"Autumn." I said her name the same way my mother said "poor". "What are you doing here?"
I would have been much meaner, but Wes was there. As much as I desired to, I couldn't claw her eyes out (metaphorically, of course).
Finally, Autumn took her eyes off my boyfriend and looked at me. "I just happened to get a job at Chez Coeur today. Isn't it such a funny coincidence?" She batted her short eyelashes at Wes.
Wes laughed. "It seems like we're always bumping into each other these days, Autumn! First at Jamba Juice yesterday, then last Saturday at the community center—"
As Wes continued to converse with the interloper, questions rang though my mind.
What happened at the community center last Saturday? And why didn't I hear about it?
But I knew one thing for sure. Autumn wasn't over Wes, and she definitely wanted him for herself. And there was no way I'd stand for losing, especially to Ratty Sneakers, the ugliest social pariah in town.
"Whoops!" Autumn cried. Before I knew what was happening, my champagne flute was knocked down, completely drenching my dress. To add insult to injury, it was dry clean only.
As if she was reading my mind, Autumn commented "Oops! I guess you shouldn't wear things that are 'dry clean only'! You never know when an accident will happen!" Right, it was totally an accident, I thought.
"Excuse me. I need to use the powder room," I excused myself and left the dining room. I didn't want to leave Wes alone with Autumn, but for my plan to work, I had to be out of their earshot.
Instead of going to the powder room, I walked up to the counter where the hostess presided over a stack of menus and reservation lists.
"Hello, may I please speak to the manager?" I gave the hostess a small smile. Then I mentioned my last name. Immediately, the hostess dashed off to get them.
"Ms. Vivienne Marmond will see you now," the hostess announced, her cheeks flushed from the exertion. She then lead me to the manager's office.
Ms. Marmond was a black-haired woman in her forties with piercing blue eyes and a sharp-angled face. After introducing ourselves, she asked what she could do for me.
"I was in the middle of a private dinner, when one of your employees callously and erroneously interrupted my date in addition to spilling beverages on me. I was quite dismayed at her behavior as normally I have come to expect stellar service from your restaurant. As a frequent customer, the decision to hire this young lady as an employee has left me disenchanted with my night." I kept a serious, downcast look on my face.
"Well!" Ms. Marmond exclaimed. "Do you have the name of this employee?"
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Autumn Brooks was this close to getting fired.
"Yes, Autumn Brooks," I replied. "She mentioned that she was hired recently."
"Autumn Brooks…" Ms. Marmond murmured to herself as she looked through what I presumed to be a list of employees.
She checked, and then checked the list again. "Hmm…" Ms. Marmond mused. "It appears that we have no employees by the name of Autumn Brooks. This is odd…"
"Well, she's in the private dining room I was using, dressed in an employee's uniform," I replied.
"Please lead me to it," Ms. Marmond stated. "Chez Coeur will get to the bottom of this."
I lead Ms. Marmond to the dining room that was supposed to be for mine and Wes's date.
I opened the door and nearly gasped. Autumn was sitting in my chair, slouching, her left leg on her lap as she swung her right leg. But her indecorous position wasn't even the worst part.
Autumn twirled her braid as she flirted with Wes, leaning closely to him and staring deeply into his eyes. Wes either didn't notice or didn't care as they talked on.
The conversation ground to a halt as Ms. Marmond and I entered. She tapped Autumn lightly on the arm. Despite the civility of her actions, I could tell that she was pissed.
"Yes?" Autumn snapped the piece of gum she was chewing.
Ms. Marmond, appalled, looked away before turning back. "What is your name?"
"Autumn. Autumn Brooks," she replied.
"Do you work in this institution?" Ms. Marmond asked.
"Uh, no," Autumn whispered and blushed.
"What was that?" Ms. Marmond demanded. "I couldn't hear you."
"Um, no," Autumn said, a little louder but still softly. Wes's eyes widened. I dug my French manicured-tips into the palm of my hand to prevent myself from laughing.
"Then how come you are dressed as an employee, and posing as one?" Ms. Marmond asked.
Autumn glared at Ms. Marmond. "I offered to help Pierre with his job. He seemed stressed out, having to serve a demanding customer like her"—she then pointed and glared at me. Wes gasped and Ms. Marmond looked indignant, but I kept my poker face on. Autumn looked like the villain in this situation, and it was all playing into my hands.
"Regardless of your intentions, Miss Brooks, Chez Coeur does not tolerate this behavior. You are hereby banned indirectly from the premises, and Pierre will be terminated as well for this indiscretion." Ms. Marmond dialed a number on her cell phone, and less than a minute later, two security guards came to escort Autumn off the premises.
"Take her picture as well," Ms. Marmond told them. "Show all the staff that this girl is not to enter the restaurant under any circumstances." They nodded and left, Autumn giving me one last glare even though she did this to herself.
"I am extremely sorry for this," Ms. Marmond informed me. "Your meal today will be on the house, of course. Hopefully the events of today won't prevent valued clientele like you from coming back to our restaurant."
"As long as further incidents like this do not happen ever again"—I meant Autumn barging in my date, obviously—"I see no reason why not to."
After Ms. Marmond left, another waiter came with our food and Wes and I began to eat. But the happy feeling I had when we started our date was long gone thanks to Autumn.
But ruining my date with Wes was only the first of Autumn's plans. She had other peoples' dates to spoil as well…