3D: Bocca Felice

“But, you promised,” Aubrey whined. She tried to cash in on his promise to come to the restaurant, but he declined.

“That was …” He exhaled every ounce of breath. “You’re gonna have to give me more than 15 minutes’ notice, Aubrey. Now I have to rearrange my schedule.”

Her eyebrow shot up and head cocked to the side. “Oh! Well, excuse me for being an inconvenience!”

He pointed his finger at her. “Stop putting words in my mouth!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t think it was a big deal because it’ll be short! I only wanted to show you the restaurant and meet the team! That’s it!”

“You could have lead with that! I’m gonna get dressed.”

“Can you be ready in 20?” she called after him.

“Yes, Aubrey.”

“Thanks, Sweetheart!”

Julio’s moods exhausted her. He kept his feelings so close to the vest, she never anticipated when he’d be upset. What was the big deal? He would work from home anyway.

“So, what do you think?” Aubrey asked.

“It’s beautiful. Kinda fancy.”

“Yeah! I wanted a less casual restaurant this time. Are you ready for the name?” Her grin was as wide as the horizon. “Bocca Felice!”

His eyes lit up. “Italian?”

She nodded. “You said it’s no big deal, but I know not taking your name upset you.”

“Aubrey-“

“You don’t have to pretend anymore, Julio. I understand how important it is, and you probably felt like I chose my family over yours. And, I kinda did. But, you’re my family too. And, I’m in your family. This restaurant business began as a Pruett thing, and it still is. But, I want you to be part of it too. So, I’m dedicating this one to you to honor your history.”

His smile was bright enough to light the room. “You didn’t have to do that.”

She grinned. “Too late! I’m proud to be married to you, Julio.”

The front door opened.

“Oh, uhhh, we can come back later if y’all need a minute,” Marshall, the chef, said.

Both their faces were as red as Aubrey’s sweater.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Nia, a server, said. “If I had a man half as guapo as him, I’d kiss him all over town!”

Aubrey and Julio laughed nervously. Sometimes, she admired people like Maya who loved PDA. They were so carefree, and it was attractive. But, whenever someone caught her being affectionate with Julio, she got embarrassed. Loving on him was something she wanted to keep private. Was there anything wrong with that?

“Thank you all for coming! As you probably know, this is my second restaurant. I learned from the first experience and will do what I can to set us up for success before we open. So, I thought we’d spend a few minutes today getting to know each other. Cool?”

Everyone agreed.

She wrapped her arm around Julio’s waist. “This is my husband, Julio Corleonesi! He’s my inspiration behind this restaurant.”

“Awwww,” they said.

“Do you want to say anything, babe?”

Babe? Where did that come from? Too much #Manveer time, probably.

His eyes narrowed like he thought it was weird too. Hopefully, they could just forget it happened. “It’s nice to meet you all. I’m sure you’ll love working for Aubrey.”

“I’m Marshall D. Colbert. No one calls me Marshall except my dear, sweet maw maw. Just call me D. I don’t mean to brag none, but I think you’ll like the food here, Mr. Italian. I am classically trained, and I studied abroad. Most of my time was in Italy. I had me an Italian girlfriend one time, and she said my food is legit.”

Everyone chuckled. Aubrey focused more time in the interview phase so the past did not repeat itself. She had to hire great people or she’d create a trend. If customers expected her restaurants to struggle in the beginning, they’d wait to visit. Or, even worse, they’d never visit. Her career would be over as quickly as it started. D had great energy and just the right amount of confidence. He wasn’t necessarily a funny guy, but he made her laugh. His resume was the first one she saw, and the interview went so well she wanted to hire him on the spot. The chemistry between them was amazing, and it felt like she had a partner this time and not an employee collecting a paycheck. Aubrey’s knowledge of Italian cuisine was not that strong, and she needed someone who could take the lead. Per Jonathan’s advice, she didn’t hire him right away but wished she would have because she compared all other candidates to him. After the last interview, she called him and made an offer at once.

“I can’t wait to try everything on the menu,” Julio said.

