Down to Business (Business Series)

by Alexander, J. C.

  “Do you suddenly need Jesus?” I asked when he leaned over to grab his glasses from the glove box.

  “No,” he said with a half-laugh. “Why?”

  I motioned to the necklace and he blinked at it as if he didn’t realize it was there until then.

  “Jesus,” he sighed. “Viv must have put that up there. He reached up and gently pulled it down, setting it in the cup holder. “It belongs to her. I used to have it up there when we were dating. She may not look it but she’s pretty religious.”

  Could have fooled me.

  I put my seat belt on and looked over to see him scoff at a picture in his hand. She had also managed to tuck a picture of them in his glasses case. He stared at it a moment before putting it in the glove box and closing it.

  “Wow she is trying hard isn’t she?”

  He reversed out of the parking spot. “Yeah, seems like it.”

  I played with the zipper on my purse as we headed for the freeway. “Do you think you’ll get back together?”

  “I don’t think so.” he rested his wrist on top of the wheel and looked over at me. “I don’t want to go through another breakup.”

  “How do you know you’d break up again?”

  “I just know. She would have to completely change her attitude about certain things and that won’t happen, so it won’t work.”

  “What bothers you about her?”

  “She doesn’t trust me. While we were dating, she worried that I was cheating on her every day. She is just really insecure. I was tired of being questioned if I didn’t call or text her when I said I would and I never had any privacy.”

  “How long were you dating?”

  “Our parents knew each other so she was always around. We went on a few dates because they forced us to, and I took her to prom in high school. Then we hooked up a few times my freshman year here at Adelphi, but we didn’t get into a serious relationship until this summer.”

  “Have you ever dated anyone else at Adelphi?”

  “Define date.”

  I smirked. “Have you slept with other girls?”

  “Well, yeah, but not while I was with her. She was the only serious relationship I’ve ever been in.”

  I looked over at him and blinked. “really?”

  He smiled. “Does that surprise you?”

  “Kind of. I assumed you’d have had like ten girlfriends by now. You could have any girl you want.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I’m actually a really private person. I don’t like how when you get into a relationship, the other person feels like they have to know everything about you and start getting all nosy…going through your phone, asking too many questions.”

  “Not all girls are like that.”

  I wouldn’t be like that…

  He shifted in his seat and removed his cell phone from his pocket, bringing it to his ear. “Hello?”

  I stared at him, trying to make out who it was.

  “I’m driving Autumn back to her apartment, then I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. Yep. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mom. Bye.”

  He hung up and looked over at me. “See what I mean? Even she’s always checking up on me.”

  “So you’re not going to hang out with Vivian tonight?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think so, I’m pretty tired.”

  Moments later, we pulled into the parking lot of Lindy’s apartment. I glanced over at him as the car came to a stop, his face barely visible in the darkness.

  “I know I’ve probably said it before, but you deserve better than her. You seem pretty trust worthy to me. If she can’t see that, then I wouldn’t waste time on her.”

  He looked over at me and smiled some. “I appreciate you saying that, Autumn.”

  “It’s true. Don’t settle for what everyone else thinks is best. Do what is right for you…” I offered him another small smile and swung the door open.

  His smile didn’t fade as he watched me go. “Have a good night.”

  “You too, Vinny, thanks for the ride,” I said before I closed the door. I waved to him before I went inside the apartment with high hopes that he would make the right choice about Vivian. I wasn’t about to give up hope that maybe someday, when he realized that I was right about her, maybe he would give me a chance.

  After two more nightshifts at Mazzolas and classes during the day, I was beat. Friday finally came and I could not wait for the weekend. Vivian and Vinny were both off the last two days I had worked, so I was able to do my job properly without distraction. Tina decided she wanted to keep me as a hostess so it was just Suz and I both days, and we worked really well together. She was friendly and the complete opposite of Vivian.

  Unfortunately, on Friday evenings Suz was off and Vivian was there to replace her.

  My heart sunk the moment I walked out on the floor and spotted Vivian behind the counter. Her dark brown eyes widened under heavy lashes when I stepped up beside her.

  “You’re working up here again?”

  “Yeah, Tina decided she needed a hostess more than a server.” I said with a fake smile.

  “Oh, okay… well…” she glanced down at the seating chart. “Can you seat the Martin party and see if any tables have opened?”

  “Sure,” I said, glad to be away from her. I grabbed some menus and called the party over.

  I sat them and checked the dining room, finding two tables available. I walked back to the stand, marked down the tables, and seated the next party while she watched me with a frown. Just as I was about to seat another party, I felt my cell phone vibrate in my pocket.

  I knew I wasn’t supposed to have it on me, but Suz told me that she kept her cell on her all the time. She said we would never get caught as long as we checked it discretely. I waited until I took the next guests to a table to check it and see who called. When I saw the missed call was from my mother, I frowned. She left a voicemail too. I wondered what she wanted. I just talked to her earlier in the afternoon and she knew I was at work. I walked back to the hostess stand to find Vivian taking a to-go order over the phone. I wrote her a note about taking a five-minute break and slid it in front of her. She nodded in response to me and I made my way out to the back alley behind the restaurant.

