Page 73 of Always Be True: Tino
Unfortunately, the only man in sight was Tino. She glanced back over her shoulder to see if maybe the janitor was waiting at the other end of the hall. No luck.
“I told Clarence that I’d make sure you reached your car safely.”
Great. She gritted her teeth to keep from cursing. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. I don’t need an escort. In your case, I also don’t want an escort.”
He winced. Good, a direct hit. That didn’t mean he walked away. When she brushed past him, Tino silently followed after her, but at least he hung back a short distance. Smart of him to give her some space. Outside, she realized that it was later than she’d thought. There were only two cars in the parking lot—hers and Tino’s. It didn’t help that the only streetlight in the area was burned out.
She would never admit it, but she was relieved not to be out there alone in the darkness right now, although she wasn’t exactly sure why. This was far from the first time she’d been at the center after hours. Over the months that the foundation had been involved in the project, she’d come and gone at all times of the day. Maybe Clarence’s comment about the break-ins had planted a seed of fear. More likely, her unease stemmed from the fact that she wasn’t feeling her best and the cause of that problem was still lurking a short distance away.
In fact, he was standing right by her car. What the heck did he want now? It was tempting to simply drive away, but she knew him well enough to know he’d keep coming back until she listened.
She rolled the window down a few inches. “What now, Tino?”
He squatted down until he was at her eye level. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I am sorry for this morning.”
So was she, but not for the same reasons. She’d had such hope for the two of them. Just thinking of how things could have been only made her heart hurt. “Fine, you’ve apologized. Now, I need to go.”
She started to close the window but stopped. “And for future reference, don’t wait around to walk me out of the building. I’m a big girl. I can actually find my way home all by myself.”
Tino immediately grabbed the top edge of the window with both hands to prevent her from closing it. “Be pissed at me all you want to, Natalie, but don’t let that make you stupid about things. I know you have friends in this neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean you’re always safe here. If I’m not around, ask Clarence or even Jay to walk you out.”
The stubborn set to his jaw made it clear that he wasn’t going to let her leave until she agreed to his demand. “Fine.”
When Tino released his hold on the window, she put the car into drive and hit the gas. All she succeeded in doing was to kill the engine. Damn, damn, double damn. She turned the key in the ignition and prayed it would start. Luck was finally with her. This time she eased her foot down on the gas and drove away.
As she exited the parking lot, she checked her rearview mirror. Tino hadn’t moved. God, he looked so darn lonely standing there alone in the empty parking lot. Well, welcome to the club. She knew just how he felt.
