‘I’m so glad you’re here,’ she said as she tried to suppress a sob.
‘What is it, babe?’ he questioned. ‘Don’t tell me “nothing”, I know you better. Something’s wrong and you aren’t taking it well,’ he said gently. ‘Usually when something goes wrong, you’re all action and solutions. I don’t worry then because I know you’ll figure it out on your own. Not this time, though. Tell me what’s happening.’
She looked at him. ‘You know me too well,’ she admitted.
‘Hey, it’s part of my job.’
She raised her hand to his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. ‘I think someone’s out to sabotage me. And Villa Dolce Vita.’
His brow furrowed, Gabriel led her back inside to their bed and settled on it, gently pulling her down beside him. ‘Why do you think that?’
Kim took a deep breath and then explained about the increased social media negativity and backlash, as well as the recent accusations.
‘If this gets out publicly, it’ll ruin everything.’
‘Aw, come on, nobody takes notice of online trolls. It’s just keyboard warriors hiding in their bedrooms with nothing better to do. The bigger you get, the bolder they become. You know that.’
‘It’s not just that anymore. The plagiarism thing … If the media gets wind of that, they’ll have a field day. Especially when there’s so much attention on us just now. Bad press for Villa Dolce Vita before it even opens for business will ruin it.And with pretty much everything riding on this being a success, it could also end up ruining everything I’ve worked for.’
Gabriel pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his huge arms around her. ‘You’re getting way too ahead of yourself now. Hank will work it out, do what it takes to make it go away. That’s his job, remember?’
‘What if he doesn’t, though? And what if this person decides to go public with these accusations – or worse, has proof of them? I’m finished.’
‘Babe, stop.’ Gabriel’s gaze was fixed intently on her. ‘Stop working yourself into a frenzy about this. Let Hank do what he does best and you do what you do best. Everything’s pretty much ready to go now. Take some of your own advice. Don’t worry about what might happen. Deal with right now. Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow, remember?’
Kim smiled weakly. ‘You really have a way with words, you know that?’
‘What are you talking about? They’re your words.’ Gabriel smiled and Kim’s heart almost broke in two.
She couldn’t admit now that there was some truth to this person’s claims. Not when Gabriel was essentially using what he thought were her own words to make her feel better.
‘Anyway, it’s true. Don’t let this get to you. You can handle this. You’ve handled worse.’
‘Have I? It doesn’t feel like it.’
‘Yes, you have. And I’ve been there. Every day since I first met you I’ve watched you fight for what you want, fight for your passion. It’s what you do.’
‘Why do I, though?’ The question was involuntary.Even though it had been rolling around in her mind, Kim hadn’t intended to actually say it out loud. ‘Why is it so important?’
Gabriel was taken aback. ‘What kind of question is that? What do you mean?’
‘I mean, it’s not as though I set out to do this – be some kind of mindfulness expert. We both know I sort of just … fell into it, and it’s not like I have all the answers either. I struggle as much as the next person.’
‘Which is exactly why you are so good at this. You’re relatable and down-to-earth, not some otherworldly Dalai Lama type. You’re just Kim, warts ’n’ all.’
‘You’re saying I have warts?’ she laughed.
‘I’m saying you’re just like everyone else. You have your good days and bad. This is just one of the bad ones and it’s inevitable given all you’ve had to do and think about these last few years. But it’ll be over soon and then you, me, and Lily can get back to being a proper family.’
Kim’s heart sank a little at his words. Could they ever be a proper family when she had no idea how to be a proper mother?
All she truly knew how to do was work, strive, and keep pushing for bigger and better things.
And for what?
Still, she couldn’t admit this to Gabriel. Definitely not now. No, she just had to keep going, and hope that what he said was true, that it would all blow over.
And Villa Dolce Vita’s grand reveal would be the pinnacle of everything she’d worked for and more.
