“Who? The cute bartender?” Her laugh was irritating me.
I collapsed into my chair and sat back for a moment, thinking about our situation. We could divide the dining room into four stations tonight, and…
My thoughts were interrupted when the house phone rang. I wanted to pick it up and hurl it into the wall, but that wouldn’t fix a goddamn thing. It would just make me feel better. So I answered it.
“Bernardo’s,” I grunted.
“Hi, I’d like to make a reservation for twelve for dinner tonight, please.”
My head fell back against the back of the chair. There is no fucking way this is happening. Someone had to be playing a joke on me. “I’m sorry, sir, but we’re booked up.”
The man on the other end sounded amused? This was a fucking prank. God damn Alejandro. I’d get him back.
“Hmm, that’s unfortunate. Okay, I’ll tell Alex Hayes it’s a no go.”
Did he just say Alex Hayes? Did he meantheAlex Hayes? Alejandro knew those guys. Maybe he recommended us to them.
“Wait,” I said, “theAlex Hayes? The Pirates QB?”
I’d been an asshole, but the man sounded genuine. I was an expert at reading people, and this guy was serious.
“The very one. But it’s okay. I understand. I’m sure either Monroe or Kincaid can find us a restaurant. Thanks anyway, man.”
There was no fucking way I was letting him hang up and missing the opportunity to have those three Portland Pirates in my restaurant.
“Wait! Wait! Let me check the book. See if we can move some things around.”
I tapped on my mouse and waited for my screen to come up. Clicking on the reservation pages on my computer, I scanned the page. Pressing the shuffle button, the dining room seating chart had been rearranged in the blink of an eye.
“We don’t want to put you out. It’s really okay.”
“No, no, it’s not a problem. Really. We’re short a server tonight, and it’s frustrating. It would be an honor to serve you. Is it a special occasion?”
The guy chuckled. “Yeah, our buddy’s birthday.”
Birthday? Yeah, we could make that work with some shuffling around. If it’s just a few of them, it would be fine.
“Oh, okay. Can I ask if anyone else from the team is coming?”
He didn’t reply as quickly as before, which concerned me. But when he did, he sounded surprised. “Did you find room for us?”
I sighed in relief. “Yes, sir. I can fit you in. Just need to make sure we can rearrange the seating area to accommodate a private party like that. How many players did you say were joining you?”
He chuckled. I could imagine what he was thinking. While I liked the Pirates, I wasn’t a fan boy. Those men were big, and they took up a lot of space that I was limited on to begin with.
“I didn’t. But there will be six with their husbands.”
Twelve? Holy fucking shit. We were going to have to get really fucking creative tonight.
“Okay, that means a big table area. What time would you like to reserve?”Please say nine p.m.
“Seven,” he replied.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Prime dinner time.
“Will you be needing a cake or anything?”
“Do you have cheesecake?”
