“Not really. Once I saw the road signs for Milan I felt reassured I was on the right track. But I must get back.”
“Why?” he said.
“Well, because of the girls of course. A woman named Fabrizi has invited them to spend the night, but I wanted to check with you. I thought we should begin our English lessons tonight as preparation for the entrance exam.”
“Yes, yes,” he said impatiently. “Lessons are important and I forgot about the arrangement with Signora Fabrizi. “But think of it this way, the girls are on vacation. They’ve gotten along without you for the past year. Let them visit with their friend.”
“But the interview, you said…”
“I know what I said, but right now I need someone to help me with a presentation for our rival, the Banco di Turin. The directors are arriving within the hour for a look at our facilities and our books. We need to make a good impression on them if we hope to convince them to join us in a merger. If we do, we become one of Italy’s largest banks. You’re here. You can put together the Power Point presentation.”
“I’m not sure I can do that,” Sabrina said soberly.
Vittorio tightened his grip on her elbow. Just in case she had any inclination to bolt. For once this particular nanny might actually be useful to him if not to the girls.
“Why not? You yourself told me that was one of your skills. What happened to the confident super nanny who arrived yesterday? The woman who told me a nanny must always be sure of herself?”
“I am sure of myself as a nanny. I am not a professional who is proficient in office software and I never claimed to be.”
“I will keep that in mind. Normally I would have our experts in Marketing do this for me, but this meeting was called at the last minute and my staff is elsewhere.” He didn’t tell her they were at the airport meeting a client and taking him to a long lunch. “I wouldn’t ask this of you if it weren’t important to impress the clients and do it today.”
“Will it impress them to know your nanny who knows nothing about banking is responsible for the presentation?”
“No one will know you are a nanny, unless you tell them.”
“Wouldn’t that be fraudulent to pass myself off as something I’m not?”
“Not at all. You’re my employee. That’s all anyone needs to know.”
Vittorio saw her glance down at her Capri pants and athletic shoes. Of course, her clothes. If he knew anything about women, he should know it was all about her appearance. Truth to tell, hers were totally unsuitable for the job. Unless she was out of sight. Just from an objective point of view, she was too attractive to be hidden away somewhere. Over the phone he gave his secretary instructions to rush out and purchase a variety of clothing at a neighborhood boutique. He paused with the phone in his hand.
“What is your size?”
Sabrina looked surprised. “Six or eight, but there is no need…”
He cut her off and told Mirella to use her judgment in choosing clothes. And not just office-wear. That way there would be no repeat of his nanny’s wearing his ex-wife’s dress again.
He turned to Sabrina. “My secretary is going out to buy you a suitable business suit and shoes and a few other items. We have no time to lose. Come with me.”
He was glad to see she didn’t protest any further. She looked around at the furnishings in his office. He wondered if she was impressed by the hand-woven classical carpets that had been there since his grandfather’s time along with the rich wooden panels on the walls and his gigantic desk covered with stacks of papers.
He saw her glance at the old man in the portrait on the wall.
“My great-grandfather,” he said, though she hadn’t asked.
He had to admit for a nanny she was quite amazing. Or for any woman. Any other woman would have run out screaming, claiming this was not her job. Not her. She didn’t want to be here. That was clear. She didn’t want to do the job. And frankly it wasn’t her job. But she was here and she was doing it. He’d have to make it up to her somehow. A bonus perhaps.
They spent the next hour going over the data, photographs, charts and graphs and figures. She sat at a small desk with a computer in front of her and he leaned over her shoulder or he’d pace back and forth making suggestions. Sometimes he would ramble. Sometimes she would object. He was amazed at how quickly she grasped the ideas he put forth. He was equally impressed with the expression on her face, one of intense concentration. He had a feeling an explosion could rock the floor and she would still be focussed on the job.
Unfortunately he had lost some of his own concentration. He found himself so distracted by the way her hair fell across her cheek and the look in her dark eyes that he sometimes lost track of the task at hand. Something that hadn’t happened for years. Something that shouldn’t happen at all.
His nanny was a combination of looks and brains he’d never before encountered in a woman. Why hadn’t she ever married? What was wrong with the men in America?
When she’d enter the data he gave her into a format, he’d give his opinion, and they’d make more changes. When she ran into problems, and the computer wouldn’t respond, she muttered to herself. But amazingly, they soon had a cohesive, comprehensive presentation which he then translated into Italian. At the end of the hour his secretary knocked on his door. He looked up, surprised at how much had been accomplished in so little time.
“Signor Monteverde, I have the clothes. And the clients have arrived.” She held out a bulging garment bag. “I wasn’t sure of exactly what you wanted, so I got a selection.”
Vittorio straightened his tie and rolled his sleeves down. “Quite right, Mirella. Thank you. Show the guests into the board room then will you take Ms West into your office and help her choose something appropriate for the event today?”
