33
Dilemma
Dani slipped the coffee cups under the spout and automatically pressed the button, lost in her thoughts.
Since her email from Jez yesterday she'd felt unsettled and tempted to answer him, but decided she needed to sleep on it and let the cold light of day throw her a new perspective.
One thing she knew though, was that she would have to talk to him eventually, she'd put it off for long enough. Maybe this afternoon.
Dani arranged the cups on the tray and took them over to the kitchen. Carmen looked up at her as she entered the kitchen.
"Thanks Dani, I'm going to need plenty of these today. The weekend before Christmas is always crazy."
"What's that you’re making?" Dani peered at the large pot Carmen was beating vigorously.
"I'm making lemon profiteroles with a white chocolate sauce. It's one of the new desserts on our Christmas specials."
"Oh God. They sound amazing!"
"I'll get you some to try when they're done."
Dani grinned. "I just love working here." Then she backed out into the restaurant.
Within a few minutes Gia appeared looking radiant in an emerald green dress with sheer sleeves.
"Buongiorno, Dani."
"Buongiorno, Gia, you look lovely."
"Grazie."
Dani quickly prepared her a coffee and pushed it towards her.
"Did you have a nice time last night?" Dani asked softly.
"I had a wonderful night. It's been a very long time for me to go out with such a gentleman. Actually, it's been a very long time for me to go out with anyone," she huffed.
"Oh, I'm so glad. Ray's such a great guy."
"He is," agreed Gia, blushing at little. "After dinner he took me to a bar that has a jazz band. Ha! Me in a jazz club! Incredibile!" Gia threw her hands in the air and chuckled, as though the very idea was unthinkable.
"Sounds wonderful," Dani sighed. Gia nodded wistfully and the two of them fell silent for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.
"Anyway, enough about that. I've a few things I need to discuss with you before you start work." Gia perched herself on a bar stool, shaking herself and Dani out of their daydreams.
"Oh? Like what." Dani turned her full attention to Gia.
"Firstly I want to open up a Facebook account."
"Oh. Okay. That's not hard."
"I also want to be more involved with our page for La Casa too. So, that's one of the reasons I want my own, so I can get the hang of it. It also means I can post photos of my holiday."
"You're going on holiday?" Dani asked surprised.
"Si, on the third of January, for a month. I go every year."
Dani scrunched her nose. "We'll miss you."
Gia's expression softened. "Will you?"
"Of course!"
Gia reached over and patted Dani's hand, clearly moved, "I'll miss you too tesoro."
"Well we can set that all up on Monday, before we leave for the wholesalers."
"Good idea. That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.
Joseph asked me if we could send him a few ideas via email.
He sent me a picture of the cake he's having made, so we can work our designs around that.
Do you think you'll be able to spare an hour this afternoon and we can send him some of your ideas? "
Dani looked at her watch. It was just ten. "Do you want to do it now? I've already thought of a few, incorporating some of the Christmas decorations we didn't use."
Gia jumped off her stool and picked up her coffee. "Well then. Andiamo!"
It didn't take long for Dani to download a few images of what she had in mind to send over to Joseph. His response was almost immediate, giving her carte blanche to do whatever she thought would be fitting.
"I'm hoping we can get most of the decorations assembled on Monday, so that we would just need to place them on the day.
It's going to be very hectic that day anyway.
The fresh flowers we can put together on the twenty-third and they'll be fine until Boxing Day, as long as we can store them somewhere. "
"We could leave the decorations here, in my office or the function room, no one will touch them, but the fresh flowers need to be somewhere where there's no heating.
" Gia's brow wrinkled as she puzzled over where they could keep them.
"We could put them in the apartment upstairs.
The maintenance will be finished by the twenty-third and the flowers will be out before the painters go in on the twenty-seventh. "
Dani nodded. "So you're having work done?"
"Actually that's the other thing I needed to talk to you about."
Dani turned the office chair around to face Gia. "What's that?"
"The apartment, opposite mine. I was wondering if you'd be interested in staying there, until you find a place of your own."
