by Zoe Chant
“Mercy? What’s up? You look... well, you don’t look happy, let’s put it that way,” Tai said, frowning.
Mercy shook her head. Her first instinct was to say I’m fine, no need to worry about me, but Dante’s words about accepting help when it was offered echoed in her head.
“I... I guess I’ve had a bit of a stressful morning,” she said. “Roy showed up.”
“Oh?” Tai said carefully, as she unzipped her leather jacket and hung it up. “And?”
“He... had some things to tell me. About Dante. About his past.”
Tai’s eyes narrowed. “Bad things?”
“Not good things, that’s for sure,” Mercy said. “He’s... well, he’s been in prison.”
“Okay,” Tai said, tying her apron on before washing her hands at the wash station. “So have a lot of people we know. You know sometimes the system is... well, it’s the system. So the real question is, what did he do? And did he try to justify what he’d done?”
“I know that,” Mercy replied. “And it wasn’t for rape, murder, assault, anything like that. And... no, he didn’t. He didn’t try to make any excuses at all. He just told me he’d left that life and was trying to do better now.”
“Do you believe him?”
Mercy swallowed. “I do,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to just act blind.”
“No one’s asking you to,” Tai said quietly, coming to stand by Mercy at the kitchen bench. “You took a chance on me, you know – you didn’t have to hire me, after you knew how I was in school. You knew what I was into. But I knew how easy it would have been for you to give up on me, not believe me when I told you I’d turned things around, gotten through culinary school, made myself into something better. But you didn’t. And now I am where I am because of that.”
Mercy closed her eyes.
She knew Tai was right. If nothing else, she at least owed Dante a fair hearing. A chance to prove himself. And he’d done so much for her already...
“But speaking of, if we don’t get a move on, we’re not going to be ready to open,” Tai said, a smile quirking her lips. “I don’t know if you’re expecting many customers, but if we do get busy, well, we’re not going to be able to serve them standing around like this.”
Mercy smiled, looking up at Tai. “You’re right.”
Forcing her mind away from her troubles, Mercy tried to focus on the task at hand. But the feeling that something was wrong just wouldn’t leave her.
Maybe it’s the uncertainty about what’s happening with Roy, Mercy thought as she rinsed some lettuce in the sink. Maybe once I get that sorted out, I’ll feel better.
That had to be it, Mercy decided. She’d go visit Roy at the address he’d given her this evening once she’d closed. She’d get that cleared away, and then she’d look for Dante. She was too much of a control freak to be able to relax when there was so much uncertainty hanging over her head.
At least, she hoped so. The cold feeling in her gut would be too much to bear if it went on too much longer.
Leaving Tai to finish prepping in the kitchen, Mercy went out into the dining area to begin setting tables. She picked up the fax of Dante’s mugshot from the table, folding it over and stuffing it into her back pocket. Next, she picked up Roy’s business card, now taking the time to read the address he’d written down next to his office address.
It was for the Bondsville Plaza Hotel, a fancy place in the next town over, closer in to the city. She’d call Roy as soon as she could to set up a meeting, and get the proposals in front of him.
Then she’d find Dante, and ask him to explain himself.
At the thought of Dante, a strange coldness surged through her once more, as if something was trying to warn her of danger.
Mercy shook her head. That was impossible.
She’d just have to do her best to ignore it for now, and try to get on with her job.
But even as she went around the restaurant, setting out places and aligning menus, the cold, insistent feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t leave her.
Maybe it’s just another panic attack trying to start, Mercy thought, forcing herself once again to take deep breaths. That’s what it has to be. What else could it be?
***
Tai’s prediction about there being only a few customers throughout the day had turned out to be correct, but there’d still been enough to keep Mercy busy. She wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or not for the slow day – on the one hand, the cold, tight feeling in her stomach had made it hard to concentrate, and she appreciated the moments she had to herself to take a breather. On the other, maybe being a bit busier would have taken her mind off how strange she felt, and given her something else to concentrate on.
Shaking her head, Mercy decided she shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth – the slow trickle of customers meant that she’d been able to handle them on her own since she’d had no chance to replace Debbie as a waitress yet, and –
And Dante’s not here to help.
Mercy blinked, pulling in a deep breath as she locked the front door, getting ready to close.
No, he isn’t. But I did okay. And I’m going to find him.
It was dark out – it was almost nine o’clock, after all – and Mercy wondered if he had somewhere to sleep tonight. Clearly, he’d been doing okay before he’d staggered into her kitchen the night before last, but still, she couldn’t help but worry for him.
Half of her had been expecting to see him walk in through the door every time it opened, only to be disappointed when it turned out to be a customer coming in for a bite to eat. It seemed somehow like the cold feeling in her gut only grew larger every time he failed to appear.
He’d said he’d give me space, Mercy reasoned. Nonsensically, she wondered why he couldn’t somehow tell how much she was missing him – after all, he’d known how desperately she’d wanted to be comforted yesterday evening during her panic attack, even if she hadn’t been able to make herself say the words. She realized she was being totally irrational, but the thought wouldn’t leave her.
“Everything okay?”
