The Twelve Vitali Ch. 35

"You were right," Matteo grumbled to Ricco. "We did the right thing letting her work it out on her own."

"You were right too," Ricco acknowledged. "She needed a push. I sent Sava and Vedran to her yesterday to push her to make a choice. It was risky, but it paid off."

"So, when were you going to bother announcing that she's pregnant?" Kalum merely raised an eyebrow as Lucca joined them.

"I expect most people know by now, it had to come out when Isaiah flew to Cat rather than Zac," Matteo said, surprised by the question.

"Still, a proper announcement calls for a celebration and possibly cigars, so I think while almost everyone is here you should just do it," Kalum grinned.

"I'm pretty sure Cat wants to wait for Papa and Theresa to come home before any official announcement," Matteo grinned. He really was looking forward to becoming a Papa himself now that the worst was over and he still had the woman he loved.

*****

Having the conversation with her sisters-in-law about her epiphany regarding Theresa only strengthened Cat's resolve to step up and embrace the responsibility of being the Mother and help Matteo and Ricco to lead the family after the chaos that had occurred. She found out in that first week just what had occurred in each family and what the Tater and the Tables had done in their combined efforts to shut down the organisations of their enemies.

If there was one lesson she had to take away from everything that had happened it was that the Tater was a force to be reckoned with when crossed, and she was related to them in some way. She was related to Tater Royalty, which meant she was a force to be reckoned with as well, and the older women of this family needed to know that the time of pushing around the Mother was over and they would be dealing with her now.

She had spoken with Lisa about her modified diet and new liking for flavoured iced tea rather than coffee, and then she listened to Lisa's suggestions for smaller meals and protein, heavy drinks or shakes that would sustain her between the small meals. She and Arturo had sat together and made a schedule where she had no early appointments for the foreseeable future, and that she had either the Tuesday or the Thursday of each week off to dedicate to her painting. Lastly, she sat down with Hugh and Bradbury and outlined what she would and would not put up with, regardless of her husband's concerns.

"I know it was you who got to the plane first and carried me out of there once shots started being fired," Cat had said to Bradbury. "Thank you, but you promised me you would look after Matteo and Ricco, and I know they ran into that danger too!" she said in a chastising tone.

"Your safety is my priority, I went back for him once you were clear of the danger," Bradbury said in a conciliatory tone.

"I'd like the truth, please. Why do you look at me the way you do? It's more than just security, and it makes me uncomfortable. It's creepy," she said. "Hugh does his job, and I don't get that same weird vibe from him. Why are you like that with me? And why, when I have asked, not just Matteo and Ricco, but their fathers as well to give me anyone else, you are you still here protecting me?" Cat pulled no punches telling him exactly how she felt.

"I am uniquely trained," he said easily. "I was in the SAS and toured both wars in the Middle East before being recruited to a covert organisation. I came from a background similar to yours and understood the ties you have to that community. In the beginning, I was surprised that you didn't have the hard edges that usually accompanied women with a background similar to yours. I'm not sure I believed the persona you showed the world. You confused me, and I kept looking for flaws in the woman you portrayed. You were so meek and mild, I was waiting for this version of you," Bradbury explained.

"This version of me?" Cat tilted her head.

"The one who would talk to me directly about her discomfort rather than getting others to look after the problem for her," his lip twitched as if suppressing a rare smile.

"So, basically, you are way over qualified for this gig, and you still want to do it?" she frowned.

"Kalum is one of my closest friends; he got me into the Battaglia training with him. The pay and conditions here are better than the government offers, and the people I care about are close by. I won't be on the table or part of a family, but this gig is pretty good. Besides, contrary to popular belief and the job description, I like you and the Vitali men who employed me. I don't want to see any of you harmed," this time a small smile did crease his lips.

"I can live with that, just stop being so creepy, or I will start calling you Lurch," she rolled her eyes. "I have three meetings today, brunch with Sebastian and Zion, Lunch with Matteo, Lucca, Aria and Logan, and an afternoon high tea with the Vitali ladies. The first two will be fine, but if you could stay close for the afternoon tea, I may need a couple of the ladies escorted out," she drew a large breath. "It's time for the tough girl from the Grove to make herself known to people who thought the meek and mild Cat would be a pushover," Cat informed them both.

