Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers) (5 page)

“
Yeah, hopefully. I tried another place but they were booked and they told me to check here.”

Katie took another breath to steady herself, then
motioned toward a table close by where they sat. Victor explained that he wanted to propose to his girlfriend, Cara, at sunset on the river. If it had been anyone else, Katie may have told him to go elsewhere with such short notice.

But when she handed her business card to Victor, she secretly hoped it would find its way to Armando. And she knew she shouldn
’t feel that way. Heck, what would she even say if he called? She had no idea. And as a result, she struggled to keep her mind on the conversation with Victor. Thankfully, all he wanted was a private dinner for two with some added romantic ambience. It would be easy to arrange.

Before Victor left, he gave Katie his private cell phone number and said,
“Please, call me if something changes, even at the last minute.”

“
I will.”

“
Good. I appreciate you letting me do this on short notice. Do you want me to say hi to Armando for you?”

“
Yes. Please,” Katie said without missing a beat.

“
Sure thing. It was Katie,” he paused as if he was trying to remember, “McCormack, right?” Victor nodded and narrowed his eyes, reaching out to shake her hand.

She took his hand and said,
“Yes.”

His eyes lit up with a hint of familiarity.
“It was nice meeting you, Katie.”

“
Likewise. Thanks.” She watched him turn around and exit the restaurant.

Then she rushed off to the restroom to have a moment alone with her thoughts. They flooded her mind like a tidal wave.
Maybe Victor will mention me. If this Cara chick accepts his proposal, maybe I can get invited to the wedding and see Armando there. What would I say? What would
he
say?

Oh crap
...what would Mitch say?

She turned her wrist to see the brand new two carat pear-shaped diamond solitaire ring, twinkling brightly. Her beautiful engagement ring from Mitch. Two weeks earlier all she wanted to do was sit and gawk at the back of her hand as co-workers showered her with compliments. But now, she nearly forgot she was wearing it.

And then she looked at her watch. She had to get through the last hour of her workday without anyone noticing her mind was a million miles away.

Thirty minutes later, as Katie was lost in thought, rearranging chairs around a large, round table, she gasped at a sudden tap on her shoulder. “Ah!”

“
Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Jennifer giggled nervously. “You seem pretty stressed out today.”

“
Oh.” Katie drew in a massive breath and straightened her posture. “Sorry. I have a lot on my mind, I guess.”

“
I’m sure you do!” Jennifer nodded. “There were a million things we had to do for my sister’s wedding last summer. You need to start preparing the guest list as soon as possible. Don’t put it off. Also, make sure you register for gifts early, too, because some of your relatives may want to shower you with presents right away, the second you tell ‘em you’re engaged.” Her eyes popped open wide, her words flowing faster. “Oh! And make sure you…”

As Jennifer wound down, her eyes darted thoughtfully around the room.
“Hmm. I think that’s about it for now. If I remember anything else I’ll let you know.”

“
Thanks. I’ve helped out with so many weddings the past few years I feel like I already know it all. My little sister’s wedding was so stressful. But it’s good to have another perspective.”

“
You have a little sister?” Jennifer’s eyebrows furrowed. “How old was she when she got married? Aren’t you only, like, twenty?”

“
No.” Katie cleared her throat, thankful for the compliment. “I’m twenty-eight. My sister’s twenty-five.”

“
Whoa.” Jennifer’s jaw dropped. “You’re twenty-eight and you’re just
now
getting married?”

Katie stammered.
“Uh…”

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply you were an old maid or anything. It’s just that…” Jennifer mindlessly twirled a strand of her blond hair. “I don’t know. I’m twenty-two and I think I’ll probably kill myself if I hit twenty-five and I’m not engaged by then.”

Katie rolled her eyes and went back to her task of moving chairs.
“Wow. So much for the feminist movement…”

“
Listen, I can only speak for
me
.” She brought her hand to her chest. “And I wanna get married, for sure. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. And you know, my great Gram-Gram had this saying. ‘Sometimes, the older the cow, the sweeter the milk.’” Then she smirked. “But Gram-Gram never touched a single cow in her life, so I don’t know—”

“
I was engaged once.”

“
Oh,” Jennifer said, with quiet sympathy. “What happened? Was it one of those long engagements that broke up at the last minute? Took up most of your good years and then fizzled out?” She pouted. “It’s so sad when that happens.”

Katie sighed.
“No. It was a long time ago.” She took a deep breath, catching herself before accidentally spilling her guts to Jennifer. Katie was dying to talk to someone about what happened all those years ago. It was a secret outside of her immediate family. Katie hadn’t told anyone of the engagement, including her high school friends, for fear that one of them would open their big mouths and the secret would find its way back to her parents. Even the tiny bit of information she just shared with Jennifer nearly gave Katie chills as she thought about how angry her father was that day. And how adamant he was that they never speak of it again.

Katie continued.
“Never mind. Was there a reason you came out here to find me?”

“
Oh yeah,
that
.” Jennifer giggled. “I get so distracted. Some other guy just showed up at the front, asking about renting the ballroom for a party—”

“
And you’re just
now
telling me? You left him standing there while we were talking?” Katie turned around and immediately began walking to the front.

