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She used the time to chase the cobwebs of her dreams out of her mind as well.
Good work, on time, under budget.
She wouldn’t forget again.
She wouldn’t let her ambitions get away from her.
She wouldn’t lose sight of her promise to Gabe.
She wouldn’t let a man run her into the ground again for his own gain.
It wasn't working. Her decisions weren't bringing her the peace she craved.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
“Hey, baby girl. How are you doing?”
Dom stood on the edge of the slab with two bottles of water in his hand.
Sweat dripped down her face, and she wiped it away with the back of her raw leather glove. The relentless heat of summer beat down on her back and radiated up beneath her feet. “I’m fine, Dad. What’s up?”
“Can’t a man check in on his kid? Especially when she hasn't come up for air all day?”
“I’m just trying to keep moving forward.”
“Sometimes we need to slow down and sit with the struggle, so it doesn’t come back to bite us. Trust me. I learned this the hard way. Come sit down with your old man.” Dom lowered himself to the edge of the slab and looked out over the charred hills where vines used to thrive.
Frankie let the broom fall and sat down next to her dad, guzzling half the bottle of water he offered in one long sip.
She sat silent for a minute, listening to the sounds of a busy work crew breaking through the day. A Skilsaw here. A nail gun there. Positive noises. Progress. So why did she feel this overwhelming need to apologize to her father?
“I’m sorry, Dad.” The words were out before she could think to stop them, but they needed saying.
“Sorry for what?”
“Sorry for screwing up this project. For turning Valenti Brothers into a laughingstock. For letting you down.” She didn't look up from the ground in front of her. She couldn't bear to see the disappointment on his face.
“You done?”
“For letting Gabe down.” Dom raised her chin with a gentle finger and tilted it toward him. Reluctantly she met his eyes, but only found love and sympathy there.
“Let’s start there. How do you figure you’ve let your brother down?”
“I promised him that I’d keep our plan to run Valenti Brothers the way it had always been run. I got blinded by the sparkle of this show idea, and I ran with it, right into the ground.”
“Do we love Seth any less for wanting to run his own woodworking business with Nick instead of taking over Tony's share? No, of course we don't. Plans change. You get to live your life the way you want to live it. Gabe wouldn’t shame you for reaching for something different, and neither do I.”
“The business motto. I broke all of it to make this damn show work, and I still failed.” Frankie picked at the callus on her hand.
“You haven’t failed at all. You turned a dream I had for your mother into a reality more beautiful than I could have imagined. So what if it takes a little longer to finish it? Are natural disasters your fault as well now?”
“This show was supposed to prove to you that I am ready to take over Valenti Brothers. I can’t imagine you would even consider it after all this.”
“This was your first solo gig and you ran it while juggling a TV production schedule and sabotage on top of it. I’m damn proud. Do I think you have the experience to run the whole company yet? No. You’re still young and I don't want this business to consume your life. Do I think you could take your place at the helm with Sofia and Adrian? Absolutely. If that’s what you really want.”
“What does that mean? Of course it’s what I really want.”
“Is it? After all this, the excitement of the show, the big budget to play with, the freedom to do what you want…”
