Joshua

by Beatrice Sand

  “It’s okay, Donna’s there,” I say, but when I think of what happened Saturday night, and the warning I gave her, I wonder if that’s true. “What about you?” I ask as I swipe my clothes off the carpet.

  She gazes at the alarm clock on her night stand. “I have time. Listen, why don’t you take a shower here? I’ll start a fresh pot of coffee; you’re barely awake.”

  “If it’s not too much trouble? It sure would save me some time.”

  “It’s no trouble. The bathroom is across my bedroom. You’ll find clean towels on top of the shelf, and I’m sure you’ll find some men’s body wash in there, so you don’t smell feminine,” she says with a naughty wink.

  “I like smelling of you,” I reply, winking back, then head for the bathroom, smiling when I notice my remark makes her blush.

  A moment later, I close my eyes as I enjoy the steamy hot water beating down my body, wishing Tess was with me, fogging up the glass walls, but quickly shift my thoughts before I become aroused all over again. I draw in a deep breath when I think of the fatal car accident she and Felipe were in with their parents, leaving them orphaned and covered in scars. “Jesus...”

  Exhaling, I rub the gel between my hands and massage it over my chest, while thinking what a great woman she is. Her life was turned upside down at the age of only seventeen. She could have walked away and left her little brother in the care of her remaining family, when some douchebag made it clear to her he had no interest to take care of Felipe. Instead, she dumped the fucker, set up a trust fund for her brother, and moved back to the States to start a new life. Fuck, but I admire her. She handled everything like a grown up, and I respect her for that. Yeah, Felipe will be just fine with a sister like that looking out for his best interest. And Christ, but I want her to be fine too.

  After pulling on my clothes, I move through the quiet hall into the kitchen. Tess is pouring two coffees and hands me one of the mugs. I look her up and down, wondering if I’ll ever grow tired of looking at her. She swept her hair up in a knot, threw on a pair of jeans, and looks simply irresistible in a red baseball tee, but I already knew she looks irresistible from every which angle, whether she’s dressed in lace, satin, or jersey.

  I raise the mug in a toast. “Thanks for the shower, and the coffee.”

  “And thank you for helping me choose my signature dish.”

  I grin. “Are we doing that whole thank-you thing again?”

  She returns my grin. “Well, now that you mention it, I haven’t thanked you for the Kitchen Aid mixer yet.”

  “No need to. You can keep it. It was just sitting on the shelf collecting dust.”

  I slurp down the hot liquid, set the unfinished coffee on the countertop, then reach for my jacket still hanging from the barstool. As much as I hate to walk out the door, I see no other option. Our time together has come to an end.

  I slide into my jacket while gazing at Tess, who’s leaning against the countertop, warming her hands on the mug. After a brief hesitation, I walk up to her and press a kiss on her forehead. “Bye.”

  “Goodbye, Josh.”

  Goodbye? A fucking goodbye? My stomach clenches as I head for the door. I rake my hand through my damp hair. Not yet. I’m not ready for goodbye, am I? There was more to it than just the physical chemistry, wasn’t it? God, I wanna pick her brain.

  I glance over my shoulder and meet her gaze. “You know where to find me, right?”

  “Sure,” she replies nonchalantly, as if I said it out of politeness, except I didn’t. Every word came straight from my heart. I definitely wanna see her again.

  No ifs, ands, or buts.

  “I usually end my shift at around ten thirty. Have a drink at the bar and I’ll find you.”

  She nods. “Okay, Josh.”

  We exchange another smile, and then I reach for the door handle.

  ***

  “Is there anything else, or can we wrap this up and get started?” Donna asks the employees at our weekly team meeting.

  I stop tapping my pen against my notepad, bringing back my thoughts that strayed to Teresa. It’s been four days. Why the hell does it take her so long to pay me a damn visit? She couldn’t have misinterpreted my intention of seeing her again. Then again, I didn’t exactly ask her what she wanted, and maybe this was just a fling for her. Fuck.

  “Josh?”

