Doubt began to settle in, but Rose refused to give it life. She could do this. Greeting customers, seating them at their table, making sure the other hostesses on the clock were doing what they were supposed to be doing… She could do this.
And she would not—wouldnot—screw this up.
Rose slid another quick glance in the SUV’s direction. “Mr. Valdez wants to meet me now?”
“Trust me, I know it’s a bit unconventional.” Marie’s dainty shoulders shook with a soft chuckle. “But as I’m sure you understand, Mr. Valdez is a very busy man. He happened to call earlier to discuss another matter, but then we started talking about you and how I wanted to offer you the promotion. When I told him you were here, he asked when your shift ended. It just so happens, he was already going to be in the area, so he asked me to bring you outside to meet him.”
That made sense, she supposed.
“Okay.” She smiled, wrapping her arms around her center to help stave off the cooling temperatures.
Leaning in closer, Marie added an almost hushed, “He knew if he stepped foot inside, he’d be spotted by his many faithfulcustomers, and the poor man would never make it out of here before dawn.”
With a gentle hand on the small of Rose’s back, the kind woman guided her toward the vehicle. As they approached the car, the back passenger door began to open. Seconds later, a very handsome, very important-looking man appeared.
He slid smoothly from the seat, his commanding presence towering over her five-six frame. Without a word, he reached down and took Rose’s hand in his. Large, tanned fingers curled around hers in a gentle but firm grip.
“You must be Rose.” A flash of perfectly straight, white teeth appeared with the man’s wide grin. “It is a pleasure to finally meet the woman Marie has been telling me so much about.”
Oh, wow.
Doing her best not to appear as impressed—or intimidated—as she felt, Rose tightened her grip and shook the man’s hand. She stood there, staring back into those intense, unreadable eyes, thinking to herself how every single one of the rumors she’d heard about the man was true.
Dante Valdez was tall. His hair was dark. His smooth, olive skin and thick accent were all natural traits that had clearly been passed down through his Hispanic heritage. And with a long, straight nose, high cheekbones, and dark chestnut stare, the man truly was handsome.
Dressed in a suit that probably cost more than she could make in six months, his broad shoulders and straight-spine stature gave him an air of importance. A commanding presence that was sure to grab the attention of anyone in his vicinity.
Talk about intimidating.
Truth be told, Dante was probably the most intimidating man she’d ever met. But Rose refused to let him or the woman standing beside her see it. Not with a massive promotion on the line.
Lead hostess may be at the bottom of the managerial positions, but it was a damn good start. Especially for someone like her. And while the change would also come with a whole new set of stressors and responsibilities, this was her one shot at letting both this man and Marie see they’d chosen the right person for the job.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Valdez.” Rose maintained eye contact while offering him her very best customer service smile. “Marie was just telling me a little about the lead hostess job, and I am definitely interested in the position.”
A cold breeze swirled past just then, the force of the wind sending the ends of her long, strawberry-blonde ponytail whipping up and around with the air’s sudden change.
Dante released her hand to open the back passenger door. “It’s much too cold to be standing out here in this wind. Let’s finish this conversation in the car, where it’s warm, yes?”
The interior light dawned at the opening of the door, filling the vehicle’s interior with a warm, inviting glow. Not in the habit of getting into cars with men she didn’t know—even this man—Rose looked to Marie for guidance on how to proceed.
With a smile and an emphatic nod of her head, the other woman didn’t hesitate to agree. “Warm is definitely better.” Not waiting for permission, Marie climbed up into the SUV, sliding all the way across the black leather bench seat.
“After you, my dear.” Dante’s eyes glinted with kindness as he waited for Rose to follow her manager’s lead and get inside.
Nerves danced in Rose’s belly, and the hairs on the back of her head began to stand on end. But then she realized those nerves were a byproduct of her previous time spent living on the streets. It was eat or be eaten out there, and Rose had learned damn fast to assume everyone was the enemy until they proved otherwise.
But these people weren’t her enemies. They were honest, hard-working people whose only crime was their desire to have this conversation someplace warm and out of the winter wind. Plus she knew exactly where the exterior security cameras were located around the building, so if anything were to happen to her out here…
Rose started to get in, but something stopped her. She had no idea what, butsomethinghad her turning back. Her gaze landed on one of those cameras, and for a split second, she considered changing her mind.
“Rose?” Dante’s deep, masculine voice was laced with concern. “Is something the matter?”
Donotblow this! This is the break you’ve been waiting for. Don’t. Freaking. Blow. It!
Pulling her focus from the camera mounted high above the door she’d walked out of minutes earlier, Rose met the man’s dark stare and smiled. “No, sir.” She shook her head. “Everything’s great.”
And as she climbed into the back of Dante Valdez’s fancy SUV, Rose kept that smile, knowing her luck was finally about to change.