Page 18 of Caffeine & Chaos

Nadia’s phone vibrated in the pocket of her apron. “Oh sorry, someone’s calling me.” Nadia fished her phone out of her pocket. Relief flooded her at the thought of being rescued by a call, but it swiftly morphed into a different kind of anxiety when she saw the New York area code. Well, at least it was a way out of the conversation with Travis. “Oh, it’s my mom, she’s been trying to get a hold of me. Sorry, I have to take this.” Nadia stood up and answered, moving a few feet away from him.

“Hi mom,” she said, trying to sound cheery.

“Hi mom? Nadia I’ve been trying to reach you for nearly a week. Why haven’t you called me back?” Valentina’s tone conveyed her annoyance. Whenever she was displeased with Nadia her usually smooth and feminine voice dropped a few tones and she enunciated the consonants in her words more forcefully.

“I know mom, I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy, and I kept meaning to call you, but it just never happened.” She rolled her eyes and mouthed ‘I’m sorry’ to Travis, hoping he would think she was going to be a while and leave. He just stared at her, sipping his espresso with an amused look on his face.

“Robert and I are flying up tomorrow morning and we were hoping to have dinner with you. I left you a voicemail.”

“Yes, I did get your voicemail mom, dinner tomorrow sounds great. I assume Robert has already made reservations?” She continued to keep the tone of her voice cheery, despite the fact that it irked her how Valentina always just assumed that Nadia would clear her schedule to accommodate her.

“Yes of course, we’re at Il Gabbiano at seven. Be punctual please, we don’t want to be waiting for you. Oh, and Nadia, will you be bringing a date?”

There it was. The question Nadia knew was coming. She grit her teeth, and turned her back to Travis, speaking in a hushed tone. “No, I will not be bringing a date. I am seeing someone, but I don’t think he’ll be able to attend,” Nadia lied. She wasn’t sure if she was officially dating Ryan, but she certainly wouldn’t dream of inviting him if she was.

“Oh really? I do hope it is someone worthy of a Moore woman, you waste so much time with-”

Nadia cut her off, “I am actually at work mom, so I have to go. I will see you tomorrow at Il Gabbiano’s at seven sharp. Bye-bye.” She pressed the end call button and shoved the phone back in her apron.

“I see you’ve got a meddling mother to deal with?” Travis mused.

“Is there any other kind? I think she means well, but it’s honestly hard to tell,” Nadia said as she walked back over to where she’d set the broom to rest against the bookshelf. “Anyways, I better get back to work. It was nice to see you again Travis.”

He took a final sip of espresso and stood up. “You too Nadia. We’ll do this again sometime.” He turned and walked out without waiting for a response.

Watching Travis leave, Nadia felt another twinge of guilt. It seemed more likely that he might not be used to this scene, clueless about the hookup game’s unwritten rules. Was Dr. Blakely onto something? Maybe Nadia was just fooling herself, thinking there were any rules at all.

“It’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you now-” Nadia halted her singing mid-lyric, her reflection in the hallway startling her. Who was that sad-looking woman staring back at her? With Ryan skipping out on the café for the second day straight, she was a mess. Wandering aimlessly around her apartment, she stalled getting ready for dinner with her mother, instead wallowing in a playlist of sad country tunes.

Nadia gripped the phone in her hand, battling the urge to search for his business headquarters address. She knew showing up unannounced would be totally nuts. Standing there, she absentmindedly traced her toes along the soft grey rug, lost in thought about what to do next. Seeing Ryan was a must, but she wasn’t sure how to pull it off. She had never been in this position before.

She glanced at her phone again, noting the time. The pity party needed to end so she could start getting ready for dinner with her mother. Seeing Valentina took a lot of mental prepping on a good day, so the idea of sitting down for a meal with her today was excruciating. In addition to the usual scrutiny her mother put her through, Nadia had to be prepared to answer the questions her mother would undoubtedly ask about the man she told her she was seeing. In hindsight she should have just maintained that she was still single.

