Page 55 of Dirty Big Sins

“All of them,” she said, looking down at her iPad.

“What? Are you sure? Every single reservation has been canceled? That can’t be right.”

“It is.”

We both whirled around in time to see Nina and Gabe entering the kitchen. Forget knots. My stomach dropped to my knees. I’d known they were coming down to meet with me, but to have to face it like this... I needed time to percolate an idea or two. Or at least some time to get my head on straight. Fear had taken ahold pretty tightly and I was afraid my anxiety wouldn’t be too far behind.

So far that had not been the case. My parting argument with Vincent had lit a fire inside me and I was more determined than ever to fix this.

“You want to talk in the office?” Gabe asked.

I shook my head. “No, it’s currently being used as an overflow storeroom. Every surface is covered with boxes we need to finish unpacking today.” For now I was going to ignore the voice in my head reminding me that without any reservations, there’d be nothing to unpack for.

“Dining room it is then.” Nina turned back and Gabe followed her while I trudged along behind them. I did, however, stiffen my spine and raise my head high. I was going to fight like my life depended on it for this restaurant because in a way it did. I still had no home to return to and couch surfing at Harper’s place did not constitute a plan in my book. Although you could guarantee that when this was all over, her and I were going to go out and get shitfaced like the old days. It had been too long since we’d done something like that and we were due.

As we entered the chaos of the dining room with the only thing set up so far being the tables and chairs and boxes and bags littering the room, I decided on another approach.

“How about the balcony? We’ve already got everything set up out there so you can get a good look at what the guests can expect when they dine with us. Plus that will give Julie the opportunity to keep the staff working in here.”

Gabe gave me a quick nod while Nina flashed a thumbs up behind his back. I didn’t quite feel like smiling, but a tiny spark of hope glimmered in my mind. If Nina was on my side, then things were hopefully not as dire as I feared.

We stepped through the heavy glass doors out into the mid-morning Las Vegas sunshine and my mood immediately brightened. The work done out here had transformed the space into a replica of my grandmother’s grand courtyard in Italy. There were formal columns, pergolas and imported stone throughout the space, but the well-placed plants and greenery had given it a more casual rustic vibe that I’d been going for. Even the fresh scent of lavender filling the air made me think of years gone by. And it had turned out so perfectly I immediately missed my Nonna with a sharp ferocity.

So much of what I had poured into my career had been a direct result of her influence, but nothing quite like this. This was a direct ode to everything she’d been and done for me over the years. Every time I stepped out here, I was reminded of a simpler time in my life when I’d been so happy and dammit, I needed some of that positivity today.

“Zia. Oh my God, this is amazing.”

Pride filled me as I knew she wasn’t wrong or just saying that to say it.

“Thank you. I have a great team here and they helped me bring my vision to life.”

“Well, it’s absolutely gorgeous. I think diners are going to fight for the opportunity to sit out here.”

“If we get any,” Gabe grumbled.

His unhappy face as he sat at one of the tables covered in crisp white linens with fresh flowers already arranged at the center gave my bolstered confidence a little shake. If Nina was going to be my cheerleader, I guessed Gabe would have to be the voice of reason in this discussion. Or the voice of doom.

It remained to be seen.

We all took our seats as I held my breath for the expected blow.

“We might as well get straight to the point,” Gabe started. “Despite the shit show unfolding on the internet and in my casino, we have no intention of ending our contract with Zia’s Kitchen. We want the opening to proceed but we need to hear some damn good ideas on how that’s going to happen, or we will have to at least delay the opening.”

“That’s not ideal either,” Nina interjected. “What kind of message do we send by kowtowing to the bullshit media storm against Zia and Vincent.”

“An opening night with no customers will be a death blow and end any future this restaurant might have before it even gets off the ground,” I said. “If all the reservations have been canceled, we need to find new bodies to fill these seats.”

“Agreed. So what do you have in mind?” Gabe looked to me for answers and honestly, I didn’t have any yet. We’d been trading on the popularity of the show to kick off the opening and if the news of my being kicked out and filming shut down hit today as expected, the situation was guaranteed to get worse not better.

Before I could tell them I wasn’t sure what the hell to do, Julie burst through the door waving her iPad in our direction. “The network is on the line. They have agreed to talk to you.”

I sagged with relief. Maybe they’d had a change of heart. “Great. Can you schedule the call for right after this meeting? I don’t want to wait.”

She shook her head frantically. “They said it has to be right now. They’ve already started the video conference and I fear this may be the only shot you have to talk to them in person.”

Gabe and Nina exchanged a quick glance before he stood and held out his hand for his wife. “Take the call. We can resume this conversation afterwards.”

“But— ”

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