Breathe In (Just Breathe, #1)(144)

“No. I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Very well, then. I’ll leave Joe to entertain you while I go check on John and let him know that you’ve arrived.” She glides away in a relaxed, prompt manner.

“Hi,” Joe nervously says, taking a step closer.

“Hi,” I return, doing the same.

A laid-back smile appears on his face. Neither one of us talk. We just stand, staring into each other’s eyes. The silence is not awkward, but the sexual tension is at its peak, even for me with my period.

A man clearing his throat suddenly catches Joe’s and my attention. My head snaps around to see where the sound is coming from. Mr. Covelli is patiently waiting with a grin on his face and his hands clasped in front of him.

“Mr. Covelli,” I address, turning toward him.

“Emma, please call me John,” he corrects cordially.

“Yes. Mr., I mean John,” I reply, taking a few steps towards him to greet him properly. “Thank you for having me back so soon.”

“You are quite welcome. However, this is not my home,” he reminds sweetly.

“Yes. Of course,” I nervously answer while chiding myself. “Where would you like to have our meeting?”

“She cuts right to the chase, Joseph,” Mr. Covelli states.

Joe smirks and I lower my eyes to the floor bashfully for a moment.. “My apologies.”

“No need to apologize, dear,” he reassures. “Besides, Joseph probably has told me more about you than he has of me to you.”

“I know a bit,” I slip.

That’s not what I wanted to say.

Laughing, Mr. Covelli continues, “Good. Hopefully, he’s only shared my good moments.”

“Of course,” I declare.

“Good. Good,” he states. “He’s done the same for you.”

I smile at his comment. “Thank you.”

Mr. Covelli leads the way into the dining room where place settings for four have already been put out. Anna offers us some drinks as small talk erupts while we wait for Mrs. Covelli to join us.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you had your two businesses?” Mr. Covelli investigates.

Pleased with any easy question that I’m willing to answer openly, I explain, “I started Naturally Me, my online wellness blog website, when I was eighteen and my social media management company, Raven Media, when I was twenty.”

“Impressive,” he commends. “How old are you now . . . If you don’t mind me asking?”

“Thank you. I’m twenty-four.”

“Ahh, the same age as Joseph,” Mr. Covelli states openly. “From what Joseph tells me, you never went to college.”

“No sir,” I affirm. “I was homeschooled by my mother until . . .” my voice trails a little.

“I’m sure she’d be very proud of you,” Mrs. Covelli adds, entering the dining room.

“Thank you. I would hope so,” I reply, struggling to maintain a professional demeanor.

This is not the time or place to allow memories of my parents to hinder me.

“How did you get into starting Naturally Me?” Mrs. Covelli inquires.

“I became interested in alternative healing methods from Maggie and her family which spear-launched my desire to learn as much as I could.”

“Wonderful,” Mrs. Covelli comments.

“And, then your second business?” Mr. Covelli reminds me.

“A few years into Naturally Me, I started using social media to promote the website. When my staff and I were bogged down on time, jumping from one platform to another, I created the software to connect all of the accounts and maintain them in a centralized location,” I describe.

Anna starts serving each of us, offering plates of breakfast foods to choose from as our conversation moves forward. I nod my desire or offer no thank you to Anna as she offers each choice.

“You created the software?” Mr. Covelli checks.

“Yes sir. With the help of two of Jared’s friends who are also programers and who currently work for Raven. Once the system was in place, we used it to easily promote both Naturally Me and Raven Media.”

“How many clients do you provide services for now?” Mr. Covelli seeks more.


“We have fifteen clients for the social media management services alone, not counting Naturally Me as a client.”

“What other services do you provide?” Mrs. Covelli questions.

“Social media marketing and strategic planning, media development and other advertising and marketing consulting services.”

“Maggie is her COO for Raven and Jared is the same for Naturally Me,” Joe adds.

“Yes,” I agree.

“What are you looking to change with your company?” Mrs. Covelli peruses.

“Joe had the idea that I should rework the current software to offer it as a cloud packaged based service for companies who already have their own social media staff. This way I can offer the same managing benefits to more companies minus the overhaul of directly handling their online marketing platforms and communication. Ultimately, I would like to switch to that service completely.”

“How do Joe, Elaine and I come into play?” Mr. Covelli asks.

I’m sure that Joe has filled his father in on a lot of this information, but perhaps he’s seeking to hear it directly from me.