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“The concept calls for simple but solid renovations under budget. This isn’t the place to showcase yourcreativedesigns.”
“You don’t think I can do it. I can be creativeandfrugal.”
“The network mentioned having approved designers…” Dom let his sentence finish with a deep sip of wine.
“And you don’t approve of me? You said this was a family show. Why not let me use my skills?”
“How would you keep up with all of the day-to-day needs of the business? I don’t think you have the experience to handle something of this scale.”
“And whose fault is that?” Sofia muttered under her breath. He would never let her out of the corner he’d so lovingly backed her into. It was up to her to break free.
“What was that, young lady?”
Sofia looked to her mother for backup and found a blank frown where her smile had been. Still stunned by this betrayal, she would be no help arguing Dad down. Sofia knew she was pushing her luck, but if she didn’t stand up for herself, she’d always regret it. She hadn’t graduated at the top of her class to file receipts. This was just the challenge she needed to get out of her rut.
“Dad, I can make these basic houses into beautiful homes. You order paint and fixtures in bulk. You can’t remake each house the same way on a TV show. Plus, if you hand over control to Hollywood designers, you know they’re going to mess up the budget. I could really make them shine for the same cost. Give me a chance.”
He sat back in his chair and crossed his hands over his chest. She knew she’d probably offended him, but this was too important to tiptoe around his fragile ego.
“We’ll talk about this later.”
Damn it.That was Dom Valenti code forI’m done talking about this, but at least it wasn’t an outright no. She sat simmering in her seat in silent frustration. Seth stepped into the conversational gap.
“Is there a role for us? Nick and me?”
“Of course. We’ll feature one of your custom pieces in every home.”
Sure. Of course there was a plan for Seth. He’d get featured even though it had been a scant three months since he’d gotten his shit together. Sofia’s blood boiled, and she shoved back from the table.
“Thanks for dinner, Ma. I just remembered. I need to be somewhere else.” Not strictly a lie. Her mother didn’t respond, still glaring at her husband, her meal untouched. Sofia dropped a kiss on her head as she walked by. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sofia, sit back down. We’re not done with this meeting.”
“I am. You don’t have any plans that involve me, and I’m sure all the details will get dumped on my desk in the morning anyhow. So there’s really no reason for me to sit here and listen to you dismiss my dreams. Good night, everybody.” She strode into the dark, her heart a twisted bundle of anger and determination. She would find a way to take her rightful place, in the company and in this harebrained scheme, if it killed her.
Chapter 3
Whack!Whack! Whack!
There was little better for working out frustrations than demolition day, and starting one on a Monday morning was perfect. Adrian wielded his sledgehammer with repetitive ease as he took down an old brick fire pit in the Nguyens’ backyard. So far this morning, his sister had needed more money for college expenses since she’d be doing the summer semester as well, his mother had needed coffee, so he’d had to run to the store early, and his favorite pair of work jeans had split at the knee. On the bright side, they hadn’t fallen behind on the Chu project thanks to Sofia’s wrangling, so he could shift his crew easily to help Enzo with a little landscaping gig. They’d gotten the tiles down Saturday and let them set up Sunday. They could get back in this afternoon. He hoped his crappy morning would be the end of his bad luck. Dom and his crew were counting on him.
“Hey, man!” Enzo yelled from behind him, breaking his swing.
“Hey. What’s up?”
“I’m trying to save as many of these bricks as possible for a reuse project. I don’t know what’s got you so pissed off, but don’t take it out on my poor fire pit.” Enzo laughed, lightening the dark mood that had gripped Adrian since Friday night. Speaking of…
“No problem. How did the big family meeting go?”
“Ugh. Shit show.”
“That bad?”
“The worst, but I told Dad I wouldn’t spill the beans. He wants to tell everyone himself.”
“Jesus, Enzo.”
Was he getting fired? Were they closing the firm? Would he be back at square one? In his position as crew chief, he’d been able to support his mother staying home to raise the girls, and put his little sisters through college. True, they’d gone to local state schools and community college, and he’d be paying off the loans for the next twenty years, but his job with Valenti Brothers had qualified them all for financial aid. Financial aid that his baby sister still needed. If he lost this job, the intricate web holding the family’s finances together would unravel.
