Two weeks had passed and things had became more difficult than before. Mr. Martinez didn't show up to the annual meeting and everyone was suspicious. No boss had ever skipped out on one but I did the best I could to keep thing under wraps. We all knew it was because of Dee. Yoyo had disappeared as well, no one has heard from him since he left the house.
Mrs. H is still staying in the extra home with her live-in doctors and other staff. I check in on her every few days to see if she's doing okay and if she's made on progress. She hasn't asked me too many questions, I'm sure it's because she's probably still not sure what's going on.
I'm normally at my best when under pressure but Mr. Martinez has been odd. Not his normal strange behavior, I mean he's actually working. In fact all he's practically thrown himself completely into his job and because of that he did something unforgivable...He gave the the week off. I've been so miserable and bored, so bored that I called Lina. As soon as she said she was coming over I instantly regretted it. My doorbell rings and sluggishly walk over to answer.
"Whoa, you look like shit, tiny." She invites herself in and raids my kitchen before sitting on my couch. "So, you finally get fired for trying to fuck Carlos?"
I choke on my spit and my ears turn red. "No! He gave me the week off you pervert." Lina is the only one who knew about my crush. I had liked Mr. Martinez for years and when Mr. Hernandez left my dream of being closer to him became true. I don't care if I was just his assistant, I was his friend too and that was enough for me.
"The week off? What the hell, you've never been off...Is he like working?"
"Yeah, he's all blue and broken about Dee leaving so all he does now is look for the Mr. and Mrs. No thanks to that, I'm here. Talking to you." I lie back in my chair and roll my eyes.
"Christ, he didn't even know her for that long. Why the hell does he care so much about a woman he barely knows?"
"Oh. My. God. You're jealous of her!" I sit up and look at her. "You still like Carlos don't you?! Even after you said you were done with him!"
"Yeah well so do you!"
I laugh. "Oh Lina, you poor poor woman. I don't want him like you do, he's my boss and my friend. But you on the other hand want him all to yourself! You greedy little witch!"
"So what if I do? Not like we were ever serious. We just-"
"Slept together. Yes honey, I know." I walk to the kitchen and pour us some wine. "Lina, you remember what we talked about right?" I hand her a glass and she takes a sip.
"Of course I remember."
"And what did we agree on?"
"That we'd marry each other if we were both still sad and single at 40?"
I sigh. "No crazy, you agreed to that. I specifically remember declining that and hanging up the phone."
"Oh...We said that we are two fine ass bitches and that any man who won't kiss the ground we walk on isn't worth one shit to us and that we should accept nothing less?"
I set my glass down and lightly clap for her. "I'm genuinely surprised that you remember that."
"Well you said it when you were drunk. I remember because it was funny as hell, how could I forget?"
"Oh honey please, I'm never drunk. You're the lightweight around here."
She squints her eyes and puckers her lips. "Are you challenging me to a drink off?"
"No you alcoholic, geez." I sip my wine as she pours herself another glass.
"So, you know about Kaz calling me don't you?" I choke on my drink. How the hell does she know that I know? She looks at me with a sly grin. "It's okay if you know." She taps her nails against the glass. "Whadda think about it, about her asking for help? How can I help her when he's already closing in on them?"
"Lina, what is going on with you?" I know that there's some kind of double meaning to her questions but I'm not sure what they are. "It's like you're not yourself..."
She sighs, "Of course I'm not. Kaz was my first real friend inside the gang. I love her and just knowing that she's with that insane man drives me up the wall."
"Well you know she's a very capable woman. I'm sure she can hold her own for the time being."
"If I hear that one more time I swear I'll hit you in the throat. Why don't you people understand that she is pregnant?! It would be pretty fucking difficult for her to fight off a giant like him with her big belly in the way!" She lets out an angry sigh and polishes off the rest of her drink.
"And it's not only her physical safety that worries me. I know her mental health wasn't the best when she left and if Ricky is anything it's manipulative."
I nod in agreement. I completely understand her concern for her friend. She was entirely right; Ricky was manipulative. He had to be to get what he wanted and what he wanted was her. He'd probably say anything to keep her by his side.
"He does have a slick tongue. But have faith in her, yes she can't fight at the moment but she is incredibly intelligent." The look on her face softens and her eyes get glassy. "If you cry I'll kick you out." I tease her and she smiles then wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'm not crying, just allergies."
I shake my head and return her smile. "She'll be alright Catalina. She'll be home soon." What the hell is wrong with me? I never call her by her full name and I sure as hell would never try to comfort her.
"You never call me by my name."
"Yeah I know, shut up." She laughs starts to gather her purse. "You're leaving already? It's still early." I want to kick myself for saying anything at all.
"Yes because unlike you I have to work tomorrow." She pulls her coat on and looks over her shoulder at me.
"Oh ha-ha. So funny." I say sarcastically and roll my eyes. I feel like I do that a lot when she's around.
"Heh, bye tiny. I'll call you tomorrow."
"Night, drive safe. And I'm not tiny!" I yell at her as she leaves out the door. "Hope that woman gets some sleep tonight, she looked like hell."