Sure enough, I was right. After we had discussed the two restaurants and the two nightclubs, my father’s voice changed from pleasant to stern, and I knew he was finally going to tell me why he actually invited me over for dinner tonight. I would have loved to have believed it was because he loved me and wanted to spend time with me, but it wasn’t. He always had a hidden agenda.
“Liliana,” he began. “I think with all the work that needs to be done in New York, along with several more businesses we will hopefully be acquiring soon, you’re needed in the city permanently.” He paused for a moment and waited for my reaction. I was speechless. “You will be in charge of all the construction and remodeling, along with helping with the books when needed.”
“Excuse me?” I finally blurted out.
“To make it more clear,” Benito chimed in sounding just like my father, “you will be moving to New York…to stay.”
“Thank you Benito for that clarification,” I snapped at him. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I never imagined that this was what my father had planned for me, not even in my wildest dreams.
“I… I don’t want to move. I like it here, my business is here, my life.” I was not going to back down. I loved New York City on an occasional visit, but I didn’t want to live there. I grew up in Toronto. It was my home. I had plenty to fight for, especially Violet.
I argued with my father for over an hour. I told him I wasn’t going, and that he couldn’t make me. I wasn’t leaving Violet or my business. I told him being in New York would be hard for me, especially being that close to Emilio. That was the wrong thing to say, and it brought on a whole new argument. What was wrong with me for letting him walk away? What did I do that caused that? I had a good thing with him, and I just blew it. It was absurd!
“Papà! I’m not going! You can’t make me!” I shouted at him.
“Liliana, you’re going!” he said aggressively.
“Why me?” I sounded defeated. “I can’t leave my life for New York. You can hire another wonderful designer there.”
He didn’t listen to a word I said. He didn’t care that I was leaving behind my business and Violet. This time I would not be forgiving him.
“I want you. You are smart, have strong business ethics, and can influence those around you better than anyone I know.” He was straight with it and that was that.
For the second time in two weeks I barged out of my parents’ house, but this time I didn’t run straight home. I circled the block once… twice… five times. I don’t know why I thought running around the block was going to help me.
I finally ran out of breath and energy halfway through my fifth lap and walked the rest of the way home. My frustration was still boiling inside me. I tried to get it under control, but I inevitably failed and before I knew it, I was crying hysterically.
Violet had been sitting on the couch eating. As soon as she turned to see the look on my face, it didn’t take her long to jump up and rush to me.
“Lily, what’s wrong? What happened?” She already sounded borderline hysterical and I hadn’t even told her anything. I was sure her seeing me in a state of complete devastation wasn’t helping the situation.
“I… I…,” I was struggling to tell her. How was I going to tell her? I searched for the right way, but I ended up just blurting it out. “I’m moving!”
“What are you talking about? You’re moving?”
It took me a while, but finally through my sobs I told her what had happened.
“Are you serious? This can’t be happening! Your whole life is here! What’s going to happen to our business? I can’t run it by myself!” Violet was weeping. She was hurt, confused, and scared.
“I don’t know Vi,” I cried.
We sat in the entry way with our backs against the wall holding and comforting each other as we tried to make sense of our futures together as friends and business partners. We would talk about it more later, but right now was time to just cry and let the shock out of our systems.
***
I woke up early the next morning. The sun was rising and the sky was a beautiful orange glow. We had stopped crying long enough last night to get showers and crawl into our beds. I had slept, but it was restless.
During the time I was awake I tried to think of something, anything that would fix my problem. I finally thought of a decent idea that my father might approve of.
It took me a few more minutes, but I finally willed myself out of bed. I was hungry, so I headed down to the kitchen. I pulled out the pancake mix, sausage, and bacon and sat it on the counter. Then I made a pot of coffee and pulled out the skillets. I needed comfort food.
I was halfway through my second batch of pancakes when Violet joined me in the kitchen. She looked like she had a rough night too, so I smiled at her.
“What are you so freaking happy about?” she mumbled at me.
I raised my eyebrow at her.
“I’m sorry that came out ruder than I expected,” she said.
“It’s all good.” I stopped and flipped the pancakes over. “I think I have come up with a solution.” I picked up a plate and placed two pancakes on it with some sausage and bacon and handed it to her along with some syrup. She raised her eyebrow in suspicion.
“What’s your master plan?” She grimaced at me. I don’t think she had any faith in me. She should know me better than that.
“Well…,” I paused for a moment. “I think you should move to New York with me!” I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer. She perked up with those words. “I was thinking last night. It won’t be right off the bat, because we still have some things to wrap up around here, but after you’re done you should come and live with me.” I had her full attention now. She was beaming. “We have projects to finish that run until mid-October and this is almost June so you wouldn’t be here for that much longer and I could still help out via video chat. What do you think?”
