Chapter 6 #2
I relaxed and turned to MJ when she answered him. “Yes, Daddy. We had a dance competition in my room earlier. Vicky asked me a bunch of questions about what I wanted my room to look like, and we ended up dancing to my Spotify playlist. She loves music as much as we do, and she’s an amazing dancer.”
Miles cleared his throat and said, “Is she, now?”
His nervousness seemed to have evaporated with that statement, taking me by surprise. It was almost flirtatious, and I was grateful I had just swallowed my last bite of food.
“She is! She knows Latin dances and some hip-hop,” MJ answered enthusiastically, making my cheeks blush again.
“Miles is a wonderful dancer, too,” Angelica said with a warm smile, standing up to bring her and MJ’s plates to the sink.
I stood quickly to help, grabbing my and Miles’ plates.
“I remember,” I answered with a smile, forgetting myself.
Miles looked at me, his eyebrows high. My eyes went wide.
Oh, boy.
“A-at my brother’s wedding. You and MJ were having a blast on the dance floor.”
“Oh, really?” Angelica answered, chuckling as she turned back to the table to pick up the serving platters. “Vicky, you must be tired after a long day. Miles can help me with these. And thanks again for coming on such short notice.”
Handing her the two plates, I answered, “I’m happy to be here. And thank you again for the incredible dinner. I’ll reach out to you as well about the party ideas after I get Elena’s assistant, Anna, to give me a list of furniture stores to work with for delivery availability.”
“I know it will turn out perfect. And thank you for listening so attentively to MJ about her room. She’s going to be thrilled with the final result. I just know it.” She gave me a tight hug after putting down the plates and then nodded at Miles.
“Oh, yeah, let me walk you out. MJ, say goodnight,” he said.
“Night, Vicky! See you soon,” MJ called out as she headed toward the sink to help her grandmother.
“Good night,” I called back, grabbing my purse from where it hung on my chair and followed Miles to the door. He held it open and smiled nervously.
“Thanks for everything, Vicky. Sounds like you were exactly who I needed.”
My eyes met his, all four wide at his statement.
“I mean, you’re perfect for the house. For my house. Ugh,” he groaned.
There was no stopping the burst of laughter that came from my mouth, and I instantly covered it up. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to laugh.”
He tapped his forehead with his palm and shuffled his feet. “Hopefully, I can keep from embarrassing myself at some point. You’re perfect for the job.”
Nodding and still smiling, I answered, “Thanks for the opportunity. Anna will reach out to you about the contract. Talk to you soon.”
He watched until I got into my rented Honda Civic hatchback, not moving until I pulled out of his driveway and waved.
Taking a deep breath, I headed back to the city and my loft.
Sofia had warned me about the crazy freeways here in San Diego, but being young and adventurous, I ignored her.
Even though I was proud of my sudden courage, I clutched the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white every time I got in.
Luckily, traffic wasn’t too heavy on my way back downtown.
Navigating through the city and the parking garage attached to my loft, which Elena had arranged for me, was tricky, but having driven in Rome for years, I managed it.
My neck and shoulders were tight, like they always were when I drove.
Rolling my head back and forth for relief, I pressed the button for the fourth floor on the parking garage elevator.
I was glad I could walk to work, but a car was an absolute necessity when working with clients.
At my loft, I tapped the numbers into the keypad.
A sharp beep sounded, the lock released, and I stepped into the small space.
It was just perfect for me, and I was so grateful for everything Elena had done.
She was the epitome of a girl boss and Ren and I wanted to emulate her every move.
Anna was a great help as well, but Elena was who I looked up to for inspiration.
I’d left the window shades open and a lamp on before I headed to Miles’ house after work, and I was grateful not to come home to a dark house.
Hanging my purse on the hook by the door, I took out my phone and checked the time. It was too early in Rome to call Ren, but I longed to tell her about the interesting evening. She was the only one who knew about my crush, and she made me promise to call when I finally saw Miles.
But I knew Mama was up early, waiting for my video call. Dialing the number, I sat on the sofa, calming my earlier thoughts of the strange encounter with Miles.
“Tesoro! Do I have to pretend I don’t miss you?” Mama asked, with a sad smile.
Chuckling, I said, “No, I won’t if you won’t. I miss you too. So much.”
“I feel like it’s been so long since I spoke to you.”