“I am Nia Bustos. If you can’t tell by my accent, I am from El Selvadorada. My family has had restaurants for many generations. I guess one could say I was born to serve!”

Aubrey hired her on the spot for she was the most qualified. Another reason she liked Nia was because of her attitude. Before the interviews began, Aubrey made a list of qualities she wanted to see in her new team. Eventually, she would leave them to move onto the next restaurant, so she had to ensure from the beginning the restaurant would be in good shape. She got lucky with Keegan and hired someone willing to go beyond the call of duty from the jump. Nia said she would help coworkers improve and train new ones if needed.

“I’m Rae Hilman. Nevermind what Rae is short for, heh. I like music, men, and a challenge! I’ve done many types of jobs, and hosting is fairly new to me but I am up for the challenge!”

“That’s good,” Aubrey said. “I wouldn’t have hired you if I didn’t think you’d be great.”

Rae had spunk. Her experience didn’t matter because hosting was a fairly simple job anyone could do once they learned the software. But, not everyone is cut out for the job. The host is the first person customers see when they arrive. They need to feel welcome and excited, and Rae could definitely make that happen.

Emilee cleared her throat. “Well … I’m Emilee Whittington, and I don’t have any fancy degrees or work experience like everyone else. This is my first job, and I’m really nervous.”

“It’s ok to be nervous! We’ve all been there, right guys?”

Everyone agreed. When Aubrey saw Emilee’s resume, she almost tossed it. But, when they met, Aubrey’s opinion of her changed dramatically. Emilee had the kindest face and a sweet aura. Serving was hard work, but with proper training, anyone could do it. The best servers, however, possessed qualities that could not be taught, and Emilee had those qualities. Customers love the royal treatment, and Emilee’s caring nature would be a huge asset to Bocca Felice.

“I think we’ll be a great team,” Aubrey said, “and that means we’re all here to support each other. Exchange information. Heck, get to know each other outside of work. In my experience, a team that doesn’t care about each other doesn’t care about the job.”

She sounded so much like her dad. He made speeches at every occasion large or small, and she and Maya always rolled their eyes. Now, she laughed.

“If no one else has anything to say, I’ll see you guys in two days for training! Have a great weekend!”

Everyone said their goodbyes and headed for the door.

“You were really great today, Aubrey.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. You kinda reminded me of Jonathan.”

“Really? That’s like the best compliment ever!”

The text message alert went off on Aubrey’s phone. Her face wrinkled when she read.

“Who’s that?”

“It’s Keegan.”

“What’s he want?”

“I don’t know. He wants to meet me somewhere and says it’s urgent! I hope everything’s ok. He never sends cryptic messages. I have to go. I’ll see you at home, ok?”

“Ok. Love you.”

“You too,” she yelled over her shoulder.

On the way out, she replied by telling him to meet her at the brewery in the Spice District near his apartment. They may as well grab a drink or two and catch up. The last few weeks were dedicated to Bocca Felice, and they hadn’t seen each other.

“Hey, you!” She threw her arms around him and inhaled his woodsy aftershave. He always smelled like he just got out the shower. “I have missed you!”

“Yes, it is nice to see you.” He cleared his throat. “You look very nice today. I hope that is ok to say.”

A little heat rose in her cheeks. “Of course. Thank you.”

“Are you trying something new? You look very professional.”

“As a matter of fact, I am! Thanks for noticing.”

He was the first and only person to notice the subtle changes she made since marrying Julio. Aubrey’s style had always been on the conservative side, but between being married and rich, she thought her style should mature a little.

“Shall we sit?”

The server appeared seemingly from nowhere. “Welcome to George’s Brew Pub. What can I get you folks?”

“Hi. This will be on one check,” Aubrey said.

Keegan’s eyes narrowed at her. “I can pay my own drink.”

“This is a business meeting, Keegan. I pay.” She winked. “I just want a sweet tea. Keegan?”

“I’ll have Wutaheftabir. Thank you.”

She giggled. “You’re so German. You guys drink beer morning, noon, and night!”

“It is sacrilege to go to brewery and not order beer.”

“I’m just not a fan!”

