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CHAPTER NINETEEN
MELANIE
We were now less than an hour away from the great grand opening of Esposito’s new downtown Phoenix restaurant, and suddenly it seemed like there were a million things to do. I still needed to double-check some details, from the presence of first aid kits to the required emergency and inspection signs. Over in the dining room, a couple of the servers were running through a quick inventory of all the plates, glasses, and flatware.
“Remember,” I said as I passed by the built-in cabinets where the servers were busily counting, “any chips or cracks or other flaws, and the item is to be removed from circulation immediately. Place all rejects in the gray bin beneath the register, and I’ll make note of it later.”
“Melanie.” Isaiah, one of the new dishwashers, appeared and looked around at all the activity with confusion. He was the youngest staff member, still in high school. “What should I do now?”
“Um, why don’t you go to the kitchen? I think Dominic’s running through the dish sanitizing process again.”
“Sure thing.”
Fifteen minutes before we opened the doors, Gio gave a rousing speech that made everyone cheer like we were about to kick off a playoff game instead of a restaurant opening. I smiled and clapped along with everyone else, though, because it was fun and exciting and I was happy to be a part of it all.
“You could have been a motivational speaker,” I told him.
“Thanks. It’s good to know I’ve got some skills to fall back on if this whole pizza thing doesn’t work out,” he joked. I could see some angst in his face, though. He looked like his brother, and they both had similar habits that betrayed signs of worry; furrowing his brow, squeezing the back of his neck like it hurt.
“It’ll work out,” I said confidently. “For the last week we’ve had a steady stream of would-be customers arriving at the door to see if we’re open yet. I’ve seen a lot of interest in the social media ads I’ve been running, and just look at that line right outside the door.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Melanie,” he said. Then he snapped his fingers. “Oh, I keep forgetting to mention this, but you remember that reporter from the Sun Republic?”
“Becky Baller.”
“Yeah.” He snorted. “Becky Baller. She called and said the short piece she’s been working on was delayed for a few weeks, but it’s still on.”
“Nice. That’ll definitely generate some buzz.”
“Hopefully.”
“So what’s the verdict?” Dominic asked, emerging from the kitchen. “We ready to open?”
Gio glanced at me and nodded thoughtfully. “We’re ready.”
Then the Esposito brothers took a deep breath and opened the doors to their brand-new restaurant. As the crowd poured in, Dominic returned to the kitchen, but Gio stayed in the dining room, taking orders and stopping by tables to make sure everyone was satisfied. It was like the friends and family opening in that we were ridiculously busy, except these were paying customers.
Tara stopped by with baby Leah, and I was glad to take a two-minute break and greet them. Every time I stopped by the kitchen, Dominic was up to his elbows in flour and pizza dough. After only a few hours, I could tell that our numbers for the night were going to be phenomenal, eclipsing our most optimistic estimates. The only vaguely unpleasant event all night didn’t involve burned food or server mishaps or anything so ordinary.
“I’ve seen you before,” said a young woman who squinted at me across the hostess desk.
I smiled at her. “I’ve been down at the other restaurant in Tempe at times, so you might have seen me there.”
She tapped a manicured nail against her bright-pink lips. “No, that wasn’t it.” Then she blinked as recognition dawned. “I remember now. You were the girl who fell on that movie star bride and then everyone started fighting. I work at McAffey’s over by ASU, and we played the TMZ clip over and over again. Everyone laughed their asses off. You were only in there for a second, but I watched it a million times.” She elbowed her companions. “Look, it’s the girl from that crazy wedding video.”
It was difficult to keep a smile pasted to my face. “Table for three?” I said. “What name is it under?”
“Kelsy,” she replied, and then started to ask me questions about the event, but I was able to brush her off pretty easily since there was a line of people waiting behind her.
I carefully avoided any more eye contact with Kelsy and her friends. When they walked out the front door an hour later, I felt relieved. Sometimes I forgot the initial, humiliating catalyst that left me unemployed and with no good prospects. As I watched Kelsy depart, I realized none of it bothered me that much anymore. Much worse things happened to people every day. Anyway, I wasn’t going to feel sorry for myself. I was in a good place now.
All in all, the opening night of Esposito’s new restaurant was an unqualified success. Since it was the first night, we kept seating new guests later than we usually would and finally shut the doors for the night an hour after the official closing time.
Cleanup seemed like a breeze, because everyone was in such a good mood. I hung around until everything was done, and then waved a fond goodbye to the staff. I was proud of them, proud of myself.
Dominic finally emerged from the kitchen. He smiled at me, and it was like the sun emerging from the clouds, brilliant.
“All squared away in the kitchen?” Gio asked his brother.
