“I wanted proof,” I say. “She’s giving it.”
Caterina’s pen stops. She meets my eyes, a small, real smile. “Good.”
Silence for a beat. It’s the easy kind. Work sorted. Roles clear.
And I’ve got to get moving.
I stand and take the folder. “I’ll move on this now.”
She nods once. “Text me when Bianca signs. I’ll keep the afternoon clear in case you need anything.”
“I won’t,” I say, but I know she’ll be ready anyway.
I reach for the handle.She adds, “And Tío? Thanks.”
I tip the folder in a little salute. “That’s what I’m here for, nipote.”
Her mouth twitches.
I open the door. Cool hallway air slips in. I step out, the click of the latch neat behind me. The weight of the folder is right in my hand. This is a real problem with real solutions I can work toward.
Work I can finish, a problem I can put to bed.
I head down the corridor, thoughts lined up in order: affidavit, board paper, courier, Trenton. Keep it simple, keep it moving. I don’t look toward Marketing.
Elevator button. Light. Doors part.
I get in.
Chapter Seven
Olivia
I stare at the subject line as if it might answer for me.
Thank you.
Too plain. Too eager. Too… everything.
I type: “Thank you for the chair.”
I delete “the.” Now it reads “Thank you for chair,” which sounds like a caveman sending a receipt. I put “the” back. I add “—it saved my back.” I delete that, because saved is dramatic, and why am I incapable of sounding like a normal professional human being?
I sit back, cross my ankle over my knee, uncross it, and whisper to no one, “Get a grip, Liv.”
The cursor sits there, blinking at me like a dare. Roberto didn’t even make a thing out of it. He made it clear in that even tone of his that it wasn’t a complaint. It was a fixable problem.
Which is why, an hour after he walked out of my office, Facilities rolled in a loaner with actual lumbar support and a seat that didn’t croak like a toad.
Now I can sit longer than five minutes without sacrificing my spine and tailbone. Heaven.
I try again.
Subject: Chair
Hi Roberto—
Thank you for arranging the chair. I appreciate it.