Violet loved the idea! We spent the rest of the morning brainstorming our future plans. I would stay two more weeks and make sure she had everything in place and ready to roll. Then after all the projects were done and the final paperwork was completed, she could move in with me.
“Lily, I’m so excited!” She was gushing with enthusiasm. “This could be a brand new start for us! Oh my gosh, can you imagine opening up a new design company in New York?” She was literally bouncing in her chair.
The afternoon was uneventful. My mother brought my computer and vision boards to me. She didn’t mention anything from last night, except if I had an idea about when I might be leaving. The way she asked, I knew she wasn’t the one asking, she looked too pained. This was going to be hard on her. I was her only daughter and best friend.
She ended up staying until the late evening, even eating dinner with us. It was nice to spend time with her. We filled her in on our plans, and she was very pleased with them.
When she left she gave me a big hug and told me how much she loved me and not to forget we needed to do lunch before I left.
***
The next week flew by, and before I knew it, Violet and I had everything ready for her to take over. I told her not to take on any more clients unless they were short projects and only if she had the time. Leaving the company to her didn’t make me nervous at all. I knew she was more than capable of handling the projects by herself.
The week before I left, we lived in a maze of boxes. We had decided to go ahead and put our office building up for sale and move everything to the house. It was a really hard time for the both of us, and we cried a lot. Everything was starting to feel real.
After we moved everything from the office to our house, we started packing up my things at the house. I was leaving everything there and only taking the stuff I needed. It took ten boxes just to pack my clothes and five for my shoes. I also packed two suitcases with everything I would need for a week, just in case my things didn’t make it there in time.
I st
ill refused to talk to my father. I had seen my mother several times. She was always supportive and had a smile on her face. Violet and I would be going to the spa with her this weekend and having a girl’s getaway before I left on Monday.
By the time Friday rolled around, I was more than ready to get away for the weekend. Violet had planned the whole thing and was beaming with delight.
“Where is your mom at?” she questioned as I was putting on my shoes.
“Have patience little one,” I giggled back at her. “What’s your hurry?”
Thankfully my mother came walking through the door before Violet even had time to answer.
“Hey girls,” she said.
“Hey,” Violet and I responded.
“So which spa are we going to?” I asked.
“Well, I wasn’t going to tell you, but it’s killing me!” Violet said. I looked at her with wide eyes waiting for her to continue. “We’re going to the Ritz Carlton!”
I was blown away! I had always wanted to go there. I heard their spa was one of the best in the world, and now I was actually going to find out! I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to a top rated spa. This was a dream come true!
***
The spa was more than I could have ever imagined, definitely the best one I had ever been to. We spent two wonderful days there. I don’t think there was one thing that we didn’t do while we were there. We had customized face, body, and massage treatments. We drank champagne at the Champagne Bar while we received manicures and pedicures that would put my regular nail place to shame. We even lounged in both the sauna and green tea infused vitality pools.
It was wonderful getting to spend quality time with both of them. We even had talked about Lucas a time or two. I told my mother everything I knew about him so far. She seemed very interested in meeting him, if I decided he was worth introducing to my family. I was looking forward to getting to know him even more once I got to New York. I told her it was the one and only upside about going back there.
***
Sunday morning came all too fast. We checked out of the hotel and headed back to reality. The car brought us straight to my parents’ house where I had to say goodbye to my mother. We stood in the driveway holding each other for a good ten minutes.
“I love you,” she finally said as she let go of me.
“I love you too mamma,” I said as I kissed her on the cheek.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” she whispered in my ear.
“I will miss you too.” I squeezed her one last time.
“Bye.” She waved at me.
“See you soon.” I waved and smiled with tears in my eyes.
When Violet and I arrived back home, I did a few last minute things, but spent the rest of the evening hanging out with Violet. We didn’t talk much. We just watched chick flicks that made us cry, ate pizza, and splurged on sundaes. I needed to spend time with her.
“What am I going to do without you?” Violet asked as we headed up to our rooms. I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her in.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Who’s going to keep you from trying to kill yourself every day now that I won’t be here?”
She shoved me away playfully. “I'm going to miss you,” she said laying her head on my shoulder.
“I will miss you more,” I whispered.
Chapter 6
The flight to New York was quiet. Benito was accompanying me. He had flown in last night so he could ‘escort’ me to my new house. I had never flown by myself before, so I didn’t know why I thought this time would be different.
“Are you ever going to forgive Pop?” Benito asked halfway through the flight. I had been giving him the silent treatment since he picked me up this morning.
“Nope,” I said. “Not any time soon.” I gave him a stern look and went back to staring out the window. The good thing about Benito was he didn’t push the subject. It also helped that he was older than me. I wasn’t raised around him, and he didn’t know how to handle me. He usually avoided any conflict with me. I was thankful for that.