Tai’s voice from the doorway shook Mercy out of her thoughts, and she realized she’d been staring into space for who knew how long.
“Yeah.”
“I’m just getting started cleaning up in here – do you want me to finish closing?” Tai asked, watching her closely. “I don’t mind. Kay’s teaching tonight, so I’ll probably still get home before her even if I stay back here a little.”
Mercy opened her mouth, about to tell Tai she wouldn’t hear of it and that she’d be fine on her own – when again, Dante’s words about accepting help when it was offered came back to her. She’d been battling her feelings all day: the strange sense of unease in her stomach, her worry over whether Roy would still donate the money, and where Dante had gone.
She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to find Dante, but she thought, maybe, she could settle the uncertainty about Roy sooner rather than later.
“Thank you, Tai, I’d really appreciate that,” Mercy said. “I’m gonna call Roy before it gets any later – see when I can get him the proposals and if he’ll agree to meet Jessa and Jimmy. You don’t think it’s too late to call him, do you?”
Tai shook her head. “Nah – these business types don’t sleep, do they? He’s probably still up wheeling and dealing, telling his secretary to get Australia on the phone, sipping expensive scotch, ordering room service lobster –”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Mercy laughed. “I’ll give him a call. Maybe he’ll have time to see me on Saturday.”
Chapter Nine
Mercy
Saturday was out of the question, Roy had insisted when Mercy called him.
Come over tonight, he’d said. The proposals are important. I want to get the ball rolling on this as quickly as possible.
He hadn’t minded at all when Mercy had told him she’d need at least an hour to clean herself up after her shift and
drive over there – she supposed perhaps Tai had been right when she’d said that business tycoon types didn’t care about sleep. She’d pushed aside her misgivings and agreed.
Swallowing as she drove to the hotel now, she wondered if she’d made the right choice. Bondsville, though it neighbored Hainesville, was much, much more affluent – the two towns were only divided by a small river, but that, apparently, made all the difference. Mercy’s beat-up Corolla couldn’t have looked more out of place on the streets of Bondsville, lined as they were with large, impressive houses with manicured lawns, and Lexuses and BMWs parked in their driveways.
Mercy didn’t usually let herself feel self-conscious or intimidated around money. It didn’t mean anything – it just meant some people had drawn a better hand in life than she and the people she knew had, and she wasn’t ashamed of where she came from. But right now, she would have been lying if she’d said she wasn’t feeling just a little bit uncomfortable.
Was she really going to drive her tiny, crappy little car right up to the Bondsville Plaza Hotel and ask the valet to park it? Was she really going to go into the foyer in her old clothes – the nicest pencil skirt and blouse she owned and a dark blue blazer, but still old – and tell the receptionist she was here to see Roy Wilmore in his suite?
Yes I am, damn it.
Mercy nodded to herself, not caring if she looked silly. She had as much right to be here as anyone else. And she wasn’t about to be intimidated by anyone, just because they had some money in the bank.
The hotel came into view as she took a left, driving past some upscale restaurants and fashion boutiques. They were a world away from the shopping strip Mercy’s Kitchen belonged to. It was hard to believe she’d only been driving for about forty-five minutes.
Taking a deep breath, Mercy steeled herself for the looks she expected to get as she pulled up out the front of the Bondsville Plaza. The valet and baggage handlers did look a little... surprised, she supposed was the word when she pulled up, but one of them still hurried over to open the door for her as she stopped.
She got out of the car, handing over her keys when the valet asked for them. He took off quickly, probably hoping to get her car out of sight as fast as he could, Mercy thought wryly. The doorman held the entrance open for her, greeting her good evening, and then, Mercy was inside.
She’d never been in a place like this before – golden marble floors, chandeliers that seemed to drip crystals, and ornate furniture arranged by massive potted ferns. She could hear a fountain burbling somewhere nearby, though she couldn’t see it. And there, standing in the middle of it all was Roy Wilmore, her high school sweetheart, wearing a dark blue suit and talking on his cell phone.
His eyes zeroed in on her almost immediately and he gave her a small wave and a half-smile, before gesturing her over.
“... No, I have to go. I have an important meeting. I’ll speak to you soon.”
Mercy caught the last few words of Roy’s conversation before he hung up, sliding the phone into his pocket with a smooth motion.
“Mercy,” he said as she reached him. “You look stunning.”
She resisted the urge to contradict him – yeah, she was wearing her best clothes, but she knew that compared with the beautiful people swanking around this foyer on their way out to dinners that probably cost more than she made in a month, she looked completely blah. But it wasn’t even remotely important: looking fancy wasn’t why she was here.
“Thanks,” she said instead. “I’m really glad you could meet me tonight. I know it’s late.”
Roy waved a hand dismissively. “It’s not late for me. Business runs to its own timetable. And in any case, I always have time for you.”
Mercy couldn’t help but smile. Roy might have changed since she’d known him, and she might still have been a little angry with him for revealing Dante’s criminal record the way he had, but she did hope they could be friends – if Roy was as interested in her work helping out his old hometown as he said he was, then that was a solid basis for it.
“I have the proposals we discussed,” she said, deciding it would be best to get straight down to it. “Is there somewhere we can talk about it?”
