Page 18 of Tour Wars
As she sat next to TJ, she had a sudden urge to grab his hand in solidarity. Instead, she faced her boss with an earnest smile. “Dr. Roberti, is everything all right?”
TJ wasn’t as diplomatic. “Did we mess up?”
“No need to worry,” Dr. Roberti said. “If anything, you two should be commended. Giada told us you’ve signed up for more weekend tours than all the other archaeologists combined.”
“They’re hard workers,” Giada said. “You know how Americans are. Always hustling. Always competing to be number one.”
A backhanded compliment, to be sure, but coming from Giada, it was high praise.
Emilia spoke up quickly. “I love giving tours. I’ve learned so much about Pompeii this way.” That last part wasn’t a lie. Thanks to all the extra hours she’d logged leading visitors around the site, she had the layout memorized.
“Same here,” TJ chimed in. “It’s an honor to work for Buon Viaggio.”
“You see?” Giada said. “One of them will be fine for the job. Can I go now? There’s a group finishing up at six, and I need to meet with them.”
“Go ahead,” Angelo said.
“Grazie. I’ll talk to you later.” She left, closing the door behind her.
Angelo addressed Emilia and TJ. “According to Giada, your reviews have been consistently high. Lots of five stars, which is what we aim for. We may be a small company, but our customers’ opinions are vital to our survival. With that in mind, I have a proposal for one of you. Maurizio tells me the Via Stabiana Project will be taking a break in the middle of September. As chance would have it, we have an English-speaking tour scheduled during that time. A ten-day jaunt through southern Italy, starting and ending in Rome. Normally, Mateo—who’s our most experienced tour leader—would handle the trip, but he’s laid up in the hospital.”
“The hospital?” TJ asked. “Is he okay?”
“A few broken bones, but he’ll recover. He fell while leading a group on a trek up Mt. Etna. If we weren’t so busy right now, I’d ask one of our other guides to take his place. But with the end of summer approaching, we’re stretched thin. So, we’re asking if one of you would be willing to lead the tour. The group consists of about thirty-five American tourists, which means you’ll feel right at home. In addition to covering your hotel stays, the company will pay you for your efforts, and you’ll be allowed to keep any tips you earn.”
A ten-day tour? Emilia shuddered. That was a lot of time to spend herding people around Italy. People who’d push her to the breaking point with their questions and demands. But ten days of extra pay? Lodging in hotels along the way? How could she turn down the opportunity? Not to mention, she’d earn the gratitude of the Roberti brothers, which might result in a stellar recommendation after her time in Pompeii ended.
“If neither of you are available, I’ll offer it to the other archaeologists,” Angelo added. “But given your dedication to our company, I wanted to let you two have the first crack at it.”
Before Emilia could second-guess herself, she raised her hand. “I’ll do it.”
TJ glared at her. “Wait a second. I’d like to be considered, too. This is a huge honor.”
An honor? Bullshit. You just want the money.Maybe TJ would be better at handling a lengthy tour than she would, but she wasn’t going to give him the chance. “Aren’t you spending the break in Greece? With Marie and the others?”
She could imagine the wheels turning in his head as he considered his options: frolicking with Marie on a Greek island versus a shit-load of extra cash. She was hoping he’d concede, but he didn’t back down.
“Are you sure Emilia can handle this?” he asked. “It’s a huge amount of responsibility compared to leading half-day tours at Pompeii.”
Shut up, TJ.“I can handle it,” she said. “I assume we’ll be using local guides for some of our excursions, but if you need me to research any stops along the way, I can do it between now and when we leave.”
Angelo lifted an enormous binder off his brother’s desk and walked it over to her. “I’ll need you to read through this from cover to cover. Even if you won’t be leading all the tours, you should be well versed on every place your guests will be visiting. You’ll also need a working knowledge of the best bars and restaurants in each city.”
The binder weighed at least ten pounds, but she had over a week to review it before the tour started. “No problem. By the time I’m done, I’ll be a total expert.”
The door opened suddenly, and Luca Roberti strode in, dressed in a cream linen suit. As he caught Emilia’s eye, a chill iced her spine.
He flashed his uncles an oily grin. “Maurizio. Angelo. I hope I didn’t miss much.”
“Not at all,” Angelo said. “You’ll be pleased to hear that Dr. Flores has signed up to lead our ten-day tour of southern Italy.”
He beamed at her. “Excellent. Bellissima, it will be a pleasure to spend ten days exploring Italy with you.”
She swallowed, her mouth dry, her heart pounding. “You…you’re going, too?”
“But of course. How better to judge Buon Viaggio than to come along on one of their most popular tours? You needn’t worry. Feel free to treat me like any other guest.”
Shit.
