Chapter Fourteen
“Salvatore, good to hear from you. I take it you have a response for me?”
It was always strange to hear someone using my given name. I rarely went by Salvatore except for formal occasions, but I guess accepting the merger of my little blog into one of the most prestigious publishing conglomerates in the country was as formal as it would ever get.
“I do, yes.”
“Well?” He chuckled. “You’re going to keep me waiting? You’ll fit in perfectly around here. Francisco also likes a touch of the dramatic.”
“Martinelli?” I rolled my eyes and huffed. “I doubt there’s a single thing that man and I have in common.”
“Leaving that aside for the moment, what is your answer?”
I took a deep breath and stepped off the cliff. “Yes. I’m more than thrilled to accept your offer to merge.”
“Excellent. I think it’s a smart move on your part, and I know it is for us as well. I happen to have the paperwork ready, so I can scan and send it to you today.”
Now it was my turn to laugh. “Pretty sure of yourself. Although I would have to be a fool not to accept.” I sobered. “Thank you again for taking a chance on me. I know it will be a great partnership.”
“Son, I have no doubt. And don’t think I’m sitting here at the top of a mountain too steep to climb. I started out as a proofer and then a copy editor. Worked my way up through the company.”
Engrossed in his story, I sat and listened. Not many people knew Edward Harvey’s background, and I felt a thrill of pleasure that he’d decided to share this with me.
“At the time, there weren’t many magazines I felt safe enough to work in. Being a gay man in the sixties wasn’t pleasant in the workplace, and when I was hired byUltimateand discovered I wouldn’t have to hide who I was, I knew I’d found a family. I went home and cried. I vowed to always give them my absolute best and then go one step further. It was the way we had to be then, and still, to some extent, need to be now. Give two hundred percent so that no one can point and say:See? Letting them in is the reason we failed.” He cleared his throat, and I heard theclinkof china as he took a sip of something. “I have a feeling, Salvatore, you have that similar mindset. I see myself in your tenacity and determination.”
“Stunned” was a barely adequate word to describe my emotions. Aside from the few times we’d met at events, I wasn’t aware Edward Harvey paid me much attention, but again, I was proved wrong.
“I don’t know what to say, and for a writer, that’s not supposed to happen. Thank you, first of all, for sharing such an intimate piece of your life with me. And I’m honored you see me as your younger self. My father always taught me, ‘Work as hard as you can and then when you’re ready to give up, work harder.’”
I missed my pops so much, especially now when I could’ve shared this moment with him. His family had arrived at the turn of the last century with nothing but their suitcases and the dream of starting a new and better life.
“I’m sure he’d be proud. And I always have my eye on the young newcomers in the industry. So many fail within the first few years, but you thrived. You have that spark, that determination to succeed that we need. I’m going to set up a press release, and HR will contact you about benefits, pension, and all that.”
“Thank you so much again. I look forward to meeting with you.”
“Sooner than you think. I’m holding a staff meeting day after tomorrow, so plan to be here around nine. I’ll want to introduce you around first and show you your office. I think you’ll be pleased. The meeting will start at ten.”
“I’ll get to meet everyone then?” A little intimidating, but at least I had some time to figure out what to wear. Maybe I could even get a rush tailoring job at the cleaners.
“Yes, including your favorite person, Francisco Martinelli.”
I held back a groan. “I have no problem meeting him.”
“I look forward to seeing you two meet face-to-face. Don’t worry, Salvatore. I have no doubt you can hold your own against anyone, even a force like him. Have a good day, and I’ll see you Thursday.”
His encouragement made me sit up taller. I remembered sitting for days on end after I discovered Pete had cheated, immediately dissecting what had happened. Pete had not only confessed to cheating, he’d blamed me.
“I couldn’t stand faking it anymore. I thought my travel blog would mesh perfectly with your food blog, but you didn’t even try and help me out, so why should I stick around? I shouldn’t have to think of someone else if I’m in bed with my boyfriend, but you’re as boring in bed as you are out. I don’t want to hang out with your family. You get all these invites to places where we could meet industry people, but you’d rather sit in this apartment.”
“I’m not a party person,” I argued. “You knew that when you moved in. And you should want to be with me anywhere. The place doesn’t matter.”
“It does if I’m bored.”
Those cruel words, flung out so casually, had hit me like a dump of icy water over my head.
“Then why did you stay with me? Why pretend?”
He never answered, and I was glad in the end. I sat on the bed and watched him pack up his stuff.