Dani blinked at Gia, unsure if she'd understood. "You mean move into the apartment upstairs?"
"Si. It's sitting empty and you said you needed to be closer to here. Just until you buy your own place."
"I… I don't know what to say. I, um… wow. That's really kind of you but… well I'm not sure I could pay for such a…”
"Don't be silly, I don't, or should I say we don't want you to pay rent. It's just until you find a place. Take the pressure off the travelling."
"I couldn't, Gia. It's so unbelievably generous. I couldn't live there without paying. I wouldn't feel right. I mean thank you, really. That's so…”
"Nonsense. You can stay and that's final. You said yourself you wanted to buy somewhere in the spring, so it would be six months tops. I insist. It'll be ready by the thirtieth so you can move in just after New Year."
"Gia… I don't know what to say. I'm a little overwhelmed to be honest."
"Say yes and that's it. We'll be neighbours!"
Dani stared at Gia's face as she smiled widely, still stunned at the offer. "Well, if you're sure."
"Do you want to have a look at it?" Gia stood up from behind her desk.
Dani looked at her watch, it was just past ten thirty, "I'm not sure I have time."
Gia picked up the phone and dialled. "Peter, Dani will be a bit late, we're working on something. Make sure you leave our lunch out, we'll be down in twenty minutes.” She replaced the receiver and winked at Dani. "There, all sorted. Come on, let's go."
Dani rose from her chair and followed Gia out of her office. "Don't you mean Andiamo?" chuckled Dani, causing Gia to laugh softly.
Jerome's attention was drawn to the sound of his mother's laughter in the corridor.
He closed the file he was looking over and got up from behind his desk.
He was a little curious to find out how her date had gone last night.
From the security camera coverage, he'd looked over this morning, he'd seen Ray had behaved like a gentleman, he saw Gia to the door at one in the morning with just a kiss to her cheek.
Jerome left his office and headed to the dining room, hoping he'd find her there.
The staff were already sitting down and eating but the chairs his mother and Dani normally occupied were empty. Jerome caught Peter's eye.
"Where's Mama?" he called.
Peter shrugged. "She's with Dani."
Jerome furrowed his brow and left the room standing for a moment in the hallway. He looked up the stairs and realised they must be in his mother's apartment. He swiftly turned towards the stairs and climbed them two by two.
"Gia this place is amazing! It's far too big for me.
" Dani walked over to the balcony window that overlooked the river.
She could see the whole city of Leeds. The apartment was spacious and light, thanks to the large windows along the far side.
It had a small hall, like Gia's apartment, with black and white chequered flooring that opened up through an archway to the living area.
There was a dining area with a large rectangular light oak table that could comfortably seat eight.
Above it hung a long chandelier, which Dani knew would make a spectacular focal point when it was turned on.
The dining area led to the open plan ultra-modern kitchen, which was predominantly stainless steel, with light oak and frosted glass cupboards, finished off with black shiny granite tops.
The whole apartment was furnished in browns, dove grey and cream, its urban, masculine décor, evidence of its previous occupants.
The living area had a large, grey, suede U-shaped settee that could also easily fit eight people.
It faced a modern fireplace with large grey stones set inside it.
Dani presumed the flames would come up through them, creating another dramatic focal point.
The coffee table was low and made of frosted glass and in the centre was a large intricately carved box.
Gia took her through to the first bedroom, which had its own en suite bathroom, complete with a wet room and a contemporary bathtub, the kind that filled from a large chrome spout in the wall.
The bedroom itself had a walk in wardrobe and a huge window overlooking the river that the king-sized bed faced.
The second bedroom was the mirror image of the first just slightly smaller and without a bathtub.
Dani walked back into the living area slightly stunned at its grandiose. It was a magnificent apartment, fully furnished in designer furnishing and distinctly out of her league.
"Gia this place is gorgeous. Are you sure you don't mind me staying here?" Dani ran her hand over the soft sumptuous suede of the settee.
"I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure."