Lola
The following week, were opened the Blue Orchid. But no matter how hard we tried, it was pitiful. Lunch was a disaster, and I watched forlornly from behind the bar. We'd had to take the bottles off the shelf, and it looked bare and empty from the front door.
Dinner was no better.
"I'm sorry," said Cherise, "but we're not serving alcohol tonight."
"Oh," said the guy at the door. "It's my wife's birthday. We were kind of hoping to drink. Maybe another time, though."
The next people who came by were a family.
"Hi there!" said Cherise cheerfully.
But when she explained to them, the wife and the husband looked at one another.
"You know," they said, "on second thoughts, we'll go somewhere else. But thanks."
Cherise turned and looked at me.
"It's hopeless," she said.
We sat fifteen out of two hundred seats for dinner that day. And more than a few people told us they were going to complain.
"To who?" said Andy, as he stood forlornly in the beautiful wine cellar while I told him the bad news. "Oh well. Let's just do a big stock take tomorrow."
"It's 9.30," I said. "And the restaurant's empty."
I went upstairs and polished glasses that didn't need polishing. Alex was there, and I couldn't watch as he looked solemnly around the empty dining room. It wasn't like his expression changed. He was just as serious and dour as he'd ever been. But seeing him like this, I could tell a change had come over him. His shoulders were slouching a little, and he looked tired.
"How are you holding up?" I said, concerned for him as he walked past.
"Fine, thank you, Lola," he said, as he pushed through the door and began to make his way up the stairs.
I watched him go for a second, and remembered what Andy had told me about Alex, how he had no family, no one to rely on. He needed someone to talk to. And for a moment, I wondered if it could be me. Everyone needs someone, after all. And I knew that I wanted to be with him, wanted to know what Alex was thinking behind his blank expression.
I took a deep breath, and followed him through the door. "You know, you won't get anything done by being sad about it," I said, standing at the foot of the stairs.
He turned around and looked down at me, sighing.
"Don't you have something better to do?" said Alex before he turned and went up the stairs.
I followed him, my little quick steps echoing after his big slow ones. He was brushing me off, but I knew why. It was because he couldn't think of any reason to disagree with me.
"You know, when Bellaire had problems with their liquor license last year, they-"
Alex turned around and raised his hands.Stop!
"You know, Lola," he said, "I've had a hell of a long day. I just flew all the way to Baltimore to try and find a bunch of documents I need, and back, and I didn't get a thing I was looking for. And I'd really prefer it if you just left me alone right now. Okay?"
His snappy tone really got to me. I turned around for a while.
"Fine," I muttered. "Have it your way."
But then I turned back and looked up the stairs. Alex was shouldering the whole world on his broad back.
And I remembered what he said, when I said that people could surprise you, could come good when you least expected them:not in my experience.
Well, maybe it was time for a little learning experience for grumpy old Alex Lowe. I jogged up the stairs after him, and as he went into his office, I grabbed his arm.
"What?" he said, turning on me. Blue eyes full of flame. He was so strong that he could have tossed me over his shoulder if he wanted. But I didn't care.
"Please," I said. "It...it upsets me to see you like this."
"What do you care?" he said.
"I care about you," I said, and I felt my stomach flutter as I said it.
"You can go home for the night," sighed Alex. There isn't much to do here. Go on home to your kid."
"I'd rather talk to you," I said.
Alex looked at me, and then I saw a light in his eyes. Like a candle had been lit, somewhere way off in the darkness of his mind.
"I was gonna do paperwork this evening," he said. "But actually I think I could use a drink."
I shrugged my shoulders. "Want some company?" I said.
***
Of course, it couldn't be at a normal bar. Alex chose the skybar at the top of another fancy-ass skyscraper. This one was down at the southern end of Central Park.
"This is the flashiest building in the world," I said.
Alex grinned, as he gently swirled a twist of lemon around his vodka soda. "You don't like that, do you?"
"No," I said. "I don't, actually. I work hard every day, just for the little things in life. A pair of shoes, or a coat for my daughter. If I want to take her to the zoo, I have to figure in a cab ride, how much it's gonna cost to eat out. And this city's ridiculous. It's like, 9 dollars for a tub of ice-cream. And kids love ice-cream!"
Alex laughed, and nodded his head. "They certainly do." It felt so good to see him laugh, to hear his warm, baritone chuckle.
"So, what do you need?" I said.
"I shouldn't be talking to you about this."
"Come on!" I said. "You can trust me, you know. Not everyone's a low-down, good-for-nothing son-of-a-"
"Easy, tiger," said Alex. The pet name gave me a warm sizzle in my tummy, along with the martini he'd gotten for me. The mood between us was different, now. Once we got to the bar, it was like Alex could relax. I noticed that about him. In certain places,The Blue Orchid, the restaurant we'd visited in Manhattan, he felt like he could relax.
"Sorry," I said. "It just, it makes me so angry. Why's he doing this to you? What is there to gain?"
"The satisfaction of knowing he's right, and I'm wrong." said Alex.
"The satisfaction of being a total jerk," I muttered.