Page 12 of Amore
I took a small breath, knowing Ihadto explain myself. “Actually, I’m meeting an old high school friend for coffee.”
Her brow furrowed. “Didn’t you live in Tennessee?”
I nodded and placed my hand on the doorjamb. “I did.”
“And they live here?”
“Yeah. Saw them last night.”
“At your security gig?” she probed.
Candace didn’t know where I worked because it was part of the NDA, but I had told her I worked for a private security company that was contracted out to high-profile clients. “Yeah. I took a client to a nightclub, and I ran into them there.”
“That must be …nice. Wish we could go out for coffee or something sometime.”
I grabbed her hand, pulling her just inside the door. “One day.”
“Yeah.”
I kissed her quickly just as my phone rang on the kitchen island. I knew by the ringtone it was my sister, and if I didn’t answer, she would worry herself to death, thinking I was killed on the job or something. I stepped away from Candace, leaving her in the doorway, and grabbed my phone while putting my finger over my lips to tell Candace she needed to stay quiet. No one, not even my sister, knew we were dating.
“Hey, sis. What’s up?”
“Just calling to check on my baby brother.”
I rolled my eyes at her little jab about being herbabybrother. “Everything’s good. How are you and the real baby?”
“Baby is good. I’m ready to have my body back.”
After Lucy graduated from Kansas State University, she stayed in Kansas and opened up a bakery. She met her husband, Shane, and they married two years ago and were expecting their first baby in a few months.
“Sounds like a personal problem to me,” I teased, using a saying we’d used as kids.
“Ha-ha. So, what are you up to over in Cali? Going surfing?”
People assumed everyone who lived in California knew how to surf and did it often, but I didn’t know how to surf, and Lucy knew that. “Not yet. Haven’t found a hot instructor to teach me yet.” My gaze moved to Candace; she was glaring at me. Even though she was only hearing one side of the conversation, she probably didn’t like me saying anything about another woman, but it was all for fun.
But speaking of someone hot …
“Actually …” I hesitated for a moment, not sure I was ready to open a can of worms with Lucy, but maybe I could find out the answers we always wondered from Frankie. And sinceshecalled her Frankie, I felt as though I could say it in front of Candace because she would assume it was a guy and not a woman. “I ran into Frankie last night.”
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“We’re meeting up for coffee,” I continued.
Still silence.
“I actually need to head there soon, or I’ll be late,” I went on.
Lucy still didn’t say anything.
“I’ll call you tomorrow or something, okay?”
No response.
“All right. Love you.”
When Lucy still didn’t say anything, I hung up the phone and turned to Candace. “Yeah, so, I better get going. Thank you for the tacos, though.”
