Her eyes wandered, noting the change of clothes and his more cleaned up appearance. He was wearing nicer clothes, expensive clothes. He was wearing a red button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up around his elbows and the top few buttons were undone. His black dress pants and the deep crimson of the shirt really brought out the dark tone of his skin. His hair was brushed back, not slicked or really styled, left to its own devices and his bangs often fell into his face. She felt heat return to her cheeks and could hear her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot. I'm glad you got by though." He said with a wink and another one of his trademark smirks.

Norah took a slow, deep breath. Be still, heart. She willed, prayed. She couldn't be falling for this man. He could have anyone in the world, he didn't need to be involved with someone with so many problems. She brought a smile to her lips and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"Of course. I told you I knew what I was doing."

"Good, but in case you need a refresher, " Gabriele pointed to a tall blonde, "her names Lydia, she's the other waitress working today with you. She's my usual gal."

The words came out so simple, so easily, he didn't even realize the implications until after he said the words and then all he could do was chuckle and shake his head before looking at Norah at the amused look upon her face.

"Ah, be quiet. We're both having a day of innuendos." He shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Follow me." He pushed himself off the wall and made his way over to the counter.

Norah snickered, grinned her own charming grin as she followed Gabriele, her arms crossed across her chest.

"So, we're not just gonna mention them, huh?" She teased.

"Nope."

"Shame."

Gabriele shook his head again, chuckling as he reached for an apron that hung on a hook next to the kitchen. He then also grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and held them out to Norah, "here, these should help. And should also help with introductions." He joked.

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her outfit. "Do I look ok to be waitressing?"

He pursed his lips together as he looked her over once, actually taking in her outfit for once. It was borderline gothic, or edgy. Something. He wasn't hip with fashion lingo, but it sure lacked color, that was one thing he knew. He shrugged.

"You look fine to me. I don't much mind you working like that, but tomorrow tone it back a little. I don't really enforce a certain dress code, nor do I have a uniform, but maybe try some color?" He asked sheepishly.

He didn't want to offend her or have her take his words to heart as harsh, but he was her boss after all and she was presenting him and his pub. He had a reputation to uphold and he had to stand up for it. He just hoped she could take some criticism.

Norah thought about her wardrobe - if you could even call the five outfits she owned a 'wardrobe' - and how they were mostly blacks, greys, navy blues. She really wasn't one for 'pops' of color. She chewed on her lip. Maybe I'll have to go shopping with my first paycheck....

She slid her leather jacket off her shoulders, handing it to Gabriele. "There. Toned down, more color. Grey counts as a color right?" She said with a little smirk, "it's hot in here anyway."

Gabriele chuckled, incredibly amused by Norah and her antics, but not in a bad way, or at least he hoped he didn't come off as rude and uncomfortable to be around. He held her jacket, draping it carefully across his arm.

"Yes, I suppose grey counts as a color." He snickered.

"Good. I like grey. Grey works for me." She held up two thumbs up. He chuckled again.

Norah smirked when Gabriele chuckled. She didn't mind him laughing. In fact, it was a rather pleasant sound. She certainly wouldn't mind hearing it again.

She then took her hair out of the ponytail holder, the black mess tumbling down over her shoulders. She bent down, flipped her hair over and gathered it up again into a higher and tighter bun. All the running around was making the back of her neck sticky with sweat and the hair tendrils were driving her crazy. She took the apron from him, swiftly tying it around her waist with a neat bow in the back. She stuck the pad of paper into a pocket and the pen into her hair bun. She then smiled brightly at Gabriele.

Gabriele raised an eyebrow when Norah began to readjust her hair but didn't comment either way. Instead, his eyes drifting away from her and he glanced around the bustling restaurant and pub, loud talking and laughs filling the air as the locals came in for a pint and some homemade lunch. Lydia was working, catching up on all the orders and putting them into the kitchen, though Norah would soon need to get to work to help when the food was ready. He returned his gaze to her a moment later, giving her a warm smile and he tilted his head a little as he watched her get her outfit and hair adjusted for work.

"Alright. There. All better." She said brightly, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly before a smile graced her red lips.

