“Holy cow, Gracie, is that one of the married ones or the single one?” Joey clicked the button on his keychain, causing his car to chirp and headlights to blink.
Grace walked around the car and opened the door. “He’s the single one, but he’s kind of a jerk.”
“What do you mean?” Joey said, climbing in the driver’s seat. “Those bitches weren’t lying when they said the Moreno brothers were hot. That is one hot papi, girl. How bad can he be?”
Grace wouldn’t admit how breathless she’d been when he first walked in and stared her down, looking amazingly sexy in his suit. “Bad.” She frowned as she put her seatbelt on. “He obviously wasn’t happy about Alex hiring me. Apparently, he’d made up his mind about me already. He even went as far as to insinuate that I flirted with Alex to get the job.”
“No! He said that?”
“Well, not exactly, but he made a stupid comment, ‘You do realize Alex is married, right?’ That says a lot about his brother if he really thinks the only reason he hired me was because I flirted or something.” Gracie crossed her arms in front of her. The more she thought about it, the madder it made her. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to hold back what I really wanted to say. If I didn’t need this job so bad …”
Joey rubbed her knee. “Let’s focus on the positive. You got a job at one of the most upscale restaurants in La Jolla of all places. And you said they’re gonna give you a shot in the kitchen, right? This is what you’ve been waiting for.”
Grace smiled. Joey always had a way of making her see things in a different light. “You’re right. This is my opportunity.”
Joey wanted her to come over and hang out with him and Taylor and a few other friends. But Grace knew Rose was home alone with her stepdad. Her mom let her know earlier, that she was going to meet a few friends for dinner and might be home late. Grace knew what that meant—she was on the prowl. Dinner equaled drinks at a bar, looking for potential sucker number five.
To her surprise, not only was her mom home, they had company. Rose gave her a look as soon as she walked in. A man in a suit who looked thirtyish, sat on the sofa, holding a beer. The place had actually been cleaned up. Ruben stood behind the sofa. He was showered and shaved for a change. Her mom rushed over to her. “Oh, here she is now.”
Grace smiled, glancing at the man who smiled as he stood then back at her mom. “Grace, this is Mr. Fuentes.”
“Call me Frank,” he said, reaching his hand out.
Grace shook his hand and smiled. “I’m Grace.”
“Mr. Fuentes—” Her mother caught herself and smiled, nodding at Mr. Fuentes. “Uh, Frank is a friend of Ruben’s from his days of doing long hauls to Nevada. He owns a casino in Laughlin.”
“It’s a work in progress,” Frank said, smiling. “More of a hotel making the crossover to casino.”
“Oh, but you said you got your gambling license, and that’s the biggest hurdle, isn’t it?” her mother said with an oversized smile.
Frank nodded in agreement. Grace glanced back and forth between them, wondering what, if anything, this had to do with her. “Anyway, Grace, Frank stopped by while he was in town. He might have a job for Ruben in Laughlin.”
Grace’s heart sunk. “We’re moving?”
Her mother did her fake laugh and placed her hand on her chest. “No, no, it’s a driving job. You see Frank will need someone to drive fresh seafood to his restaurant in his casino every day.” Her mother squeezed her hand at the mention of restaurant. “We’re going out to discuss the details, and I thought it’d be nice if you could join us.”
No way. Her mother had had some crazy ideas in the past, but there was no way she’d go along with where she thought this was going. “I … I have to study.”
With another squeeze of her hand, her mother smiled at her then glanced at Frank. “She’s very responsible when it come to her studies.” Frank smiled and her mother turned back to her. “But I’m sure you can get it done tomorrow. We’ll only be out a few hours.”
She pulled Grace by the hand. “C’mon, I’ll help you pick something out.” She turned back to Frank. “We’ll only be a few minutes. Make yourself at home. Ruben, offer him another beer.”
Rose followed them into her bedroom. As soon as the door closed, Grace turned to her. “What are you doing? I don’t want to go out with that man.”
“Yeah,” Rose said. “That’s gross. He’s old.”
Her mother ignored Rose. “You’re not going out with him. We’re all going out together. He mentioned being a little lonely these days, so I thought maybe if you came along, he might sweeten his offer.”
“No!”
Rose plopped onto the bed and crossed her legs, watching them both.
“Graciela, for Christ’s sake, it’s only dinner, and you won’t even be alone with him. Is that too much to ask? You’re doing your family a favor.” Her mother opened Grace’s closet. “Where is that dress you wore for your cousin’s quinciniera?”
“I thought you said this was just dinner? That dress is way too fancy.”
Her mother was unbelievable. Of all the stunts she’d pulled, this one took the cake. Even though she said it was just dinner, Grace had a feeling there was more up her mother’s sleeve. Judging by the way she squeezed her hand at the mention of Frank owning a restaurant, she knew her mom was already scheming.
“Well, he’s taking us somewhere fancy, so you have to look nice. Did you not notice the man is wearing a suit?”
Exasperated, but aware she wasn’t going to win this battle, she walked over to the closet and pulled out the dress. “Isn’t it a little late for dinner?”
“Dinner, cocktails, dancing, whatever, it’s all the same thing. Just hurry up and get ready.”
