Violet rushed into my office and plopped in the chair across from my desk.
“Sure. Everything okay?” I took in her defeated slump and stifled a laugh.
“I need to have a quick meeting with the housekeeping union, and I told Caterina she could come in to talk about the marketing position.” She rubbed at her temples and shot me a pleading glance. “Would you mind meeting with her? You know the details of the job since you had to get her cost per hour approved. It would be ahugehelp. The owners are asking when we’re going to start promoting, so I was hoping she could help us soon. But I’ve put off this union meeting so many times.”
“Of course, is she here now?”
“In the hallway,” she said with a wince, and we both laughed.
“Good thing I said yes, then. Go talk to the union, I’ve got this.”
Her shoulders drooped in relief. “Thank you. You’ve truly been a godsend.”
“It’s no problem.” I smiled as I spotted Caterina’s head in my office doorway after Violet rushed off.
“Everything is happening all at once for Violet right now.” I stood to greet Caterina. “Please don’t take offense or think she doesn’t want to offer you this position. It’s just a little crazy around here.”
Her smile was warm when she shook her head. “It’s no problem. Dominic said that this place is taking shape quickly. No offense taken, I promise.” She cast a glance at the vacated chair in front of my desk and tapped her chin. “How would you feel about a lunch meeting? I had a busy morning with my other freelance job, and between that and getting Ava settled at her babysitter, I didn’t eat. I can talk business much better with food in my stomach.”
“Honestly, that would be perfect. There’s not much around here, I was thinking of sneaking to the boardwalk in Ocean Cove to grab a sandwich from Finley’s.” I shrugged. “We could do that.”
“For one of those chocolate chip cookies, I’ll even drive us.” She jerked her chin to the hallway. “Let’s go.”
Since I’d started this assignment a couple of weeks ago, I’d spent my downtime by myself, and the solitude was beginning to make me itchy. Caterina reminded me so much of my friends at home, and our easy chatter, as we stepped into her car, eased my loneliness.
“Do you have other projects that you’re working on, or is this the only one?” she asked as she kept her eyes on the road.
“If an old project changes scope, and they request additional funding, or if there’s something to troubleshoot, I’ll get involved. But mostly it’s just one at a time.”
Caterina took us through a couple of backroads to the boardwalk as I stared out the window.
“Ocean Cove is a nice little town. Big change from Queens,” I said softly, more to myself than Caterina.
“Big change from Brooklyn. I never thought I’d ever leave the city, but …” she trailed off as we pulled into a spot. “Sometimes, life surprises you.”
It certainly does.
“I still visit my family, and have a few agencies I freelance with, so I’ll travel to Manhattan for a day if I need to be at a meeting, but mostly I work from home. I do miss traipsing around midtown where my old office was.”
“Our main office is in midtown, too. Ocean Cove seems like a great place to settle in and raise a family.” I scanned the boardwalk as we made our way to Finley’s. I didn’t lose Dominic to another woman, but I was developing a resentment towards a town for stealing him away, even though he’d left me long before he’d arrived.
“We can split one.” Caterina dropped a wax paper covered cookie in the middle of our table after we grabbed lunch from the front counter. “My husband always says the way to kidnap me is to lure me into a bakery van.”
I laughed as I peeled open my wrap. “I have a huge sweet tooth, too. Why I’ve made reluctant friends with the elliptical at my gym. Here, I’ve been running on the beach before work.”
“Hmm,” she noted through a mouthful of her own sandwich. “Maybe I should join you. Although, I’m not sure how a jogging stroller would work out on the sand. Joe and Dominic can’t take her in the early mornings when it’s this busy.”
My stomach had a sudden drop I couldn’t explain, or maybe didn’t want to consciously acknowledge.
“They both watch her?”
Caterina nodded as she sipped her iced tea. “Dominic is Ava’s godfather, and he’s great with her. She’s crazy about him, too. I think Joe gets a little jealous when she reaches for Dominic first.” Her smile faded as she leaned forward. “Is it weird if I bring up Dominic?”
“No,” I answered honestly. It was a touch painful picturing Dominic taking care of a baby, maybe, but that wasn’t something I could easily explain. “We’ve learned how to be friends while I’m here. It’s fine.”
“How long were you and Dominic together? If you don’t mind me asking. Joe said you all went to high school together.” She crossed her arms and rested her elbows onto the table.
“We were together for a little less than two years. We went to the same high school, but I was a year younger, and we didn’t run in the same circles.”
