“At first sight? I didn’t think that was possible.”
“Oh, believe me, it is.”
“I’m not even going to lie, it was lust with Mark. The man is gorgeous.”
“I’m sure he is.”
“But after getting to know him, he’s so much more than a handsome face. He’s intelligent, ambitious, and generous. He’s someone I can see a future with; but now, that’s probably just a dream.”
“It doesn’t have to be. If you love, you should fight for him. Just give him time to figure everything out.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
Vivica smiled and got up to went into the kitchen.
"Is that what you did with my dad? I know it took some time for him to let you into his life.”
“Boy, did it, but I didn’t give up. I knew he'd gone through a lot with your mother, so I never pushed him into a relationship. I gave him time to heal from his first marriage so he could move on.”
“Can I ask a question?”
“Sure, hun.”
“Has my dad ever talked about my mom? Well, I’m sure he has, but what did he say about her?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did she really just walk out on him without an explanation, or was there a reason behind it?”
Vivica's eyes shifted as she wiped her hands on her jeans. That’s when I knew there was more to the story.
“That’s true, Vanessa; she just packed up and left.”
“But there’s more to the story, isn’t it?”
“Why are you asking this? You've never really cared before.”
“I’m just curious, Vivica. What has my dad been keeping from me?”
“Vanessa, just let it stay in the past, please.”
“If something else happened, I have a right to know.”
Vivica took a deep breath. “Your father’s been in contact with your mother for years. She's been wanting to see you, but he wouldn’t allow it. He figured that since she walked out on you, she didn’t have the right to see you.”
“What?” I whispered. I couldn’t believe what I'd just heard. I get why my dad kept this info from me, but it wasn’t his place to keep my mother away.
“How long has she been trying to contact me?”
“Since she left. The first time was when she requested a divorce. She wanted you to meet her fiancé. She kept trying throughout the years, but your dad never allowed it.”
“So when my dad denied the requests, she just gave up?”
Vivica closed her eyes and sighed.
“What happened to my mom, Vivica?”
“I really think you need to talk to your dad about this.”
“You think he would tell me? He hasn’t after all of these years.”
“Because he figured it should stay in the past. She walked out on you, so she didn’t deserve to be back in your life.”
“That wasn’t my dad’s place to decide, and it certainly wasn’t yours.”
Vivica looked hurt, and I realized what I'd just said. “I didn’t mean it, Vivica. You’ve been more of a mother to me than she has. And you’re right, she didn’t deserved a second chance, but my dad should have told me that she wanted to contact me so I could have decided if I wanted to see her. But I still need to know what happened.”
It took Vivica a moment to speak. I already knew what happened, but I needed to hear it from her.
“She passed away seven years ago, Vanessa. You dad was going to tell you that she wanted to see you; he thought you were grown enough to handle it, especially since you were graduating from college. She passed the day before your graduation.”
Vivica sat back down, and I was speechless.
“From what?” I managed to ask.
“Ovarian cancer. Her husband called your dad to tell him. He didn’t want to tell you since it was your graduation. He didn’t want to ruin it.”
“Yet, he kept it a secret for seven years.”
“He felt there was no point in telling you, especially since you couldn’t contact her.”
“I can’t believe he would do this.”
“He did it because he loves you and didn’t want you to get your hopes up. He didn't want you to meet her and then she walk out on you again.”
“But that wasn’t his place!” I exclaimed.
I grabbed my purse and headed to the door.
“Where are you going, Vanessa?!”
“I can't stay here. I just need some time alone.”
I went outside and got in my car. Tears ran down my cheeks, and I took a deep breath. With everything that I'd just learned, I needed a drink, and I really wanted to see Mark, but that wasn’t going to happen. So, a drink would have to do.
Thirty minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the Hotel Derek. There bar was always good for drinks. And if I got drunk, I could always get a room and crash.
I walked up to the bar and immediately ordered a vodka cranberry. I looked over and saw Dominic sitting a few stools over with a drink in his hand. He looked over and nodded. I smiled slightly as he came over to me.
"Bad day?" he asked sarcastically.
I smiled wider, and he chuckled.
“Seriously, how are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine, considering. What about you?”
He took a sip of his drink and sighed. “In pure hell. This is my living arrangement for the time being.”
