The one named Antonio caught her walking over. He shakes his head while making eye contact as if to tell her to stay away. She ignores him and proceeds forward.
“Excuse me, gentlemen. This is a family establishment. There are a lot of children present here today. If you cannot behave in an orderly manner, please leave.” Amy stands at their table with arms crossed.
“What did you just say to us?” Luciano says and starts toward her. Amy feels her heart hammering and suddenly regrets her sudden bravado but stands her ground. “Kindly leave if you cannot behave in a manner befitting a family establishment. Again, there are children here.” Amy says and waves behind her. The man was getting red in the face as he starts towards her. “Um, please, sir. We don’t want any trouble.” Amy begs and backs away, cursing her big mouth.
Suddenly the one named Antonio gets up and whispers in Luciano’s ear.
Amy looks at the scene, Luciano had a terrified expression on his face. “I guess I know who’s the head of the family.” Amy muses.
They converse in Italian and stood up, and Antonio drops a few notes on the table.
As soon as they were out of the building, Amy crumpled into the now empty booth. Her colleagues rushed to her. “Where the hell did you get your courage from, Ames? Jeez, that could have ended badly!” Serena, one of her oldest friends, exclaimed. “I know, I wasn’t thinking! Jenny looked so scared and my mind went blank!” Amy says, putting her head down on the table. “Well, hopefully, that’s the last time we see them,” Serena responds. “I hope so! They give me the creeps!” Amy finishes.
Thankfully, that was all the drama for the day. The Ricci family left soon after The Russo’s on account of Isabella being too scared to eat. “I’m so sorry, Eve! Bella, Amy will make it up to you when you come in again, okay?” Amy says to them and turns to Isabella. The little girl sniffs and nods, so Amy gives her a big kiss on her forehead. The little girl smiles and the Ricci family leave.
Towards the end of her shift, Amy starts to clean up. She was on the late shift tonight and it was quiet that evening. As she wiping down her last table, Arianna calls her over. “Amy,” she starts, “Will you be able to close up tonight? My arthritis is playing up something awful this evening.” she finishes while rubbing her wrist, Amy knew she wasn’t acting, everyone knows about her bad wrists. “I don’t mind at all,” Amy says, “You go home and rest those hands. I’ve got it covered.” Amy smiles at her and suddenly she was wrapped in a big hug. “Thank you, dear,” Arianna replies, grabs her purse and keys, and heads out.
When she leaves, Amy tidies up and starts packing the last few cups and cutlery away. Others might see this as tedious work, but Amy loved working here. She loved interacting with the people of her town, and they had shown her the same kindness. Thinking back to this afternoon, she makes a sour face. “That Luciano is a scary guy. Note to self, stay out of the Russos’ way!” She thinks to herself. Yawning, she heads to pack the coffee cups away. She was quite exhausted after today’s events.
She had her back turned away from the door when she hears the ring of the bell. It signaled that someone had entered. Sighing inwardly, she turns around and nearly drops the cups she was holding.
Antonio Russo stood at the door with a smile on his face.“Good evening,” he says to Amy while walking closer to Amy, eyeing her as he does so. “I hope you’re not closed?” Amy looks at him, bewildered. Why was her heart doing jumping jacks??“Uhm, No, no! we’re not closed yet. What can I get you?” She says, gesturing to the counter while walking toward it. She looks at her wristwatch and thinks to herself “Gosh, I need to close soon, or the babysitter leaves!”“I was hoping to catch you here,” He says, “My family and our associates caused quite a scene this morning and I have come to apologize on their part.” Amy’s eyes widened. Antonio Russo is apologizing to her? Was it opposite day? Mercury in retrograde or whatever it is called??“Don’t worry about it, please. I had forgotten about the whole thing already.” She says, flustered. Wh
Arianna looks up from her laptop and smiles warmly at Amy. “Sit down, doll.” She says and gestures for her to sit. “What would you like to chat about, Ariann?” She asks, just wanting to get straight to the point.She couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. Arianna nods at her and replies, “Yesterday you proved to me you have this diner’s best interests at heart. That you care about your patrons. So, I would like to offer you a promotion. How does general manager of Arianna’s sound, Ames?”Amy’s jaw hits her chest at lightning speed. A promotion? “Arianna, are you sure about this?” She asks, not believing what she heard. “Of course, dear. You are the only viable choice and the only one I trust to keep my business afloat. Please say yes?” Arianna begs her.Tears well up in her eyes and she nods, “Yes! I would love the position! Thank you so much!” She
