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Chapter 1
Gabriela
Ilove my sister, more than anything, even if we’re nothing alike. She’s so serious and down to earth, while, I’ll admit, I’m a bit flightier. Okay—a ton flightier. I just like different things than her, especially fashion, and it’s gotten me in some hot water a time or two. Hot water she’s had to get me out of, and I definitely can feel the heat of it creeping up my ass now.
I would never do anything that would put her in danger. Not real danger. Sure, this plan could backfire on us immensely, but there’s no way I can begin to get out of this mess without Dani.
She’s the best, takes care of me, when I inevitably get myself into a jam. And oh boy, am I in it now.
I can’t help it though. I hate the snobby Mr. Prince that looks at me like I’m trash whenever he’s at the restaurant. Not to mention, hate how many women he brings through there and the way he dismisses them. Okay, so I said something extra snarky about him to my co-worker. I didn’t mean for him to overhear or know he was even at the restaurant still. If I knew, I’d have bit my tongue, but apologize to the man? No way, not going to happen—at least not without me saying something else and making the situation worse.
Hence my need for Dani to make things better. So, I’m buttering her up good.
I ignore the total that the cashier gives me when I pick up our favorite takeout. Normally I’d go for just our favorite Mexican spot, but with what this is going to entail, I pulled out the big guns and came over to Roberto’s, ordered the Italian Trio, upgrading the normal spaghetti to the chicken parm even, because there’s no way Dani can say no to chicken parm.
Thankfully, I make it home before her and get everything set up, to convince Dani to help me out of this jam.
I should be able to deal with it on my own. We’re twenty-five for Pete’s sake, but Dani takes care of me still. Not to mention, she’s the only reason I don’t live on the street. She’s got her shit together while I’m just now finally finding something that I enjoy doing.
The moment Dani walks through the door I can tell she knows something big happened. The way she sits her bag down on the table, her eyes sliding over the takeout on the kitchen bar, says my sister is well aware that I’m majorly trying to butter her up.
“What have you gotten yourself into now?” Dani asks, her tone resigned, and I hate that tone.
“I swear, it’s not that bad,” I say, holding out a glass of red wine for her with the smile that always makes her cave.
“Which means it’s worse than bad,” Dani retorts, downing half the glass.
“Daniela…” I start, and she shoots me a glare because no one ever uses her full name. Mainly because everyone butchers the pronunciation of it. Our mom always used a more Spanish approach to our names and most people don’t get that similar to mine being four syllables, so is Dani’s. “Dani…seriously, it’s notthatbad.”
“Your face, the takeout, and the wine all combined, says it is. So, what did you do?” she asks me, taking a seat on the barstool. I wring my hands together and nibble on my bottom lip, trying to decide the best way to say what is bound to make Dani more irritated with me. “Out with it already. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.”
“Okay, I may have insulted one of Chef Tyler’s biggest investors on accident. You know he wants to expand and promised me the manager job when he opens the new restaurant,” I begin, reminding her about the new job that is so close to being a reality until she holds up a hand, trying to get me back on topic. “Sorry…where was I?”
“Not telling me how you insulted your boss’ investor,” she offers, staring at me harder.
“Right, well, the hostess and I were chatting, and she said she’d just set up another reservation for the man, and Imighthave made the comment that he clearly must think that because his last name is Prince that every woman must want him. And that he wasn’t that good looking, and I didn’t understand how he got even one woman to go out with him unless he paid them,” I admit, and Dani doesn’t stop the groan that falls from her lips.
“Don’t tell me he was still on the phone and overheard?”
“Worse,” I answer, and her brow rises skyward. She downs the rest of her wine while I go on admitting the rest of it, “He was coming out of the office with Chef Tyler and they both heard it. The man stormed out the door telling him he no longer needed any reservations. Chef Tyler followed him out and about ten minutes later, when he returned, he told me unless I go over to Mr. Prince’s and apologized in person, not only was he pulling his investments, meaning no new restaurant, and no new job, but also that I’d be fired, and he’d let Mr. Prince blacklist me all over town.”
“What do you need me for then?” Dani asks, and I let out a deep sigh, knowing it’s stupid, but she knows me well enough to know I’d just spit out an ‘I’m sorry’ if it was that simple.
“Because I can’t stand the man and there’s no way I can apologize to him. He’s an arrogant asshole that sneers at every woman he sees, and don’t even get me started on his dates. I’m not lying when I said I can’t understand how they go out with him unless he pays them or they’re hoping for a big fat allowance after landing him,” I grouse.
I go on, listing everything about the man I dislike, the things I’ve overheard him say to his dates with glittering fury coming from my eyes. I know the only thing that will happen if I go to see him is making things worse by not keeping my opinions to myself. I love my job for once though, so no way do I want to lose it, let alone the promotion to manager that’s on the line.
“So you want me to pretend to be you and go apologize for you?” Dani guesses.
“Please,” I plead, fluttering my lashes at her. “Everyone falls all over themselves when you smile at them, so it shouldn’t take much. Just say I’m sorry, tell him I was having a bad day—or you know, you were since you’ll be me.”
“When exactly are you supposed to go apologize to the man?” Dani asks, flooding me with relief, and absolute love for my sister.
“Tomorrow at ten a.m.,” I tell her, my stomach tightening when her eyes widen in shock.
“Tomorrow at ten? I can’t, Gabi.”
“You have to Dani, for me, please…” I plead, but she shakes her head no at me. “You know how much I like my job…”
