‘I’m fine,’ Lia assured her, her mind racing as she wondered what she was going to do about Cathy and Rick standing on her doorstep when Gregorio was half naked in her bedroom.
No immediate answer came to mind.
‘You seemed so down at lunch,’ Cathy said. ‘I was worried about you, and Rick and I just had to come over and see if you were okay.’
‘I’m really fine,’ Lia repeated distractedly, her mind racing as she tried to find a solution to this dilemma.
There was no way she could get out of inviting Cathy and Rick inside her apartment. Not when they were giving up their evening to visit her. But, conversely, she couldn’t expect Gregorio to spend all evening hiding out in her bedroom.
As if that was really an option! Gregorio went where he wanted and did what he wanted. It went without saying that hiding in a woman’s bedroom would not be what he wanted.
‘You look a little flushed.’ Cathy looked at her in concern. ‘Maybe you have the start of a cold?’
‘Er... Cat...’ Rick said hesitantly beside her.
‘Or maybe it’s the flu?’ His wife continued to fuss. ‘There’s a lot of it about at the moment, and—’
‘Cat!’
‘What is it, Rick?’ Cathy turned to her husband impatiently.
Lia winced as Rick ignored his wife and continued to look past Lia into the hallway beyond. She knew without looking that Gregorio had left her bedroom, after all, and was now standing behind her.
She just hoped he had put his clothes back on first!
CHAPTER SIX
‘PERHAPS I SHOULD introduce myself?’
A fully dressed Gregorio—thank goodness—looked at Lia as the four of them stood awkwardly in the sitting room of her apartment. Lia really hadn’t had any choice but to invite the other couple inside.
‘Fine.’ It was the only word she’d seemed able to say since she had opened her apartment door and found Cathy and Rick standing outside in the hallway.
‘Oh, I know exactly who you are, Mr de la Cruz,’ Cathy assured him with a sideways glance at Lia. ‘We’re Cathy and Rick Morton. Friends of Lia’s.’
Lia winced as she sensed Cathy’s censorious gaze on her after that last announcement. It was questioning why, when they were such close friends, Lia hadn’t confided in Cathy regarding her friendship with Gregorio. She was going to have some serious explaining to do once Gregorio had left. Whenever that was going to be. Because of the four of them he seemed to be the most relaxed and the least intimidated by this situation. He also showed no inclination to leave.
Lia felt bad for not telling Cathy about Gregorio’s previous visit, or that she was working for him. At the time she had thought it was the right thing to do—that she would be avoiding Gregorio as much as possible in future, so telling Cathy about him was a waste of time. Look how well that had turned out!
But at least he had all his clothes back on and had tidied himself before he’d come out of her bedroom. Although the slightly creased T-shirt and tousled dark hair indicated that hadn’t been the case minutes ago.
Lia knew Cathy was going to want to kill her once the two of them could speak privately.
‘I remember seeing you with Lia at the funeral,’ he answered Cathy as the three of them shook hands. ‘And, please, you must both call me Gregorio.’
The pleasantries over, an awkward silence once again fell over the room.
‘Wine.’ Lia had finally found another word to say. ‘Let’s all have a glass of wine. I have red or white. Which would you prefer? The white is dry, the red fruity.’
Now she’d regained her voice Lia didn’t seem able to stop babbling, but at the same time her gaze couldn’t quite meet Cathy’s or Rick’s, and
she was avoiding Gregorio’s completely.
She felt so stupid. Like a child who had been caught out not being honest. Not that Cathy or Rick were in the least judgemental—it was Lia who felt as if she had somehow disappointed them.
‘You sit and chat with your friends and I’ll pour the wine.’ Gregorio spoke dryly, obviously knowing the topic of their conversation would be him.
‘I’ll help you.’ Rick hurriedly followed the other man into the kitchen area.