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Alex strode into the restaurant’s main dining room. He needed to catch Sofia—hoped she'd stopped to talk with his cousin at the hostess stand—before she left. Instead, the entry door closed on a swing of blonde hair and a pissed-off girlfriend.
Like he needed the aggravation right now.
He automatically scanned the seating area. Prepped for the evening, the tables gleamed with white linen tablecloths that cost a fortune to buy and maintain. Quiet Spanish guitar music piped into the dining area from a sound system whose expense had made them all wince. Fresh flowers, another pricy touch. At least the wait-staff hadn't lit the candles on unoccupied tables. That detail would wait until service began. Speaking of service... He assessed the crowd and covered the discouraged frown.
Empty tables.
Too many empty tables.
It was still early, he reminded himself. And a weekday night.
Business would pick up again.
He took in the staff folding napkins, talking in low tones as they furtively made their own assessments.
He maintained a pleasant smile while he caught the eye of an older couple. The Burnsides. Friends of his mother's. He'd catch an earful if he didn't talk to them. His left hand tightened into a fist. He hid both the lacy lingerie and evidence of his frustration in his pocket.
The dining room reflected the financial reports he'd been reviewing when Sofia interrupted. Tim, his lying dog of a partner, hadn't darkened the door of either the restaurant or Stevens Ventures since he’d gotten out on bail. Yet his presence hung over the dining room like winter's gray gloom.
Damn the man.
Everyone in town assumed Alex was just as guilty as that asshole. They were waiting for the Prosecuting Attorney to get around to indicting him. At least Sofia's father had the balls to say it to his face.
He hated sneaking around to see her. He'd done nothing wrong. He shouldn't have to hide and carry the blame for what Tim did.
The entry door opened again. Alex automatically glanced that way, half hoping Sofia had come to her senses. He'd have told her he'd help her locate the grapes if she'd given him half a chance.
Instead of a beautiful blonde, his sister Lucia and her husband stepped to the hostess stand. His cousin greeted them, kissing Matthew's cheek, and making a fuss over the toddler riding Lucia's hip.
Lucia looked like all the women in his family—small, curvy, and dark-haired. Classic Spanish features. A smile that beguiled. A tongue that could rip him to shreds.
He felt as much as saw Lucia's gaze land on him. Crossing the room, making sure to pass every occupied table and offer a sentence or two, he worked his way toward the family.
“Did you have to talk to every one of them?” his sister grumbled. “Only good thing about the place being deserted.”
“Lovely to see you too.” He kissed her cheek.
“You aren't holding a stinky little boy.”
“Unka Alec.” The kid in question leaned so far off his mother's hip he would've fallen if Lucia hadn't made a two-handed grab that would've done a wide-receiver proud.
“Gotta wash your hands before you eat, little man.” He dodged the grubby hands.
“Or before he touches that gorgeous shirt,” Lucia added with a smile. “I swear, you dress better than I do.”
“Part of the image, Lucia. Part of the damn image.” His glance included his brother-in-law as he added, “Are you here for dinner or to get on my case?”
“Touchy tonight.” She deftly blocked the kid's second attempt to jump from her arms. “We'll be right back.”
Both men watched her walk away. Sometimes it surprised Alex to realize his kid sister was grown up and downright attractive. Not that he was attracted to her or anything weird like that, but he was a guy and he could see where men would find the curves and dark, glossy hair attractive.
“Is it as bad as it looks?” Matthew's tone was circumspect and only his eyes moved as he made a circuit of the dining room.
“It's a slow night.” The guy may be his brother-in-law but he wasn't in the food business. Alex stuffed his hands in his pockets, conscious of the lacy underwear. He half-turned so he could watch the servers delivering plated meals. The crowd might be thin, but dammit they were going to get great food and a class atmosphere.
Arms folded, feet planted, the men stood in the alcove beyond the hostess stand, waiting for Lucia and the kid to return.
“Harvest season starts soon.” Matthew checked his watch and glanced down the corridor toward the restrooms.
Alex nodded and purposely pushed thoughts of Sofia's missing grapes aside. “Hope we get the usual flood of tourists. I got a desk full of fliers from the wineries about special events.” Not that he expected many referrals this year.
“Think you can go around the wineries and get to the tour operators directly?” Matthew asked. “What if you can get on their preferred provider list? 'Best restaurant.' Something like that?”
Alex nodded again. As if he hadn't been working on making that happen.
“The tour guys won't be as interested in local gossip as the winery owners.” Matthew re-crossed his arms.
Owners like Sofia's father. Yeah, he could see her old man suggesting his half-drunk customers come over to Alex's restaurant for a gourmet dinner. “I'm already talking to the smaller tours that hit the high-end wineries in Walla-Walla.”
“Good idea.”
Both men dropped the topic as Lucia returned.
Alex plucked the boy out of his sister's arms and swung him in a high-to-low loop. Miguel shrieked with excitement. Alex laughed and did another turn, complete with engine noises.
“You laugh now, but when you're wearing his lunch, it won't be so funny.” The isn't-he-the-best-thing-since-sliced-bread expression countered her warning words.