  I listened to the voicemail first. My mother sounded upset as she explained that my grandmother had slipped and fell on our front porch so she took her to the emergency room. I barely finished the voicemail before I was speed dialing her.

  She answered, her voice worn.

  “Mom. What’s happening?” I asked.

  “Grandma fell…”

  “Yeah I got that part. How is she? Did she break anything?”

  “She fell pretty hard and bumped her head. I tell her all the time to never walk outside without her cane, but she never listens! She slipped on the front porch and it looks like she fractured her wrist and her hip is bruised, not broken thank God. They have her doing a CAT scan right now to see if her head is okay. They will probably want to keep her overnight for more tests.”

  I frowned. “Do you need me to come home for the weekend and help out?”

  “No, I could never ask you to do that. Aren’t you at work?”

  “Yes, I took a quick break to call you.” I watched an alley cat scamper between two dumpsters.

  “We are fine right now. Your brother is here, I’ll be okay.”

  “Okay,” I said feeling guilt swell in my stomach. “Call me if you hear anything, and let me know the CAT scan results.”

  “I will honey, have a good night.”

  “Tell Grandma I love her and I hope she feels better.”

  “I will. I love you, Auti. Bye.”

  The line went dead and I touched my forehead. It was going to be an extra-long night after this news. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and walked back to the hostess stand to find Tina standing next to Vivian. When she saw me, her lips pulled into a tight line of displeasure.

  My stomach knotted. “Is
everything okay?”

  “Come with me Autumn,” Tina said, brushing past me and heading toward her office. I looked at Vivian for some sort of confirmation if I was in trouble. She smirked at me and turned away. My heart pounded with every step I took to Tina’s office. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, feeling like I was entering an interrogation room.

  She turned to me with her arms crossed. “Since when is it fine for you to take a break whenever you want without notifying anyone?”

  “What?” I asked, suddenly on the offense, “I didn’t—”

  “Vivian said you just walked off without saying anything. She called me for backup because she was so overwhelmed.”

  “I told her I was taking a five minute break. I had an emergency.”

  “What kind of emergency?” she asked, her voice skeptical.

  “My mother called,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “My grandma is in the hospital.”

  “And how were you notified of that?”

  I stared at her and a burst of heat exploded over my face. “She called me.”

  “At work? You know we don’t allow personal calls...” Her eyes drifted down to my pocket that had a small, obvious bulge. “Oh. So you brought your phone onto the floor with you?”

  “I forgot I had it.”

  She narrowed her eyes and shifted her hips. “Are you trying to get fired, Autumn?”

  “No.” I said, swallowing. “I thought Vivian saw my note about stepping out for a minute.”

  “This won’t happen again, because if it does, you’re fired. Consider this your first and only warning. Do we have an understanding?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good. Now go put your phone back in your locker and get back to work.” She walked past me, yanked open the office door, and glared at me. “I will be watching you, Autumn.”

  I marched past her and rolled my eyes, biting back my response about how she would be doing me a favor by firing me.

  I put my phone in my locker before I returned to the hostess stand to find Vivian flirting with one of the bus boys named Anton.

  “Hey Red, I heard you almost got fired.” Anton teased in his Spanish accent. Anton was from Cuba, and he had a slightly exotic island look to him with dark skin and even darker eyes. I also knew he also had a touch of man whore in him due to Suz catching me up on the behind the scenes gossip. Rumor had it that he had slept with most of the female servers.

  “I didn’t almost get fired,” I answered, glaring over at Vivian who was pretending to be arranging the seating chart. “I left Vivian a note.”

  She tapped her pen against her lips without looking up. “I didn’t see a note.”

  Instead of arguing, I just stepped around her and looked to Anton. “Table six needs cleared. They were leaving when I just walked through.”

  “Kay. I’ll call you later Vivi,” he said with a wink before he walked away.

  She smiled after him and then looked at me. “I’ll seat the guests from now on. Just stay here behind the counter. Tina might think you are sneaking off on a break again if you leave.”

  I sneered at her backside as she walked off to seat another party. When I turned back around, I was shocked to see Vinny step up to the counter and smile at me. He was wearing a maroon button down shirt and nice black slacks.

  “Hey, you,” I said in surprise, “Aren’t you off tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m here for a family dinner. It’s Uncle Tommy’s 70th birthday.”

  “Oh,” I said smiling as butterflies tickled my stomach, “You look handsome all dressed up.”

  He bowed his head in a bashful manner and examined his clothes. “Thanks.”

  “There you are…” Tina said, stepping up next to Vinny. “Uncle Tommy and Suz just called to say they are on the way. Your brother is late as usual. And cousin Reno and Deb should be walking in any second.”

  “Okay,” he answered, not taking his eyes off me. Self-conscious, I tucked some hair behind my ear and smiled.

  “How are your classes going?” he asked.

  “Good,” I said, rolling a pen between my palms.

  “There are tables open, Autumn. Seat the next guests.” Tina interrupted, looking between us.

  He gave the counter a pat and smiled at me. “See you Auti.”

