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“I just might,” Catherine admitted, but this was one thing she was determined to do on her own.
Despite Catherine’s resolve, she found it difficult to approach Luke Wednesday morning. She avoided the Lost Angel office and went straight to Toby’s. The kids were fooling around, not ready to get to work yet, while Rafael was already busy painting in the features of another angel.
Nick was out on the sidewalk with his skateboard doing tricks, but when he saw Catherine, he yelled to his buddies, “Hit the brushes, Mrs. Brooks is here.”
“Thanks, Nick, maybe we should let you foreman this project.”
Nick spun in a tight circle, then stepped off his board and picked it up. “No, thanks, this is enough work for me. Where’s your honey?”
Catherine rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. “I’m not the director of Lost Angel, so I won’t ban you from the site for that remark, but please don’t say that kind of thing to Luke.”
“Are you kidding? He’s already warned us to watch our mouths. But you do make a hot couple.” Still carrying his skateboard, he walked across the yard to join Polly and his buddy, Max.
Catherine was relieved Nick hadn’t inquired into the more intimate details of their relationship, but she still feared he might be giving Luke a hard time. “Luke can handle it,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Handle what?” Luke asked.
Surprised by his sudden appearance, Catherine fought to find a smile as she turned to face him. “Lost Angel, of course. If you’ve no plans for the evening, I’d like you to come over for dinner. There’s something we need to discuss.”
“That sounds ominous. Should I be worried?”
She was already frantic enough for the both of them and glanced away. “You asked me to signal before I make a turn. That’s all I mean to do.”
He reached out to lift her chin. “Now I’m intrigued. I have a meeting that’ll take most of the afternoon, so I might be a little later than usual, but I’ll be there for dinner.”
“Thank you.” She attempted to sound delighted rather than apprehensive. When he kissed her cheek before returning to Lost Angel, she was pleased to have succeeded.
She glanced up the street, but Garcia and Salzman were no longer parked in front of the auto supply store. She supposed that meant they’d given up on their ludicrous theory that one of the teenagers was the Lady in Red. She hoped they’d gone snooping in a more appropriate direction.
She wandered around the yard encouraging everyone to get busy, but with a project they cherished, it didn’t take much to inspire them. When Rafael came down off the scaffold to refill his paint containers, she approached him.
“Do you think another week will do it?” she asked.
“Maybe, but what’s your hurry? We’ve all got plenty of time.”
“That may be true, but this beautiful mural may very well lead to others, and I’d like to be ready for the next opportunity.”
Rafael wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his chartreuse T-shirt. “Toby says Art Center is cooking up a scholarship for me. What do you think of that?”
“I think it’s great, but there’s a lot of talent out here.”
“Maybe, but I’m definitely the best.”
Catherine refused to argue with him, but it annoyed her he was right. She took her beach chair out to sit and observe, but even with the colorful project to supervise, she feared it was going to be a very long day.
After the afternoon meeting ran even longer than expected, Luke still took the time to go home to shower, shave, and change clothes before going to Catherine’s. He was more curious than worried about the evening, but believed it couldn’t hurt to look his best. He wanted to take her something, and decided upon a box of chocolate turtles.
“Thank you, I love these,” Catherine exclaimed after kissi
ng him hello. “You’ve spoiled me terribly, Luke, and I keep telling you not to bring me presents.”
“Those aren’t a present; we can eat them with dessert. Now what can I do to help with dinner?”
“I thought we’d barbecue steaks. Will you light the charcoal?”
“Sure, where’s the apron?” He followed her into the kitchen and promptly began to swear. He yanked his pager off his belt and checked the number. “Lost Angel doesn’t page me at night unless there’s a real emergency. I left my cell phone in the car. May I use your telephone?”
“Of course.” Catherine gestured toward the one on the kitchen wall. She turned away to give him some privacy, but she was concerned too. She couldn’t follow the gist of the conversation from Luke’s comments, but rather than continue to prepare dinner, she sat at the breakfast table to wait.