Her mom walked out the room but not before mouthing, “Te apuras.”
Yeah, she was in a real hurry to go out with this guy. Grace turned to Rose, who looked at her sympathetically. “At least you won’t be alone.”
Suddenly Grace remembered and smiled. “I got a job today.”
“You did?” Her sister’s smile matched her own excitement.
“Yeah, at Moreno’s in La Jolla.”
Rose’s blank stare didn’t surprise her. Unlike Grace, her sister wasn’t up on all the area’s best restaurants. She didn’t read Fine Cuisine magazine and follow the reviews religiously like Grace did. “It’s one of the best Mexican restaurants in the San Diego area—in all of Southern California if you ask me.” That was saying a lot, especially since Los Angeles was only two hours north of them.
“Really? So you’re their chef now?”
Grace chewed the corner of her lip. “No, I’m bartending. But they said they’d give me a chance and let me cook sometime.”
For a second, Rose seemed disappointed but quickly snapped out of it. She knew how much Grace had been going on and on about trying to get hired at a good restaurant. She only had a couple more months of school before she graduated with her Culinary Arts degree. With her foot already in the door and with the opportunity to prove herself, she was sure she’d make head chef in no time.
“I knew you’d find a job eventually, Grace. You’re an awesome cook. Abuelita taught you well.”
Grace felt a dull pang in her heart at the mention of her grandmother. Rose’s cell phone beeped, and she looked down at her hands. That phone may as well have been surgically attached to her hands the way Rose kept it by her at all times.
“Mom says to tell you to hurry.”
With a roll of her eyes, Grace began changing. Her own phone was in her bag in the front room. No doubt her mother had already tried her phone. “Can you believe her?”
“Of course, this is so typical of her,” Rose said, lying down, putting her hands behind her head.
She had a point. Her mother would stop at nothing short of prostitution and drug dealing to make an easy buck. Even then, Grace didn’t completely rule those two out. She’d seen how her mom dressed on a few occasions when she was just going to dinner with a few friends. She was surprised Ruben let her walk out, looking like that.
Grace didn’t bother with makeup. Aside from some lip gloss and a little mascara sometimes, she never wore the stuff. She wasn’t starting now. The dress she wore was one her mother had picked out. Grace didn’t mind the length, but it was tighter than she was used to and a bit low in the front.
Frank didn’t even attempt to hide what he thought of her in the dress. The bulging eyes and goofy smile said it all. Her mother smiled in delight. “You look lovely, Grace. Don’t you think, Frank?”
He stood up from the sofa. “Stunning,” he said.
Ruben took advantage of the invitation to ogle and eyed her up and down with his own perverted smile. Grace had never felt like such a piece of meat. It was degrading and she glared at her mom. Her mother ignored the glare and gathered her things.
After her mother played the concerned mom in front of Frank, telling Rose not to answer the door for anyone and giving her instructions on what to do in case of an emergency, as if this were the first time Rose had been left alone, they were out the door.
Frank drove them in his brand new Cadillac to a jazz bar on the marina. He said the last time he’d been out here he went there and the music was fabulous. Maybe it was that Grace had had such a long day, but the slow music was making her sleepy. Add to a glass of wine to that—forget about it. She caught herself nodding off twice. Thankfully, no one noticed.
When the song ended, the musicians excused themselves for a break. “Your mother tells me you’re a culinary student. How’s that going?”
Grace nodded. “I’ll be done in a few months.”
He leaned over to her. The music that played on the sound system was almost as loud as the live music. He paused to take a drink, and Grace took the moment to scrutinize him. He wasn’t unattractive by any means. He was tall, thin, and dressed well, but he was at least ten years older than her. That, however, wasn’t reason enough to dismiss him. She knew better than anyone not to judge people by their age. The fact that he was a friend of Ruben’s was what made her question him. Anyone who considered Ruben a friend was suspect as far as she was concerned.
He noticed her scrutiny and smiled. “What are your plans once you finish?”
“I’m already working at a restaurant.” She glanced at her mom who eyed her, almost as if she was hoping Grace wouldn’t say anything wrong. “My hope is to move up once I’ve completed my courses then eventually open up my own restaurant.”
She didn’t feel the need to go into any more specifics. Luckily, she didn’t have to. Her mother immediately started in asking Frank about his casino. Grace endured two and a half hours of Frank telling them about how his uncle had left him the hotel he was now running and every detail about his journey in turning it into a casino. Her mother cackled at anything that even remotely sounded like a joke or quick wit.
By the end of the night, Grace was both physically and mentally exhausted. She could hardly believe her mother invited Frank in at the end of the evening for another drink. Thankfully, he said he had a long drive home in the morning and declined, but he did say he’d be back to visit again soon. Wonderful.
Her mother had another think coming if she thought Grace would go through another night like tonight. She plopped in bed with her already snoring sister. With a day like the one she’d had, she was out within minutes.
~*~
Sal didn’t go into the restaurant on Saturday. Since Alex was hardly there during the week, he’d go in on the weekends. Typically, Sal would drop by to check things out even if he wasn’t scheduled to be there. Today, however, he didn’t want to. He checked first with Alex to make sure Valerie was feeling well enough to be left alone. She was. So after the day he had yesterday, Sal thought it better if he took the day off.
