CHAPTER NINETEEN
Early that Saturday morning, Reno, with his entire family, arrived early at the diner. It was only seven a.m. so none of the workers had arrived. But a workaholic family was never afraid of hard work. And since they were stuck in that town, they were going to make something of that diner.
To Trina’s surprise, supplies had been delivered overnight, with everything they needed. Jimmy and Dom were tasked with putting the supplies away, while Trina went into the tiny office that was off from the kitchen and began cleaning it up. After Reno got his sons on task and ordered Sophia and Carmine to sweep up and clean up the inside of the diner before they opened later that morning, he went into the kitchen to prep the stoves and get everything ready before Willie the cook arrived, who didn’t seem to understand the meaning of food prep. Viyla, always the first to arrive at the diner, came in surprised to see so much activity.
“Where’s Mr. Black?” she asked Sophia and Carmine.
“Black’s in the back,” said Carmine, and his sister smiled.
Viyla, not getting the joke, went into the kitchen. They were a strange family, her expression seemed to say. “Good morning, sur.”
“Hey there.”
Trina, who was still in that small office off from the kitchen, heard voices and peeped around her office door. She saw that Reno had come into the kitchen and was at the prep table, while Viyla was standing beside him. Trina could see them, but they couldn’t see her. And although it wasn’t her style, she decided to eavesdrop anyway. She needed to see her husband’s interaction with a beautiful woman for herself. She needed to see if she was a smart woman trying to hold onto her man, or a fool.
“Sorry I’m late,” Viyla said to Reno.
“Nothing to be sorry about.” Reno was pulling ingredients out of the cabinets above the prep station. “You aren’t late anyway. We’re early.”
“But while I have you here, sur, I was wondering if you would like to come over to my house tonight for supper.”
Trina stared at Viyla. It was a pickup line if ever she’d heard one. Then she looked at Reno. He seemed unbothered by the very troubling fact that his manager was hitting on him. He continued to pull out ingredients as if he was used to women coming onto him.
When he didn’t respond to Viyla, she kept trying. “I make a mean red velvet cake,” she said.
Reno smiled but continued doing what he was doing. “Do you now?”
“Ask anybody. I know how to mix it real mean.”
Reno’s smile began to fade, as if he was just realizing she wasn’t playing.
Then Viyla placed her hand on top of his hand. “They say nobody can mix it mean like me.”
Trina’s heart dropped when she saw Reno look down at Viyla’s hand, and then he looked his big, sexy blue eyes into her big, sexy brown eyes. And they looked so good together. Was that where he was last night? Was he with her last night? Trina began anguishing over the possibility. She almost wanted to turn away, but she couldn’t. If she ever was going to catch his sorry ass in the act, this was going to be the time. She steeled herself and watched her husband.
Viyla squeezed his hand. “I’m so good,” she said, “they call me the queen of mean. At least in a certain room.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Reno said, pulling his hand away from her.
“I’m sorry, sur. Did I say something wrong?”
“Yeah, right. Don’t pull that innocent shit with me.”
Viyla seemed genuinely confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Sure you do, sweetheart,” Reno said, not falling for her I’m just a lil’ ol’ country girl act for a second. “Your ass understands real good. That’s why I’m gonna tell you like I tell all those other females that think I’m down like that.”
Trina wasn’t sure what she was witnessing. She could hardly blink she was staring at Reno so hard.
And he exhaled. “You’re a beautiful girl, Viola or whatever your name is. It’s Vee to me. You’re a beautiful young lady.”
Trina’s heart began hammering as she stared at Reno.
“Very beautiful,” he said again. “But I have a very beautiful wife,” he said. And Trina, stunned, nearly forgot to breathe.
“There is no way in hell, Reno continued, “that I’m going to break my woman’s heart just to fuck around with you.”
Trina covered her mouth to smother a cry. She couldn’t believe it.
“Now if you can cook as good as you claim, and I mean foodwise, and you want to invite me, my wife, and our children to your house to share a meal, then we can do that. It’ll give them a change of pace and I wouldn’t mind that. But me and you fucking? Ain’t never gonna happen. Do I make myself clear? Or do your ass need to find another job?”
Viyla quickly began nodding her head. “I’m so sorry,” she said, looking as if she meant it. “I have so many married men hitting on me that I thought they all were like that. I never met one that didn’t want some. So I’m so sorry. But yes, I would love to have you and your family over for dinner tonight. And yes, I wanna keep my job. It won’t happen ever again I promise you.”
“It better not. And I mean that.”
“It won’t, sur, I promise.”
“Alright then. What time you want us there tonight?”
“Y’all can come over after work. It’s nothing for me to throw a meal together.”
“That’ll work. But if your ass can’t cook and we wasted our time? You’re fired,” he said and Viyla laughed. “Yes sir,” she said.
“Now get your ass back to work.”
Viyla’s smile left and she was sufficiently afraid of Reno again. “Yes, sur,” she said, and hurried out of the kitchen.
Trina moved away from the door and leaned against the wall. It was the first time she could have caught him in the act. And he exactly what he was supposed to do. He said he’d never break her heart like that. He said he’d never sleep with a gorgeous woman like Viyla because he had a woman. It filled Trina’s heart.
So much so that she couldn’t see in front of her for the tears of joy. The world around her viewed her as tough as nails. As the woman that took no prisoners when shit was on the line because that was how she rolled. But when it came to Reno, and her undying love for him, she wasn’t tough at all. She was like putty in his hand.
And she was so happy that she was. She was so happy that Reno loved her that she could hardly do anything but grin and look lovingly at his confused face all day long.