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CHAPTER TWO
Adrianna added another pink tulip to the bouquet for better balance, placed the candle holders on each side of it, and stepped back. She smiled. Every table was set with just a small variation on the centerpieces, to make them look unique but cohesive. Everything was as it should be, the walls and tablecloths pristine white, and the accent brick wall gave it a pop of color that made it chic, lived-in, and very Baltimore.
After five years, she still set the tables every day for opening. It was a pleasure, an indulgence, and it saved her money. She didn't need the staff as early. The only time she loved doing this more was during the weekends, when Bron was around to help her. Her daughter's artistic eye showed in her suggestions, and the customers got a kick out of their arrangements. She made a mental note of picking orange and purple flowers for the weekend. In the summer, there would be ranunculus and hydrangeas.Let's see what Bron does with those.
Adrianna went around the room, checking for garbage or dust hiding in the corners.MiTesoro,named after her greatest treasure—her daughter —was ready for the lunch crowd.
She peeked out through the glass panel. Canton Square was still pretty much empty, except for the late morning dwellers and the familiar figure sashaying down the block. She unlocked the door and her best friend, Lauren, walked right in. Ripped skinny jeans, sky-high stilettos and a white tank top with the wordsAdios to the B. S.clung to her skin. The shades, the shirt, the hand she held up, Lauren was in a mood.
"Don't say anything, I'm not human yet." Her friend strolled past her and made her way to the kitchen.
"Fine by me. I'll be in the office," she called out.
She’d barely made it through the office door when her phone rang. She placed it in her ear and began to riffle through her to-do tray.
"Miss Arenas?"
"Yes?"
"This is Loraine Walker, from La Salle Academy."
Her hands stilled. Why was her daughter's school director calling? "Did something happen to Bron?"
"Ma’am, please stay calm. I want you to know that we have dispatched a car there and called the police—"
“The police. What the hell are you talking about? Where is my daughter?”
“She left the premises. One of her friends says she went to a gallery in D.C. for some exhibit. This has never happened before. We don’t know how she was able to sneak out.”
"Are you telling me that my daughter bailed on school to go to some art exhibit? And you didn't know she left? Where were her teachers? Where was your security? And who did she supposedly go see…" It was on her desk, front page of theBaltimore Galaxy.Maryland Son Returns Triumphantly.
The blood drained from her head and the phone slipped from her hand, landing on the glass-topped desk. She had to find Bron. “Oh God.”
She grabbed her purse and ran out of the office, heading toward the door, but it swung open and her daughter walked in.
Adrianna dropped her purse and ran to hug her. "You are so grounded, for like ever. I can't believe you left school like that. What were you thinking, Bronwyn Alyxandra? You're not ever going anywhere, not school dances, not even to the bathroom by yourself. You'll stay in your room forever with your books, where I know where you are at all times."
"Mom, you're suffocating me." Bronwyn tried to pull away from her.
"I'm so angry with you right now. Your friend told the teacher you left to go to an art exhibit. Where was Miss Winter? How did you get here?"
She couldn’t make her hands stop roaming over Bron’s face and body.
“Miss Winter got sick earlier and she had to go home. I would have asked her to take me, but this was my only chance to meet him.” Her eyes drifted up and her head tilted back toward someone behind her.
It was then that Adrianna became aware that there was someone standing by the door. The looming shadow, the prickling on the back of her neck, the way her breath lodged in her throat.Oh God. Her head came up and face to face with the past. Summer days at the state park, kisses under the falls, posing for him by the lake, his body over hers, screaming fights…and heartbreak. Month after month of teary heartbreak.
Her lips parted but not even air came out. His green gaze cut through her and it was like time never moved. Except, his shoulders had almost doubled in size, filling his six-foot-three frame. His face no longer softened by boyish features. He was older, manlier.
"Cam." His name whooshed out of her lips.
"He gave me a ride here, Mom. He has a limo with a driver! It's nicer than Uncle Nathan's panty dropper."
Heat exploded all over her face. She looked down at the floor, urging the earth to swallow her. He was going to think she was a bad mother. "Language! What have I told you?"
Bron lowered her head. "I'm not supposed to repeat the things I hear Aunt Lo say because she’s an adult and I’m not."
Adrianna ran her hand through her hair and looked at him again. Thanks to the scare, she probably looked a hot mess. "Thank you for bringing her. Would you like to sit down?"