"It would be my pleasure," Bradbury's eyes dances with mirth, but he refrained from smiling.

"We will be close at hand in Knox's office," Hugh assured her.

"Great. Well, I better get on with my day then, thank you, gentlemen," Cat said in a business-like way. Then she stopped and turned back to Bradbury. "Sincerely, thank you for getting me off that jet before I saw anyone else die." She meant Vanessa, but she couldn't bring herself to say it, and she was haunted by the fact she had yelled at Vanessa to run and that may well have been what got her killed.

Cat checked her watch and realised she had little time before Zion and Sebastian would arrive, and went into her office to turn on her laptop and get ready. She'd never had more than her phone to access anything online before, and she had to admit that her laptop lay mostly dormant, collecting dust. With Theresa not coming home until at least the end of the month, however, and then being in rehabilitation for months after, she knew she had to start getting on top of all of the information for the wider family instead of just those closest to her.

As she navigated around the sites, she knew she wondered if she should talk to Raphael about updating her media profile now that she was Catriona Vitali instead of Cat Leone. She was still contemplating that as she glanced through her largely unused Facebook account when the men she had been waiting for were shown into her office.

The program Peri had sent her worked like one huge family tree, with all its branches interlocking with various members of the family and which families they had links to, right out to now tenuous links of distant relatives that still accessed some of the benefits associated with being part of the Vitali family. Because Zion and the tech's that worked for his family in the depository had done the data input over the last few months since the software arrived, Cat did not have to think much about that until a new family member needed to be added.

What Cat was delighted with, however, was a daily alert that would let her know of upcoming birthdays, weddings, funerals and anniversaries, as well as other important celebrations, such as graduations that she, as the mother, needed to recognise. Whether she did that in person, with a call or sending gifts or flowers, was up to her, but with the software, as long as she checked her daily alerts, she shouldn't ever miss an important event, even if it was only important to one or two people.

"It will also be great for reminding yourself about family links before you meet with someone you know will be at an event, like the fact that second cousin Trudie's daughter is on an exchange program to Eton," he pointed at the screen.

"So, this becomes part of the morning ritual," she nodded at Arturo, who had sat in on the meeting because part of his job description might include updating the software with what Zion referred to as trivial events. Zion's interest lay in tracking the births, deaths, and marriages of each member not celebrating the events. By the time were getting ready to leave, Cat had a much better idea of the sheer size of the family beyond the enormous amount of people who attended the gathering, but rather than being stressed about how she would remember everything she felt confident that, with Arturo's help, she could manage it without missing any important events.

"Not working too hard, I hope," Matteo said from the doorway as Sebastian and Zion were getting to their feet.

"I'm all about making life easier for people, you know that," Sebastian grinned.

"In this case that's true, plus my guys already did most of the work on this one, and Cat can just reap the rewards," Zion added.

"It's a really cool program. I'll tell you about it over lunch. Are the others here yet?" Cat asked, moving toward Matteo and leaning up to kiss him as his arms went around her.

"No, I snuck up early for a little canoodling, but it seems you're still busy," he scowled at Zion and Sebastian.

"We're leaving, no need to kick us out," Sebastian said. "But I'll be back this afternoon, so if you wanted me to stay for lunch, it's no problem."

"I'm staying," Zion said eagerly. "Matt invited me because he wants me to get Frankie to loosen the purse strings a bit more, and Frankie wants to know why."

"You can both stay, if you like, but I need a few minutes to canoodle with my wife," he picked Cat up and walked away, leaving the men to their own devices for a few minutes.

"Matt, put me down!" Cat laughed as he carried her into their bedroom and kicked the door shut. "We can't do this with guests out there!"

"They aren't guests, they're family. And what is it you think we are going to do, exactly?" he raised an eyebrow at her but held a smile on his face.

