Chapter 2-Part 2
Friday nights were especially busy lately. The TGIF specials that Moreno's offered for happy hour brought in enough business to carry over into the late hours. The newly remodeled sports-bar area with the state-of-the-art flat screens also helped. Sal had hoped to get another bartender hired by this weekend. Unfortunately, the only person he'd interviewed that was even remotely qualified was the Zendejas girl.
Of course, Alex thought Sal was overreacting about her lying on her application. He actually laughed when Sal told him about the other two strikes against her. No matter how trivial Alex thought it was, Sal wasn't having it. If she was bold enough to lie about her age, no telling what else she'd be willing to lie about. The last thing he needed was to bring someone into the family business with integrity issues.
Truth was he'd wasted way too much time already thinking about Ms. Zendejas. He'd actually gone back to read her résumé several more times. He'd even considered calling her and asking straight out why she lied, but something told him not to. It was probably better that he just let it go. At twenty-one, she couldn't have much experience anyway, so what difference would it make?
Sal sat back and chewed the end of his pen. With that cute little accent and those hypnotic eyes, she'd be more of a distraction than any help. Nope. He threw her résumé back in the desk file. He was done thinking about her.
"I hope you have some more interviews lined up for today, Sal." Alex stalked into the back office. "I'm staying tonight to help out at the bar. Luis called in sick again, and we were already short."
Sal winced. The one day he had to leave early, their best bartender calls in sick. "I got a few interviews lined up today." He turned to Alex, who was busy tying an apron around his waist. "Two of them are for the cook positions. One actually has some experience."
Alex looked up at him with a frown. "What about the other one?"
Sal shook his head. "Not much, but we'll see."
Oscar, one of their newer waiters, flew in the back and stopped when he saw Sal. "Suit and tie again, Sal?" he smirked. "What are you all dolled up for this time?"
Sal had gone against his own rules and hired a friend. Oscar had attended college with Sal for a while, until he got a girl pregnant and had to drop out to work full-time. Sal always knew women would be Oscar's failing. He went through them like the restaurant went through beans and rice.
There was no way Oscar and this girl would last, even with a baby. Oscar always thought with the wrong head. So, of course, things ended badly between him and the girl. Oscar's parents said they'd help him out financially if he went back to school. Having a baby wasn't cheap, though. He still needed to bring in some more money. That's when Sal stepped up and offered to let him work at the restaurant part-time.
"I got a meeting with some investors today."
Oscar continued to gawk, amused. "Ah, so that's what's up with the power suits these days."
"Nah," Alex added with a smirk. "I think he just likes intimidating potential new hires."
Oscar started putting on his apron. "Yep, I was totally intimidated when he interviewed me."
Alex chuckled. Sal rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you two comedians be out there already? I thought we were busy."
Oscar pretended to crack a whip. "See what I mean?" He grinned at Sal. "I'm getting all intimidated again."
Oscar and Alex walked out of the back office, but not before adding a few more wisecracks at Sal's expense.
By that afternoon, Sal had finally hired a new cook, but he wasn't entirely sure about it. There was one potential bartender, but the idiot had forgotten to bring in his certification; otherwise, Sal might have had another one ready to hire. He knew Alex was getting desperate for help. The guy's résumé looked great, but then so had Graciela's. Sal frowned before dropping the files on the desk in the back.
He grabbed his cell off the desk and rushed out.
"Did you hire anyone?" Alex asked, as he rushed by him.
"We got a cook." Sal winked, walking backwards. "And maybe a bartender, but he needs to bring in his credentials. I'll get back as soon as this meeting is over to help out."
Alex didn't exactly look thrilled, but the relentless scowl softened. Any business owner would feel giddy about the amount of cars Sal saw waiting to make a left turn into their parking lot. But Sal was beginning to worry about being able to handle the kind of business they were generating.
The investors he was meeting with today had mentioned the possibility of opening several more restaurants. He was having a hard enough time getting qualified employees for one restaurant. How in the world would he staff several more?
~*~
Three days had gone by since her interview at Moreno's and still no call. Grace could kick herself for not jumping at the offer of the bartending position. She was too wound up to appreciate the opportunity Sal had offered. This was the closest she'd been to possibly getting her feet into a kitchen at a restaurant of that caliber.
She thought about calling but decided it was best if she spoke with him face-to-face, maybe even apologize for her attitude that day. She'd been so frustrated from all the rejections everywhere else that she let it out on him.
The restaurant was not surprisingly busy when she arrived. She'd heard so much about it over the years, but she'd never had the pleasure of eating there herself. The hostess, who obviously didn't recognize her from the day of the interview, motioned for her to give her a second. She was busy getting a large group to their table.
Grace glanced around, looking for Sal. The restaurant was amazing. She was so riled up the day of the interview, she'd hardly had time to take it all in. The dramatic arches and all the artwork that adorned the walls reminded her so much of Mexico. It was genuinely true to the culture, unlike some of the cheesier restaurants she'd been to. The decoration was tasteful and not overdone.
As she wandered through one of the archways into the main dining area, she was drawn to one of the painted murals on the brick wall—an older Mexican woman making handmade tortillas. Immediately it brought a lump to her throat. She missed her grandmother terribly. Grace tried to shake off the overwhelming emotion. She hadn't allowed herself to become emotional over her grandmother's or her father's deaths in years, and this was definitely not the time or place.
The sudden dread of not being able to hold it together made her spin around and head back to the door. In her haste, she didn't even see the waiter behind her and collided with him.
"Whoa, sorry, are you okay?" He pulled the tray he was holding away from her so he wouldn't spill anything on her.
