Sleepless in Manhattan (8 page)

“Paige!”

Instantly she was embraced by flour and affection. “Am I disturbing you?”

“Never. How are you?”

Paige took a deep breath. She’d fallen in love with Maria Romano from the first moment Jake and Matt had introduced her. It had been during her first week in college, when being in New York had felt like landing on an alien planet.

“I didn’t get the promotion. I lost my job.”

Maria released her. “Jake told me. He called by last night. I have been worried about you. Sit down. Have you eaten?”

“I’m having breakfast with Frankie and Eva. We have things to talk about. But coffee would be good.” It didn’t surprise her that Jake had called by. He was fiercely protective of Maria, who had taken him in when he was six and later adopted him. It was Jake who had bought the restaurant and provided his mother, her brother and several cousins with employment and accommodation.

Five minutes later Paige was sitting with a cup of perfect espresso in front of her telling Jake’s mother everything from her meeting with Cynthia through to an edited version of the conversation on the roof terrace.

She wasn’t sure exactly when she’d started to confide in Maria. It had happened gradually after she’d moved in with Matt in her first year of college.

Too busy to cook, he’d taken her to Romano’s to make sure she had a decent meal once in a while. Friday evenings in Romano’s had become as much of a routine as their Saturday movie nights, and those evenings spent with her friends, against the backdrop of sounds and smells from the restaurant, were often the best part of the week for Paige. She loved the warm family environment, the laughter, the controlled chaos. Maria was caring, without being smothering. Somehow it was easier to talk to her than it was her own mother, simply because she didn’t feel the pressure of someone trying to protect her.

“So you’re setting up business on your own.” Maria sat down opposite her. “And you’re feeling scared and wondering if you’ve done the right thing.”

Paige’s stomach rolled. She was glad she’d refused breakfast. “I’m excited.”

Maria picked up her own coffee. “You don’t have to keep up a brave face with me.”

Paige gave up trying. “It’s scary. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Tell me I’m being pathetic.”

“Why would I tell you that? You’re being honest. Feeling scared is natural. It doesn’t mean you’ve made the wrong decision.”

“Are you sure? I’m worried I’m being selfish, that I’m doing this for me. I spent my whole childhood with other people in control of what happened to me, and I want to feel as if I have some of the control now. Even if that means failing. But if I fail, I take my friends down with me.”

“Why would you fail?”

“Jake will tell you how many businesses fail.”

Maria sipped her coffee. “So it’s my boy who has been scaring you?”

Boy?

Paige pushed aside a vision of strong shoulders and hard muscle. “He laid out the facts. The facts were pretty scary.”

“Don’t let that put you off. If anyone can help and advise you, he can. It’s because of him that I have this place. He bought it, then he taught me how to run it and spent time with Carlo showing him how to do the financials.” Maria put her cup down. “Talk to Jake. You’ve been friends a long time. You know he would help you if you were in trouble.”

Paige knew she’d have to be desperate before she’d ask Jake for more help, but she couldn’t explain why to Maria. “I’m not in trouble. I
am
worried about what happens if this doesn’t work out. Eva needs the money badly and so does Frankie.” It was the thing that bothered her the most. “What if I let them down? It isn’t just about me. I’m asking them to take a risk.”

“You’re asking them to take a chance. Life is all about taking chances.”

“But this was my decision. My dream. I swept them along with me.” And it was the thought of what would happen if it didn’t work out that had kept her awake for most of the night. “Frankie is brilliant with flowers and gardens and Eva is a fabulous cook, but in the end I’m the one who has to bring in the business. It’s all down to me. What if I can’t do it? What if I’m being selfish?”

Maria fiddled with her empty cup. “The night before I opened the restaurant I didn’t sleep at all. I thought to myself, ‘what if no one comes.’ It was Jake who told me that my job wasn’t to worry about people coming, but to concentrate on doing what I do well. Making great food in great surroundings. And he was right. You know you’re good at your job, Paige. Do it well, and people will eventually come to you.”

“It feels like a big risk.”

