Down to Business (Business Series) (23 page)

He chuckled. “Bad girl.”

“I know. Lindy’s Mom caught on and grounded her after she noticed the liquor bottles getting low. She never told my mother though…her mom was really cool like that.”

“Cool. My mom would have killed me.”

“Yeah, mine too, but drinking lost its appeal after it got me into that rape mess.”

“Yeah, I can imagine it wouldn’t be so fun after that,” he agreed, sounding sympathetic.

I looked over at him. “By the way, thanks for saving me from Richie. I don’t know what I would have ended up doing if you didn’t.”

He glanced over at me. “I knew you were drunk and I couldn’t stand by and watch you get used after what you told me about your past. Richie would have used you up and left you for some other guy to have after he was done. They treat women like trading cards.”

I frowned and folded my arms over my stomach. “So why do you want to be in Alpha Tau if you don’t approve of what they do?”

He rubbed his palms over the wheel. “Actually, after last night, I decided I don’t wanna join anymore.”

I blinked. “Really?”

He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road. “I’m thinking maybe I need to take life a little more seriously than they do. I might just rent my own house or apartment next semester.”

“That would be nice.”

He half-smiled. “Yeah it would be. I need a quiet place to chill so I can clear my head. I wouldn’t have it there.”

I was glad that he decided not to join Alpha Tau. As far as I could tell nothing good came of them or their partying, and living in that environment would definitely bring your grades down.

Once we were speeding along the interstate, I closed my eyes and let the hum of the road soothe the anxiety I felt over my grandmother.

The next time I opened my eyes, we were parked at a gas station. I looked over the seat and saw Vinny at the rear of the car, pumping gas. I wondered how long I had been asleep.

Once he got back into the car, he passed me a plastic bag. “I got you a drink and some snacks.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks. Sorry I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay. You needed it,” he said, starting the ignition.

I peeked into the bag to find Reese’s cups, two rolls of lifesavers, and a bottle of water.

I smiled at the fact he remembered what kind of candy I liked. “Thanks.”

“Do you need to use the bathroom?”

“No, I’m fine.” I offered him some of my Lifesavers.

He took one and smiled at me. “Are you trying to tell me that my breath smells?”

I laughed. “No, I was hoping mine didn’t.”

“It doesn’t, but damn can you snore.”

I blinked in shock, almost choking on my candy. “I snored? Really?”

“No,” he laughed and pulled back onto the road, “I’m just teasing you.”

I swatted his arm. “Jerk.”

He leaned away laughing. “Hey! Easy! You can’t beat up your chauffeur.”

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. I couldn’t see who it was, but from the serious look on his face, it wasn’t someone he wanted to talk to.

“Hey. What’s up?” he asked. “I’m driving to Hamilton.”

I ate another Lifesaver and made out the voice on the other end was female.

“Autumn’s grandmother is in the hospital and she didn’t have anyone else to take her home.”

It was definitely someone that knew me. When the voice suddenly escalated, I recognized it immediately. Vivian. She ranted for fifteen seconds straight before he could get a word in.

“Okay, Viv. I gotta go, I’m driving. I’ll call you later.”

He hung up on her with no goodbye and dropped his phone into the cup holder between us.

“Everything okay?” I asked and uncapped my water, drinking some.

He raked a hand through his hair and shifted gears as we got back onto the interstate. “Yeah everything is good. I just hate when people try to tell me what’s best for me because it’s not in their best interests.”

“Vinny, you know you didn’t have to do this…”

“Stop saying that. I don’t care if I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” He glared at the road. “I needed to get out of town anyway, to clear my mind.”

To clear his mind of Vivian’s bitching?

I decided not to let my negative feelings get the best of me. I might as well enjoy my time with Vinny while it lasted.

We made small talk for the rest of the ride. I told him about what it was like growing up in a small town like Hamilton. He couldn’t believe that we had less than five thousand residents, only one grocery store, and one high school. Hamilton’s rolling green hills, clean lakes and small town feel made it a picturesque place to raise a family. Having Colgate University down the road is the only reason why we have been able to keep Malones afloat for so long. College kids love to drink and grab a cheap bite to eat while doing it.

When we finally pulled off the exit for Hamilton, I felt relieved to be home.
Once we reached the main street, I called my mother to let her know we arrived. By the time we reached the hospital, the sun was breaking through the gray clouds, letting patches of sunshine through. We parked close to the main doors and the moment we walked into the lobby, my mother greeted us.

She threw her arms around me and squeezed.  “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” I squeezed her back. “How is she?”

She looked me over with watering eyes. “She’s stable. She just got out of surgery two hours ago. The doctor said she did great.”

I smiled and glanced over my shoulder at Vinny standing nearby with his hands in his pockets.

“Mom, this is Vinny. Vinny, this is my mother, Lori.”

She mustered a smile and extended her hand to him. “Nice to meet you Vinny. Thank you for bringing Autumn all this way.”

“Hey, it was no problem at all.” he shook her hand with a sympathetic smile. “She needed to be here.”

Mom smiled at him then back at me, giving her silent approval. She knew all about Vinny from our phone conversations.

We followed her back to the elevator and got off on the second floor. Grandma’s room was 233C. I had been to the hospital to visit family members countless times, but this time I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to witness.

I stepped into the room to see my grandmother propped up on pillows in her bed with tubes in her nose and her mouth and a sling on her arm. A white bandage was wrapped around her head where the surgery had taken place and her skin was so blanched she looked near death…a far cry from the woman I knew my whole life.

Tears sprung to my eyes as I stepped over to her bedside, wishing I had some flowers or something to offer besides sympathy. I took her limp hand in mine and squeezed. “Grandma, it’s Autumn. I’m here.”

