36 #3
Everyone took their places and took great pleasure in opening their presents.
Jerome settled into his seat opposite Dani and spoke softly to Peter who was standing to his right and leaning over his shoulder.
Dani noticed Jerome tended to allow Peter to take charge of the formalities.
It was always Peter who gave out announcements, went over schedules or any changes that may have arisen.
Though Jerome owned the restaurant he respected Peter’s role as manager and very rarely infringed on his authority.
Dani tried to avoid blatantly staring at him as he fingered the present set on his plate.
He was distracted with whatever Peter was talking to him about and Dani was glad she could steal a look at him.
He looked positively delicious in his dark burgundy three-piece suit, paired with a white shirt and thin black tie.
To Jerome’s left Gia gasped, opening a small box that contained a beautifully intricate broach, which was shaped in the form of a four leaf clover. It was covered in clear coloured stones. Gia looked around the table to see who’d bought her this beautiful gift. Her eyes caught Kuch’s and smiled.
“This is gorgeous! And surely over the twenty-five-pound limit!” she softly chastised.
Kuch shook his head. “I found it in a market stall in Ilkley. They’re not real precious stones Gia, but they look real enough.” He shrugged. Gia sighed, clearly glad that he hadn’t spent too much money, then immediately pinned it to her dress and turned to Matteo for him to admire it.
Dani looked at her gift and smiled. The present was wrapped in red patterned Christmas paper but the wrapping did little to disguise the familiar bottle shape.
“Three guesses what yours is.” Rosa bumped Dani’s shoulder and giggled.
“Now that’s tough.” Dani pretended to think hard, tapping her forefinger on her lips. “But at least whoever bought me it knew what I like,” she chuckled.
Dani looked down to the bottom of the table where Rico and Enzo were laughing.
Jamie had opened his present and was standing having slipped on the apron that Dani had bought for him.
It was white with ‘Spooning leads to Forking’ emblazoned in black across the front.
Jamie grinned widely and blew Dani a kiss.
“I love it!” he called down to her. She tilted her head and grinned back, pleased he genuinely like it.
Silvanna tapped Dani’s shoulder attracting her attention.
Dani leaned forward to look at her around Rosa.
Silvanna jerked her eyes in the direction of Jerome who had started to open his present.
Dani immediately straightened and discreetly watched him as his elegant long fingers tore open the paper to reveal a slim square white box.
He carefully prised the lid open to reveal the pocket square Dani had chosen.
His brows drew together in surprise and he slightly shook his head, then he gently ran his fingers over the silky fabric.
His eyes shot up searching for who was responsible for his gift.
Dani managed to avert her gaze before he looked in her direction but he saw Silvanna flush.
“Did you buy this?” he asked gently.
Silvanna nodded nervously.
“It’s really lovely, thank you.”
Dani sighed inwardly feeling her insides clench with excitement.
He liked it. He genuinely liked it. That alone was enough of a present for her.
Her bottle of tequila was a bonus. Dani focused on her present and ripped off the paper around the neck of the bottle, then stopped.
Well there really wasn’t any point in totally unwrapping it now.
She glanced down the table to see who was responsible for her present but no one seemed to be looking in her direction.
“You’re welcome, but I have to say I had some help.” Silvanna shrugged.
“Oh?” Jerome tilted his head, questioning.
“Uh-huh, Dani helped me choose it. She seemed to know what you might like.”
Dani turned her focus to Kuch who was admiring a brown leather belt that someone had bought him, keeping her attention away from Jerome, avoiding catching his gaze, worried that he may read too much into her involvement.
Her expression would surely give her feelings away and she was determined to keep their obvious chemistry tightly bottled up.
It was a vulnerable time of year for Dani and she didn’t want to say or do something she’d only regret later.
It was going to be incredibly hard working closely with Jerome over the next week.
People tended to loosen up over the holidays, let their guards down.
Dani had witnessed it over and over again at the bar.
Office parties where everyone drank too much and ended up with someone they shouldn’t be with.
Not that she thought she’d be so stupid as to act on her attraction to Jerome but lines kept getting crossed, by both herself and Jerome.
And now that she’d agreed to move into the apartment it meant he was her landlord as well as her employer, their connection to each other becoming closer.
