Page 190 of Catch Me
She sniffed, clearly trying to keep her tears at bay. “We’re both managing.”
“Your dad was a good man. The world will miss him.”
“There’s a memorial next week. We’d love to see you there. If you aren’t busy,” she added quickly.
I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I’ll be there.”
She nodded and, without another word, started bringing food to the front. The fundraiser had helped them a lot, and I was glad for it, especially now that her dad was gone. It had been a week since he passed, so I was shocked that she was here, but even with the extra money, this wasn’t the type of thing Barbara would want to hand off to someone else. I couldn’t imagine them shutting down to grieve, which I had to respect.
As I attempted to tie my apron, my fingers faltered. There, across the room, was a face I recognized, alongside a kid who was a little taller than when I’d first met him.
What the hell?
Roman passed Carl something wrapped in brown paper, and I was tempted to rush over there to demand answers. The kid’s bright smile as he unwrapped the flat object made me wait, though. All I could see was a frame, and when Steve looked at it, he said something to Roman.
Turning away, I busied myself with getting the place set up. There was only about twenty minutes before they’d let people in the doors, and I wanted it all to be ready. The less work Summer had to do, the better.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this,” I heard her say.
Peeking over my shoulder, I saw her talking to Roman. He offered her a tight smile.
“It’s nothing. Really.”
She hugged him, and he returned the embrace. She looked around once before she nodded and headed for the door.
His gaze traveled across the space, then landed on me. He blinked a couple of times, and I watched as he pulled his lip between his teeth.
Fuck this.
I marched over, stopping directly in front of him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
His eyes widened. Was that amusement in them? “I’m helping out. Ralph just died, and I thought—”
“I know,” I interrupted. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Okay, so we had the same thought.”
“Are you following me around now?”
“How the hell would I know you’d be here?”
With a growl, I stalked away from him. This was ridiculous. I couldn’t just leave now, so I set up the plates and utensils, then stood behind the counter, watching the clock.
Because he was committed to being a thorn in my side, he came up to me. “Are you mad?”
I drew in a long breath through my nose. “You’re always justaround.”
“I stopped by last week,” he said. “It wasn’t about you. Barbara told me her husband passed, so I offered to come back when I returned to Atlanta to give them some time off.”
“I’ve offered before, but she says no.”
He shrugged. “Don’t accept no. She’s too proud to admit she needs the help. Better yet, enlist Summer to wear her down.”
My lips pursed as he spoke. I couldn’t deny he was more clever than me. Roman was smart, which I wasn’t ignorant of, but he still surprised me sometimes. As I’d told him before, there was so much beneath the surface that he didn’t show people. At the time, I’d liked that I was the only one who seemed to draw those things out of him. Now, he offered them more freely, and surprisingly, I liked that even more.
“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “For being an ass. If I’d known you’d be here...”
“You wouldn’t have come.”
