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CHAPTER 23
Two weeks had passedsince Katrina had come to the realization that Lorenzo had planned his getaway.
Two weeks since she found out why.
Two weeks of keeping silent about it every time she was around Ren, as there always seemed to be someone else there.
Such as this night, when Katrina had brought her marketing plans with her to the bar, which was closed for renovation. When she entered, she saw Lorenzo swinging Judith around in a bear hug, both exuding with excitement.
“Trina, look!” Lorenzo exclaimed, gesturing towards the floor. The sticky carpet had been removed, and beneath it...
“Hardwood floors!” Katrina’s eyes lit up with the same excitement that Lorenzo and Judith had.
“Fuck the carpeting, we will cancel that order,” Judith was saying as she walked towards Katrina, though she was talking to Lorenzo. “The reverb in this place is going to be amazing, absolutely amazing. We’ll contract someone to get this polished up and we will be good to go with the furniture.” She approached Katrina with open arms and hugged her, though Katrina’s hands were full. “How are you?”
She was always asking that now.
“Good,” Katrina replied as she stepped back. “Better now, actually. This is fantastic news.”
“Isn’t it?” Lorenzo asked, approaching her as well, his smile the most genuine of joy.
“Your dream,” she added, and his eyes softened.
“You remembered.”
“Of course.” Katrina smiled at him, and his eyes darted to the floor before he peered up at her again, his smile seemingly a little shy.
“Oh would you two just get it on already,” Judith said with a wave of her hand. “Martin!” She yelled across the room and began to walk in Martin’s direction. “Martin, you’ve got to see this!”
“Never mind Judith,” Katrina said softly even as Lorenzo took a step towards her, causing her heart rate to soar. “I never do.”
He said nothing, but reached for her portfolio bag, then gestured with his head for her to follow him into his office.
Where they would be alone.
Thetap tapof her heels against the hardwood floor reverberated throughout her body, each step closer to his office causing her to war in her head.
Would she confront him? Or merely ask? Or should she leave it alone? They’d come this far and were finally getting into the groove of being friends.
Almost the way they had before.
Only this time, there would be no handing her the leather jacket on the first day of high school.
His office was a bit chaotic, papers piled up on his desk by his quick scanner where he was switching to all digital. But he’d taken the photo out and had it displayed now, up by his first dollar bill. And there the three of them—Justin, Lorenzo, and Katrina—were smiling at their photographer, Judith.
“I can’t believe you stole that picture from me,” she blurted out, then felt her cheeks heat up as he shut the door with a resoundingclick.
His laughter was soft as he sat in one of the small chairs to the side, gesturing towards his leather office chair for her.
Always the gentleman.
Always kind, at least to her.
“I can get this set up,” she said as the silence let her know he wasn’t going to respond to her comment about the picture.
Until he spoke up.