After we landed, gathered up our luggage, and headed for the car, I figured we wouldn’t have too long of a drive to my new place. I was hoping for a penthouse, or a cute apartment overlooking Central Park, or maybe a condo in West Village. I was wrong.
“Why are we going through the Holland Tunnel?” I asked as we left New York City and headed into New Jersey. Benito looked at me like I was stupid.
“Why are we going to Jersey?” I asked again a little louder than before.
“Because,” he paused for a second, “your new home is there.”
“Are you kidding me?” I was instantly livid.
“No,” he said firmly and before I could speak again he held out his finger to hush me. “You’re living there because it’s safer. The house is beautiful and we found a great neighborhood for you to live in.”
“I’m supposed to commute?” I was mortified.
“Yes, like normal people who have a job in the city,” he said. “I promise you, once you see this house, you will love it. So let’s try to be an adult about this.”
Worse day ever! First I was told I have to leave my home, which I love, for a house in Jersey! I don’t even get to stay in New York City! What did he mean by safer anyways? The city was safe! I have been there a million times.
I looked out the window as tears streamed down my face. I was overwhelmed and annoyed. I didn’t see much of my surroundings, but I did happen to catch the Welcome to Hoboken, NJ sign.
“Stop pouting,” Benito finally broke our silence. “We’re almost there.”
I sat up, wiped my face, and looked around. I couldn’t believe my eyes as we turned into a community of homes. It was absolutely incredible! All the houses were big and beautiful. It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.
“See that one on the right with the black shutters?” He pointed as it came into view. “That’s your new home.”
“Wow!” was all I could say when we pulled into the driveway and the car came to a stop. I couldn’t get out fast enough.
The house was a beautiful two-story home. It was painted in light gray with white trim and black shutters. The driveway led up to a separate two car garage that was painted white and had a curved walkway that led up to the front porch, which was enclosed with a white fence and had a light gray porch swing.
“Shall we go in?” Benito asked as he guided me up the steps. I was in total awe as we walked through the front door and entered into a two-story foyer. We were quickly greeted on our left by the staircase to the second floor. The house, as much as I could see at the moment, looked like it was completely furnished and decorated. The walls were a neutral color with white trim. I was happy about that.
As I turned to my right, I saw the living room, which was beautifully furnished with a black leather couch and love seat. In the center was a glass coffee table with black iron legs and a vase full of fresh purple lilies. The walls were decorated with black and white photos of my favorite places in the world: Rome, Athens, Venice, and Barcelona. They complemented the room’s décor very well. I noticed there wasn’t a television in here, so I figured this would be a nice sitting room. I couldn’t wait to see the rest of the house after seeing this one room.
On my left was the dining room. A beautiful six seated chocolate brown dining table was in the middle of the room. The table was neatly set with crème placemats and light brown plates and silverware.
Against the left wall was a china cabinet that matched the table and chairs, and it had the most gorgeous set of china. The design was beautiful and something I had never seen before. The rims of the plates, cups, saucers, and bowls were light brown and the center of each had a pink almond blossom. I pulled back in amazement and thought about when we would ever use them. They were too lovely to touch. I needed to see more.
Benito led the way to the kitchen that was connected to the dining r
oom by a swinging door. The counters were done in black and gray granite and the cabinets were white with a simple yet elegant design. There was also a long center island that had four stools underneath. The decorations were small, simple purple accents. I smiled because I finally realized who decorated the house. Violet.
Next to the kitchen was a breakfast nook. It had a gray wraparound bench with a white table in the center. The cushions and pillows were black, gray, white, and purple striped. I could certainly get used to eating there every day! The breakfast nook area also opened into the main part of the house.
The family room was next. There was a large brown and crème sectional that sat along the right wall, which faced a chic handcrafted entertainment center. There was a massive flat screen television in the middle of the entertainment center that was surrounded by multiple pictures ranging from Violet and me to my family. The wooden coffee table was in between the couch and entertainment center. It was already filled with my favorite magazines.
The fireplace caught my attention next. I walked over to it and noticed that I could see all the way through it into another room. I wondered how I would get into that room.
Then I noticed a door to my left. I opened it and found that the room was a study, which had been turned into an office. It only had a corner desk and a white board in it. I was glad Violet hadn’t decorated my new office yet. I already had a million ideas of how I was going to decorate it.
Benito showed me the laundry room and the downstairs bathroom. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the house was. And it was all mine!
“Liliana?” Benito looked a little concerned. “Is everything okay? Do you not like it?”
“I love it!” My eyes flickered around the family room. “I was just wondering what I was going to do with myself here. It’s kind of big for one person. I was hoping for an apartment.”
“I don’t think you will have to worry about living here by yourself,” he said with a smirk.
“I don’t understand.”
“Hello Lily.” His voice came from behind me. I didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. I would know that voice anywhere.
“Emilio?” I slowly twisted around. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Your father didn’t tell you?” He sounded shocked.