“Things are definitely better on my side of the mountain than yours if the rumors are true.” I can hear the grin Mason must be wearing through the phone.
“What exactly have you heard?” Andre cuts in.
“Well, if it’s not the reclusive Andre Vitale. I was starting to wonder if Vito had taken you out and taken over without telling anyone.” Mason pokes fun at Andre.
Andre growls at the dig. It’s no lie that since the assassination of his father, he hasn’t left the farm for much. I handle all the face-to-face, shipments, and dealing with our men. I hope that if we can get this deal with the Irish, it’ll make him finally snap out of whatever is holding him hostage on the farm.
“If you ever have any questions, you could always make a trip to the farm and verify for yourself,” Andre states. “As it stands, I’m alive and well. Right this second, I’m looking for some new real estate that I might be able to turn a profit on.”
“Finally looking to break away from that farm of yours?” Mason, the ever-present asshole, pushes.
Andre scowls before answering him, “Actually, we’re quite happy with the farm. Thinking of changing things from Savannah and taking a different direction.”
I hear O’Malley chuckle before answering, “I don’t do deals with men I can’t shake hands with. How quickly do you need the change in real estate?”
Andre goes stiff in front of me, and I can see the wheels turning in his brain. We sit there not saying anything for long moments as Andre fights with demons only he can see. It’s in the moment that I think the demons might win and very well cause trouble for the family that he makes the only decision he can.
“We’re not desperate but waiting could be detrimental. What do you have in mind?” Andre grits out, his teeth so tight I swear I hear them crack.
“That’s good to hear,” Mason replies. “How about this? My wife is throwing a huge Halloween party. Why don’t you, Vito, and anyone else you feel needs to accompany you come up and hang out for a bit? You can enjoy the party, and then we can talk business and options.”
Not surprising panic fills Andre’s eyes before he closes them and answers Mason. “I’ll send travel information as soon as possible.”
I hang up the phone and lean back in my chair. “Well, looks like we’re going to be traveling for Halloween.”
“Do we have enough to cover us until then is my biggest question,” Andre rubs his temples.
“Let me go out to the barn and do some digging to see if I can fix the inventory. You keep working on the missing shipment, andif worse comes to worst, we can always call your cousins out of Atlanta,” I tell him, standing and heading out of his office.
Five
Loretta
I put in Mr. Pretty’s order before getting the coffee and water for dark and mysterious. Making my way over to the table, I take note of the empty table and find a hundred-dollar bill sitting there. I spin around looking for the man, but do not find him. Quickly, I grab the bill and rush out of the diner to find the man and return the money. There is no way I can keep that kind of money for doing nothing. Pushing through the door, I look around wildly. Across the parking lot, I see a large black SUV and make my way over to it when Dawson comes out of the diner after me.
“Loretta, are you okay? What’s wrong?” he asks, looking around trying to find the threat.
“Someone left a hundred-dollar tip for nothing. I can’t keep it. I’m going to give it back to them,” I tell him, trying to pull away from his hold on me.
“Love, if he left it for you, then keep it,” Dawson draws.
I spin around to look at him. “He didn’t even order anything but coffee and then left before he drank it. It had to be a mistake,” I say, my chest getting tight with anxiety.
Dawson looks out over my head for a long moment before looking back down at me with compassion in his eyes as he pulls the door open. “Love, that man will not miss that money. Takeit, put it in your apron, and let’s get back to the people who have ordered food.”
Huffing, I go back inside, doing as he told me to. As I walk through the door, I scan the room to make sure everyone is taken care of. I find Mr. Pretty glaring out the window at the retreating SUV, and his glass is empty. A couple of my old regulars are lifting their coffee cups to let me know they need more. Lotty, bless her heart, is wandering around like the matriarch she is, checking in on everyone and everything.
“Sorry,” I mumble as I make my way past her with my head hung low.
She smirks and I know whatever she is about to say is going to embarrass the hell out of me, “If a hunk of man like that left me a hundred-dollar tip without me having to work for it, I’d run after him too.”
My jaw drops, and the blush rushes so fast over my face that once again I’m giving the sun a run for its money. “Lotty!” is all I’m finally able to hiss.
She throws her head back, laughing, and then sashays away, refilling the coffee mugs all around the diner. Chuckling to myself, I’m able to get back to work and shake off all thoughts of the mysterious man. I grab another Coke for Mr. Pretty, trying to shake off the dread of being near him.
“Here is your refill. Your order should be out any second,” I tell him as I set his drink down.
His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thank you! Is everything okay? You seemed a bit upset.”
