Annoyance flared in me as I looked at Catalina. She had too much makeup on, making me want to take my napkin to wipe some of it off.
Ignoring her question, I pretended not to know who she was. “Who are you?”
“Catalina.” She placed her elegant hands on the table. “Kain and I dated.”
The waft of her strong perfume made me lean back, creating a distance between us.
“You’re hisex.” I opened the small containers of paint and tried my best not to let her bother me. “And I’m his current girlfriend. What can I do for you?”
“Give him another week and he’ll dump you.” She tapped her fingers on the table; her red, shiny nails glinted in the light. “Then he’ll have someone new in no time. I’m just making sure he returns to me once and for all.”
Irritation made my back itch. Did she have any shame?
“So you intruded on my space to inform me you wantmyboyfriend?” I looked her in the eye while holding my tiny paintbrush, wishing it were a pair of garden shears. “Pretty shameful.”
“You mean I’m a woman who knows what she wants.” She smirked like a conniving bitch. “He just needs a reminder of how much he needs me.”
“Now you sound like a prostitute.” I stabbed the paintbrush into the red paint container and then dipped it into the jar of water, stirring fast.
Her mouth dropped open at my comment.
I didn’t flinch or apologize. “Sometimes the truth is ugly, and it hurts.”
“You’re unfit for him,” she scoffed. “I can’t believe he’s seeing someone like you.”
“He seems to believe wefittogether perfectly every night.” I smiled, flicking the paintbrush on the bowl like a little kid who doesn’t know how to paint. The red paint splattered onto her ivory shirt. “I know why Kain only dated you for a few months. You’re rudeanddesperate.” I twirled my paintbrush. “Go back to your group if you don’t want any more stains. My next attempt might get bloody.” I forced a smile, tightening my grip on the paintbrush.
Making a face, she grabbed a paper towel from the table and dabbed her shirt. But she didn’t leave after cleaning her shirt, which still had hints of the stains.
“Are you meeting him today? Or another man?” She grinned. “Kain is hardly ever late. But if he is, that means he’s with another woman.”
“You know this because?”
“Because it happened to me.” She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. “I was at a restaurant waiting for him too. He never showed up. When I got home and called him, he said he was moving on.”
That didn’t sound like Kain. But maybe he was different years ago. A tiny part of me felt sorry for her. No woman deserved to be cheated on. Had Kain really cheated on her? With whom? I had to find out.
“Kain has what women want: looks, wealth, and power,” she said. “He’s got attractive options all around him. Most men can’t resist beautiful things, you know?”
Was she here to check out her competition or make me insecure about my relationship with Kain?
“Catalina! You coming? It’s our turn to present?” shouted a woman sitting next to Cecilia.
Our eyes connected, but she made no comment or gesture.
“I’ll be right there!” she hollered. “Did he tell you I’ve been sending him emails for weeks? We’re supposed to meet up next week at a conference.” She rose from her seat, and her plump lips stretched into a smile. “I love Kain, and I’m okay with him having other women as long as he comes home to me.”
What?
I blinked as she sashayed back to her group. Did I hear her right? She would accept a cheating man?
Why hadn’t Kain said anything to me about Catalina emailing him? Not that he had to tell me everything, but his interaction with his ex was important. Was he meeting her at a conference? Again, why hadn’t he said anything?
Anger simmered within me. My excitement for tonight was replaced with annoyance and doubt. I glanced at my watch. It was thirty minutes past our meeting time. My food arrived, and the waitress asked if I wanted to order something for him. I told her to get me a steak and cheese and began painting my bowl.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the two men who had been at Ink & Piercing Addicts grab a table near me. This was my third time seeing these men. Were they following me?
An extra set of nerves stirred in my stomach. Did they work for Hawthorne? I looked at my phone. Kain hadn’t read my text message to him. Where was he?
