“He didn’t sound worried, Rose,” Lorenzo tried to assure her. “He said Grace didn’t even realize she was contracting until the doctor told her she was.”
Rose glanced back at Lorenzo as she listened to Sal’s voicemail.
“Rose just so you know, Grace is fine. The doctor is not even sending her to the hospital. He just wants to monitor here for a little longer. She’s fine, the baby’s fine, the only thing she’s worried about is you. No freaking out okay? We should be home a little later. Angel is gonna stop by to close up the restaurant for me. Don’t worry; I’ll keep you updated.”
Feeling an enormous relief she hung up. Just as she did, she heard Angel’s voice out front, and it was getting closer. Lorenzo was still getting his apron on when Angel walked into the back room. “Hey, Enzo are you just getting here, too?”
“Yep, just got the call about twenty minutes ago.”
“Good. This place gets busy on Fridays,” he turned to Rose with that dimpled smile that always made her smile big and goofy. “Your boyfriend’s out in the parking lot.”
That wiped the silly smile off her face in an instant. She glanced at Lorenzo whose own expression had gone hard.
With no time to explain she thanked Angel for letting her know, grabbed her purse, and rushed out without looking at Lorenzo again. She was almost at the front door when she heard Lorenzo’s voice just behind her. “Why’s he here?”
She turned to face him. “I asked him to come.”
“Why?”
“I told you I was going to talk to him.”
Lorenzo peered at her suspiciously. “You also said he wasn’t your boyfriend. Why couldn’t you just text him that he doesn’t have to play the part anymore? Or was he really your boyfriend and you’re actually breaking up with him now?”
Good Lord. Rose couldn’t decide which was worse. Having to have this conversation with Lorenzo now or having to have it later with Vincent.
Looking over Vincent’s shoulder, she saw Angel walk out of the back room and look their way. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she said lowering her voice. “He never was, but he is my friend.”
“So what?” Lorenzo didn’t follow her lead of lowering his voice. Frustratingly he did just the opposite and raised his. “You’re gonna go out there and sit in his car with him again? And you really expect me to keep this from Vince?”
“I have to,” she said, noticing that Angel was watching them.
“What?” He spat out the question. “What do you mean you have to?”
Grabbing his hand and smiling at Angel, she pulled him outside with her. “Look, it’s long and too complicated to explain right now. He’s not just here to visit. He’s doing me a favor. I can’t get into the details with you, but I promise you nothing is going on between me and him.”
Lorenzo shook his head. He was as stubborn as Vincent had described him. “I don’t care what kind of favor he’s doing you. I know Vince wouldn’t be cool with this shit. He hates this guy, and here he is showing up all the time to see you? Nope.” He shook his head glaring at Ben’s car. “I should be hearing from Vince any day now, and when he asks,” Lorenzo stopped, bringing his piercing eyes back to her taking her breath away much like his brother always did with the almost identical stare, “and he always asks if I’ve heard anything else about you. I’m gonna have to tell him.”
No! It was already going to be hard enough to explain Ben to Vincent without him hearing about all his visits first. Taking a deep breath she glanced over at Ben’s car. What to do? “I’m sick, Lorenzo, okay? Nobody knows but Ben, and I only told him because I need someone to give me injections twice a week, and he’s pre-med so he’s trained on that.”
She saw the glare soften a bit and the concern set in. “You’re sick? What’s wrong with you?”
“Pernicious Anemia. I have a vitamin deficiency that lowers my red blood cell count, and I need to be injected with Vitamin B12 twice a week. Pills won’t help.” She turned back to Ben’s car. “That’s why he comes twice a week.”
“Is it…” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Is it terminal?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Well, from what I’ve read online, it could lead to other stuff that would be terminal, but I think they caught mine in time.”
This time Lorenzo glanced in Ben’s direction. “So why don’t you just inject yourself. Why does he have to do it?”
“Because I’m squeamish and I can’t.” She frowned. “I’m gonna have to learn because I think this is forever, and I can’t be counting on him for that long, but for now…”
“And there’s no one else that can do it?” The concern was gone now as he raised an eyebrow.
“I haven’t told anyone else. I don’t want to worry Grace in her condition.” Glancing back at Ben’s car anxiously, she wished now that she’d explained, Lorenzo would just go inside already. She didn’t want to make Ben wait all day. “I gotta go. He’s waiting for me.”
She took a step away from Lorenzo but slowed when she realized he was walking with her. “Tell him to go. I can do it.”
She stopped and looked at him. He was even worse than Vincent had described him. He was outrageous. “What? You’re gonna do it?”