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Fuck. Shit.
He needed to figure this all out soon. For both of their sakes. No matter that he was upset with her, he didn’t want her to suffer.
Because you love her.
It would be easier if he didn’t.
Was he going to keep her?
Yes.
He couldn’t let her go. There was no way.
“So she doesn’t know where her mom is now? Sounds like whoever she was running from caught up to her.”
He nodded. That’s what it sounded like to him as well.
Reuben studied him. “What I don’t understand is why you haven’t kicked her out?”
“What?”
“You found out she’s a liar. You hate liars, especially after Elena.”
He groaned. Reuben had gotten that story out of him in one drunken moment of stupidity.
“I do.”
“So why is she still in your house?”
“Maybe I just want to punish her.”
“Ahh, I see. You care about her.” Reuben nodded his head.
“What? How do you figure that?”
“Because if you didn’t, you’d just let her go. Instead, you’re here, looking like shit, punishing your liver, and agonising over that girl. Fuck, you love her, don’t you?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“How good a liar is she? Do you think she was faking an interest in you?”
He ground his teeth together. “I don’t know.”
“How much did she really lie, though? Sure, she managed to do something to Starla so she could take her spot in the back room. But you said she didn’t fake that shit with Vince.”
He shook her head. He believed her about that.
“And you decided to take her home with you, right? Insisted on it, I’m guessing.”
“Yeah. She could have told me the truth then, though.”
Reuben snorted. “Could she? In case you didn’t realize, you’re kind of intimidating. Not to me, of course. Maybe she never told you because she was scared. Maybe she has feelings for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not excusing what she did. I fucking hate liars. But I don’t want you to get hurt. After Elena, you froze Dante out. And now you barely speak to him and he was like a brother to you. And you can’t tell me that hasn’t hurt you. Don’t do the same with Cat. For both of your sakes.”
“Did you really come here for a therapy session?” he grumbled.
“No, but I’m always here if you need advice. Since I’m so much better at this sort of thing than you are.”
“Ha! That’s a joke. When is the last time you had a girlfriend?”
“Oh, so she’s your girlfriend, is she?”
He was silent, frowning. Calling her his girlfriend didn’t sound right.
He wanted to call her his.
“Only you can decide what to do, Alejandro. But either let her go or punish her and move on. Now, I’m going to head to your place for a nap. You’ll come back soon?”
“Yeah, I just have something I need to do.”
43
Cat was miserable.
She’d been unhappy after Mama left. Depressed. Upset.
And angry.
So angry.
But she’d had a goal. A target. And it had kept her moving forward, given her something to hold on to.
A smidgen of hope.
Now . . . she had nothing.
No hope. Nothing to cling to.
Mama was gone. And Cat was fairly sure she was gone for good. There were no more clues leading to where she was.
Getting close to Alejandro had always been a long-shot. One she’d built up in her head. So much time and planning wasted.
All that time spent working jobs she’d hated.
She could have gone to college. She could have moved in with her friends.
She could have gotten a job she loved.
Instead, she’d spent her time chasing after false leads.
And to top everything off, she’d found the most amazing man. Someone who she could surrender to. Who she could let herself go with. And now, because of her actions, he was mad at her. He’d pulled away from her. She hadn’t even had a chance to explain everything before he’d left.
She groaned as she glanced at the clock. It was after midday and she’d barely had three hours sleep. She felt like shit. Stumbling out of bed, she moved into the bathroom to splash some water on her face.
God, she hated that he was upset with her. That she’d hurt him.
She had no idea how to penetrate that thick wall he’d built around himself.
Cat studied herself in the mirror. There were dark rings under her eyes and she appeared gaunt.
She looked haunted.
Moving from the bedroom, she went in search of coffee. It was the only thing that might make this better. A few minutes later, she stared down at the bread and butter Bernie had left for her.
The note on top said, Eat.
Getting up, she threw the whole thing, plate and all, in the garbage. It wasn’t that she was angry with Bernie. Nope, her anger was all aimed at herself.
“Whoa. What did that bread ever do to you?” an amused voice asked. “Talk back? Got sassy? Or is it too many carbs?”
