Love in the Vineyard (Tavonesi #7)(67)

Tammy tore open a bag of potato chips and offered the bag to Natasha. “I just heard that Adrian’s coming back today.” She grinned. “Guess Rome doesn’t have the attraction it once did. We’ll probably see him around this afternoon.”

Natasha took a chip, but it turned to dust in her mouth.

Adrian had left two phone messages, brief but to the point. He missed her and had asked her to clear her schedule for Monday night. But if she got together with him and he questioned her closely about the business accounts, the jig would be up. She’d already made two lists of plausible excuses why she couldn’t see him.

But not one of her carefully crafted excuses stood up to her desire to hear Adrian’s voice, feel his touch, be with him. She’d tried damned hard not to miss him, not to miss the joy and optimism she’d discovered, the sense of wholeness she felt when making love with him. Why did she have to go and fall for him? It would’ve been so much simpler to ignore the world and just enjoy the time they had, even if she knew it would have to end.

“You coming to the Fandango?” Tammy asked Enrique.

The air between Tammy and Enrique was so charged they could’ve lit the office with just a spark. Natasha knew the feel of just such a sparking. Missed the feeling and dreaded it at the same time.

The Fandango was a party the Casa held every year, even before the Tavonesis had bought the vineyard. Tammy had told her that the celebration started in the late afternoon and the music and dancing lasted past midnight. Under normal circumstances she’d be looking forward to such a festive evening. Though she’d tried not to, she’d even fantasized dancing with Adrian. More than dancing. A blush crept into her cheeks as she remembered them entwined, naked and hot with passion. Even in her fantasies, her eyes were lit with love. That was the dangerous part. The part she had no clever energy to counter.

“Wouldn’t miss the Fandango,” Enrique said, drawing Natasha back from her thoughts. “That is if I can get the time off.” He winked at Natasha. “We might be working double shifts, huh, boss?” From the shelf near her door, he lifted the tray of salvia starts she’d repotted earlier in the day.

“You know what they say about all work and no play,” Natasha said. The business of managing people came easily to her. All she had to do was put herself in the other person’s shoes. “Of course you can go.”

“Then I’d better hustle.” His slow smile was aimed at Tammy. “Those salvias we ordered won’t come in until Tuesday and the gift shop needs these for their retail orders.”

Under her breath, Natasha said a silent prayer for Enrique. Without his help she would’ve already failed. An angel from heaven couldn’t have been any more welcome.

After Tammy and Enrique left, Natasha checked the voice messages on her cellphone. She tried to pretend that she was happy that there wasn’t another message from Adrian, but that’d be an outright lie. One message was from the attorney Mary had recommended. The woman said she was booked and didn’t give any suggestions or other recommendations.

Natasha clicked off her phone. Evidently finding an affordable attorney was not a quick process. It didn’t help that her funds were so tight. If she had more money, she could hire the best. But she didn’t.

Guilt nagged, sapping her energy. That her future—worse, Tyler’s future—pivoted on her limited income rattled her. How many mothers felt just like her? Measured their success as a parent by what they could provide? Even though deep down she knew that it was love and attention that mattered—that and good guidance—she couldn’t help but be angry about the injustice in the world. And staggered by the powers of chance and coincidence. She sure didn’t want to think of the twists and turns in her life as fate. Or destiny. But her mother’s voice from her dreams taunted her.

Bet on the number seventeen, it will lead to your destiny.

Yeah, well, look where that landed her.

But a new thought cracked through—the bet had landed her at Casa.

The job had forced her to deal with her disability head-on.

The part about the whole thing that she didn’t want to face was that the bet and its repercussions had also landed her in Adrian’s arms. Had shown her what love felt like. What a kind, thoughtful—right, Natasha—kind and thoughtful and sinfully handsome, sexy… and, unfortunately, ridiculously rich man. She wished she could believe the rich part didn’t matter, but this was life, not some children’s tale. She needed to get a grip and keep her future firmly in her own hands. She couldn’t rely on Adrian or his money to solve her problems.

She scraped a hand across her face and sat up in the chair. Placing her palms on her knees, she took a deep breath just like the counselor had shown her during the second night of class. Breathe in. Relax. Breathe out and imagine all negative forces known and unknown dissolving away. Breathe in and—

The phone on her desk rang, startling her.

“Natasha?”

Eddie.

“I told you I’d call you,” she said as firmly as she could.

“I was headed up your way, and I hoped that maybe I could meet Tyler and—”

“No, Eddie. I need more time.”

“Two days, then.”

“Another couple of weeks.”

He could get an order from the court to see Tyler; Mary had looked into the particulars of the issue for her. But she wanted to stall him as long as possible, needed time to get help. Time to think. Time to improve her skills so that her job would never be in jeopardy.