  “Yeah, sorry,” I apologize, gazing at Donna, who’s facilitating the staff meeting. I’m glad things finally simmered down between us. Can’t afford to lose her.

  I fix my gaze on my restaurant manager. “Ed, I need a favor.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m lending you to Camila’s Kitchen for a few hours today.”

  Ed almost chokes on his coffee. “It’s fucking Friday, Josh; we have a full house, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “Karen can replace you during lunch shift. Just be back before dinner service.”

  “What in hell do you need me to do over there?”

  “There’s a woman named Emma working the front-of-house. She’s a nice lady, but unfortunately isn’t equipped with waiting skills. She wouldn’t know how to lift a tray if she had to wait on the Queen of England, so that’s where you come in. I want you to teach her how to carry a tray, take orders, and serve food and beverages. Give her knowledge and confidence.”

  “And why would I want to do that?”

  “Because I promised Teresa I would send you over to help her out after the comment on the appalling service.”

  “Ah, right,” he says with a shudder. “That review sent chills down even my spine. I’ll take a look and see if I can help.”

  “I appreciate it, Ed,” I say, then glance at my notepad. “Oh, right, I have one more thing. We have a newcomer. His name is Felipe Sainz and he’s starting today as a dishwasher. He works Fridays and Saturdays.”

  “Teresa’s brother?” Donna asks with a quizzical stare.

  “That’s right. Andre will break him in.”

  “Since when do we need another disher?”

  “Since I decided to give him a job,” I say with a smug smile, then close my notepad.

  “He’s Spanish?” asks one of the cooks.

  “Yes.”

  “Cool.”

  From my peripheral vision, I see him elbowing the cook sitting next to him, and I immediately know Felipe is in for a hard time for being the new guy in the kitchen. They’ll probably send him over to another restaurant to pick up a bucket of steam, or borrow a lobster gun, or whatever else makes them pee themselves.

  I glance at Donna. “That’s it.”

  “Okay, guys,” she finishes. “Have a successful and productive day.”

  “Donna, a moment,” I say.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ll be working in my office today, so I need you to run the pass for me. Come and get me if you need me, okay?”

  “No problem. Everything okay?”

  “Yes. And send Felipe into my office when he comes in.”

  She narrows her eyes. “You’re really going out of your way for that family, aren’t you?”

  “Just send him in, okay? Thank you, Donna.”

  I leave the dining room and walk straight to my office before she can react. After everything said and done, I don’t feel like talking to her anymore like before. All I can hope for now is that our professional relationship will last longer than our friendship. Time will tell.

  I sit behind my desk and turn the computer on.

  And familiarize myself with the obscure world of cryptocurrency.

  ***

  There’s a light rap on the door and Donna sticks her head around the edge. “Felipe is here.”

  “Okay, send him in,” I say as I turn off the computer where I just downloaded and installed a program to purchase the required coins to pay off my thug.

  “Hi, Josh.”

  “Hey, Felipe. Grab a seat. How are you?” I ask as I study the whites of his eyes. They’re perfectly bright. Goo
d boy.

  He lowers his frame onto the chair at the other side of my desk. “I’m fine.”

  “Excited to be here?”

  “Yeah, I am. I’m really looking forward to working here.”

  “Good,” I say with a nod. “You already met Andre. He’s the one who’ll train you today and tomorrow. You should be good to go on your own next weekend. If you have problems or questions, ask Ed, Donna, or me.”

  “Okay. I, uh, I forget to tell you I’m spending Christmas on Mallorca with family. I’m staying for two weeks.”

  I roll back into my desk chair. “Ah.” Guess that saves me the trouble asking them to spend Christmas with me in Stockbridge. On the other hand, Teresa isn’t too interested in pursuing things between us, or she would have stopped by. Shit.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. Is it a problem?”

  “No, no problem,” I say, waving it away. “Don’t worry about it. When are you leaving?”

  “Sunday.”

  I swallow. “Okay. I bet you can’t wait to see your cousins.”

  “No. Last time I saw them was summer break.”

