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“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Adrian turned to make two cups of coffee, taking his time with the fake sugar and cream for hers. It was hard enough to face the truth without having to face her as well.
“Sofia, I screwed up. You were doing what you do best, gathering data and finding solutions, and I took it as an attack against my plan. I can see now that you didn’t mean it that way. But I can also see that there isn’t a place for me at Valenti Brothers. I have to thank you and your persistent questions for pointing that out to me.” He handed her the coffee as a peace offering.
“Adrian, I never said that it couldn’t work. I wasn’t trying to shoot down your dream.”
He stepped forward, needing to touch her and ease her anxiety. He counted it a win that she didn’t step away from his hand on her shoulder. “Sofia, I know. I know that now. I also know that the answers to those questions mean my dream isn’t going to come true. I know that the way I reacted has killed any dreams I had on other fronts, too.”
Sofia dropped her arms and turned toward him, and he took a chance and cupped her cheek one last time.
“What dreams were those?”
“The ones where the boy makes the girl happy forever more. The ones where she forgives him for being an asshole and lets him try again. The ones where I earn your forgiveness.”
“Adrian…”
“No, I know I screwed up. I should have trusted you, and I didn’t. I should have believed that the foundations we’d laid were strong enough to see us through. Instead I pushed you away, like a fool.” He stepped back out of range so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her again.
As he did, he realized they’d gathered quite the audience. The two-car garage didn’t leave much room for privacy, though Trina and her crew were pretending not to notice. He was grateful she wasn’t filming this and that Jake hadn’t wandered in. Sofia deserved so much better than to hash this out publicly.
He dropped his voice to a low rumble. “That’s why I’m done. As soon as this season is over, I’m moving on. Your dreams are on the brink of coming true, and I’d only hold you back. And the idea of watching you fall for someone else… I can’t stay and watchallof my dreams crumble.”
“But we could—”
“Sofia, stop. I get it. Finding solutions that work for everyone is what you do. But I’m going to make the equation easier for everyone. It’s better if I go.” He shouldn’t feel gratified by the sadness in her eyes, but he couldn’t deny that it felt like a balm on his scraped heart. She had cared about him once, and if he was very lucky, she would care enough to work with him through the end of the season. It was more than he deserved and likely more than he could bear.
“I wish you would let me finish a sentence,” Sofia snapped, stepping back into his space, not allowing him to retreat. Why was she making this so hard?
“What’s this about you leaving?” Apparently he hadn’t been quiet enough. Domenico Valenti rarely entered a room unnoticed, and this was no exception. His booming voice cut through the air, startling them both. He had been lurking in the production room all day and Adrian realized he was still miked. There was no privacy on a TV set, and he’d do well to remember that.
Dom’s bellow drew the gaze of every crew member in his path. Adrian winced as Trina raised her camera to her shoulder and began filming. So much for handling this quietly with Sofia. Adrian wondered why Dom was getting camera-ready, but he didn’t have time to speculate. Dom clearly expected an answer.
“Hey, Dom.”
“Don’t ‘Hey, Dom’ me! Twelve years! You’ve been with me twelve years. Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Dom, be reasonable. Twelve years, and what do I have to show for it?” Adrian held out his empty hands. “You know as well as I do that I love working here, and I believe in this company. But if I can’t buy in and make it even a little bit my own, I have to start looking for other options. I can’t keep running into walls and not expect it to hurt.”
“Too damn ambitious for your own good,” Dom muttered, but he didn’t refute anything that had been said. “You know my hands are tied. But at least that’s settled.”
“What do you mean that’s settled? What’s settled?” Sofia asked.
“Tony and I talked to our lawyer. Since Seth and Nick have already rolled part of Tony’s share into the side business, we decided to split the remaining shares three ways. You, Seth, Enzo, and Frankie will be equal partners.”
Surprised by the silence from the woman next to him, Adrian turned to see why Sofia wasn’t reacting. She was biting her lip and eyeing the ceiling. He now recognized that look for what it was. She was calculating something in that fascinating brain of hers. Why the hell wasn’t she jumping for joy?
“I’m leaving too, Dad.”
Adrian’s jaw dropped when Sofia made her announcement. The bug-eyed look on Dom’s face was priceless, and likely mirrored his own. Adrian was too shocked to fully appreciate the parallel. It seemed they’d both underestimated Sofia Valenti.
“What the hell is going on around here?” Dom roared.
“I’m tired of answering to someone who doesn’t respect my talents and is standing in the way of my success.”
“Now, that’s not fair.”
“No, Dad, you know what’s not fair? Pushing aside work that I love for three years while filling in the gaps left by grief. Three years stuck behind that desk. I asked and asked for a chance, and I’m done waiting.”
