“It’s going to befiiine.” Maria sips her caramel iced latte in utter bliss. “You don’t think Faye can handle it?”
“No, I’m sure they’ll be fine. They basically know how to do everything.”
“Then it sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself. I don’t know why you don’t let them run more of the store so you can have free time to, I don’t know, date someone and get a life. But, hey, look at that tree! It’s changing colors.”
Maria points quickly at a maple tree whose leaves have a tint of orange on one section. It went by so fast that I almost missed it, which is how I feel most of the season when I’m stuck inside the restaurant.
“I’m just terrified they’re going to open the wrong report and accidentally find out that I’ve been lying to everyone about the restaurant doing well,” I finally say.
“Look, I get it—you’ve been trying to keep things together. But even if they do see the truth, you’re doing the best you can. No one can blame you for that.”
I shake my head. “They’ll think I’ve failed. What if they realize how bad things really are?”
“You’ve got José there to help out for the whole week, and he’s loyal. He won’t let anything slip. I really don’t predict anything going wrong.”
“Famous last words,” I groan.
I look at the road signs as they pass by. Lee is about thirty minutes away, and that’s our final destination. I try to focus on the gorgeous landscape of evergreen trees mixed in with birch and maple, creating a beautiful tunnel through the highway. The trees on either side are mostly green, but here and there, I can see flashes of red, gold, and orange as the leaves turn for the fall foliage. Sweeping rock walls tower over the right side of the car. Large, lush mountains loom over us. I roll down my window and feel the cool breeze wash over me, carrying with it the sweet scent of autumn.
My peace is disrupted by the obnoxious reggaeton music Maria has insisted we listen to. Despite the noise and peaceful drive, I can only think about the restaurant accidentally being set ablaze by someone. It’s twelve o’ clock now, which means they’ll be in the middle of a lunch rush shortly.
“I should call. You know, check in,” I conclude.
“Uh, no, you definitely should not.” Maria looks over at me mid-sip.
“I’m calling.”
“Isa, stop it, you psycho.” Maria snatches my phone from my hand. “I’ll call them if it makes you feel better. Damn. Just keep driving.”
The panic in my chest makes me want to sprint out of the car while it’s still in motion and run back home. Instead, I wait patiently for Maria to speak.
“Hey, Faye, how’s it going?”
I lower the music slightly.
“What? No way!” Maria exclaims.
“What?” I whisper yell at her, trying to keep my eyes on the road as I glance back and forth between her and the cars ahead.
“Ohshiiit, I can’t even believe that.”
“Maria, what?” I beg.
“That really happened? Shit. Okay. Yeah, I’ll tell Isa. All right, bye!”
Maria hangs up and takes a sip of her stupid coffee.
“Hello? What happened? Should I turn around?”
“Oh, everything is fine. Faye said the morning went really well, and they were all ready for lunch. I got you, didn’t I, pendeja? Relax! This is going to be such a fun week. We’ll party, eat good food, drink, and hey, maybe even find you a hot date.”
“First, you suck for that. Second, it’s a wedding full of family. Who the hell am I going to date?”
“Oh, right. Well, there’s always Valentina,” she says, winking.
“Over my dead body,” I mutter, though the words feel hollow.
“Why? Have you seen her recently? She’s hot and successful! I think she’s a chef or something.”