“Lighten up, Lucia. He's gonna be a race car driver when he grows up. He's a little speed demon.” Alex settled the kid against his chest.
Matthew knuckle bumped him in agreement.
“More!” Miguel tugged on his shirt.
“We'll go for a ride later.” He propped the kid on his shoulder, balancing him with a secure hand around his diaper-clad butt. The faint odor of baby powder and some cleaning chemical wafted over his shoulder.
“Wanna ride in your car.” Miguel bucked his body and Alex tightened his grip.
“You have to be this big.” He reached a hand about a foot above Miguel's head. “To ride in the front seat. I don't have a back seat, little man. You'll have to grow fast.”
“I get big.” Miguel's arms flapped like he was prepping for takeoff. “Wanna drive your car.”
“We'll talk.” He swung his nephew off his shoulder and handed him back to his mother. Miguel wiggled free and took off between the tables, making a beeline for his grandmother, who stood just outside the kitchen entrance. Sputtery engine noises trailed in his wake.
“You're a natural.” His sister watched her son, a smile lighting her face with a glow that could've been love or maternal pride or all those other emotions Alex wasn't familiar with. “When are you going to make Mama happy and have a few of your own?”
His glaze flicked to the door Sofia had stormed through. “Haven't found a woman interested in staying home and making babies.”
Lucia's eyes narrowed. “I know a few.”
“Forget it. They aren't my type.” Why did he have to find independent women like Sofia—and Holly if he was being honest—attractive? Marriage and babies were the last things on their minds. “I'm too busy right now anyway.”
“Yeah, I see how the restaurant is taking all your time.” She cut her eyes at the sparsely filled dining room.
He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. “Sorry. That wasn't fair. I know you're doing the best you can.”
Alex didn't bother to answer.
“I know you want to 'take care of it' by yourself, but the restaurant involves all of us. We're a family. Let us help.” She inched closer to her husband.
Was that supposed to make them look like a team or a united front lined up to oppose him? “We have to ride it out. It'll blow over.”
“When? After we go bankrupt?” She shifted her weight to her other hip. “It's not just what people read in the newspaper. Half the town is sick of hearing about the fraud, the murder, the whole mess. The other half never reads the paper anyway.”
“Could've fooled me,” he muttered.
“The place needs to look busy. Perception runs both directions. All the tourists are here for Harvest, the county fair, college starting back.” She waved her hands at the endless possibilities. “An empty parking lot means the place sucks.”
Alex glanced over her shoulder to make sure none of his other relatives—or the restaurant patrons—were listening in on this ramble. “Let's move this to my office or drop it.”
Lucia rolled on, undeterred. “Don't ignore me because I'm a woman.”
He bit off a snide response. He was ignoring her because she didn't have a clue about running a business.
“I have some good ideas. I want to help.”
He pulled in a deep breath. “Look. You decided to stay home with Miguel.”
“Yes,” she interrupted. “He started school this fall. I want to go back to work. I have a marketing degree.”
Alex closed his eyes and counted to three. There was a reason no women managed any of the family businesses. “You want to work until you have another baby?”
Michael shifted his weight but wisely kept his mouth shut.
Spots of color lit Lucia's cheeks. “No wonder you can't keep a woman if that's what you think about working women and business.”
He glared at his sister. He didn't need her rocking an already shaky boat. But the last thing he needed was a battle with her in the middle of the restaurant. “What do you have in mind?”
Lucia's fingers moved in vague encompassing circles. “Cars in the parking lot. Full tables. Convince people this is still the Place To Be.”
“Not a bad idea, honey.” Matthew gave up his pretend inspection of the dining room.
Like they hadn't discussed this at home. Matthew probably told Lucia to bring it up so it wouldn't look like he was butting in where he had no business. “We can't afford to give away food. I have to buy ingredients, pay the staff.”
The damn mortgage. The utilities.
Matthew turned to Alex. “What if we set up a code in the cash register? Put in a discount and override the profit for family members. It'll keep eating out from being too expensive for the old people, but you'll cover your out of pocket cost.”
“Good idea.” Lucia nodded with enthusiasm.
Matthew strode to the window and peered out, his head turning as he assessed something. He strode back, carrying a confident set to his shoulders. “You can see the parking lot from both the state road and the interstate. If all of us are here, the lot will be full of cars. People like going to a restaurant where there's a crowd. Convinces them the food's good, the service is right.”
Putting aside his irritation at their interfering, Alex considered the possibility. Matthew might not be in the food business, but the thought process was sound. “It could work.”
“Oh, when he says it, it's a good idea?” Lucia's hands fisted on her hips. “With your attitude, I know why Sofia stormed out of here. Yeah, I saw her leave. What did you do to set her off?”
Alex hung onto his patience and ignored her comment about Sofia. No way was he getting into that with his sister. “You both came up with a good idea. We'll have to talk to Mama and the uncles and see if they'll go for it.” He leaned over and hugged his sister. “I'll tell them it was your idea.”