Jennifer followed along.
“He said it was no rush. Said he’d sit down at the bar to have a drink while he waits. Kinda reminds of that really cute guy who came in earlier to rent the patio.”

Katie
’s heart raced.
Could it possibly be Armando? Somehow?
“Are you sure? Did you get his name?”

“
Yeah, but I can’t remember it now.”

Katie groaned.
She’s worthless
. “Okay. Let me just…” She squinted as the bar came into view. “Is it that guy in the white shirt?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Oh.” Even from the back, Katie could tell the guy was too old and too short to be Armando.
So much for getting my hopes up
.

“
Like, he could totally pass for that guy’s dad. I swear, he could,” Jennifer said. “Oh, and remember, I’m leaving five minutes early today. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.” Jennifer’s face lit up with glee.

Ignoring her, Katie forced a smile and approached the stranger, shoving her disappointment and irritation aside.

After thirty minutes discussing catering options with the customer, Katie exited the back door of the restaurant, bound for her car. Finally, she was sufficiently distracted from her thoughts.

That is, until she fished through her purse for her keys, catching a glimpse of her shiny new engagement ring. It was nothing like the dainty little ring she used to wear on a chain around her neck when she was secretly engaged her senior year of high school. Katie chuckled as she thought about it. Funny how she wore that necklace for months and her parents never once asked where she got the ring or why she was wearing it. Mom later admitted she thought it was just one of those cheap rings from the flea market, and maybe all the girls were wearing them as necklaces.
If Mom only knew
. Katie treasured that little gold-plated ring with its single, tiny diamond chip. After much tearful begging, Daddy surprised Katie by letting her keep it. Even though it was now dark with tarnish, it was still proudly on display in her jewelry box like it belonged there.

Tears came to her eyes, and she fanned her face with her free hand in a sorry effort to dry them.

Is it normal to pine away after your high school sweetheart for ten years? What the heck’s wrong with me?

Katie opened her car door and sat down, wishing there was someone she could call who may understand. Although there were at least ten girls in her contact list who would probably drop everything to give her a shoulder to cry on, that nagging fear was still there. The fear that kept her from telling even her closest friends about the boy she almost married. She shuddered to think about what Daddy could still be capable of. Surely nothing as bad as what she had always imagined.

Nonetheless, the Armando chapter in her life was forcibly closed long ago, and she knew she needed to accept it. They were kids back then. Stupid kids who thought they were ready for a lifelong commitment. Katie chuckled and wiped away the last of her tears as she considered how foolish it was to think of him as the same Armando she fell in love with ten whole years ago, at the tender age of eighteen. Ridiculous.

Push it out of your head, girl. Shake it off.

She took a deep breath and started the car, feeling a little relieved that Mitch was working late again tonight and she had the evening to herself.

And once again, the guilt crept in. She should want to spend time with her own fiance, right? But why was he the last person she wanted to see tonight?

Crap. Katie already knew why. And she couldn
’t wait to get home and type Armando’s name into a search box.

* *
* * *

She
’s getting married?” Armando grabbed his jacket. He held his phone to his ear, ready to run to the exit. “To whom?”

“
What?
” Victor asked. “
Is it the same girl? The one you were engaged to? I was too preoccupied to recognize her name at first.
”

Armando pressed his lips together tightly, suppressing his sudden urge to scream. He also waved goodbye to his associates, trying not to make it obvious that he was suddenly leaving for reasons he wouldn
’t explain. It was the biggest Lakers basketball game of the season, and he was there entertaining a room full of clients in a private suite. Just another day at work for Armando. But after the news he just heard, work would have to take a backseat for a while. “Yeah. It’s her.”

“
You sound a little frantic. Are you okay?
”

“
Did she mention me?” Armando’s pace increased to a light jog outside the suite as he headed to his car.

“
I already told you. She knew who I was, immediately. Asked if I was your brother.
”

“
That’s all she said?”

“
She said to tell you ‘hi.
’” Victor chuckled. “
So...you gonna tell me why it’s such a big deal to you, now? After all this time?
”

“
Do you know who she’s marrying?”

“
No
.
Oh wait. He’s a lawyer. I know that much. I don’t remember what else she said
.”

Armando sighed.
“Okay. You said she’s working at Cortez Inn? Where’s that?”

“
It’s on the Riverwalk. Nice place
.”

“
Why don’t you propose to Cara at a nice spot somewhere on the ranch? Seems a lot more personal than a restaurant.”

“
She’ll suspect that, and I wanna surprise her. Besides, she’s a city girl. I don’t think she likes walking around in the country all that much.
”

“
And Katie’s helping you get the room set up? What, like flowers and candles or something?”

“
We’ll have a private deck overlooking the river at sunset. Just us. Katie’s an event coordinator, I think. She’ll make sure everything’s set up just right. Music, food. Flowers. You want me to tell her you said hi?
”

“
No!” Armando cleared his throat. “I mean, no. Please. Don’t say a word about me, okay?”

“
Uh...okay. Are you running? Sounds like you’re breathing hard.
”

“
Yeah. Hey, can I call you back tomorrow?”

“
Of course.
”

“
And remember what I said. Don’t breathe a word about me to Katie.”

“
I already told her you live in Los Angeles and—
”