"Canoodle?" she giggled.

"I'd do that in front of them," he chuckled and shrugged. "I need to ask you something, so I can make arrangements for the weekend."

"Oh? A weekend of canoodling?" she asked with the giggle still in her voice.

"Sure, but in addition to that," he said placing her on her feet. "We've been invited to a small ceremony honouring Nathanael's bravery, now that he is able to enjoy it himself. Ally would really like you to come with Ricco and me. I think they will probably be honouring Ricco as well for the early alert, and, if you came, it would mean he would be more inclined to accept the invitation rather than decline, as he has the others that have invited him to thank him personally."

"Or, rather than making him do something he really doesn't want to, like attend a ceremony where the spotlight is on him, why don't we throw him a birthday party and invite all those people here to see him? You know, if we all go to Perth the other families that had their invitations declined might get upset," Cat suggested, having already thought about the problem. She knew the other mothers wanted to thank him personally, and that he had wanted to stay close to home rather than flying around the country. If he accepted one, he knew he would have to accept them all.

"That's a great idea," Matteo said. "I'd still like to go and see Nathanael, he was hurt pretty badly, and I'd like you to come with me. D will be there, and Phil," he added hopefully.

"Or rather," she grinned at him. "What if you went to Perth and Ricco and I stayed here and had a date night on Saturday night, and then, next weekend, you and I can have a date night, I'll even plan it as a surprise if you like?" she said temptingly.

"If there is a date to be had, I will be planning it," Matteo grumbled. He was enjoying Cat's new-found confidence, even though he found he had to compromise far too much for his liking. This compromise, however, held a lot of appeal for him. "It will be a date weekend, and you will not try to negotiate any minute of it," he laid out his terms. "And we run this whole evil plan of yours past Ricco, he may already have other plans for this weekend."

"Yes, Sir," Cat gave him a cheeky grin. "You're the boss, after all."

"I wish," he growled and pulled her against him. "So, this meeting, am I going to be the boss after it is done, or will you have totally taken over my job?" he asked in a teasing tone.

"I don't want your job," she wrinkled her nose. "This meeting is about you doing your job properly, so I don't have to," she pulled a face. "Speaking of which, we should go back out, or I am going to be late for a meeting I called."

"If you insist," Matteo groaned and bent his head to kiss her again.

"Gosh, this looks wonderful, I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting!" Cat gushed and kissed the cheeks of Logan and Lucca as she went to take a seat at the table, allowing Matteo the chair at the head of the table.

"This is your meeting, your seat," Matteo pulled the head chair out for her and waited until she came back to where he stood.

"Thank you," she laughed awkwardly and sat down. "And thank you all for coming. Please start," she indicated the tureens of thick and hearty hot soup and baskets of crusty bread that ran the length of the table. She waited until everyone had helped themselves and started to eat before she began to speak.

"I know the last time we spoke about the house on the hill I was a little emotional and that the construction work we talk about should be moving along now," she began, looking at Logan, who nodded. "I guess the timeline is a little bit urgent," she added.

"Considering your husband owns a construction firm, and the other two, sitting with him over there, work in that company with him, it shouldn't be a problem," Zion said.

"I know, right?" Cat grinned. "I've already told them what I want, and the rest is up to their interpretation, as far as the construction goes. This is where I need to say some things you mightn't all want to hear, but if you can just try and understand that I am coming from a good place and listen to what I have to say before making a judgement," she swallowed deeply and took a breath.

"No need to be nervous with us, Cat," Lucca frowned at her with concern.

"Okay, here goes. I would like Aria to consult on the interiors, not just the decorating, but the full interior of each room. She was amazing when we moved in here, and helped make what was a showroom of an apartment into something more than that. She made it our home with just a few extra touches here and there, and I loved that. Even Vanessa complimented her at the time. Which brings me to the awkward thing I am about to say. I think you should all consider giving Vanessa's company to Aria to run," Cat blurted the last sentence in a rush. The men at the table looked at her speechlessly, and then turned their attention to Aria.