“I hope I’m not being too personal, but why do you do it?” I asked.
“Do what?”
“Cheat. You've practically screwed every woman at Suds.”
“That’s not true. I haven't screwed any of the cashiers, not you either,” he said while eyeing me. I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him, and he smiled.
“Trust me, I never thought about it.”
“That’s good to know.”
“But to answer your question, Elena and I always had our share of problems. I think we were just meant to be together to argue.”
“So why did you get married?”
“Because of our kids. Neither of us wanted them to be without both parents.”
“You know you’re hurting them more by staying together, right? I’m sure they know about the fighting and your appetite for women.”
“We keep the arguing to a minimum around them.”
“Well, if they didn’t know before, they know now since you're staying here.”
“I chose to leave. I couldn’t do it with her anymore. I just need to figure things out right now.”
“That’s everyone’s story right now.”
“So, you and Mark. I didn’t see that coming,” he said and chuckled.
I sighed and looked at the liquor bottles lining the wall.
“I can say this much: You really are good for him.”
I turned to him. “You think so?”
“He became a different person, Vanessa. You contributed to that.”
“Now he probably doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“He does; he's just been lied to so many times, and he can’t handle anymore bad news.”
“I never meant to hurt him.”
“Sometimes, we do things with good intentions, but it’s not actually good. But things will work out for you.”
“How are you so sure?”
Dominic shrugged. “I'm not; I’m just hopeful that it will.”
I swirled my straw in the glass and took a long breath. “Mark was supposed to help me with my Spanish this week. I have an interview with a PR firm on Thursday.”
“Aww, are you trying to leave Suds?”
I smiled. “You knew I would eventually. Besides, since Avery is the new owner of Harrison, I won’t have a job anyway, especially since Maya will be the new office manager.”
“Oh, ye of little faith. Maya wouldn’t know what to do in that position. She’ll quit before she even starts.”
“Maya is a lot smarter than you think.”
“She’s not that smart if she�
��s sleeping around with Avery.”
“Oh, that’s to get ahead. You might know a thing or two about that.”
He looked at me. “Touché.”
“Anyway, I still need help practicing my Spanish, and since you’re here –”
“Say no more. I don’t have anything to do.”
I smiled. “Great. We can start now.”
“We can, in my room.”
I glared at him, and he laughed. “Don’t flatter yourself; it’s not like that. It’s too noisy down here to have a conversation, so my room will be better.”
“Okay, lead the way.”
We got up, and he put a hand on my lower back to guide me. As we walked to the elevator, I had a feeling someone was watching us. I let the feeling go and stepped onto the elevator. I had to be focused so I could land this job on Thursday.
Mark
Two week later, and I was back at Suds. I'd decided to take some time off and get my mind right. It gave me time to concentrate on the restaurant, and Victor and I hired a few employees for the wait staff and the kitchen. I even worked on a few menu items, which my siblings appreciated. Actually, cooking had become therapeutic since I was able to keep my hands busy. That way, I wouldn’t have to worry about wanting to beat Enrique’s ass. I know it’s wrong of me to think about hurting my dad, but there’s been a lot of animosity between us that I knew would eventually boil over.
I stood in one of the lanes waiting for a customer to arrive when I saw Carmen’s BMW X5 pull up. She got out and motioned for me to come inside. I told Dwayne, the new salesperson, I’d be back and went inside. I walked towards the office and noticed Vanessa at the counter ringing up a customer. I didn’t even know she was at work. She looked over, and our eyes met. She quickly looked away as I opened the door to see Carmen and Rosario seated at the conference table.
“What's going on?” I asked, taking a seat beside Rosario.
“For the past two weeks, I’ve been trying to find a way to oust Avery. We cannot let that man be a part of this company in any way,” Carmen stated.
“I agree. So what’s your plan?” I asked.
“I know he’s doing something illegal and is possibly using Suds as a front.”
“Why would you think that?” Rosario asked.
“Because he specifically asked for this location. You would think he'd want the entire company, not just one store.”
“She has a point,” I said, turning to Rosario.
“That’s why I asked Vanessa to join us. She found out a few things from Maya about Avery’s activities. And, of course, it was unintentional,” Carmen explained.
I sighed as Carmen called Vanessa to come in. She opened the door and gave everyone a sweet smile.
