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CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

Olivia stood for a moment inside Villa 49, taking in the subdued lighting, listening to the murmur of voices, and breathing in the aromas that wafted toward her from a table nearby.

The fragrant notes of roasted garlic, thyme, rosemary. The rich aroma of gravy, laced with a mellow hint of wine. The mouthwatering scent of crusty bread, fresh from the oven.

For the first time in the long, stressful day, she felt truly contented. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself standing under an olive tree in a rustic trattoria in Tuscany itself, far away from the pressure of her job and the back-to-back meetings and the constant pinging of her phone.

She could even forget about the sensitive conversation she was going to have with Matt.

“Good evening, signora. Welcome to Villa 49. Do you have a reservation?”

The maître d’s polite welcome brought her back to reality.

“Yes, it should be in the name of Matthew Glenn.”

“Follow me.”

She weaved her way through the restaurant behind him.

The corner table that Matt had reserved was empty. Olivia was momentarily surprised. He was always punctual, and she’d arrived five minutes late. She’d expected him to be there, waiting for her.

All the same, traffic could be unpredictable.

Quickly, she checked her phone. There were two more messages of congratulations from her colleagues. Each gave her an identical pang of guilt. Finally, there was a message from her assistant, Bianca.

“James said I have to attend an urgent meeting tomorrow. Do you know what that’s about? Have I done anything wrong?”

Olivia could imagine the slim young woman biting her nails in anxiety as she waited. Olivia had tried her best to help her assistant break this nervous habit. She’d even treated her to a manicure, but Bianca had bitten her freshly painted nails just as badly. Eventually, Olivia had decided to leave it be. After all, there were worse habits than nail biting. One of the other assistants had started eating donuts to relieve her stress, and had gained twenty pounds in three months.

Olivia typed back. “Nothing wrong! It’s a group meeting, so probably just an assessment and update.”

She added a smiley face and sent the message. Then she turned her attention to the wine list.

Paging through the menu, Olivia felt happy all over again. She loved Italian wines, and this menu specialized in labels from the Tuscan region. Some of them she had never heard of, but she was entranced by the music in their names. Her mind visualized rolling green hills bathed in sunshine, with neat ranks of vines interspersed by clusters of olive trees.

Knowing that Matt preferred drinking red wine, she paid special attention to that side of the menu.

Her eyes were drawn to the Tignanello, described as a rich and full-bodied red, made from the local Sangiovese grapes, redolent with the flavor of black cherries. The price reflected its superb quality, but this was a special occasion and she was sure Matt would be happy to splash out.

She was thrilled that they were finally having dinner together. The past few weeks had been insanely busy for both of them, and Matt had been away almost constantly. It was a standing joke between them that Leigh, his PA who traveled with him, saw more of him than Olivia ever would.

“Hey, Liv. Sorry I’m late.”

She looked up to see Matt hurrying toward her through the now full and buzzing restaurant. He was wearing his sharpest charcoal Armani suit, and his dark, graying hair was trimmed to perfection. He was tall, fit, handsome, and super-successful. Even after four years, Olivia couldn’t believe they were together.

She would never admit it to anyone, but she sometimes felt a twinge of insecurity when she thought about what a catch Matt was. She comforted herself by thinking that this was a positive. After all, it kept her on her toes, conscious of her own image, and striving for greater career success.

“Hello, Matt,” she greeted him with a smile. “It’s so good to see you. What a surprise you’re back in town. I love your haircut.”

Standing up, she tugged her clingy dress down over her hips, hoping that he wouldn’t notice the camouflage job she’d done on her pantyhose. She was relieved when he kissed her cheek without making any comment, and they sat down.

Olivia ordered the Tignanello, and while they waited for it to arrive, she began the difficult conversation she’d prepared herself for.

“I’m sure this will come as a shock to you, but I’m really unhappy.”

Matt’s eyebrows shot up.

“Is that so?”

Olivia took a deep breath. Time to unload.

“It’s work. Work is the problem.”

Matt blinked rapidly, as if he hadn’t expected her to say that.

“How do you mean?” he asked carefully.

“I feel as if I’ve sold my soul. My life’s heading off in a tangent I never expected and I—I hate it.”

The truth, and the reason she felt as if she’d sold out, was that Valley Wines went against everything she believed in.