Sabrina followed Vittorio’s secretary into a small adjoining office. Her shoulders ached, her back hurt and her head was pounding after an hour of the most intense brainstorming she’d ever done. The office was smaller than his, with its tall ceiling and huge windows overlooking the Duomo, but it was very pleasant. His secretary was efficient and helpful as she unpacked the clothes.
“I have no idea which one to choose,” Sabrina admitted as Mirella held up one suit after another. The suits all looked the same to her. She wondered why there were also two dresses, one black one blue and even more garments behind them. They were obviously gorgeous designer dresses that must have cost a fortune. Well, they’d just have to take them back. She didn’t need them or want them.
“May I suggest the black suit?” the secretary said. “I couldn’t resist choosing a few items which are different from business clothes. Signor Monteverde suggested you may not have brought enough clothes with you on short notice from America.”
“Did he? Well, I guess I didn’t,” Sabrina said. What nanny would have brought enough clothes for a double life – nanny and bank employee and dinner guest? No one.
Mirella spread more clothes on a chair. Sabrina caught a glimpse of labels – Gucci, Prada and Armania. Under the formal attire was a stack of casual clothes - linen pants and shorts, and casual cotton dresses, the kind the smart women on the lake wore. She gasped. These clothes must have cost a fortune.
“With the suit, just a touch of makeup?” the secretary said.
Sabrina shrugged. “You know best,” she said, too tired to protest and knowing she was out of her element. “I didn’t really expect to be here today.”
Expect the unexpected
, she reminded herself and allowed the secretary to play the role of make-over artist at which she clearly excelled. “I don’t understand how you had time to buy all these clothes,” she mused as the woman applied a light foundation to Sabrina’s face.
The secretary smiled. “It was my pleasure. Mr. Monteverde is a demanding boss, but very fair and very generous. But you already know that.”
No, Sabrina didn’t know that. Not at all. She said nothing.
Even at the nanny agency in San Francisco, every day was casual clothes day, which she wore over and over since no one saw her except her step-mother who would think it was extravagant for Sabrina to dress up. She dealt with clients and nannies all over the world, but hardly any ever came into the office.
Here in Italy, she was in another world. First the villa and now this historic bank building in the heart of Italy’s fashion center. From a nanny in rain-soaked sandals and all-cotton sports clothes arriving at a lake-side villa, she was suddenly in one of the most sophisticated cities in the world and expected to perform and moreover to look the part. With this wardrobe she had a chance to do it.
Right now she was tired, tired of playing a role she wasn’t prepared for and didn’t want. All she wanted was to get back into her own clothes, go home and deal with children. Not home in California. Just to the villa. The story-book villa with her gorgeous suite and the piles of lessons waiting to be taught. Was that too much to ask?
Chapter Five
Some minutes later Vittorio looked up from his chair at the head of the conference table to see Sabrina enter the room. All heads turned in her direction and he very nearly dropped the remote control he was holding. That was how different she looked. It wasn’t only the form-fitting suit, nipped in at the waist and snug around the hips. It wasn’t just her long legs on view and her high-heels. It was her hair and face too. What had happened?
The way she looked, she could go anywhere in this sophisticated, fashion-conscious city and be admired. In fact he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He wasn’t the only one. How did it happen? He reminded himself to give his secretary a bonus for what she’d accomplished, turning an modestly attractive nanny into a show-stopping business woman. Especially if the merger went through. There would be celebrations all around.
“I would like to introduce my assistant from America, Signorina West,” he said.
Everyone stood to shake her hand. She smiled briefly, then took the control while he talked and explained the graphs, charts and bullet points projected on the big screen at the end of the table. She had perfect timing that meshed with his. Almost as if she’d been doing it all her life, that’s how poised she was. She was definitely a different nanny than all the others. Snakes notwithstanding.
There were questions afterward and the discussion was in Italian which she obviously didn’t understand. The comments were all positive which he hoped she was aware of. He saw her look at the door. He nodded. But he didn’t want her to leave. Not yet.
“Ms West, I’ll be with you shortly,” he said as she opened the door and walked out.
Finally the meeting was over and he found his nanny in his office chatting with his secretary. When he opened the door they stopped abruptly. He looked at Sabrina then at his secretary who excused herself.
“Mirella, I’m leaving now. Don’t forward my calls unless it’s an emergency. I will check in with you later. I’ll drive Ms West back to the Lago and I’ll be working at home this evening.”
Mirella looked startled. He knew it was unusual. He never left early. Why bother? No one was waiting for him at home. His children didn’t miss him. His secretary glanced at Sabrina. He hoped she didn’t have the wrong idea. After all, everyone knew about his engagement to Aurora. And they knew she was away on a business trip. He didn’t blame Mirella for being surprised at his early departure. His usual work day extended into the evening right here at the bank. But there was nothing usual about today. He told his secretary to wrap up all the new clothes.
“But I don’t need even one suit after today or this dress or any of these other things,” Sabrina protested watching a young man carry them to the car. “And I know I can’t afford them.”