The four of them laughed. Grace looked at Frank, who gave her a subtle wink.
‘Thank you,’ she mouthed at him.
And he smiled, putting his hand over his heart.
*
Carlotta sat with Birdie. She found it harder than her sisters to have the one-sided conversation. She and Birdie had never been close and now the silence between them engulfed Carlotta. She walked out into the hallway and saw the friendly nurse who she had been so rude to at the beginning of Birdie’s journey. ‘Excuse me?’ said Carlotta as she walked towards her.
The nurse looked at Carlotta warily. ‘Yes.’
Carlotta stood awkwardly. ‘Um… I’m having trouble talking to my mom,’ she said, and then burst into tears. Why was she crying so much? She hated crying and now she had cried twice in the space of a week.
The nurse took her in her arms and held her. ‘Oh honey, I know, but it’s so important for you and for her. Talk about your day, talk about the new things in your life, talk about the weather or what you like to do when you are here.’
Carlotta pulled away from her. ‘I’m sorry I was so rude when I first met you. I’m not good at things like this.’
The nurse laughed. ‘None of us are, we just do our best. No offence taken.’
Carlotta smiled at the motherly women and walked back into Birdie’s room. She sat for a while and then started to talk, about Chris and Alexia and her riding. As Carlotta spoke, the words came easily and she chatted about them for at least forty minutes. When Spencer came to take over her shift, they spoke in the hallway.
‘How is she?’ asked Spencer.
‘Same,’ said Carlotta.
‘How are you?’ asked Spencer.
‘I’m OK,’ said Carlotta, surprised at how therapeutic it had been to talk to her mother, even though no words were returned. ‘I just miss her, that’s all.’
Spencer nodded. ‘We all do Lottie, we all do.’
19
Carlotta stood in the Pajaro office in Hong Kong, wearing a dress she had borrowed from Violetta – a deep purple Jason Wu creation that highlighted her hair and showed off her strong shoulders. Her feet were in high black pumps and she towered over Chris.
He looked up at her. ‘Did you wear those shoes to intimidate me?’ he asked, laughing.
‘No,’ lied Carlotta, as she sat at the table in the spacious office he had taken over from a senior executive.
‘Nice dress. Looks good on you,’ he added.
She said nothing, leaving his compliment hanging in the air.
They had barely spoken on the plane, each in their own first class cubicles. Carlotta had slept and read and watched films. Chris had read reports with the Pajaro name embossed on the front.
Once they landed in Hong Kong, Carlotta had stalked ahead to the Rolls Royces that the hotel had sent. She got into one and slammed the door in Chris’s face. As he went to open it, she stuck her head out the window.
‘Get your own fucking Rolls,’ she said, and tapped the driver to go on.
As the car pulled away from the kerb, she could see Chris had burst into laughter. Even Carlotta giggled a little as she left him by the sidewalk. Being a bitch to Chris was almost too easy, she thought, and decided to call a truce.
Now they were waiting to inspire the Asia team of Pajaro to get on board with the refreshed store sales pitch. As the managers filed into the office, they bowed to Carlotta who bowed back. As Chris started the meeting, Carlotta smiled at each member of the team and nodded encouragingly to Chris. Occasionally she piped in with a comment and at one stage Chris turned his head to one side and gave her a look of appreciation.
Carlotta then took the floor and inspired the team with the story of Pajaro, the importance of family, her family and her Pajaro family. Her passion was incredible, Chris thought, as he watched the sceptical team become enamoured by her. Carlotta was charming and amusing. Refreshing even, thought Chris. After the first meeting was over he turned to her.
‘Where the hell has that person been?’
‘I don’t let her out very often,’ Carlotta said, as she sat in the chair opposite him in the boardroom overlooking Hong Kong.
