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After paying, I leave the restaurant. Instead of going straight to the parking lot, I make a trip to the ladies’ room first. Might as well make use of the best one in the city, complete with a makeup room, a changing room and a pool to soak one’s feet in. I only comb my hair and apply a fresh layer of lipstick.
When I come out, I find myself face to face with Leo, who seems to be headed towards the men’s room. Without meaning to, I stop and stare.
I knew he was wearing a suit and tie. I didn’t realize it looks so good on him, or that he looks so good in one. I’d know because I’ve been around men in suits for the past several years now. Most of them don’t have a clue how to pick theirs, much less carry them. Not Leo. He keeps his shoulders straight beneath his impeccably tailored jacket, which makes them look broader. The collar of his button-down shirt emphasizes his thick neck and strong jaw, especially since he’s holding his head high. His chest looks wider, too.
Was he wearing a suit the night of my dad’s funeral? I can’t remember. I suddenly wish I did. Not just what he was wearing but every detail. Just as I have this sudden urge to grab his tie right now and kiss him, crazy as that sounds.
Why? Didn’t I just tell Gladys I didn’t need a man? Don’t tell me I’m confusing him for Antonio again.
This isn’t Antonio. It’s Leo, the twin who’s done nothing but annoy me by popping up at the worst of times, both in my head and in real life.
“Leonardo Ursini.” I acknowledge him with straightened shoulders as I regain my bearings. “I have to say I never thought I’d see you in a place like this.”
I expect a comeback but hear none. He doesn’t even grin.
“Don’t worry,” Leo tells me. “I’m not following you. I just needed to discuss business with someone over lunch.”
The pain in his voice makes me frown. And feel guilty.
I’m doing it again, aren’t I? Getting my panties in a bunch. Bringing my claws out just because he ruffled my feathers. Trying to hurt him before he hurts me. Didn’t I say I’d be more mature, nicer?
I grab Leo’s arm as he walks past me.
“Hey.” I look into his eyes. “I’m sorry for the way I treated you last time. You didn’t deserve it.”
Leo’s eyes widen slightly. He still says nothing, and it’s starting to get awkward just standing with him in a hallway outside the restrooms, so I walk away.
I sling my purse over my shoulder and fidget with the zipper.
What was with that dumbfounded look? And that speechlessness? Is it so hard to believe I can be kind?
Well, it is the first time I’ve been kind to him, I think. Only because he’s never been kind to me. This is the first time I’ve had the strength and the clarity to rise above my irritation instead of being sucked into his spiral of resentment. Still, did he have to look so astonished? Couldn’t he have said something, like told me everything was fine?
Just as I thought, he’s still a child, incapable of existing on the same level as an adult like me. Nothing I can do about that.
I sigh. At least I’ve said what I wanted to say.
“Jodie Nicholson?” A voice draws my attention as I round the corner.
I glance over my shoulder, regretting it the moment I see who just called my name.
Carla Spencer. Weren’t Gladys and I just talking about her? What is it today about bumping into the people I least want to see?
“It’s me, Carla from law school.” She flips her red hair as she walks towards me in her floral dress. “You remember me, don’t you?”
Of course I do. How could I forget that high-pitched voice, those hideous earrings or the fact that she once spread rumors of me sleeping with a professor just because I ambushed him outside one of his other classes to ask him some questions about a case I was interested in? Not that she ever admitted to that, but everyone knows it was her.
The sight of her annoys me even more than Leo, I realize. Still, I put on my best smile.
“Sure,” I answer.
I try not to act like a grandson being suffocated by his grandmother as she wraps her arms around me to give me a hug. I have to say her perfume smells like my granny’s.
“What are you doing here?” I ask her after pulling away a second too soon.
Carla shrugs. “Oh, just hanging out with some old friends while waiting for Eric. He had some business to attend to in the area. You remember Eric, don’t you? My gorgeous fiance?”
