A Moment on the Lips(60)

On the other hand, she couldn’t let this carry on unchecked. It was the reason why Tonielli’s was failing—and she owed it to her staff to be fair, to fix this. To make things right.

Maybe Dante would have a bright idea about how she could do it without any risk to her grandfather.

Would really appreciate talking strategies with you. Thanks—CT.

There. Completely businesslike. Signed with her initials. Just as if she weren’t crazily in love with him and wanted to shake him for being so damn stubborn and refusing to listen to her.

But maybe if she could show him that she was learning from him, she could also show him that he could learn from her. That they had a real chance. Maybe.

She printed off the note, put the lot into an envelope, sealed it, and headed over to Dante’s office.

Mariella looked at her and frowned. ‘You’ve got shadows under your eyes and your face is thinner. You haven’t been eating properly. Or sleeping, I’d guess.’

‘I always look like this without foundation. I was busy today and just forgot to put my make-up on,’ Carenza lied.

Mariella sighed. ‘Dante’s in the same state, you know.’

Carenza wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. It showed it was bothering him as much as it bothered her; but she also hated the thought that she was causing him pain. ‘I’m working on it,’ she said, forcing a smile to her face. Just, so far, she wasn’t doing very well. Dante was the only person in her life who had ever said no to her, and she didn’t have a clue how to change that because she’d never had to try before.

‘I don’t know when he’ll get a chance to come back to you,’ Mariella warned. ‘It might not be until tomorrow.’

‘Fair enough.’ Carenza shrugged. ‘I thought it was easier to drop them over than to send an enormous computer file.’

‘Good idea.’

Though Carenza knew that Mariella had guessed: she’d also had a pathetic hope that Dante might just be there. ‘Thanks for your help,’ she said, and bolted. Before she said anything pathetic and needy.

She wasn’t pathetic and needy. And, really, she shouldn’t be leaning on Dante. Did she really need to ask him what to do, when her course of action was obvious? She was going to have to confront Emilio Mancuso with the proof she’d found, and ask him to leave the company.

Dante rubbed his temples. It had been a long, long day. And now he had a few moments before his next meeting. He glanced at his watch. With any luck he’d catch Mariella just before she left for the evening. He speed-dialled his office, and to his relief his secretary answered. ‘Mariella, it’s me. Anything important come up?’

‘Carenza came in.’ Mariella paused. ‘She looked terrible. As if she hasn’t been sleeping. Or eating properly.’

‘I meant business,’ he said, more rudely than he’d intended, but he didn’t need a lecture about Carenza Tonielli right now.

‘It was business. She brought some papers in—some things that she says don’t add up. She wanted you to take a look at them and see what you thought, when you had a moment.’

‘Did she leave a note?’ Oh, now, why had he said something so stupid and needy? It shouldn’t matter whether she’d left a note or not. Or how she’d signed it. He definitely wasn’t going to ask that. Besides, he’d made the right decision for both of them. He’d done the fair thing.

‘Everything’s in a sealed envelope,’ Mariella said.

Which was where he should leave it. But his mouth had other ideas, and he found himself saying, ‘Can you open it and take a quick look?’

When Mariella read him the note, he whistled. No wonder Carenza had been worried. In her shoes, he would’ve wanted a second opinion, too. ‘OK. I’ll give her a call. Thanks.’ He could drop in and see her later tonight, after his last meeting. All he needed to do was check when would be a good time.

But when he dialled Carenza’s office number, he discovered that she wasn’t there; the phone was answered by one of the girls from the shop.

‘Do you know where she is or what time she’s likely to be back?’ Dante asked.

‘I think she’s gone to see Signor Mancuso.’

She’d what? Surely she hadn’t been so hare-brained as to go and tackle the man about his fraudulent activities on her own, without back-up? ‘Thank you. If you could let her know I’ve called,’ he said, keeping his voice as polite and neutral as possible. Then he rang Carenza’s mobile.