“Is it time to go home yet?”
But her heart tugged. There was no Tate in Paris.
“Livvy?” Her mother’s voice startled her. “Are you all right?”
“Sure, sure.” She straightened. “Just making a mental list. Hey do you have a minute? I really need to talk to you.”
She took a nervous glance at her watch. “Well, I have a meeting with a senator and his wife about a Christening in forty-five minutes across town, and at this time of night…”
“It won’t take long.”
Her mother smiled and followed Olivia into the kitchen where they sat at a small table in a bay window that overlooked the back yard where Olivia had played all her life.
“I was talking to Quinn about the business, and I realized that I may not have explained over the years how much experience I have in restaurant management.”
Her mother’s gaze was attentive and concerned.
“And I wanted you to know that I’ve worked with some of the best restaurateurs in Europe over the years. Learned so much about management and finances from top businessmen in the restaurant industry who have huge catering businesses.”
“That’s fantastic.” Her mother’s expression brightened. “Honey, I really want you to think about coming home once school is finished. You’ve been gone so long. If you don’t want to join our company, you could have a very lucrative catering company of your own. Or you could get a job as an executive chef at one of the dozens of five star restaurants in the city. DC is nothing if not a food and party mecca.”
Olivia shook her head. “No, mom, I’m talking about your business. I’m worried about your business—”
“No, Livvy, no.” She covered Olivia’s hand with her own, smiling. “Honey, this is the most business we’ve seen since we’ve started. This is fabulous. A huge upturn in our sales and events. Once we get through this first wave, we’ll have the capital to pay off debt, hire employees and expand.” She padded Olivia’s hand. “Baby, you won’t have to send money home anymore.” She cupped her cheek. “You’re sweet to worry, and there were times in the past when it was hard, but we’re on the upswing.”
Her mother wasn’t hearing her, and Olivia saw the disaster waiting in the road ahead.
She clasped her fingers around her mothers and smiled. “That’s fantastic. You and Quinn have worked so hard for this and I’m so happy to see you finally getting some wind beneath your wings. I just want you to know is that growing too fast can be as detrimental to a business as not growing at all.”
She gave Olivia a disparaging look. “Olivia, don’t be ridiculous.”
This. This was the problem. “I’m serious, mom. I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. I’ve had businessmen tell me it has happened to them. Research it. Ask other business owners. If you grow too fast, if you overcommit before the infrastructure of the business can handle it, you’ll topple, and it could take the whole company down.”
Her mother sighed, clearly unhappy with Olivia’s message. “I know you’re worried because you care, honey, but I don’t believe in negativity—”
“This isn’t negativity, it’s reality.”
Teresa glanced at her watch. “I have to go or I’ll be late.”
When her mother stood, Olivia pushed to her feet and stepped in her path. “I’ve done the numbers. Based on the jobs you’ve taken on over the last month and the number you continue to add every day, you’re already leaning toward catastrophe like the tower of Pizza.”
“Olivia,” her mother scolded. “Enough.”
She didn’t care if her mother was angry, because Olivia was angry too. Angry because she was scared. She saw her mother and sister headed toward the edge of a cliff for the promise of a sparkling diamond on the other side ready to walk off the edge with nothing to save them but the faith that a bridge would appear.
“It’s not enough until you hear me.” Olivia continued talking while her mother walked around her toward the front door. “With just you and Quinn running this company, with no financial backing, you’re already juggling too many jobs. Every job you take on from this point adds another brick to the top of that tumbling tower. All it takes is one job to go wrong and everything—everything—will spiral out of control.”
When her mother turned the doorknob without acknowledging her, Olivia slapped her hand against the door.
Now, her sister wasn’t the only member of her family shooting daggers.
Still, Olivia held her ground. This was her only chance to say her piece. She would never forgive herself if she returned to France without at least warning them. Whether or not they took her advice was up to them.
“I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I love you and Quinn and it’s important for someone to tell you that if you don’t pull back now, while you still can, you could lose your entire business in the blink of an eye. Think about it, mom. Then what would you have?”
Her mother jerked the door open, jarring Olivia’s arm, walked out and slammed it behind her.
Pain coiled in her bicep and shoulder and she reached around to rub at the burn. “Fuck.”