He gasped. “And we are no longer friends.”

They laughed.

“You never had good beer,” he said. “I show you the good beers.”

“If you say so. So, what’s going on?”

He hesitated and looked like he weighed his words. “I’m very sorry to disturb your day. I could not wait any longer.”

The butterflies in her stomach danced. Between his cryptic text and vague statement, she knew whatever this was about would be bad. “You’re scaring me.”

“I have seen Dayanna stealing.”

“I’m sorry…what?!”

“She takes food out of fridge at night. And, she takes money when customers pay cash. I thought I was seeing things, so I said nothing. I watched three weeks. I am sure she steals.”

If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. When would the drama with this restaurant end? “Thanks for telling me. I really appreciate you being my eyes and ears while I’m gone. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

“Ok folks,” the server said. “Here are your drinks. Enjoy.”

At least now she understood why he was so stiff around her. What a disappointment! Aubrey spent so much personal time with her and so much money on training, and this was how Dayanna repaid her? Aubrey was careful about hiring for Bocca Felice and was certain she got a good crop, but this taught her one never knows what she’ll get.

Aubrey felt herself getting lost in thought and upset and moved onto something lighter. She had a great friend next to her whom she hadn’t seen in ages. He understood, but they had to find a way to keep in touch. “So, what’s new? We haven’t talked in forever.”

“I got a roommate.”

She gasped. “Oh no. Are you ok? Am I not paying you enough?”

He chuckled. “You pay well. My brother is almost grown, and I do not plan to live with him forever so I got a roommate for when I leave on my own.”

She sighed in relief. It was not her responsibility to make sure he was fiscally well, but he was a dear friend who depended on her for a salary. If things weren’t going well, surely she could help. “Well, that’s smart. So what’s this roommate like? Is he the classic weird guy, or like the guy who works at night you never see?”

“She is a trainer at gym.”

“Oh. You live with a…with a woman. Interesting.”

Aubrey was so protective of Keegan and automatically suspicious of this woman. If anyone ever hurt her kind, adorable friend, said woman would have to answer to her! “What’s her name?”

“Cheryl.”

“Cheryl. Cool. Very cool.”

“What is it, Aubrey?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. Ummm, come to think of it, I have a proposition for you. I’m gonna be MIA for a while, and we need to replace Dayanna quickly. Why don’t you find someone? You know more people who may need a job than I do, and frankly I’d rather hire someone from a personal recommendation than from a resume on the Internet. You find them and do the first interview. If you think they’re ok, I’ll do a second interview and hire them officially if I like them.”

He had such a cute little smile. “You trust me to do that?”

“Of course! I trust you more than anyone!”

He gave her that cheeky, devilish smile he flashed whenever he made a joke. “More than Julio?”

She cleared her throat. “M-more than anyone I’m not married to, of course.”

“I know. I joke.”

When she considered hiring him, Julio was concerned about Keegan’s feelings toward her. High school was forever ago, and his feelings were a moot point. But, sometimes she wondered if he still liked her. He had always respected her relationship with Julio and kept a distance, but “jokes” like those gave her the answer.

A thought crash landed on her head. Aubrey would need him for more than just hiring the new person. She would need help permanently. “How about I promote you to manager? I’m gonna need someone in charge while I’m away.”

“It would honor me to fill your shoes.”

“Good! Maybe you won’t need that roommate for long…”

“Aubrey…”

“What? You’re my friend, and I care about you. And, I’m your boss. If you need more money, we can work it out.”

“You need not do these things for me. I save my money well.”

“And now you’ll save even more. End of story.” She pushed back from the table. “Well, I should get back home and start working on your promotion! And what I’ll say to Dayanna. Hey! We should do this weekly. You know, to keep me informed on things. We’ll call it Weekly Status Update.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Ok! Well, I’ll see you next week?”

“I can’t wait.”

“Take care, Keegan.”

“You too, Aubrey.”

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Hey guys! Just wanted to give you a heads up. I’ll be traveling this week, so there won’t be a chapter Thursday or Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving to the Americans! I hope everyone has a great week. I am thankful for all of you!