“Mama,” I warned. “No making me feel guilty. We’ve spoken twice in the ten days since I got here.”
“Well, I’m an Italian mama. I can’t help but worry. You look good,” she said. “It must be getting late there, though.”
Stifling a yawn, I answered, “Not too late. It has been hectic. Elena and her assistant Anna have been so kind to me. And they’re still praising me for getting a client so soon. Angelica has been fun to work with. I got to meet her son Miles tonight. It’s his house I’ll be working on.”
“Yes, I remember him from your brother’s wedding. His daughter is adorable.”
My smile must’ve set off some Mama radar alarm because she squinted and looked closer at the phone.
“Mama, you’re creeping me out,” I said, switching to Italian.
“Just…don’t lose sight of…”
“Don’t lose sight of what I’m here for. Yes, Mama,” I groaned. “Enzo has told me that every time he texts me. Which is about twice a day. So ridiculous.”
“Sorry, mi tesoro. I didn’t mean to push. I love you and miss you terribly. The house isn’t the same without you but I’m so proud of you. I’m going to let you get to bed. Let’s plan to talk soon, si?”
Letting my frustration ebb, I answered, “Ti amo. I miss you too. I’ll start to get busier as this job begins but I promise to keep in touch.”
“I’ll be waiting,” she answered, waving and ending the call.
Looking out at the busy downtown foot traffic, I smiled at the sight of the beautiful city at night.
Tall, brightly lit buildings, the sound of airplanes landing and taking off from the nearby airport, and the smell of tempting food wafting through the small opening in the window made me feel alive.
I loved the partial view of the stunning harbor.
“Well, girl, you made it through seeing him for the first time. Just need to get it together and come up with some amazing ideas for his house. And keep your silly fantasies to yourself.”
That would be harder to do than I expected. I’d hoped that seeing him after all this time would quell the attraction.
But he was just as handsome, just as sweet, and just as forbidden.
The next morning, after texting Ren to set up a time to talk soon, I waltzed into work in my navy pencil skirt and cream silk shirt that Corinna had helped me pull together from my closet. Paired with my black strappy heels, I felt like a girl boss.
Though I was sharing an office with another designer, I could tell my colleagues were impressed that I’d landed a client so quickly. As I walked through the office, their bright smiles and warm greetings told me I’d left a good impression.
“Good morning, Kitty,” I said, proud that I’d remembered not to say ‘ciao’ out of habit.
The blue streaks in her golden hair matched her outgoing personality, both professionally and personally.
She was my cubiclemate and had proven to be not only a great asset in helping me settle into the office but also a friend who happened to know all the best coffeehouses and cafés downtown.
It was a short walk to work, and I jotted down notes of everywhere I wanted to visit.
“Hey, Vicky. How’d it go at the Austin mansion last night?
” she teased. It was no secret that the Austin family was wealthy.
I learned from Corinna that Miles’ brother Luke was a millionaire, and that his parents were well-known in upper-class social circles.
Not that you would know it when you scrolled through Sofia’s social media profile.
It was full of family days out on the beach, s'mores contests with more chocolate and marshmallow on their faces than in their mouths, and lots of backward baseball caps and hoodies.
Don’t even get me started on those last two items. I took a deep breath just thinking of the picture I found recently of Miles in that particular state of dress.
“It was…interesting, but good. No mansion, but a large cottage in Coronado. Miles wasn’t expecting me since his mother forgot to mention it, but afterward, we got a few things ironed out.
” It wasn’t exactly the truth since Miles had no real idea what he wanted, but MJ had given me more than enough feedback on how to make her room a busy and brilliant girl’s dream.
“Miles, huh? Not Mr. Austin?” she asked, looking at me over her coffee cup.
It was bigger than the soup bowls Mama and I had at home.
Her green eyes sparkled with mischief. Kitty had been unsuccessfully trying to move my attention away from my work to our single male colleagues.
Shutting her down immediately, I decided just to ignore her attempts at matchmaking, and this would be no different.
I scoffed as I sat down at my desk. “It’s not what you’re thinking. My brother and sister-in-law’s friend, Sofia, married into his family.”
Pulling out some design books I had borrowed from the office and my laptop, I got set up for the day. I had only a few days to gather some ideas for Miles. His party was in less than two weeks, and he desperately needed a new living room set.