Page 1 of Shakedown in Savannah

Chapter 1

“I can’t get over how much busier we are these days.” Carlita tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at a trio of customers who were passing by on the way to their table inside Ravello’s Italian Eatery. “I’m not complaining, but you would think we were giving food away.”

“Setting up our food truck for the local festivals has helped a ton,” Mercedes said. “Think of it, Ma. If we had more seating, we could serve even more people.”

“I’m happy with things the way they are.” Carlita craned her neck, taking note of the new bistro seating area on the sidewalk out front, recently added to accommodate their growing business. “I’m gonna run outside and take the drink orders for the people who were just seated.”

Grabbing a notepad, Carlita hustled out and approached the nearest table. Two men, dressed in pinstripe suits, sat perusing menus. “Good afternoon.” She rattled off the specials. “Your server will be with you shortly. Can I get you drinks while you wait?”

“Yeah. You could.” The man closest to her carefully placed his menu on the table, giving Carlita his full attention. “You look familiar, like I mighta seen you around before. Are you the owner?”

Their eyes met, and a flicker of uneasiness settled over Carlita. It was the way the man looked at her, the way he asked if she was the owner. And his accent. It was very distinct. Not a southern drawl but more of an Italian accent. Authentic Italian at that. “Who’s asking?”

“Me.” He jabbed his thumb at his chest. “Is it a problem to know if you’re the owner?”

She bristled. “No. It isn’t a problem. My children and I own Ravello’s. I’m Carlita Taylor.”

“Taylor?” He arched a brow. “I thought this joint was owned by the Garlucci family.”

“Garlucci-Taylor,” Carlita said. “What can I get you to drink?”

“A caffé Americano.”

“I’ll take the same,” the second guy said.

Carlita scribbled on her notepad. “Two Americanos coming right up.” She took the drink order from two others seated behind the men and ran back inside.

Mercedes caught up with her mother near the coffee machine. “I can take over now.”

“Thanks.” Carlita shot a glance over her shoulder toward the sidewalk. “The Americanos are for the men in suits. The spritzers are for the women behind them.”

“Got it.” Mercedes placed the drinks on her tray. “Don’t forget we gotta head over to the Parrot House as soon as the lunch rush is over.”

“How could I forget?” Carlita rolled her eyes. “Elvira called me three times already this morning. Something tells me she didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

Today was the big day. Pete’s structural engineer had finally given them the green light to bust through his tunnel wall to see what was on the other side. Elvira, Carlita’s former tenant and former neighbor, was convinced they were on the verge of finding something big.

Pete was the complete opposite, certain there was no lost pirate treasure waiting to be found.

Carlita was on the fence. Part of her wanted to believe it was there, that her husband’s ancestors had stashed oodles of pirate plunder right beneath their feet. The other part of her suspected there was a good chance they were wasting their time.

How would Elvira handle the outcome? It was hard to tell. The woman ate, breathed and slept treasure. Finding a big fat nothing burger could be the final blow. Perhaps this was what she needed…to put the countless hours, not to mention money spent on her endeavors into check.

“I bet she stayed up all night.” Mercedes finished fixing her tray and turned to go.

Carlita stopped her. “Keep an eye on the men. They’re acting a little weird.”

“Weird?”

“Asking questions. Getting defensive. They’re a little too nosy, if you ask me.”

“Maybe it’s our competition. The more popular our restaurant becomes, the more we’re going to draw attention.”

“True.” Carlita watched her daughter make her way outside. She delivered the spritzers to the women first before heading to the other table. Through the window, she could see Mercedes smile. She pulled her notepad from her pocket and jotted down their order.

Back inside, she hustled to the server’s station and began tapping the order screen. Carlita caught up with her. “Well?”

“They were okay. A little flirty but not snoopy.”

---