Chapter 4
605 Words
Gina
The next day at work was smooth sailing. Traffic was light, and the calls waiting to be transferred were far more pleasant than usual.
At lunch, I swung by Mario’s coffee shop to pick something up quickly.
“Gina! I have grape leaves today!” Mario called out.
“Oh, Mario, you know the way to my heart. A dozen, please!” I said eagerly.
“No sweat! Coming right up!” Mario beamed and wrapped my order.
“Fancy seeing you here again,” a deep voice said behind me.
I turned to see Zander.
“Well, your father has the best lunch around, and it’s right next to work. That’s a win-win for me,” I replied.
“Gina! I have an idea for your pizzelles,” Mario chimed in. “Try adding some orange peel to the anise. Could taste like ouzo!”
“I’ll experiment and bring a batch over. You can tell me if it works, Mario,” I said.
“Here you go, Gina. So, you coming to dinner? Please, I’ll cook!” Mario asked, as usual, with hopeful anticipation.
“I have plans this weekend, Mario,” I told him.
“Ah, what could possibly take you away from my table?” he asked, mock disappointed.
“Well, for starters, it’s girls’ night at the House of Blues. I have to be there for my friends,” I said.
“See, Zander? Gina’s a good girl. She cares about her friends,” Mario said proudly.
“Okay, Papa,” Zander said, shaking his head with a laugh.
Mario muttered something in Greek as he took my money for the grape leaves.
“What is he mumbling about?” I asked Zander, well aware he’d been glancing at me more than once.
“He’s just being a grumpy Greek because he wants me to marry and have babies. Ignore him,” Zander laughed.
“Alright, that’s my cue to leave. Have a good afternoon, Mario—I’ll see you Monday with pizzelles!”
⸻
Zane
Walking back to the building, a thought struck me. Earlier, when I got to my floor, I’d asked my secretary about my schedule for tonight.
“You’re supposed to take Natalie out to LaMonte,” she had said.
“Call her and tell her we’re changing it—a casual night at the House of Blues,” I instructed.
“House of Blues with Natalie? Are you sure?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yep. Not in the mood for high-class tonight,” I replied.
“Then why are you with Natalie? Fine, I’ll make the call—but you owe me for the screaming I had to endure,” she said, smirking.
I shook my head, laughing. She had a point—Natalie was high-maintenance.
Natalie was a model I saw casually. Friends with benefits. No strings attached. Both of us were career-focused, and when needs arose, we took care of business. She was mostly the one to initiate, usually when she was in town for a modeling gig. Excellent in bed… but exhausting.
I sat at my desk reviewing a contract when Kate popped her head in.
“You owe me a pair of Jimmy Choos,” she said, “but I finally got Natalie to agree to House of Blues tonight at 7 p.m.”
“You’re the best, Kate! I’ll add that to the Christmas gifts list,” I said.
“Yeah, right. Tell my husband that,” she quipped as she walked out.
Alright, Gina Lombardi. Let’s see how you handle life outside of coffee shop lunches.
- Writer
