The next day I was cooking at the home kitchen with music blasting through my headphones. My phone was continuously ringing but it was more important to finish grooving to Flawless by Beyonce. The doorbell was also apparently buzzing but I didn't hear it until Pops grabbed the headphones off me. When I turned around I was met with the flushed face of Pops in his shorts and T-shirt looking annoyed and Alex angrily glaring at me.
"I called you 30 times and nearly broke down that door," Alex bit out.
"I really could have used the sleep," added Pops.
"Right! Go back to bed Pops. Alex your room is down the hall, it's the first door on the left. Since you are early, you need to clean it yourself. For now, drop your stuff and come back for pancakes," I said turning back to the stove and ignoring their angry expressions. I certainly wasn't going to apologize for being in my zone. The song is barely a few minutes long, they could have just waited. I could hear both of them muttering angrily and walking away. At least I hoped the pancakes would placate them.
The breakfast obviously didn't placate Alex who was livid after seeing his room.
"It's a storage, not a room!" he bellowed.
"It's just for a few days, Alex. I need to rent a place and you can share that with me. You are early, you weren't supposed to even be here today," I fired back.
"I got bored and decided to come down and watch the show of you turning your career into a disaster," Alex spat with a smirk playing on his lips.
"Stop being such a diva and make do for a few days," I said before walking off into my room to get dressed for the day.
Alex and I spent the rest of the day speaking to contractors and hunting down houses to rent. Pops was going to close the restaurant down for renovations by next week and I needed to have everything in place so that work would begin immediately. The final stop was the City council offices to check if all our papers were in order to begin the work. I had to renew the restaurant license in my name and apply for a host of permits for the renovation work. The only person who gave me any trouble was the police chief. He spent more time talking about his greatness and how he plans to make the town better than signing off the one permit that was taking me forever to get a signature on. The new guy was Police Chief Richard Hammond, and he was set in wanting to educate me about safety and restaurant policies. Alex almost fell asleep a few times while he lectured us and I had to kick him the last time to get him to wake up. Chief Hammond didn't fail to talk about the mob visiting Pops restaurant and how irresponsible Pops was for serving them. Alex asked how Pops would have known he was serving criminals but Hammond brushed off his question and began another lecture on citizen responsibility.
By the time we got home, we were exhausted but the moment we got out of the rental that Alex had driven down in, he jerked me back behind the car. Before I could protest, he clamped his hand over my mouth silencing me and scaring me in the process. As he took his hand off and moved to peep out from behind the car, I whispered, "Mind telling me what this is about?"
"You didn't tell me this town was this famous," whispered Alex.
"What? What are you even talking about Alex?" I said, annoyed by his behaviour.
"Okay, look over there, by the street lamp," he pointed. As my eyes searched the crowds, I couldn't really make out who exactly he was pointing to. "Over there, the guy in the all-grey suit. Can't you see him?" he asked frustrated.
"Yeah, yeah I can. What about him?"
"He is a very famous lawyer who is well-known for working for the mob."
"The mob?"
"Yes, the mob."
"Shut up, Alex. This isn't the 80s for people to be scared of the mob. Secondly, we are in a small seaside town which is more of a family getaway, not some mob-action place. Now let me go. I want to crash, I am so tired," I said wiggling out of his grip and heading home.
Alex stayed and kept staring at the person in fascination. I turned and looked at the man one more time before heading inside. This was the second time I was hearing about the mob. But why would the mob be here? We didn't have harbours close by, nor are we close to any major transport hubs. No one here is even super-rich enough to be targeted for kidnapping. It all seemed coincidental but something in my gut was telling me I should pay attention to this. But I was too caught up in my own plans and my own world to care. Maybe I should have paid more attention to that man in the grey suit because he was going to become more than just a mob lawyer.