
‘Then she will be doing something that Beppe doesn’t want,’ he says simply.
‘Yep, that’s Liz’s usual style,’ I confirm.
‘You have nothing to worry about, Robin,’ he tells me. ‘I believe in you.’
‘Oh, you’re so good at this,’ I tell him as he starts to lay the breakfast out in front of me.
‘Breakfast?’ he replies. ‘It’s my job.’
‘No, being a fiancé,’ I reply.
He laughs.
Oh, wow. There’s coffee and fruit juice to drink. Then, to eat, we have a selection of different pastries, fresh fruit, and slices of bread absolutely loaded with Nutella.
I can’t resist going for the chocolate course first, picking up a slice of bread and taking a huge bite. I can feel the chocolate all over my lips, I’m not doing a neat job of it, but I don’t care.
‘Oh my God,’ I mumble through a mouthful. ‘So good.’
‘I baked the bread myself,’ he says with a smile.
‘You baked the bread,’ I repeat back to him. ‘Incredible. You really are a fantastic fiancé.’
‘I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would,’ he says with a smile, before popping a piece of melon into his mouth.
If I’m being honest, so am I.
I could definitely get used to breakfast every day. And the rest.