With a slight lift of her chin she began, “I’ve already apologized to Alex and now I’ll apologize to you. I’m sorry. I was only trying to make a point. But you’re right. A liar is not how I’d like to be perceived. I’m only grateful that Alex was kind enough to give me the opportunity to prove myself.”
He stared at her for a moment and she didn’t look away. Instead stared right back. She didn’t seem at all intimidated by him. In fact, he’d bet she added that last remark as a jab.
“There are still a few things we need to get taken care of.” He sat up and spun the chair around so he faced the computer. “We’ll need to run a background on you and do a drug screening.” He turned to face her. The dry expression hadn’t changed. In fact it seemed even more severe. “I’ll also need to verify your past employment. You know, the bartending experience.”
“You don’t believe I have experience—”
Sal held up his hand. “This is standard procedure, Grace. It has nothing to do with believing you, but to be fair you did already lie about one thing and—”
“First of all.” She stood up. “It’s Graciela. And second, I just apologized for that. Alex didn’t seem to mind. If you just give me a chance I can—”
“Have a seat, Graciela. Please.”
“I’d rather stand.”
What the hell happened to the smiley Graciela at the bar? The one that didn’t have a problem with Alex referring to her as Gracie. Here, Sal wasn’t even allowed to call her Grace?
He turned back to the computer trying to shake off the annoyance he felt. “You do realize my brother is married, right?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
He lifted his shoulder. “Just thought I’d mention. That’s all.”
He felt like an ass now for even saying it. It was unprofessional and completely out of line. But it just came out. The fact that she didn’t say more about his comment did not go unnoticed. Maybe it had come as an unpleasant surprise—one that rendered her speechless. He was suddenly grinding his teeth.
“Are we done here, Mr. Moreno?”
Sal turned around. “No, we’re not. And I thought I asked you to call me Sal.”
For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why his words came out so harsh. The expression on her face was that of obvious aversion—aversion to him. And he couldn’t say he blamed her. He was being a total dick. This was so out of character for him.
In a tone completely opposite to his, she asked, “What else do you need from me… Sal?” It was almost condescending.
“I’ll need references.” No he didn’t. What the hell was he doing? They’d never once asked for references from any of divfrom anthe other employees.
“References? Like from past employers?”
“Yeah.” Sal glanced at her. She chewed the corner of her lip. The disdainful expression was now replaced with a look of concern.
“If you can get them,” he added, feeling guilty. “It’s not a big a deal.”
“Because the restaurant I worked at last, went out of business and the manager there moved back to Mexico. My other jobs were all in El Paso but—”
“That’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
Sal gave her all the information on where to go to get the drug screening and she went back to work. Even after sitting in the back mulling over why the hell he’d behaved as he did, he still couldn’t figure it out. He finally chalked it up to his already dire mood from the meeting with the investors, and then the surprise of finding out Alex had gone ahead and hired her, even though he knew Sal’s apprehension about her—hired her on the spot no less.
He sulked in the back for hours getting the inventory sheets ready for that weekend. By closing time he couldn’t stand it anymore, he needed to talk to Graciela. The more he thought about it the worse he felt about his behavior. His comment about Alex had been completely uncalled for.
The restaurant was closed now and everyone was cleaning up when he walked out into the bar area. Melanie and Graciela were laughing about something as Melanie wiped down the bar and Graciela filled the dishwasher.
“That time again, ladies. We’re almost out of here.” Both girls turned to look at him. Melanie smiled while Graciela’s lips flat lined.
Graciela continued to put glasses in the dishwasher. Melanie’s attention was taken by Oscar, who brought her more receipts to put in the closing drawer. Sal took advantage of Melanie’s distraction and walked past her coming to a stop next to the dishwasher. Graciela glanced at him but said nothing.
“Look, I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. That’s not me.”
She stopped what she was doing but only for a moment and nodded her head. “No need to apologize. I know lying on my application was wrong and I get it. You don’t trust me. But I’m okay with it. I know I can prove myself to you and Alex and I will.”
“You don’t need to prove anything Grace—uh, Graciela,”
Her perpetual glare finally eased up a bit. “You can call me Grace.”
Feeling he’d made a small but significant bit of progress, he smiled. “Thank you, Grace. You don’t need to prove anything, just show up and do your job. That’s good enough for me.”
She chewed the corner of her lip like she had earlier in his office. This time he noticed how perfect her lips were. Like the kind you see in drawings. The top one perfectly arched, the bottom soft and round. Not wanting her to notice him staring at her lips, he brought his eyes back to hers. Just like the day of the interview, she wore no makeup and now that she was finally not glaring or crossing her eyes at him, he could appreciate how pretty they were.
“Alex said he’d give me a shot in the kitchen… ” She glanced away.
“I said that, too. Remember?”
Something behind him suddenly got her attention and talk about a smile. Her eyes brightened in an instant. She almost seemed excited. Sal turned to see what it was. A guy with his hands against the window of the locked front door peered in. He smiled also when he saw her and he waved a hand holding keys.
“I’m all done here. Can I go now?”
Sal turned back to Grace who was already undoing her apron. “Sure.”
She rushed to the back room. Within minutes she walked out, purse in hand. Sal followed her to the door to unlock it. The second he opened the door she was in his arms. “Thank you so much for coming, Joey.”
Joey squeezed her tight. “Of course, sweetie. Anything for my Gracie.”
The guy was clean cut and bit too generous with the cologne. It wasn’t until he let go of Grace and she turned to say goodnight that Sal noticed how tight he was gripping the door handle. His knuckles had nearly gone white.
The guy glanced at him and smiled. Sal managed a smile before closing the door and locking it. He walked back to the office trying desperately to shake off the ridiculous unsettling tension he suddenly felt.
This entire day had been a roller coaster of emotions. From his frustration about the less than qualified applicants that morning, to the meeting gone wrong, to finding out Alex had gone against his wishes and hired Grace. Everything he felt when he saw Grace again was understandable. But what he felt now was infuriating because it made no sense—no sense at all.
CHAPTER 4
“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. Even went as far as to insinuate that I flirted with Alex to get the job.”
“No! HJoee 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 husband number four.
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 who looked thirtyish in a suit, 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 over-sized 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 he48"t come r 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. 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 ofv> re mont 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 Ruimeonsiderben 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.
Making You Mine (The Moreno Brothers 5) Page 4