“How about we go up to my suite?” Roy said. “I can read through them in peace there and ask you any questions I might have. Or we could have dinner first – have you eaten?”
Mercy hesitated. She hadn’t, but she recalled Roy’s invitation of earlier, and decided it would be better not to give him the wrong idea. This was strictly business. “I think you should look at the proposals first,” she said. “Maybe we could go to a conference room or something like that?”
“I’ve been doing all my business from my suite,” Roy said, sounding faintly amused. “It’s several rooms – we can just stay in the office. I promise you it’s nothing untoward. People have been coming up there to see me all day.”
Mercy wanted to tell him she’d prefer not to, but then, everything he said sounded reasonable. Why would he have booked a suite, if it wasn’t perfectly normal for people like him to do business from it? It was a world so far removed from her own that she didn’t feel like she could question it – and she really wanted to show Roy what Jessa and Jimmy had given her. Especially since she’d told him to get out of her restaurant earlier. She could have blown everything for everyone by being so impulsive.
“Okay, sure,” she said. “Let’s go up.”
Roy’s suite, once they arrived in it, was even more sumptuous than she’d been expecting: the carpet was thick and cream-colored, and shimmering gold curtains hung over the arched windows that looked out over Bondsville. Beautiful ornate furniture dotted the room, and crystal chandeliers, miniature versions of the massive ones in the foyer, hung from the ceiling.
Mercy swallowed, consciously willing herself not to feel out of place.
“Can I fix you a drink?” Roy asked as he closed the door behind them.
Mercy shook her head. “No thanks. I don’t drink.”
“Sensible choice.” Roy smiled. “But let me know if I can get you something else – juice, soda, whatever you like.”
“I’m really fine, Roy, but I appreciate the offer.”
Roy laughed lightly. “You haven’t changed, Mercy – I should have known. You always had focus like a laser. Well, let’s see those proposals, then.”
Gratefully, Mercy reached into her purse, pulling out the papers and unfolding them. “If you have any questions, I’ll be able to answer them,” Mercy said as she handed them to Roy. “I’ve worked with Jessa and Jimmy for years. I can set up a meeting as soon as you like, if you’re impressed by what they say here – and I know you will be.”
Roy nodded, his eyes flickering down the first page of Jessa’s proposal. “I’m impressed, Mercy,” he said. “You clearly know what you’re doing.”
“I don’t want you thinking we’re some kind of two-bit operation who don’t know how to handle our funds,” Mercy said. “If you decide to go ahead with this, every cent will be accounted for – you’ll know exactly where your money is going, and it’ll all be toward helping the community. I can guarantee that.”
“I trust you, Mercy. I know you’re a person of integrity.” Roy was skimming over the page, nodding to himself, until his cell phone went off in his pocket. He grimaced, taking it out to look at it. “Damn. I have to take this,” he said. “I’m sorry. Like I said, business runs to its own timetable. Make yourself at home in the meantime.”
Roy turned away, hurrying into another part of the suite as he answered the call, leaving Mercy standing in the middle of the luxurious lounge area.
Swallowing, she looked around. Make yourself at home, Roy had said – as if the furniture in this room didn’t look so pristine and expensive that Mercy was almost afraid to sit down on it!
In the end, Mercy went over to the windows, looking out over the lights of the town. The view really was beautiful – she could see the main shopping and dining strip from up here, bathed
in the amber streetlights, and alongside that the expansive parklands that stretched out by the river that separated Bondsville and Hainesville. Just a small body of water, and yet, it may as well have been another world.
It’s my world, though, Mercy thought, suddenly feeling fiercely protective of it. It may not be beautiful or fancy, but it’s filled with good people, kind people, people who deserve more than what they have.
Mercy bit her lip, a sudden feeling of loss sweeping through her. Was Dante still there, somewhere on the streets of her hometown? Would she be able to find him if she went looking for him again tomorrow?
Absurdly, she had the sudden, uncanny feeling that she needed to be outside right now – that somehow, without the barrier of the glass between them she’d somehow be able to know where Dante was. It was a stupid thought, of course – that was impossible. Her psychic powers were leaving it a little late to manifest.
But the thought wouldn’t leave her. Glancing down, Mercy realized the vast floor-to-ceiling window was actually a door, the handle concealed behind the flowing curtains. She raised her hand to it, then hesitated.
Well, why the hell not? Roy had told her to make herself at home – the night was a little cool, but she could always say she just wanted to get some fresh air on the balcony. She opened the door.
What she’d thought was a balcony was actually more along the lines of a terrace, she now realized – outdoor furniture that was somehow just as ornate as the indoor stuff surrounded a low table, and pots overflowing with lush greenery lined the railing.
Mercy took a deep breath. She’d been able to focus when she’d been talking to Roy, but now that she was alone again, the roiling feeling of unease inside her was back. Frustrated, she shook her head, stepping out into the cool night air. She needed to keep a clear mind.
She walked across the stone terrace, frowning at herself. Dante was a grown man, and he could clearly handle himself. While she didn’t like how they had left things, it was absurd for her to be this worried about him... or was it?
