Page 83 of Canapés at the Beach House Hotel
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The next couple of days passed with no major problems at the hotel.At home, all was blissful.Robbie and Vaughn spent time on the boat and were even able to take the Ts and Liz on a short trip aboard it.
As many mornings as I could, I continued my walks on the beach.At the guesthouse where the Ferrara family had been staying, a new family had moved in.Life seemed to continue peacefully.
One afternoon, Rhonda and I were surprised when Enrico came into our office.
“Hello, Ann and Rhonda.I have some important news to tell you.”
“Why don’t you have a seat,” I said, indicating a chair in front of my desk.
He sat down and took a deep breath.“I feel it’s only right to let you know what’s been going on because it will affect your hotel.”
My heart fell.It sounded bad.I glanced at Rhonda and she, too, sensed bad news coming.
“Let’s move to the conference table,” I said, feeling the need to be business-like.
“Would you like water or anything else?”asked Rhonda as we stood.
“No, thank you,” Enrico said, and followed us to the conference table in the corner of the office.
Once seated, Enrico faced us with a solemn expression.“I told you I invested in Osteria Arno.After the death of Jonny Arno, the group decided to sell the restaurant.”While we waited, he took another deep breath.“And my father, Angelo, and I, with the help of Giovanni, have decided to buy it.”
“Wow!That’s a surprise,” said Rhonda, looking shocked.
“We bought it for a more than fair price and plan to make it an exceptional restaurant.We’re working on building staff.That’s where your hotel comes into play,” said Enrico, giving us a worried look.
“Are you talking about using Chet at your restaurant?”I asked.
“Chet, Philippa, Harper, and Luciano.They’re all working temporarily or part-time for you, right?”
Rhonda and I looked at one another and nodded.
“It’s important for you to know that the four of them said they’d like to work for the new restaurant but wouldn’t commit until I’d talked to you.”Enrico studied us.“You have given them reason to be loyal, and I respect that.”
“We had plans for all of them,” I said.“But we wouldn’t want to hold them back.”
“They deserve to have bright futures,” said Rhonda.“And if you can provide them with decent jobs and competitive pay, they should be allowed to go.”
Enrico’s shoulders sagged with relief.“You both are very generous, too generous.I truly appreciate that.We also want to give the young ones an opportunity to work hard and do well.”
“What are you going to call this restaurant?”I asked.
A smile crossed Enrico’s face.“Bella’s.For my mother, Isabella.She and Giovanni’s wife were best friends.”
“What about the interior of the restaurant?”asked Rhonda.“That needs work.”
“That is out of my hands.Catarina says it’s awful but can easily be fixed.”Enrico shrugged.“A price added to the cost of the sale.”
“Well, it sounds as if it’s going to be an improvement,” I said.“I’m happy for you.Who is going to be your manager?”
“A man that used to work for Jonny and was fired by him.Someone Chet knows.A fine man,” said Enrico.“Our four young people will each have a job of their own.They can tell you about it.”He paused.“I have your permission to tell them you’re okay with them doing this?”
“Yes,” Rhonda and I said together.
Enrico stood with us.In the European way, he kissed each of us on one cheek, then the other.“Grazie mille.”
We walked him to the door and said goodbye.