Her cold fingers closed weakly around mine and tears immediately invaded my vision. I looked over my shoulder into my mother’s watering eyes. “She looks so sick…”

She squeezed my shoulder. “They said she should make a full recovery…it’s just going to be slow going due to her age.”

I sniffled and brushed my fingertips along Grandma’s cheek, watching her chest rise and fall in shallow, rested breaths.

“Where’s Josh?”

“He’s at Malones. We are short-handed.”

“I can help out while I’m here, Mom. I’ll go relieve him.”

“No, don’t you worry about it. You came to see Grandma.”

“Sitting here isn’t going to change anything. I’d rather be doing something productive instead of worrying.”

She frowned at me. “Well if you really want to help out...we are short handed on servers.”

“It’s Saturday. It’s going to be busy.”

“I know.” She said frowning.

“I’m going to head down there. I’ll call you in a little bit.” I kissed Grandma on her cheek and turned to Vinny who was standing near the door. He exchanged his goodbye with my mother before we left.

Once we were safely inside his car, he looked over at me. “You okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That was a pretty intense scene.”

“Yeah, but she’s a fighter. She will be okay.”

“Kind of like someone else I know.”

I half-smiled at him. “If you want to drop me off and head back, I don’t mind. I’ll find a way back home.”

“Actually, I was going to see if you needed me to help you.”

I blinked. “You want to help out at Malones?”

“Yeah, it could be fun.” He gave me a half-shrug.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Vinny, you know working on Saturday is never fun. It’s busy and this crowd isn’t like the one at Mazzolas. They are cheap and obnoxious.”

“I know that, but I want to help out. It’s for a good cause.” He smiled some. “Will you hire me for a day or not?”

I smirked. “I guess.”

“Just like that huh? No interview?” he teased.

I shrugged playfully. “What can I say, we’re desperate for help.”

He shot me a playful glare. “Gee thanks.”

I laughed as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed for Malones.

Malones
was located in a prime piece of real estate right in the center of town in the shopping district. My father’s best friend, Chuck, was the previous owner. It was called
Chuckie’s Bar
when my parents bought it. Dad’s friend Chuck decided he wanted to marry and start a family, so he sold it to my parents for half price. Dad decided he wanted to bring in the family crowd, so he made it Malones
Bar and Grill
. Dad put most of his and my mother’s life savings into Malones, and for a while, we were known for having the best cheeseburger in town. Then, after my parent’s marriage started falling apart, so did Malones.

By the time the divorce was settled, we owed more into the restaurant than we made. Mom had not paid herself in years. Everything we made went right back into Malones. We tried everything to up the revenue. We changed the menu, changed the décor with a sports bar feel to match our college customer’s tastes, and Mom even bought a pool table. None of it brought us right side up.

I swore that when I took it over, I’d bring the old Malones back, the family friendly one I remembered as a child with fresh french fries and the best burgers.

Vinny parked on the main street in front of the restaurant.  I stepped out of the car and glanced up at the dark green overhang that read Malones Bar and Grill in a Gaelic font. It was situated on the bottom floor of a three-story brick building. The second floor was occupied by a real estate business and the top floor was an apartment.

I yanked open the beaten swinging door to find Malones practically empty besides a few guys drinking beer at the bar.

Malones was split down the middle. The main room was the bar and an arched doorway on the right led to the dining area. The restaurant side consisted of the sixteen tables where I spent half of my high school year’s waitressing.

Our bartender, Jesse, came out of the backroom and looked up at me. His eyes went wide in surprise. “Holy shit, look whose back in town.”

“Hey Jesse!”

He marched over and picked me up, giving me a bear hug. Jesse was twenty-seven and worked at
Malones since he turned twenty-one. He bartended for us while he finished his music degree at Colgate and after he graduated he never left.

He wore a black t-shirt that read Malones in white Gaelic print. His wavy black hair was in need of a cut and looked completely rock star. It suited him, since Jesse played in a rock band on the weekends and he carried himself like a musician, complete with sleeve tattoos on both arms. Some weekends he and his band would play at Malones and bring in some extra patronage.

“Did you drop out already?” he teased.

“No, not yet.” I laughed. “I’m here for a family emergency.”

“Oh, yeah… I’m so sorry about your gram.” He frowned.

“It’s okay. She should make a full recovery.”

“How’s your Mom holding up?”

“She’s okay. She is at the hospital now. I came to relieve Josh and I brought some extra help…” I glanced over at Vinny. “Jesse this is Vinny, he drove me all the way from Adelphi and he’s gonna help us out today.”

“Hey man,” Jesse said, shaking hands with Vinny.

“Nice to meet you.” Vinny replied.

“The evening crowd will be here before I know it. I need to get the bar stocked up.” Jesse said.

“I’m going to take Vinny back and let him get acquainted with the kitchen. See you, Jesse.” I took Vinny’s hand and led him through the dining room to the kitchen. I stepped through the swinging door to see my brother standing over one of the stainless steel stoves, stirring a pot and talking on his cell phone. He didn’t notice me until I reached out and snatched the phone from his hand.

“Hey! What the fuck?” He shouted and glared at me. His pissed expression quickly changed to surprise. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Does Grandma having surgery this morning ring any bells?”

He sighed. “Gimme back my phone.”

I passed it back to him.  He said goodbye to his friend and shoved it into his pocket. Afterwards, he glanced over at Vinny then me.

“This is Vinny. He drove me up. Vinny this is my little brother, Josh.”

“Is this the same guy Mom said you’re trying to impress?” Josh smirked at me and stirred the gravy.

I paused as my cheeks flared up. “What? No. I’m not trying to impress anyone.”