  “Guess we’ll see you again next year then. How’s your sister?” I ask, trying to sound casual.

  He shrugs. “All right, I guess. She has a new menu and says people love it, especially her signature dish. It’s almond cake.”

  “Great. Give her my best, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, off you go. Andre’s waiting for you. He’ll get you an apron and everything else you need.”

  Felipe gets up from the chair. “Thanks, Josh. For everything.”

  I watch him walk toward the door. “Felipe, do you know what FNG stands for?”

  He turns back. “No.”

  “It means Fucking New Guy, and I’m afraid you’re it as of now.”

  He chuckles. “Should I be worried?”

  I smile. “You’ll get yelled at a lot, that’s for sure. Just carry your weight and you’ll be fine. Don’t ask why, but kitchen culture is different from any other workplace. In here you need to earn the respect of your colleagues. Speaking Spanish helps, so they’ll probably go easy on you.”

  “Good to know.” He narrows his eyes. “Do I have to call you chef from now on?”

  I shake my head, rolling back to my desk, then turn the screen back on. “I’m fine with either Josh or chef, whatever works, as long as you don’t make me ask a question twice,” I explain, winking. “Now go and kick ass! Close the door on your way out.”

  With a nod he takes off, and when the door is closed, I finish creating my cryptocurrency wallet.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  teresa

  “You had blazing hot sex on Monday, and you’re telling me now? It’s Friday for fucksake!”

  Emma’s voice is filled with indignation. It always is when I forget to mention certain stuff, no matter how insignificant. She even wants in when the delivery-man so much as grins at me. God, she’s cracking me up.

  I shrug. “I was busy.”

  “Oh, no, Sainz, you’re not getting away with it that easy.” She narrows her eyes into slits. “You weren’t too busy when he offered you sex, were you?”

  I purse my lips. She’s got a point.

  “How was it? And don’t you dare leave out the nitty-gritty, missy!”

  “Like reaching a peak, you mean?” I ask, fluttering my eyes. I hold up three fingers, smile sweetly, and then turn my back to her and hop toward the bar, linking my fingers behind my back, sticking out three fingers. I hear Emma’s jaw drop.

  “Get outta here! You or him?”

  “Yo! He had two.”

  She follows me to the bar. “Are you telling me he gave you three freaking orgasms before noon? You’re lying.”

  “Nope. Jealous, much?”

  “Duh.”

  I walk over to the cash register, open it, and take out the money. “By the way, thanks for your step-by-step instructions. It was greeted with approval.”

  She scrunches her eyebrows. “What instructions?”

  “You know, the whole mouth-to-penis thing.” I grin. “The lollypop, remember? Excellent metaphor.”

  She lowers herself on a barstool. “You went down on Joshua Vandenberg? The Joshua of the illustrious and celebrated Vandenberg family?”

  “If the paparazzi come after me I’ll deny everything,” I say, chuckling as I start counting today’s revenue.

  She smiles. “So he liked it then, huh?”

  “Yep. All the way.”

  She smirks. “I knew it!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Never tested it myself, but good to know,” she says, winking.

  “What? You never did...that?”

  “Nope. Curious, though.” She raises the bottle of water to her lips and takes a swig, then almost chokes. “Wait a minute... did you just say all the way? Who in hell are you, and what did you do to my once dull and unadventurous friend?”

  I chuckle again. “Gee, thanks! Actually, he pulled me up before... before he could say hallelujah, so to speak.”

  “Oh, I love it when they pull us up,” Emma muses. “Taking the matter whether to swallow or not to swallow out of our hands before things get ugly and messy.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. “Don’t you have any taboo left, then?”

  She shakes her head vigorously. “Life’s too short for taboos. And?”

  I put aside the dollar bills, make a note, and continue with the coins. “What do you mean?” I ask as I drag my mind out of the gutter and focus back on the money.

  “It’s four days ago. Has he called, sex-tinged, stopped by?”

  I stop counting and narrow my eyes. “Sex-tinged?”