Perhaps she could concoct a convincing excuse to bail on dinner. Probably not, though. However, she managed to summon a small burst of joy by picturing the priceless expression on Valentina’s face if she wore the casual floral summer dress she had on to dinner. It was likely totally unsuitable for Il Gabbiano, which made it the ideal weapon to give her mother a brain hemorrhage.

Tempted to wear it just to push Valentina’s buttons, Nadia ultimately opted for the more mature route. She refused to stoop to bratty behavior; she’d play her part at the fancy restaurant with grace.

Nadia had never stepped foot in Il Gabbiano before, but she figured it had to be upscale if her mom was considering it. After all, according to her mom, ‘a Moore woman deserves nothing less than the best.’ As she curled another strand of hair around her iron, she grinned at her reflection. The idea of her mom finding out she’d been hanging out in Little Havana, dancing until she was soaked in sweat, wearing nothing but shorts and a tank top, amused her to no end. God, she loved Miami.

Nadia flung open the French doors to her walk-in closet, trailing her fingers along the hangers, pausing over her pricey outfits. Maybe she was a bit bratty, she admitted. All these luxuries came courtesy of her mother; there was no denying it. Working part-time at Casa Maria’s certainly didn’t fund her lavish lifestyle. Despite her complaints about Valentina, she never hesitated to accept her financial support. What kind of person did that make her? Nadia cut off her train of thought. It was time to ease up on the self-criticism. She was driving herself crazy. In the past week alone, she’d done more soul-searching than in all her years of therapy combined.

She sifted through her dress rack until her fingers landed on her Saint Laurent little black dress. That piece always made her feel incredibly sexy. With its plunging V-neck in both the front and back, and hem hitting at mid-thigh, it exuded just the right amount of allure without crossing into trashy territory. It was a staple in Nadia’s wardrobe; hugging her curves perfectly and designed to be worn without a bra, which suited her preference whenever she could pull it off.

She turned her attention to her shoe rack and after trying on three different pairs, settled on a blush-gold pair of strappy Louis Vuitton sandals with a four-inch heel. She finished off her look with a black clutch, simple gold necklace, and understated earrings to match.

Nadia examined herself in the antique full-length mirror hanging in the hallway. Her blond hair was perfectly curled and looked beautiful cascading over her shoulders. She had a great figure, a lovely face, and an overall sensual appeal that had been the downfall of many a man. She glanced around her luxury apartment; it was filled with tasteful antiques, and one-of-a kind designer furniture pieces. She was a beautiful woman who had beautiful things, yet the events of the past week had made her keenly aware of how hollow it all was. Her vulnerability to Ryan had ripped open a hole she’d been patching up for ages, and all the expensive décor couldn’t cover it. Damn Ryan McKellen for tearing her open like this.

Mercifully, Nadia’s intercom rang, saving her from herself. She tore her gaze away from the mirror to answer it.

“Yes?”

“Your taxicab has arrived, Miss. Shall I tell them you’ll be down shortly?” Tim asked, always sounding so professional on the intercom.

“Yes, thank-you Tim.” Nadia lifted her finger off the button, snatched her phone off the coffee table, and braced herself. It was time to paste a smile onto her face and have dinner with her mother.

Nadia got to the restaurant ahead of schedule and was directed to the table her mother had reserved out on the terrace. It felt surreal to be sitting there, considering just days ago she had shared this same view with Ryan. Lost in thought, she absentmindedly played with the white tablecloth, her gaze fixed on the tranquil bay. The water sparkled under the evening sun, casting a warm glow that made dining on the terrace the ideal choice for the night.

She had been on the verge of canceling dinner altogether when the cab rolled up to Il Gabbiano’s. Little did she know, one of the restaurant’s renowned features was its breathtaking setting with views stretching over the serene expanse of Biscayne Bay. Banishing Ryan from her mind for the evening was obviously not going to happen.

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