Antonio led her out of the music shop after she said yes to having coffee with him. Her eyes were downcast when she heard him say her name.“Amy?”Her head snaps up with the sound of his voice, and she looks towards him. Her heart was sitting in her throat when she answered, “Yes?”He smiles at her again and repeats his question, “Where is your car parked?” And looks at the only two cars parked in front of the music store. Hers was the only one sticking out like a sore thumb, an old Audi model next to Antonio’s obviously flashy Emperor. She looks at him with sarcasm written all over her face and he smirks, shaking his head. “I had to ask,” he said with a laugh and they walk towards her Audi. She unlocks her car and Antonio gently eases her newly bought cello in. After she locks it again, she stands sheepishly, and looks at him, annoyed at the blush creeping up into her cheeks.He really was
Amy stares down at the expensive cello that was bought for her, feeling undeserving. She didn’t ask for this, didn’t ask for Antonio’s attention, much less his father’s. And for some reason, she knew that having caught the attention of the Russos would never be a good idea.Sighing, she hangs the cello from the old cello crook on the wall and leaves her room. She didn’t want to think about the future or what it held now that she had Antonio’s attention, so she plopped down on the couch and decided to numb her brain with TV.Ͼ Ͼ ϾShe returns to work the following day with worry settling in her heart. The cello hanging in her room was a constant reminder that she was tied to a family she wanted nothing to do with. She knew she should return the instrument, but Antonio had said that his father would see it as a major insult if she had to return the gift. You
AntonioAntonio walks out of the coffee shop and tries to stifle a smile. How had this girl grown on him in such a short space of time? The only woman to ever stand up to his brother Luciano, known in their circles as Luciano "Death Wish" Russo. No one would even dare to talk back to him, yet this little five-foot tall, petite girl stood up to him because he offended her patrons.He smiles and shakes his head as he gets into his Emperor, trying to put Amy out of his mind so he could focus on the task at hand. His half-sister, Emily was getting engaged this Saturday to some billionaire in the States. His father, Giovanni, had decided to marry her off as he didn’t see her suited to marry Italian blood. He left Antonio in charge of everything but made it clear that he wished to have the female cellist there. As he drives to his next stop, he could not help but feel excited at the prospect of listening to Emily play her cello
Antonio watched her cry in the passenger seat next to him. He knew she would react this way, but if she didn't face her trauma now, she would never be able to move on with her life. Her life would be paused on the night her parents died.She looked over at him with hurt clear in her eyes, which left him with a pang of guilt in his chest. "Why did you bring me here, Antonio?" She breathes out, tears streaming down her face. Antonio cocks his head to the side and takes her face in his hand. "Your life was put on hold on the night your parents passed away, Amy. If you do not face your demons now, you will be dragged down by them." He answers her and proceeds to get out of the car.He walks over to her side and opens the door, but she was staring straight ahead with no intention of getting out. Antonio sighs and gets down on his haunches, "Amy..." he trails off and she turns her head to look at him, trying to hide her anger after wiping her tears away. "Why do you care
Amy was watching Serena with a lump in her throat. She needed to tell her friend what had happened, but she was not sure where to start. Antonio had kissed her yesterday and she wasn’t sure what to make of it, or what exactly she was feeling for him. He was nice to her, for no apparent reason. And he valued her music. Everyone had always tip toed around her when it came to her parents' death, but Antonio was blunt about things. Although it was frustrating at times, it was what she needed to hear. Everything he said made sense after she mulled it over in her head.Amy was daydreaming so much, that she didn't even see Serena was storming over to her. She stood in front of Amy, hands on her hips and with a pout playing on her lips. "Okay that's enough, spit it out," she said to Amy, which earned her a frown from the latter."What do you-""You either want to ask or tell me something, I can tell from the way you've been not so subtly staring at me. Now com
Serena takes Amy’s hand in her own and tried to comfort her. The scene outside Bailey’s window had sent her off the edge. Someone had been watching her sister, and quite possibly for a while now. “We need to contact the police when we get back, Amy. This could end really bad.” Serena tells her and she nods. Amy had already called Julie with the news and advised her not to go home today, who knows when the culprit will strike.Amy looks ahead and notices Antonio watching her in the rear-view mirror with the same concerned expression he had when they were alone in the opera house. She nods at Serena, “I know. I should have listened to Bailey in the beginning, Serena. She would never make up a lie like someone standing at the window.” Amy responds and as usual, blames herself for what had happened. Serena shakes her head, “There’s no way you could have known that the monster at her window was an actual person, Amy. And from w