  Regardless of Tina’s interruption, my heart skipped since he never called me Auti before. “Tell Uncle Tommy I said happy birthday.”

  I bit down on the end of my pen, unable to resist watching his butt as he walked away.

  “Why would you say hello to my brother?” Tina asked, with annoyance. “You’ve never met him.”

  “Actually I have,” I answered checking the guest waiting list and grabbing a few menus. “Vinny took me to visit him at the nursing home. We all watched Jeopardy and ate Italian food together.”

  I looked up to admire her look of surprise.

  “Your brother is really good at Jeopardy isn’t he?” I flashed her a mocking smile just as Suz stepped through the door with Uncle Tommy hobbling on her arm. She was dressed in a sequined black cocktail dress and open toed pumps that made her look even longer and leaner than she actually was. Uncle Tommy was wearing a grey suit and a fedora hat that made him look like a mobster.

  I was surprised when he looked up and recognized me. “Hey! Suz you didn’t tell me Vinny’s girlfriend works here. How are you doing sweetheart?” he asked, hobbling forward to grab my hand.

  A burst of heat flooded my face as he held my hand in his. “Oh um, I’m good, but I’m not his—”

  “She is not his girlfriend.” Vivian corrected, appearing out of nowhere with Vinny at her side.

  Vinny released a short laugh as he walked over to Uncle Tommy and me. “Happy Birthday Uncle Tommy, let’s get you to the table.”

  “I need some vino. Tina! Get me some vino!” he called out as Vinny walked him off.

  Tina stood stone faced behind the counter and rolled her eyes.

  “I’ll get it, Dad, just go sit down…” Suz called after him, whispering an apology as she walked past us.

  Tina groaned and followed Suz, Vinny, Tommy, and Vivian to the table and I was left to man the counter alone. As I was planning to seat another guest, I looked up to see another Mazzola family member step through the door with a gift in silver wrapping paper. He looked related to Vinny but he was older and about forty pounds heavier. His black hair was slicked back, giving his forehead prominence over his face.

  “I’m here for the Mazzola party,” he said with a New York accent, looking at me.

  “They are at the private table in the back...” I said pointing over my shoulder. “Did you need me to seat –”

  He didn’t give me time to finish my question before he headed for the table.

  I turned around to see Anton standing behind me. “Tina is going to fire you if she catches you up here.”

  “That’s Vinny’s brother, Jimmy.” Anton pointed out, glaring after him. “He’s a Wall Street banker. Rumor is he’s killed people for money and he’s in the mob. He’s a big fat prick.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that.” I said, updating the seating chart. I glanced up over just in time to see Vivian grab onto Vinny’s arm and laugh obnoxiously at something Uncle Tommy said. I gritted my teeth and looked over at Anton who was also staring at her.

  “Damn. Vivian has a culo to die for.” Anton noted and rubbed his lips together, watching her like she was a piece of meat.

  “Nice. Why don’t you do me a favor and tell her she needs to get her big culo back here and do her job.”

  He rubbed his chin and nodded. “I think I could do that.”

  I rolled my eyes and watched him saunter off toward the table. I seated another party before Vivian showed up, playing with her hair.

  “I need to take a quick break and make a phone call.” I said.

  “Another one?”

  “Yeah, another one. You’ll remember me telling you I’m taking one this time, right?”
>
  She smirked. “I’ll try.”

  I rolled my eyes and left the counter. After getting my cell phone out of my locker, I went to the outdoor patio area, which wasn’t being used. I saw that I missed a call from Lindy, so I called her back.

  “Hey what’s going on?” I asked, sitting down at one of the tables and folding my legs beneath me.

  “Nothing, I just got out of the shower. Tyler and I are going to a rush party tonight. You should come.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m really tired and I just got news that my gram fell and had to be taken to the hospital.”

  “Oh no! How bad is it?”

  “So far all they know is she fractured her wrist. I’m waiting on CAT-scan details.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “Yeah, I feel so bad I can’t be there.”

  “Don’t worry, your gram is a tough old woman.”

  “I know.” I covered a yawn with my palm and watched the non-stop traffic out on the street. “Have you heard anything about Tyler getting into Alpha Tau?”

  “Not yet, that’s why we are going tonight. He’s probably going to be hanging around his frat friends so I will be alone if you don’t come.”

  “I have been putting up with Vivian’s shit all night, the last thing I want to do is go to a party with a bunch of annoying drunks.”

  “Is she still being a bitch to you?”

  “Of course, but she also tried to get me fired. I got the call from my mother about my gram and I stepped outside for two-minutes to talk to her, and Vivian said I left the counter and never told her. Tina pulled me into her office and gave me a warning about leaving for a break without letting anyone know and then she caught me with my cell phone in my pocket. I was so annoyed. I know Vivian saw the note I left that said I was taking a break, but she claims she had no idea. Between her clinging to Vinny like a fucking monkey and trying to get me in trouble with Tina, I just want to quit.”

  “Just ignore her.”

  “How? I work right beside her. Were so close it’s an invasion of personal space.”

  “Don’t take her seriously. She’s a passive aggressive bitch.”