"I'm so sorry." She felt like a fool. "I didn't—"
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." The waiter looked over her shoulder and smirked. "You just had to be watching, didn't you?"
Grace turned to see who he was talking to. A guy who looked just like Sal, only with twice the brawn, was trying not to smile. The undeniable Moreno dimples she'd heard so much about gave him away. He had to be one of the other brothers. Well, the girls had certainly been right about the looks running in this family. So far, the first two brothers she'd met had fit the gushing descriptions right on.
Maybe she'd have better luck with this brother. As big and daunting as he looked, seeing him have a good time with the waiter already gave her hope that he wouldn't be as uptight as Sal.
"You sure you're okay, sweetheart?" he asked as he approached her.
"I'm fine," she smiled, even though she wasn't sure she liked the term of endearment. "It was my fault actually."
"Nope." He shook his head. "Here at Moreno's, the customer is always right. I apologize for my klutzy waiter."
The waiter rolled his eyes. "I already apologized."
"It's okay, really. I'm not even a customer."
With an eyebrow raised, he held out his hand. "Okay, I'm Alex." She shook his hand. "I run the restaurant. What can I do for you?"
The waiter she'd nearly knocked over nodded at her before walking away in a hurry. She glanced at him, then back at Alex. "I, uh, was here the other day for an interview." Her stomach churned. "Sal, I believe he's your brother?"
Alex nodded but said nothing.
"He said there were immediate openings for bartenders. I'm certified and have a few years' experience. He said he'd call me after he talked to you. I was just wondering ... "
Alex's lips curved into a slow smile. "Yeah, he mentioned something like that. Is it okay if we talk over here?" He motioned toward the bar area.
She nodded and followed him through the busy restaurant. Alex turned back as he walked. "What was your name again?"
"Graciela," she said quickly then added, "Zendejas. Graciela Zendejas."
He smiled even bigger. "Yeah, you're the one."
"What does that mean?" She tried not to sound as defensive as she felt.
"You're the one he mentioned," he said, taking a seat at the bar.
Humor danced in Alex's eyes, making Grace wonder just what the hell Sal had mentioned. She crossed her arms in front of her, feeling her cheeks warm.
Alex didn't seem fazed at all by her glaring eyes. Instead, he smirked, leaning an elbow on the bar. "Tell me something. How does someone who just turned twenty-one, have any experience in bartending?"
Grace didn't flinch. With her arms still tightly wound in front of her, she shifted her weight and responded. "I used to live in El Paso. The bartending age in Texas is eighteen." She lifted her chin, trying not to think about the fact that they caught the age difference. "I've also done a lot of bartending over the border in Mexico."
For once, he stopped smirking, and she seemed to have his attention. "So you really know how to bartend?"
"Yes." Grace felt an ounce of hope creep in.
"Can you make Mojitos?"
She almost laughed. "I've been making them since I was a kid."
He stood up off the stool. "You're kidding?"
"No." Her eyes followed him as he walked around the bar. "I can make anything you want me to."
"C'mere." He pulled out a few glasses out from the cabinet.
She did as he asked and walked around the bar.
Alex reached into the small fridge under the counter and pulled out a peach. "Make me a peach Mojito, a Cadillac Margarita, and a Piña Colada." He stepped back, eyeing her. This time he crossed his big arms.
Grace glanced at the large tray at the bar with everything else she'd need for garnish and smiled. "Coming right up."
Within a few minutes, the drinks were ready, and she waved her hands over them. "There you go."
Alex tasted them one by one without a change in his unreadable expression. When he finished tasting the last and most important one—the Mojito—he smiled. She'd heard about the peach Mojitos from Moreno's. They were supposedly the best in town.
"When can you start?"
Her mouth fell open, but she regained her composure as quickly as she could. She couldn't however help the silly smile. "Are you serious?"
"Hell, yeah." He took another sip of the Mojito. "This is damn good." After another sip of the margarita, he eyed her. "But first you have to explain why you lied about your age on your application, or my brother is gonna have a cow."
She took a deep breath. "Mr. Moreno—"
"What?" He scoffed. "Call me Alex, will you?"
He must've seen the apprehension in her eyes because he added with a smile, revealing those deep dimples again. "It is my name."
"Okay, Alex, if you're impressed by the drinks I just made, I promise you my cooking will impress you even more." She leaned against the counter. "The problem is no one ever takes me seriously because of my age." She glanced down at her feet, not wanting to make eye contact. "I was going to come clean about my age. I swear. I just wanted to have the chance to prove myself first." She crossed her arms again. "Since I wasn't applying for the bartending position, I totally forgot about my birthday on the bartending certificate."
When she glanced up at Alex, she was expecting to see disapproval. Instead, he smiled. "Well, if your cooking is anywhere near as good as your bartending skills, I'd be willing to give you a chance."
Her hands flew to her face, and she stood up straight. "Really?"
"I can't hire you as a cook, sweetheart," he added quickly. "My brother's gonna have a hard enough time with me hiring you as a bartender. But once you're in, I'll give you a shot in the kitchen. I'm actually curious now."
Grace fought the inappropriate urge to hug him. "Thank you so much!"
"Any chance you can start today?"
"Yes!" She didn't even know what the pay was, but she felt ecstatic. "I can start now."
After giving her a shirt with the restaurant'slogo and an apron, Alex excused himself to call his wife. He handed her off toMelanie, one of the other bartenders, to show her around. This was completelyunexpected, but Grace was determined to make him proud. She had to. Finally, shehad a chance to get in the kitchen of a worthwhile restaurant and her only hopeof ever getting her own restaurant someday.
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