It took roughly twenty minutes for everyone to open and compare their presents, then they settled into the delicious meal Capo and his staff had prepared.
Peter made a small light-hearted speech wishing everyone a good Christmas and thanking Jerome and Gia, along with Matteo and his staff for the meal.
Then Jamie and Carmen brought out the two birthday cakes, complete with lit candles for Matteo and Nicole.
Everyone sang happy birthday while Kuch took plenty of photos with Nicole’s camera.
Once the cakes had been cut and served, the staff then moved around the room talking freely, thanking each other for their presents.
It was a good way to start what was surely going to be a crazy eight days.
Some time out for the staff to interact socially before the real pressure started.
Nicole hugged Dani tightly. “Tthank you for my cake it was delicious.”
Kuch continued to take photos, predominantly focusing on Nicole until she put her hands in front of her face and demanded her camera back. “That’s enough of me.”
“But it’s your birthday!” Kuch whined, playfully.
“Yes, it is. And when it’s yours next Monday I’ll take loads of pictures of you too.” Kuch cringed. Nicole held out her hand for her camera and Kuch reluctantly gave it back. “That’s better. Now I can take some of everyone else.” She lifted the camera and snapped a photo of Kuch.
“Hey, not fair!”
Nicole lowered the camera and winked at him, then proceeded to move around the staff taking various pictures.
Within half an hour, the restaurant staff had cleared the table and all the kitchen staff were in the kitchen preparing, for what was sure to be the start of a very busy few days.
“SANTA’S BEEN, SANTA’S BEEN!” Sophie and Ollie burst into Dani’s room.
Dani groaned. Her room was still dark, meaning it was far too early to be woken up.
She prised her eyes open to look at her clock.
Five forty-seven. Oh fuck! She’d only had just over four hours sleep.
She’d left La Casa d’Italia at one o’ clock, volunteering to stay until the last of the customers left, along with Peter and Richard.
The rest of the staff had managed to get away by midnight.
She was going to need a vat of coffee today.
Sophie and Ollie were jumping on her bed by now.
“Has he?” yawned Dani.
“Yes. Everyone’s downstairs apart from you,” Sophie whined.
“Okay, okay. I’m getting up, but I need Christmas kisses and I need them now.
” Sophie jumped over to her and peppered her face with kisses and then Ollie crawled up to her and paused.
“Eskimo kiss?” Dani suggested, seeing his embarrassed reluctance.
He beamed and nodded, then stretched over to her and rubbed his nose on hers.
“Come on then, there are presents to open and coffee to drink, but can I at least wash my face and brush my teeth?”
It took all of twenty minutes for the children to rip open their presents leaving the sitting room looking like a small explosion in a toy factory had occurred.
Ollie was ecstatic with his new Xbox and Sophie marvelled at her new bike.
Rosie seemed perfectly content to roll around in the discarded wrapping paper.
“Sorry about the early morning.” Chloe passed Dani a fresh cup of coffee. “But they insisted you came down.”
“It’s okay, I wouldn’t have liked to miss this. At least I can have an early night tonight and I’m going to need it. Tomorrow’s going to be such a bitch,” huffed Dani.
“Itch!” repeated Rosie.
“BITCH!” MUTTERED KUCH SO only Nicole and Dani can hear. Nicole stifled a grin while Dani bit her lip at the uncharacteristic outburst from the normally happy go lucky barman. Dani stood by the bar waiting for a drinks order Nicole was quickly putting together.
“I swear she just loves to lord it over us, for no apparent reason. Your cousin has shit taste in women,” Kuch snarled at Nicole.
Liz had swished her blonde hair over her shoulder, weaved through the tables and stalked over to the bar.
She was not best pleased that her bitter lemon was not diet, and she’d told Kuch in no uncertain terms.
“LBB. I told you,” Nicole mumbled. Dani creased her brow.
“Don’t you mean LBD? Little black dress?” Dani corrected as she stole another look at Liz’s perfect slim figure, swathed in a black clingy short dress, showcasing her endless legs.
“No, LBB. Leggy blonde bitch,” Nicole clarified and Dani almost laughed out loud. “That’s my nickname for her.” Kuch’s scowl was instantly replaced with a grin.