"Don't look at me; I didn't know she was going to suggest any of this!" Aria looked back with wide eyes.

"Once the construction is done on the main house I'd like you to work with Logan on the interiors. I trust you, and I have been told by two very bossy men who think they can tell me how to live my life that I can't do everything myself," she rolled her eyes toward Matteo.

"Tell you how to live your life?" Matteo choked on a mouthful of soup. "I wish!" he chuckled and rolled his eyes at her in return.

"Aria, you know everything there is to know about art and colour, and the company Vanessa left behind is fully equipped with whatever else you need, including staff. Just think about it, okay? You could build that company into a niche boutique that caters to creative types. Vanessa found and sponsored artists, I mean, that's how I came into this family originally; painting for Vanessa, and it would be such a shame to close it down or sell it off. You could honour her memory by keeping it and making it better than before; and you can use the interiors of our house as your showcase for your skills," Cat said and then sighed. "Too soon?" she asked. "It's the deadline that made me want to ask now rather than waiting. I can't believe Vanessa would want her business to just disappear, and, Aria, you love this work, or at least you seemed to when I asked last time."

Everyone ate, silently thinking about what Cat had said, when Aria finally cleared her throat and sat back as if she wanted to say something but was afraid. She seemed to take in each of her brothers and cousins in turn before coming to a decision.

"I want it," she said quietly. "I want to work on the house. I want the company. I want to discover new artists and old ones that may need a gig or two. Cat's right, I am good at this stuff, but it was Nessa's thing long before I knew I wanted to do it, and then I couldn't, well, not really, because Matt already had Ness doing all his interiors," Aria admitted.

"Why didn't you ever tell Ness?" Zion asked. "I wouldn't have minded if you wanted to work with her instead of at the depository."

"Because I would have been the baby sister who worked for her rather than with her," Aria sighed. "If I took it over now though, I wouldn't just be the little sister stepping into her shoes, I would be just adding her resources to mine and probably saving the family a lot of money having to set me up in my own business." She grinned at her brother.

"That's true, and the managers there could keep things running smoothly until you find your feet. All of those people are probably worried about losing their jobs once we get around to looking at that business," Zion said, considering that disposing of his sister's company would have fallen to Frankie and himself eventually.

"I handed over all responsibility for the house to Matt and Logan, but if I have any say at all the job is yours," Cat smiled, giving Matteo the opportunity to say no if he wanted to.

"I'm fine to work with Ari," Logan shrugged. "If she used the company as a base to start with, then it won't be as big of a shock to people when she finally takes over. I mean, even if everyone agrees, it will take time to make it all legal, right?"

"Probably should have had Ricco here for this conversation," Lucca said. "He'd know the legal ins and outs of it all."

"She had this conversation with both Ricco and me in a hypothetical version without saying exactly what she had planned. I think Logan is right though, and if working with Aria takes some of the pressure off both Logan and Cat, and gets the house completed quicker, I am all for it," Matteo said easily. "Vanessa isn't coming back, and chances are she would have left it to Aria anyway if she had made a will."

"Ricco is still the best one to advise you on how to handle it," Lucca said, and Zion nodded. "Both legally and from the family point of view, but you could start working on the house immediately and make sure it's what you want. It's a big step owning your own business."

"He's on his way up," Matteo said, placing his phone back on the table.

"Great!" Cat said. "I'll let you all work out the logistics. I need to do a few things for my meeting this afternoon, so he can have my seat."

"Stay a little longer, please?" Matteo reached out and touched her hand. He knew she was nervous about facing down Sonya and Angela, and the less time she had to dwell on it the better.

*****

Ricco and Matteo had hung around long after the others had left the apartment after lunch. Cat needed to get things done and became anxious when every time she turned around one of them was there watching her and offering support. As much as she appreciated the sentiment, she needed to have a few moments alone to marshal her thoughts and go through the agenda she had for this meeting. She was about to seize control of this family, and she knew it wasn't going to be pretty, and she could quite possibly lose the goodwill of a few people in the process.