"Good. If you have any problems, you know where to find me."

Gabriele was about to walk away when he remembered something and he stopped in his tracks, "it gets awfully warm in here due to the pizza oven, so if you get too warm, you can just head outside until you're used to it." He shrugged.

Norah was surprised, but not really when she remembered the strong smell of smoke and burning wood. "So that's what that smell was." She giggled.

"Yeah, it soaks into everything." He shrugged. He had even been told on occasion that he smelled like the smoke himself, though it wasn't entirely an unpleasant scent.

"I like how authentic this place is. I don't think I've been to a place that has a pizza oven like that." She commented sincerely.

"This place is ancient, older than I am. Was built waaaay back when this kinda thing was common all over New York. Now it's just a few old places left with all the old-timey charm."

Norah had certainly worked at more upscale places but this place had such charm and character. It was truly nice. She looked up at Gabriele, into his deep brown eyes and grinned.

"I don't mind getting a little hot and bothered every now and then. I'm sure I'll be just fine." She commented offhandedly, knowing full well what an innuendo that was. Her signature smirk appeared on those red lips of hers.

Gabriele seemed to be taken a little back by her innuendo, a little flustered as heat rushed to his cheeks and he was thankful for his naturally dark skin and the thick beard that covered his cheeks. He had to clear his throat to compose himself and shook his head.

"Get to work already," he said with a laugh, a wide grin crossing his face as he looked down at Norah, pushing the fluster and the thoughts to the back of his mind.

Gabriele being flustered was a funny sight. She didn't know much about him, but he had that whole Casanova look and charm to him. She doubted he got told 'no' very often from the ladies, or that much shocked him. It was interesting to see she could fluster a man like that. She had expected a flirty or brash response back but he just laughed.

She was a little disappointed.

She gave him a small wave as she walked away and he returned the gesture before hanging his head, letting out a breath as he rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushed. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and even louder in his ears. He lifted his head and watched the bustling crowd, though his eyes always managed to find Norah in it. He bit his lip.

She seemed to be a hard worker... and he was certainly hoping she'd stay around for a while. He was curious about her, his interest piqued and he was definitely attracted to her, always a plus in his book.

After a few more minutes of watching the crowd, he headed back to his office to catch up on some work, figuring the staff had the pub covered and someone knew where to find him if they needed any high authority, but he doubted it. The crowd even at this time of a rush was usually generally pretty calm and not so demanding as the night crowd that blew in and he knew everyone there aside from or two faces so he felt pretty relaxed.

Norah approached the waitress Gabriele had pointed out, her name being Lydia if memory served her right. She gave the woman a small tap on the shoulder to get her attention.

Lydia spooked a little when she felt a tap on her shoulder but once she noticed Norah she relaxed. "Oh hun, don't sneak up on me." She said with a giggle.

"Sorry," Norah said, a small laugh escaping her. "I'm Norah, I'm a new help. What tables should I take and any tips for me?" Her voice was not unkind but she cut to the chase pretty quickly. It was busy here after all.

"Oh! Hi! Gabriele must have just hired you?" She asked, sticking her pen and pad back into a pocket, "I'm Lydia, but I'm sure you already knew that." Norah nodded. "As far as tips, if you know how to do the job, you should be golden. Just watch out for the older man." She laughed.

"Yeah, I know how to do the job." Norah retorted, crossing her arms over her chest as she chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"Great!"

Lydia was a little taken back by the straightforwardness of Norah, but it worked for the time being. They were in a busy lunch rush and needed to get people moving fast.

"You can take the left side of the pub," she said, pointing at the other side of the restaurant, "I've got nearly everyone's orders taken, there are a few stragglers though, so ask around."

"Perfect, I'll take care of it, thank you," Norah said, gritting her teeth almost at how overly enthused Lydia was.

Norah had to stifle an eye roll. She decided she already did not like Lydia. Her giggle annoyed her. But Norah forced a convincingly kind smile and hustled over to the other side of the restaurant. She checked in with every table, bringing their drinks and food in a timely manner. She smiled kindly at the woman and flirted with the men. She hoped she was liked and racking up the tips.

She desperately needed this job to work out.