“There’s always risk in life.” Maria reached across the table and took her hand. “When my grandparents came here from Sicily in 1915 they had nothing. They had to pay back the cost of their passage and for years they lived in poverty, but they chose to come because they believed they could have a better life.”

“Now I’m feeling guilty for moaning.”

“You’re not moaning. You’re worried. And that’s natural, but life doesn’t stand still.” Maria squeezed her hand. “There is always change. Some people try and avoid it, but it finds them anyway. My grandparents wanted this even though they knew it wouldn’t be easy. For years we struggled. I never dreamed I would have my own restaurant with my family. We had nothing and now we have—” she glanced around the restaurant “—everything. Because of my Jake and his ambitions. Do you know how many people laughed at him when he knocked on their doors? So many. But he kept knocking, and now they are the ones knocking on his. So don’t ever tell me a dream can’t come true.”

“But Jake is brilliant with computers. He has a real talent. What do I do? I organize things for people.” Paige finished her coffee, questioning the decision she’d made. “A million people can do what I do but hardly anyone does what Jake can do. That’s why they knock on his door.”

“Plenty of people can cook, but still my restaurant is full every night. You underestimate yourself. You have a way with people, an eye for detail and good organizational skills. And you have passion and determination. You’re a hard worker.”

Was it enough? Would that be enough?

“Losing my job has knocked my confidence but confidence is exactly what I need if I’m going to persuade people to give business to Urban Genie.” Paige stared into her cup. “How do you act confident when you don’t feel it?”

“You pretend. You pretend all the time, Paige.” Maria’s voice was quiet and Paige shifted awkwardly.

“Some of the time. And rarely with you.” She was honest with Maria on every topic except one. Maria had no idea how Paige had once felt about her son.

“Carry on doing that and then one day you’ll wake up and realize you’re not pretending anymore. That it’s real.”

“I hope you’re right.” Paige glanced at her phone and stood up. “I should go. I’m meeting Frankie and Eva at seven thirty. And I’m supposed to pick up fresh berries. Thanks for the coffee and comfort.”

“Come in one morning and have your breakfast meeting here. I’ll give you granita and brioche. I can’t help with your business but I can feed you, Sicilian style. And remember that even if a road is hard and bumpy, it doesn’t mean you should stop walking it.”

“I should embroider that on a throw pillow.” She kissed Maria on the cheek and carried on along the street, picking up berries and fresh plums from the fruit vendor and a bag of freshly ground coffee from her favorite coffee shop.

Eva was already in Frankie’s kitchen, her hair piled on top of her head in haphazard waves that would have looked messy on anyone else, but on Eva looked perfect. Her lower lip was trapped between her teeth as she sprinkled cinnamon onto oatmeal. “You bought berries?” She added a golden swirl of maple syrup. “Put them on the table. And if you’re taking a shower, don’t be long because this is almost ready. Frankie is getting dressed. She had another text.” She lowered her voice, but Paige didn’t have a chance to ask more because the door opened and Jake appeared, his shoulders almost filling the doorway.

She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon.

He lived in fashionable Tribeca, in a converted loft that Eva always joked had a view as far as Florida on a clear day.

He yawned, and Paige saw that under those thick lashes his gray eyes were tired. His jaw was shadowed and it was obvious that whatever he’d done the night before hadn’t involved much sleeping.

Tucked under his arm was a black motorcycle helmet. Not for Jake the breath-stealing crush of public transport. When he made the trip over from Manhattan to Brooklyn, he rode his bike.

Looking at him, no one would have guessed he owned a successful global business. Right now he could have strolled into the more dangerous parts of Brooklyn and fitted right in.

“Happy first day at work.” Despite the lack of sleep, he looked sleek, male and too handsome for his own good.

She, on the other hand, had sweaty hair and sweaty skin and wasn’t wearing a scrap of makeup.

Great.

Why couldn’t he have showed up ten minutes later,
after
she’d taken a shower and maybe after she’d applied a slick of lipstick?

Not that it would have made a difference. It didn’t matter how many showers she took, or which lipstick she chose, Jake wasn’t interested.

And why would he be? There was a waiting list of women wanting to date Jake Romano.

