The Cherry Blossoms by Denise Irwin

returning my calls in the middle of the night?  Have you been drinking?”
    Daniella shrugged her shoulders, “A little.  One of your messages asked if I would join you for a week on the Riviera.  Is that offer still available?”
    “Il est évidemment.  Pourquoi s'appeler vous demander si je ne voulais pas vous joindre à moi ?”
    “I thought perhaps that you’d be embarrassed to bring me with you.”
    “Why would I be embarrassed to bring you?
    “Didn’t you read the reviews this morning?”
    “Of course I did.  Reading them is my job.”
    “Tell me why you would want to invite me to the Riviera after those horrible reviews?”
    She heard him chuckle into the phone.  “Those reviews are business. My invitation is personal.  Daniella, please go to bed; we can speak in the morning after you arrive at work.”
     
    Grant was in the shop’s kitchen making coffee, when Daniella arrived.  ”Good morning Grant.”
    “Daniella, I was so worried about you when you did not return my call.”
    “I didn’t mean to worry you; I just needed a little time to myself.”
    “Vous êtes prêt à retourner au travail Mademoiselle ?”
    “Yes I am.  Before the rest of the team arrives, I want to thank you for taking me out with you.  I enjoyed it.  Your friends are delightful.”
    “Mademoiselle, d’état mon plaisir.”
    “Grant , I’d like to talk with everyone this morning for a moment.”
     
    Daniella’s staff entered her office with sheepish looks on their faces.  Daniella laughed.  “I haven’t seen such sorrowful looks in a long time.  It’s important to me that you understand that I failed you.  You didn’t fail me.  I told each of you to hold your heads high at the reception after the show; while I ran off and held a pity party.  It’s likely that I’ve ruined my career.  If that’s the case, I will recommend each of you to the other Design Houses.  Are there any questions?”
    Charlene stepped forward, “Mademoiselle Daniella, ne veut dire vous envisagez de fermer la boutique ?”
    “I don’t want to, but I failed terribly in the reviews and I don’t want to put your careers at risk.”
    Michele was the next to step forward.  There were tears in her eyes as she addressed the thought of closing the shop.  “Mademoiselle, je ne tiens pas à travailler pour un autre concepteur.  Veuillez revoir votre plan.”
    Daniella looked around the room and saw heads nodding in agreement with Michele’s comment for her to reconsider closing the shop.  “It appears to me that everyone is in agreement in moving forward, is that right?”
    Grant turned to face the staff of the House of Daniella, “We know that the reviews went poorly, we have each read them; however, this was our first year.  We may not be invited back, but it doesn’t matter to me at this moment.  By a show of hands, who would like to see the House of Daniella remain open?”
    Through her tears, she saw that everyone had raised a hand.  “Merci.  Je vous promets que je serai un meilleur designer et un patron mieux.”
    Michele responded to Daniella’s statement, “Mademoiselle, you are a great designer as well as a wonderful boss.”
     
    Grant remained in the office after the staff left.  “Daniella, have you spoken with Michal yet?”
    A child’s giggle escaped from her mouth, “Yes, I called him in the middle of the night.  He said the invitation to join him in the Riviera is still open.  So, I’m going to take a week off and go with him.”
    “Mon chéri, c'est une chose merveilleuse, oui ?”
    “Or, it could turn out to be the worst idea, I’ve ever had.”
    Grant laughed as he left her office; his little world was back on course.
     
    Once onboard the plane, Michal asked Daniella about the faraway look on her face.
    “I’m just going through the check list in my head.  It isn’t likely there will be much business this week, so I asked Grant to divide the days, so someone would be in the shop to