Page 50 of Allegiance
Lena
Sarah,the bistro’s day manager, stuck her head inside Lena’s office, wearing a look that said she was at the end of her rope.
“There’s a lady trying to order two hundred pearl-dotted cupcakes for a party tomorrow. She won’t take no for an answer and insists on talking to the owner. When I told her I was the manager, she didn’t care. I’d appreciate a little help with this one. We’ve got a line down the block waiting for our croissants and cookies, so now isn’t the time for this chicanery.”
“Is that the new word of the day?” Lena asked.
“Yeah. Well, it’s technically tomorrow’s word. I had to shift the calendar because I knew today’s vocabulary word, and I don’t like resting on my laurels.”
“No one would ever accuse you of such a thing.” Lena grinned, got up from behind the desk, and took a deep breath. “Difficult customers. Just what I wanted to deal with today.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Oh, this one is a beaut.”
Lena understood what her employee was talking about as soon as she walked into the front area of the bistro. Quinn Fitzgerald stood by one of the cases in a designer dress and shoes, tapping a pink manicured finger against the glass. This was the same woman who’d thrown herself all over Tank the night of the engagement party and dismissed Lena like she was the snob’s personal hire. A frown deepened between the woman’s brows, and Lena braced herself for the inevitable fuss the snotty woman was going to make.
“Hello, Ms. Fitzgerald. How can I help you today?”
Lena made a point to come out from behind the cases and walk toward a far corner where there were no other customers. Quinn glanced at her, shrugged, and flounced over to meet her with a pained expression, as if going over to Lena instead of her going to Quinn was way more trouble than someone from the Fitzgerald family should be subjected to in public.
The young woman gave Lena a look of disdain. “I need your pearl cupcakes for a party tomorrow, and your unaccommodating manager tried to tell me it wasn’t possible. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement here, or do I have to assume your little place is unequipped for my needs?” Quinn pursed her pink-glossed lips. “I probably shouldn’t have come to an establishment with so little fanfare, but I heard you make the best cupcakes in town.”
“With enough time, that wouldn’t be a problem at all.” Lena smiled and clasped her hands in front of her so that she didn’t act on her instinct to claw the woman’s eyes out for insulting her business. “Unfortunately, we can’t accommodate your request with so little time to order the supplies and pay for the hands needed to decorate for that kind of project in the turnaround time you’re looking for with your party. With all the parties and events you attend, you must know that.”Touché, bitch.
Quinn shifted on her towering heels and switched her designer purse from one arm to the other, giving her the once-over. For a long moment, she didn’t say anything. It was as if the young woman was weighing Lena’s words and trying to find a hole in them.Well, she won’t find one.Lena had been as pleasant and professional as humanly possible to the spoiled little rich girl.
Lena watched as Quinn turned her back and gossiped with her two girlfriends behind their cupped hands. It was such a middle school move that Lena straightened her shoulders and kept a professional smile on her face. If she didn’t watch herself, she might burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Not to mention, the timing of Quinn’s visit was impeccable.
It had been two days since Tank had left her condo, leaving her with a kiss in the doorway before he walked back to the Devil’s Surfboard, where she assumed he’d parked his bike. Although he didn’t turn around to wave again as she watched him walk away, it didn’t hurt her feelings. It gave her more time to stare at his delicious ass. Even the memory heated her blood as a flood of warmth shifted beneath her cheeks. It had been practically a decade since any man had made her blush.
Inhaling deeply, she crossed her arms and shook her head, silently taking in the powwow still happening in front of her eyes.
“Ladies, I’m sorry, but if you aren’t going to buy anything, I need to go back to my office. I have a meeting with one of my suppliers.”
The fact that her meeting wasn’t for another two hours was something Quinn and her ilk didn’t need to know—so long as the excuse got them out of her restaurant.
Fitzgerald raised her chin, the high flare of her nostrils giving Lena a haughty expression. “I should’ve knownthislittle place wouldn’t be able to accommodate me. Besides, your food at the last gathering was cold, limp, and oversalted. Hardly award-winning. I’m starting to think that maybe you’ve been building your business off the credit cards of bored businessmen who think you look hot in a dress. It’s really the only reason you have for any prior success.”
Quinn paused in her tirade to simper at Lena, her eyes narrowing with an evil glint.
“Of course, that would explain how you got the backing for this pitiful establishment. A string of sugar daddies would account for how you pay the bills.”
Her designer studded cronies laughed on command as Lena tried to gather her decorum around herself like a shield.This bitch has got to be fucking kidding. How dare she come into the restaurant, throw insults, and expect Lena to stand there and take it, as if she were beneath the bitch.She thinks I’m supposed to fawn all over her because of her name. Yeah… no fucking way.
Lena’s anger rose in a wave of heat to her neck and face. “I make my own money, Ms. Fitzgerald, I promise you. Every inch of this place was built because of my hard work, which I’m sure is something you wouldn’t understand. I mean, you’re living off your father’s money like you’re still in high school.”
She paused to let the insult sink into Quinn’s thick skull. “If you need anything else, I ask that you go to another establishment, or give my staff and me more notice before an event. At this time, we can’t help you.”
Without another word, Lena stopped the conversation cold and left, satisfied by Quinn’s shocked gasp. It was about time someone gave the spoiled brat an ego check. She had it coming, and given time, karma always came around. One less problem to worry about—and she handled it herself, which was nice given the myriad of problems she was unable to cope with at the moment. Lena barely kept the smug smile off her face as she helped out the staff with a couple of customers before heading back to her office.
“Tank…”
Lena froze in the hallway. Was that bitch…
“Yes, honey, that would be amazing.”
“Is this for real?” Lena murmured under her breath as she listened in on Quinn’s conversation.
A quick peek into the bistro proved Quinn was huddled by a pastry case, blocking a large half of the line, with her cell phone cradled against her ear. She giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush. A small fire lit in the pit of Lena’s stomach, which slowly turned into nausea as she listened to the rest of the conversation. The way Quinn was talking, it was like she and Tank weretogether. The idea made Lena want to throw up on the spot as she continued to listen to Quinn’s one-sided, lovey-dovey conversation.
