5. Cecilia
Chapter five
Cecilia
A fter the gym, I run home to do a rinse shower and dress quickly to make sure I arrive at Gary’s Place on time. I don’t want Ricky to have any reason to fire me, especially before I even start. Pulling up to the bar, I glance down at my outfit. Gary’s Place is more of a dive bar, and I wanted to come up with an outfit that would fit in here. I thought pairing my favorite skinny jeans, a graphic tee, and my chucks will work great. I didn’t want to stand in heels all night, either.
Even though the excitement of starting a new job is still bubbling underneath, I can’t help but have so many other emotions swirling with it. Tears form in my eyes, and I wipe them quickly, letting out a breath at the same time.
You don’t have time for this right now.
The need to gather my emotions and shove them away overwhelms me. Thankfully, when I was in high school, I experienced a lot of anxiety, and my school counselor was a saint that helped me learn a few techniques to help me with it. Closing my eyes I count to ten, giving myself those seconds to feel what I need to feel. During those ten seconds, I repeat a few mantras I’ve been living off of over the last few months.
There’s no reason to dwell on them. I’m here in Rose Valley. We’re making a life for ourselves. Michael doesn’t know where we are. We are safe. You are taking steps to make sure that you and Oliver have a great life.
I release a long breath and open my eyes.
Using breathing techniques was something I learned when I was younger and in therapy. The mantras were something I started doing when things with Michael were getting bad. Releasing those thoughts and bringing positive ones helped to calm the feelings of turmoil, allowing me to deal with them at a later time.
I grab my purse and make my way to my first serving job. These are the steps that I need to take to make sure everything works out. When I walk into the bar, my eyes have to adjust once again to the darkness. Relief washes over me, and excitement takes center stage when I see Ricky standing and waiting for me with a smile. A small voice in the back of my head kept trying to tell me I had made the whole thing up but seeing him there gives me validation.
I didn’t make up the job offer.
“Hey Cecilia, why don’t I show you where to put your purse and we’ll get started?” He comes around the bar, and I follow him to a back room. This room has lockers on one wall and on the other, a desk that holds a computer and has papers spread out all over it.
“These lockers are where employees put their belongings. This one is yours.” He points to the one that is closest to me. I open it and place my purse inside as Ricky continues. “With this many lockers you would think that we have a lot of employees, but we only have four others, not including me. You’ll meet them eventually. Tonight, should be pretty slow since it’s a Monday night. It will just be me and you. I’ll be bartending and you’ll serve the drinks. Any questions so far?”
“Not so far.”
“Great. I’ll pay you after your shift every night. If in two weeks this works out, I’ll bring you on as a full-time employee. That way you can get our health insurance. The bar opens up at soon, so we need to set up now.”
We both make our way back into the main part of the bar, where Ricky saunters up to an iPad. “When a customer gives you a drink order, you’ll put it in here.” He pulls up a screen filled with an overwhelming number of choices. “And if someone gives a drink that isn’t already saved on the iPad, then you’ll go to this screen and write it in here.” He pushes a few buttons to bring up the other screen.
He moves so fast I raise my eyebrows. How am I ever going to figure this out? He must see the look I’m making as I try to take in what he’s saying, because he reassures me. “Don’t worry, it just seems like a lot. You’ll get a hang of it quickly. For tonight, just write down what people order and give it to me. I’ll put it in the system.”
My shoulders sag with relief. “Thank you. I promise I’ll give it my all.”
“Don’t worry, Cecilia. I’m not going to freak out over mistakes.” He tilts his head slightly. “You seem like someone who needs a break.”
“I do. I really need this job. You don’t know how much this means to me,” I whisper, swallowing the lump of emotions sitting in my throat.
“No problem. I know something about needing a break. Why don’t we take a break from the system and unload these glasses?” With a tap of the bar, he spins around to unload the glassware placing them on the shelves of the bar.
We make small talk as Ricky explains more about the bar while we replace any missing alcohol from the stock, making sure that the napkin dispensers and all the drink toppings are full. I didn’t realize there was so much to do to get a bar ready to open, but it helps make the time go by faster. Before I know it, it’s time to open.
Ricky and I hang out behind the bar until the first customer walks in fifteen minutes later, but he sits at one end and chats with Ricky. A group of ladies come in, and it suddenly feels like the bar is filled with people.
I walk up to their table with my best server smile. “Hey ladies, what can I get you?”
They go around in a circle, giving me their drink order. I carefully write it all down. The last thing I need to do is mess up my first order. I know Ricky said it’s not a big deal, but I want to make sure that he knows he didn’t make a mistake hiring me. Once I bring back their drinks, I continue to walk around the bar getting more drink orders and replacing those that need it.
When it’s time for me to check back on the group of ladies, I notice that a few more people have joined them. I walk up to the table, keeping my eyes down at my notebook. “What can I get you guys to drink?”
When I look up, my eyes connect with the sexy gym owner. A gasp escapes me. “Mateo.”
My body heats as one side of his mouth lifts into the sexiest smirk I’ve ever seen. I was hoping my reaction from earlier was just because it’s been a long time since I’ve been in proximity to someone who seems to want me, but now I’m thinking it might be more than that.
Someone at the table clears their throat, breaking the spell that Mateo’s gaze holds me under. I blink my eyes a few times. “Sorry, what can I get you?”
“Your name and number.” A young guy whose looks favor, Mateo asks with a hint of a flirtatious tone.
“Alex,” Mateo growls.
The guy that Mateo called Alex let’s out a deep belly laugh as the rest of us at the table stares at him. After a few seconds of him laughing he becomes aware that no one else is laughing along with him. He straightens himself and clears his throat.
“Sorry. Bad joke. We’ll have whatever beer you have on tap for us three.” He points to himself, Mateo, and another guy who also resembles him. They have to be his brothers.
I nod my head, not knowing what else to say and turn to head back to the bar. Once I reach it, I give Ricky the order and wait patiently when a warm, strong body presses against my back. Before I can even react, he speaks against the side of my neck, causing my breath to skip.
“Pretty Girl, I found you.”
I turn around and stand as straight as possible, trying to convey a confidence I don’t feel. It’s time to set boundaries. Being around Mateo gives me a sense of safety but the last time I thought a man would take care of me, it ended badly. That won’t happen again.
“Don’t call me that.”
I step to the side to move around the sexy hulk of a man standing in front of me, but he follows, blocking my exit. I lick my lips. What I really want to do is see what’s underneath his form fitting black tee currently molded to his perfect body. But I can’t do that. I need to keep my head on straight. “Please move.”
“Only because you asked so nicely, Pretty Girl. But know that you will be mine. I’ll make sure of it.”
A knot forms in my throat, and I try to swallow it down. No. I won’t allow him to take over my life like I have in the past. He steps to the side and I take the out he’s giving me, quickly scampering away before I do something I’ll regret.