  Emma sighs deeply. “God, I can’t believe how uneducated you are. Has he sent you explicit photographs or hot text messages?”

  I roll my eyes. “We’re not in high school, Em. And I’m running a restaurant, as you might know. I don’t have time to catch up with the latest sex trends. And we haven’t exchanged phone numbers, so no.”

  “Four days passed without any contact? You’re practically neighbors... What did he say when he left?”

  “Well, he kind of put the ball in my court.”

  “Really? How atypical for a guy.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s an atypical sort of guy. I tried to put him in a box, but he’s annoyingly unlabelable.”

  “And you haven’t contacted him since Monday?”

  I shake my head.

  “Seriously, why?”

  I write down the total amount of money we made today, and then sit down too. “He confuses me.”

  “What does that mean?”

  I exhale. “I’ve been in love, Em. It didn’t end well. Felipe is my priority.”

  “The man just gave your brother a job, for crying out loud! He’s working there as we speak. He likes Felipe.”

  “Xavier liked Felipe too. Felipe was crazy about him, and then he shattered our hearts.”

  Emma gives me a rueful smile. “Look, sweetie, I’m not saying he couldn’t break your heart, but Josh is going out of his way to help you make your business successful. He even sent his highly paid restaurant manager over today. And it’s obvious he cares for Felipe. I don’t think it’s fair to him if you compare him to a shitty ex-lover.”

  I cock my head. “And since when did you become his biggest fan? A little while ago you were ready to serve his balls on a silver tray.”

  Em chuckles. “And as of today, I actually know how to do that, thanks to Ed, who has a damn fine ass, by the way.” She taps her back pocket. “Got his number right here.”

  My eyes widen. “You didn’t!”

  “What can I say, he gave it to me. Told me I could call him if I had questions, or needed help.”

  “Terrific.”

  “You can be sure I’ll need his help one of these days. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, you just hopped. Hopped! From one foot to another, like a twelve-year-ol
d girl.”

  I grin. “I did, didn’t I?”

  “And your grin just reached your eyes. Any man that has you hopping and grinning like a fruitcake has my blessing. Go see him, Tess! Don’t make a guy like that wait. I bet the girls are beating down his door.”

  I rub my forehead. “Oh, I don’t know, Em.”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “When we first met, he made it very clear he wanted to fuck me, and he did. And now I don’t know what he wants from me. Another fuck? Yeah, I could easily sleep with him again, but... but I’m afraid I’ll fall in love with him. He’s just too damn nice.”

  “Then fall in love with him, Tess. God knows you deserve it.”

  “What if it’s just a fling, and Felipe gets attached to him?” Or me.

  “Felipe isn’t a little kid anymore; he’s going to college soon. You can date a guy without worrying what it will do to Felipe when it doesn’t pan out.”

  I bury my head in my hands, shaking it. “Like I said, I don’t know what he wants. Why didn’t he ask me out to dinner, or asked for my number to... to send me hot text messages?”

  Emma tips her head. “Guys can be insecure too, you know.”

  “He doesn’t strike me as insecure.”

  “Don’t let the bad boy attitude fool you, cariño. You just said you couldn’t label him. Think about it, his troubled background, the mystery surrounding his father... it’s all splashed over the Internet. That could make someone very insecure.”

  I nod slowly, thinking about it. “True. I know I would be if a guy knew personal stuff about me upfront.”

  “Telling a woman he wants to fuck her is one thing, telling her he’s having feelings is a whole different ballgame. Trust me, if he wasn’t interested, he would’ve told you he’d call, and then move on without a second thought.”

  “You’re right.”

  “And now he thinks you’ve moved on.”

  “Shit.”

  “Go see him, Tess. Now!” She winks. “And don’t forget to give my best to Ed.”

  ***

  When I finally step inside Suite 63, a young woman greets me. She looks a bit flustered to see me.

  “Good evening, ma’am. How can I help you?”

  “Hi! I’m Teresa Sainz, and I own the dessert bar across the street. I’m here to see Josh.”