In college, Jason had become one of Sal’s best buddies. They roomed for four years until Jason got engaged and moved in with his fiancée. Even then, they stayed close and often met up for a round of golf or just to throw a few beers back and shoot the breeze.
“So did you meet with the investors yet?”
Sal frowned as they rode in the cart to their next hole. “Yeah.”
“How’d it go?”
“Not good. I’m beginning to think this whole branching out thing may not be such a great idea.”
“What?” Jason pulled over as they reached their next hole. “That’s all you talked about in school. You can’t let one bump derail all your plans.”
Sal got out of the cart. There were still a few players finishing up on their next hole, so Jason and Sal pulled beers out of the ice chest.
“It’s just not what I was expecting.” Sal took a swig of his ice-cold beer.
“If you want I can talk to my dad. He knows a bunch of investors always looking to get in on a good deal.”
“It’s not that,” Sal took another drink. “I’ve got plenty of interested investors. It’s just all they’re thinking about is the money.”
Jason laughed. “Sorry to break it to you, bud, but that’s usually all investors think about.”
Sal flicked his bottle cap at Jason. “I know that, ass. I’m trying to be flexible, but if I leave it up to them, Moreno’s will be the next El Torito or Acapulco’s. That’s not what I want.”
“Hey, that doesn’t sound too bad.”
The hole opened up, and Sal gave up trying to explain why he wasn’t about to sell out his family name. Halfway through their last hole, Jason brought up an entirely new subject. “I need a favor.”
“I knew it.” When Jason called him out of the blue Sal had a feeling. The last time he’d asked for a favor things got pretty sour.
“What? You don’t even know what I’m gonna ask.”
Ten to one Sal knew exactly what it was. Almost a year ago, he’d gone out with Jason’s fiancée’s cousin Melissa. She was nice enough; in fact, she seemed perfect at first: beautiful, classy, just passed the bar exam, sexy as hell. But she turned into a clinger, calling and texting him at all hours, showing up at the restaurant. Finally, she somehow got in his apartment when he wasn’t there, made dinner, and greeted him in her birthday suit. That actually wouldn’t have been so bad if his date hadn’t been with him when he walked in.
After that, Sal made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her. He couldn’t believe someone so smart could stoop to that level. Before that happened, he’d done nothing to encourage that kind of behavior. In fact, he’d been so turned off by her pushiness he stopped taking her calls and returning her texts.
She called and texted him for months after he completely cut her off. The last time he bothered to read one of her texts was when one woke him in the middle of the night. Apparently, in her inebriated state, she decided she’d profess her love for him. They’d only gone out a few times, and he slept with her twice before she started to annoy the hell out of him. Love? He remembered laughing, before rolling back to sleep.
“I’m afraid to ask,” Sal said, taking a practice swing.
“Hear me out, okay?”
Sal peered at him, bracing himself.
“Melissa—”
“Hell, no.”
“C’mon, can you at least listen to what it is first?”
Sal shook his head. “No, no, no, no, no.” He positioned himself to take a swing at his ball then turned back to Jason. “No.”
“Dude, Kat’s driving me fucking crazy. All Melissa wants is a chance to apologize to you in person. We’ll be there. You won’t be alone with her for a minute.”
Sal continued to shake his head then stopped only long enough to take a swing. He turned back to Jason and shook his head again. “The girl is a whack job. It took me long enough to get rid of her. You think I wanna start that shit all over again?”
“I told Kat you’d say that, but she says Melissa understands you’re not interested and she’s okay with that. All she wants is a chance to apologize. This has been going on for months, Sal. Melissa’s mom has even started calling Kat’s mom about it. Then Kat’s mom calls her, then who do you think has to hear the crap? I’m begging you, man, just a couple of hours. I’d do it for you.”
For a moment, Sal considered it. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. The next thing he heard was Jason on the phone. “He said okay.”
Sal jerked his attention back to Jason, eyes wide open. “What?”
Jason put his finger over his lips and smirked. Then he put his hand over the receiver. “Is tonight okay?”
“I didn’t say I would!” Sal took off his glove and threw it at Jason.
“Tonight’s fine,” Jason said, laughing.
Sal put his hand on forehead. “Fuck me.”
“All right, honey. You’re welcome. Yeah, I’ll tell him.”
Sal glared at him when he hung up.
“Kat said she loves you,” he grinned. “She’s my fiancée and you know what? I’m okay with that, because, right now, I love you too.”
When Sal didn’t say anything, Jason added, “I’ll buy you lunch.” Sal still didn’t answer. “C’mon, how bad can it be? We’ll go to DJ’s, play a little pool, have a few beers. She’ll apologize and everyone will be happy. Done. Just like that. You’re my hero and my fiancée loves you. Beautiful.”
“I want steak and lobster for lunch.”
“Steak and lobster it is.” Jason patted him on the shoulder as he walked over to take his shot with a grin.
Somehow, Sal was hoping for a less enthusiastic response.