Read Armando Returns (Barboza Brothers) for Free Online

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