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His thoughtfulness only made her feel worse—about everything—most especially that she couldn’t open up to him. She was certain that he would have some amazing suggestion that would save the fund-raiser, but she just couldn’t risk everything she’d worked for. Instead, she’d have to pray for a miracle.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HE WAS AS ready as he would ever be.
Angelo kept telling himself that, hoping it would sink in.
As the royal limo ushered them through the streets of Halencia toward the palace, Angelo stared out the window. Mounting tension over this meeting had his body stiff. This sort of reaction was unfamiliar to him. Usually he was calm, cool and collected. He was the expert when it came to marketing. But ever since he’d let his guard down around Kayla, he’d lost that cool aloofness that he counted on when doing business.
She’d gotten past his defenses and had him connecting with his emotions. He just hoped he hadn’t lost his edge—the confidence needed to execute a pitch and sell the buyer on his—er—their ideas.
The flight had been a short one as Halencia was just a small island nation not far off the coast of Italy. Angelo had noticed how Kayla kept to herself, working on her computer. He had no idea what she’d been working on because at that point the pitch had been locked i
n. They had the talking points nailed down and the graphics were in order. He’d made sure to include what he considered the key element—a sample menu from Raffaelle’s restaurant. All combined, he hoped this pitch would clinch the royal couple’s interest.
Kayla had even insisted on bringing along some of the baked goods for the royal couple to sample. They were fresh baked that morning and delivered to their hotel suite. He’d tried to taste them, but Kayla had smacked his hand away with a warning glance. Everyone in Monte Calanetti was excited and more than willing to do their part to help.
But Kayla had him worried. She’d been so quiet on the flight here. And now as she leaned against the door of the limo with her face to the window, the bubbly woman who toured Monte Calanetti was gone. He didn’t recognize this new person.
He cleared his throat. “Are you feeling all right?”
Kayla turned to him, the dark circles under her eyes were pronounced. His gut tightened.
She smiled, but her lips barely lifted at the corners. “Sure. I’m fine.”
He wasn’t going to argue the point when it was obvious that she was anything but fine. “You did an excellent job preparing the pitch.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it all depends on what the royal couple says.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter whether they chose Monte Calanetti or not for the wedding, I know for a fact that you went above and beyond for this project.” He hated how his praise seemed to barely faze her. She’d worn herself out and he’d been so busy trying to tie up all of the loose ends for this pitch that he’d failed to notice.
On the flight to Halencia, he’d been mulling over how to recognize Kayla’s tremendous effort. He decided to share part of it with her now. “And when we get back to New York, you’ll be rewarded for your accomplishments not only with the royal pitch but also with the success of the Van Holsen account.”
Her eyes widened. “Really? I...I mean thank you.”
Before she could say more, her phone buzzed. She swiped her finger over the screen and frowned. Her fingers moved rapidly over the touch screen as her frown deepened.
Even Angelo had his limits. Work could wait. They were almost at the palace and having her upset was not going to be a good way to start their meeting with the royal couple. He reached out and snagged her phone from her. She glanced up and her mouth gaped open. Then her lips pressed together into a firm line and her gaze narrowed.
She held out her hand. “It’s important.”
“It can wait.”
“No, it can’t.”
The car slowed as they eased through the gates leading up the drive to the palace. “We’re here. Forget the rest of the world and enjoy this adventure. It isn’t every day you get a royal invitation to a palace.”
Kayla turned to the window as they wound their way up the paved drive lined with statues and greenery. It was very prestigious and yet it wasn’t overly pretentious. In fact, he found it quite a fitting reflection of their nobility. He just hoped that they’d find the prince and his bride to have the same unassuming demeanor.
When the palace came into view, Angelo was taken by surprise at the enormity of it. The palace stood three stories high and appeared to be a large square with towers at each corner. The outside was painted a sunny yellow while the numerous windows were outlined in white. Grand, sweeping stairs led the way to a large patio area with two enormous doors in the background that granted access to the palace.
There weren’t that many things in life that still took Angelo’s breath away, but he had to admit that this palace was an amazing piece of architecture. And with the abundance of greenery and bright flowers, it was definitely like stepping into paradise. He couldn’t even imagine what it must be like calling this place home.
The car swung up the drive and stopped right in front of the palace. To one side was a garden with a fountain in the center. It was quite inviting. He could easily imagine taking Kayla for a stroll through it after dinner as the setting sun cast a watermelon hue over the sky. They’d stop to admire a flower and she’d turn to him. The breeze would rush through her hair as her gaze would meet his. Then his attention would move to her lips. No words would be necessary as they’d lean into each other’s arms.
“Angelo, this is amazing.”
Kayla’s voice jerked him from his daydream, which was in fact amazing. “Um...yes. This is quite beautiful.”