The first time Olivia had attended a tasting of Valley Wines, after drinking just two small glasses, she’d woken the next morning with a vicious, pounding headache that had lasted the whole day.

Two small glasses of wine usually didn’t have such a toxic effect. Curious to find out exactly what was in these wines, she’d gone digging. It hadn’t been easy, but Olivia was patient and persistent and loved the challenge of a puzzle that was difficult to solve. With online research, careful phone calls, and confidential face-to-face meetings, she had discovered the truth.

“I’ve researched the company, and they’re terrible. They’re misrepresenting themselves. It’s practically fraud, and my marketing campaign is making everyone believe their claims.”

Matt frowned.

“But Liv, that’s what marketing campaigns are for.”

“No!” she protested. “This is different. This isn’t just cheap wine, it’s junk wine.”

“How do you mean?”

“There are no ‘family-owned vineyards.’ All the grapes are industrially farmed and machine harvested, and they’ll use grapes from anywhere. The cheaper, the better. You can’t even take a tour of the winery.”

“Why’s that?” Matt asked.

“Because there isn’t one,” Olivia confessed. “There’s a huge manufacturing plant, and they basically take alcoholic grape juice and doctor it up with loads of powders and flavorants and additives. They’ve done research on what taste appeals to the majority of people, and the food scientists have created flavor profiles that they match using the additives. That’s what Valley White and Valley Red are.”

Matt looked dubious as she continued.

“They use loads of sulfites, which is to prolong the shelf life, and also so that every batch tastes the same. I don’t know if it’s the sulfites or something else in the wine, but drinking it makes me feel awful.”

“I still don’t see the problem. It’s bad wine, but so what? Can’t people make up their own minds when they taste it?” Matt asked.

Olivia let out a frustrated sigh.

“The problem is that all the stores are stocking it now, and that means there’s less room for other brands. So my campaign is hurting the companies who really care about wine, and who make it properly. I feel like I’ve done damage to good winemakers who never deserved it.”

Olivia cringed as she thought about the success of the now-famous tagline she’d come up with: “Enjoy Today, the Valley Way.”

“I made my own personal tagline,” she told Matt. “Valley White Will Spoil Your Night and Valley Red Will Hurt Your Head.”

She’d expected him to laugh at that, but he didn’t.

Perhaps he was finally starting to appreciate the seriousness of her situation.

“Matt, I’m thinking I need to leave,” she said. “I can’t keep working for a company that represents brands I don’t believe in. Who are busy destroying other brands I do believe in. I’m this close to quitting.”

She held up her hand with the thumb and finger pressed together.

That was another standing joke between them, but again it didn’t get a laugh from Matt.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news, too,” he told her.

Olivia stared at him, wide-eyed.

What had happened? Had Matt lost his job? Was one of his parents ill?

Olivia realized there must have been a reason why he’d invited her here. She’d assumed it was to congratulate her, but it had been for his own reasons, and she’d selfishly monopolized the conversation without even asking first.

“Oh, Matt, I’m so sorry. What is it?” she asked.

“I’m sure this will come as a shock to you.”

Olivia blinked, confused that Matt had used the exact words she had used. What on earth was wrong?

For a wild moment, she wondered if Matt was as unhappy with his job as she was with hers. Perhaps he’d had enough of being an investment fund manager and wanted a change. Her thoughts raced ahead, imagining how they might make a fresh start together, move to a different city, or even spend a year on an exotic island. What an adventure that would be, allowing them to relax together and enjoy each other’s company.

Olivia had never been enthusiastic about marriage and children, and she knew Matt felt the same, but she longed for the simple luxury of being able to spend uninterrupted time with him, without the onslaught of appointments, meetings, and endless working hours that they both had to cope with. On an island, they could do that.

Then reality caught up. Matt loved his job and had never so much as hinted he was unhappy. Plus, he was a city boy who enjoyed the pace of urban life. It couldn’t be that, so it must be something else.

“What will be a shock?” she asked, feeling a chill of apprehension.

“This isn’t working.”

“What do you mean?” Her own voice sounded small and strange.

“Us.” He gave her one of his trademark apologetic smiles, with the tight lips and the crinkled eyes and the incline of his head. “We aren’t working. I’m so sorry. I wish this could have gone differently. But this is how it is. There’s no easy way to say it, but I’m calling it off.”

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