Chapter 55

The days move fast like this. I take as many doubles as Andre will give me – and he’s willing to give me a lot – because I like being at Lupa. I like it one hell of a lot more interesting than being in the penthouse.

Even though I’ve turned it much more into a home than it was before, there are now some pretty divided lines in the house. In many ways it’s me and Frankie on one side, growing closer and closer, and Christian and Violetta on the other, likewise doing the same. Nico’s just…weirdly in the middle. Usually mad, though I never know why.

It’s not…bad in the apartment. Everyone is friendly, convivial, when they’re around. But god, it’s all just so fake. The worst part is that I like Violetta the more I get to know her – she’s a nice girl. But I can only chat so much small stuff with her about the restaurant while all I want to do is move around her, grab her boyfriend by the collar, and ask him why the hell he won’t talk to me anymore.

Because stuff between Christian and is…stilted. Awkward. Strange, in a way it’s never, ever been before. This morning, for instance, it had been just the two of us in the kitchen, and I had tried to make a joke about a breakfast cereal that we ate as kids.

And Christian – he’d just snapped at me not to talk about that sort of thing with Violetta around. And then he’d taken his coffee and moved back into his bedroom, where she is.

I had watched him go, slack-jawed, and wondered when the hell I’m supposed to talk about it, then. Because she’s always around.

So, I like to spend my days here, in Lupa, filling my mind with my work and delivering drinks, letting my busy new life wipe Christian from my mind. Andre is even teaching me how to make a few of cocktails, which I really, really like.

And Frankie, every day, is by my side, making me laugh, keeping me company, keeping me safe. I smile at him now as I work my way back to the bar, grateful for him. And he just smiles back, sending me a little wink before looking back down at his phone.

“What’s next?” I ask Andre cheerfully, coming around the bar and being careful to keep my face straight. Andre – he likes me, I know, but he doesn’t like it when the customers see me being my normal, peppy self. No, he wants me to be cool and sultry. So, I play the role but…I can’t keep the cheer out of my voice. Not always.

“Go ask Lucy what’s coming up,” he says, lifting his chin towards the dark-haired girl. “My notes say a party of sixteen, but that’s…that’s crazy. Numbers have to be off there.”

I raise my eyebows in surprise at this, because honestly Andre never sends me to talk to Lucy. It honestly, embarrassingly…kind of feels like I leveled up or something, being sent on this important task.

I move over to the little hostess nook at the front of the bar and wait patiently for the guests she’s working with to move away. And then I step forward while she looks down at her book, waiting. I know she’s noticed me – she’s too good not to.

A few seconds later, Lucy looks up at me with a smile, which just grows deeper when she sees who’s standing in front of her. “Oh, hey,” she says, her eyes crinkling at the corners like she’s genuinely pleased to see me, “you’re Bambi, right? New girl?”

“Am I still the new girl after two weeks?” I ask, smiling back and taking a step closer.

“Oh, you’re the new girl until a new new girl comes,” she says, her grin deepening. “And considering that Romano never has more than three, and he’s not firing me or Isla anytime soon?” she nods her head in the direction of the very stoic, very good bartender who I met my first night shift, “you’re going to be the new girl for a long time, my dear.”

I can’t help it – I’m charmed immediately by her. God, Frankie was right, she deserves everything that Romano pays her.

“What can I do for you?” she says sweetly, turning her head to the side as she smiles at me.

“Um, Andre wanted me to check the reservations. It said sixteen? But he said that’s too many.”

She grimaces and shakes her head. “No, it’s right, and he’s going to have to deal with it. It’s Romano’s reservation, and what Romano wants…” she arches her brows significantly.

“Romano gets,” I say, nodding and sighing, not wanting to go back to Andre with news that’s going to make him lose his shit. “I mean, where do sixteen people even sit in here?”

“Well, there’s the room in the back,” Lucy murmurs, which surprises me because…I mean, nobody’s shown me that room yet. “But he’ll want to be here out front. The booths can be moved around, a little, to accommodate a table in the far corner. That’s what he’ll want. But Andre really should have made those changes between lunch and dinner. He’s going to have to lift heaven and hell now to get it done.”

“Oh god,” I sigh, starting to walk away, wanting to deliver the news as fast as possible. But as I go, Lucy reaches out and wraps her fingers around my arm, pulling me closer.

“Hey,” she says, conspiratorial, glancing around to make sure that we’re not heard. “Romano’s going to want you on that table tonight – he’s going to want to show off his new girl. Just let them get a good look at you and don’t say much, okay? All sultry ‘don’t you wish you knew’ smiles, no real substance. These guys – they don’t want a clever girl. Romano just wants to show off his new trophy. Yeah?”

I raise my eyebrows, surprised and pleased at such a good tip. “Yeah, got it,” I say, nodding. “Thank you, Lucy. I really appreciate it.”

“And,” she says, stepping closer, looking into my eyes, “keep your ears open. Romano’s bringing some people tonight he wants to impress, which means they’re not on his side yet. If you hear things that are useful, he’ll want to know. And he’ll like that you told him. Don’t snoop but…part of the job that they don’t tell you about is being eyes and ears. So, keep yours open.”

“Got it,” I say, giving her a wide grin that she returns.

“Shoot, I like you, Bambi,” she says, laughing and letting go of my arm. “I want you to stick around here so I have someone to talk to.”

I grin and laugh, letting her know that it’s mutual, before scurrying off to give Andre the bad news.

Andre does indeed flip out, stalking over to Lucy and demanding to know why she didn’t tell him to shift the booths, that Romano himself was on the reservation. I stand by Frankie’s side, watching in interest the way that Lucy just laughs at Andre like it’s not a big deal, telling him to manage it.

And I realize that she feels absolutely no fear. Because even if she should have told Andre that Romano was coming tonight – and I know he’d never let me off the hook for forgetting a detail like that – she knows she’s not going to get in trouble for it. In this world, girls like Lucy are untouchable. So she just laughs, and pats Andre on the shoulder, and tells him its his problem, not hers, before she turns towards the next pair of guests walking through the door.

“She’s on a different level from us,” Frankie murmurs, and I turn to see him watching her too. “Lucy is…untouchable.”

I blink as I watch my friend watching the hostess, and think about his words. The way the word untouchable rolls off his tongue like he very, very much wishes she weren’t.

And I tilt my head, considering him, wonder if…well. If Frankie has ever known Lucy outside of this bar, he’ll tell me more if he wants me to know.