“Hey, Vanessa; take a seat by Mark, please,” Carmen suggested with a smile.
I looked at her, wondering what she was doing as Vanessa sat beside me.
“Okay, Vanessa, spill what Maya's told you.”
“Well, it’s not really what Maya said; she just mentioned that there have been a couple of incidents after hours, but no one would know since Avery turns the cameras off.”
“And why would she give you this information? She doesn’t like you,” I pointed out.
“I overheard it. She was talking loudly in Spanish about Avery. I was able to pick up on some of the conversation. Well, Dominic was.”
I tilted my head, wondering how Dominic played a part in the conversation. I’d heard from one employee that he saw the two outside of Hotel Derek. I wasn't sure what that was about, but since we were taking a break, that wasn’t my problem. I just hoped Elena didn’t see them, too.
“It must be major if he's turning off the cameras,” Carmen said, bringing my attention back to the moment. “And why hasn't Papa noticed?”
“Do you know if he even looks at the cameras after hours?” Vanessa asked.
“Not really. I do, but I'm logged off during a certain period,” Rosario explained.
“If he’s bold enough to have sex here, then he’s capable of anything. We just need to find out from Maya what it is,” Carmen said.
“Like she’ll tell any of us. We used to talk a lot outside of the store, but now anymore,” Rosario replied.
“Rosario, I don't want you to think your job is in jeopardy. We’re committed to getting Avery out of here, so you have nothing to worry about.”
Rosario nodded. “Thank you. I know I haven't been the easiest to get along with.”
No one spoke on that comment, and Rosario smiled. “It’s okay, everyone. I know I can be a bitch sometimes, but I have to be in this line of work. You should know that, Vanessa.”
“It's true.”
“I have to be strong to keep the clerical aspect of the company going. If not, then it’ll be chaotic like everything else around here.”
“And you’ve done a wonderful job, Rosario. We appreciate everything you’ve done for Suds,” Carmen complimented.
“But we all have to be on the same page. We have to do this, not only for the sake of Suds, but for the Fernandez family. It’s only right,” she added.
I looked at Vanessa, who quickly looked away.
“Okay, now that’s done, I’m going to bring Maya in here so I can pry this info out of her,” Carmen told us.
“Well, good luck sis; you’re on your own with that,” I said and got up.
Vanessa stood up as well, and our shoulders brushed against each other. We looked at each other for a second until Vanessa walked out of the office.
“Vanessa, wait.”
She turned around and looked at me. Wow, she was beautiful. It had only been two weeks, but I missed her so much.
“What is it, Mark?”
“Can we talk?”
“I really have to get back to work –”
“Vanessa, please.”
“But –”
“Everyone already knows about us, so there’s no point in hiding it. We really need to talk.”
Vanessa sighed and followed me to the break room. I could feel the stares of several employees as I took her hand. I really didn’t care if we were the trending topic at Suds; I just needed to talk to Vanessa.
We walked inside, and I closed the door. I looked at her, still admiring her beauty. She looked uncomfortable as she crossed her arms.
“What do you want, Mark?”
“I just wanted to see if you were okay. I know we haven’t talked –”
She interrupted me, “You needed space, remember?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I knew this conversation wasn’t going to be easy.
“V, I need to ask a question.”
“Okay, what is it? I have to work.”
“What’s the rush?”
“Two weeks ago, you didn’t want anything to do with me, and now, you want to have a conversation with me,”
“It’s because of what happened with my dad and Simone. Just because I felt that way then doesn’t mean I didn’t want to be with you. I just needed time to sort everything out.”
“Whatever; what do you want?”
I scoffed, and Vanessa gave me a look reading “get to it.”
“It’s about you and Dominic. Are you two seeing each other?”
She looked at me then started laughing. I watched her bring a hand to her chest.
“I’m glad you find this funny.”
“I’m laughing because you’re being ridiculous! Who even told you that?”
“I just heard some rumors, that’s all. Someone saw you two out. ”
“That’s because I was getting a drink, and I saw Dominic there. We talked, I told him about my interview, so he helped me with my Spanish. That’s all that happened.”
“You went up to his room.”
“Wow, so you just assume that I slept with him. Is that where you’re trying to go with this question?”
“I just need to know.”
Into You Page 20