To him she was still that pale, skinny teenager who’d embarrassed herself and him. She’d decided to live in the moment, and she’d picked her moment badly. She’d often wondered what would have happened if she’d made a move on him a few years later.

Would he have seen her as an adult then, old enough to play grown-up games?

“What are you doing here?” It took all her willpower not to smooth her hair.

“I had some business to discuss with my uncle. Thought I’d drop by and wish you all luck.”

With none of Paige’s reticence, Eva stood on tiptoe and kissed Jake on the cheek. “You’re the best, even if you are badly in need of a shave. Did you eat breakfast? Because I can fix you something.”

Paige gritted her teeth. Having him around made her jumpy.

“I had breakfast. My kind of breakfast.” Jake winked at Eva and she gave him a delighted smile.

“Don’t tell me. You had a naked blonde.”

“Don’t wind her up or she’ll be booking the Plaza for your June wedding,” Paige said. “He means that he drank nothing but espresso shots. That’s his kind of breakfast.”

“Did someone say
naked blonde
?” Matt walked in behind Jake, a tie draped around his neck and a stack of papers in his hands. “Don’t pick up your phone this morning, Paige. Mom already called four times. She and Dad heard the news about Star Events.”

“How? I thought they were in Venice.” Their parents, after years of barely leaving home, had finally embarked on a tour of Europe. Matt and Paige had both been receiving regular updates.

“They are. You know Dad. He can’t not stay up-to-date with the business news.”

“So they called to check up on me?” Her heart sank. “What did you say?”

“That you’d already found yourself another job and were doing fine.” He dumped the papers on the table. “Don’t spill anything on those, they’re important.”

“You told them I had another job?”

“Yes, and they asked for the name of the company so that they could check it out.”

Paige cringed. “So you caved and told them the truth?”

“Hey, do I look like a wimp?” Matt leaned across and stole some berries from the bowl Eva had placed on the table. “I’ve been handling them as long as you have. Longer, in fact, although things didn’t get complicated until you came along with your dodgy heart and blue lips. Attention seeking, I call it.”

“You think I dug a hole in my own heart?”

“Having seen the mess you made with your food when you were two, I wouldn’t put it past you. You were probably aiming for a chicken nugget and missed.” He always made her laugh.

“So you told them your life was too busy to be able to keep track of mine?”

“No. That would have brought them running home, and then I would have got it in the neck for not taking better care of you.” He ate the berries. “I told them you were excited about your new job—which is true—relieved to be away from Sociopathic Cynthia—also true—and then I gave them the highlight reel of my life and encouraged her to tell me about the frescos.”

Paige knew her mother would have talked for hours about frescoes.

“Thank you. I
will
tell them, but better to do it when things are up and running. I don’t want to worry Mom.”

“Agreed. And you don’t want her taking the first flight from Italy to come and see if her baby girl is all right.”

“I hate to say this, but you’re the best brother any girl ever had. Superbro.”

“I know. And for that reason alone you can feed me.”

“I’ll feed you,” Eva said. “Sit down, Superbro. You’re always welcome at my table, providing you promise never to show up wearing lycra.”

“No chance. But I can’t sit down. This is a walk-through breakfast.”

“A walk-through?”

“Yeah, I walk through and you hand me something. Preferably something with bacon in it.” He tied his tie, flicking one end over the other, and Jake watched, incredulous.

“What is the
purpose
of a tie?”

“It fools a certain type of client into thinking I know what I’m talking about. Paige, I’ve set up a meeting with my lawyer at 4:00 p.m. His offices, downtown. All three of you will need to be there. Don’t be late because the amount he charges makes Jake look cheap. After him, we’re seeing the accountant.” His phone beeped and Matt glanced down and read a text.

Paige reached for her phone. “I could have set those meetings up myself.”

“I had to speak to the lawyer anyway. Economy of time and effort.” Matt scrolled through his emails. “He’ll go through the business with you. You need to get that part right.”

“So we have to trek into Manhattan?”

Jake glanced at her. “I can give you a ride on the bike if you like.”

“Yes!” Paige didn’t hesitate. “I’ve always wanted to go on your bike!”