Page 37 of Love Delayed

“Oh, thanks for having someone clean the lanai,” I said as we stepped onto the elevator. “I had a glass of wine out there last night, and it’s so gorgeous.”

He slid his key into the slot to access the higher floors.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you love it. I remember many nights spent out there with my family. When it gets cooler, you’ll love the firepit.”

“I saw that, and I remember, too. The views are more appreciated as an adult,” I replied.

The bell dinged, and his mouth dropped open as soon as we stepped out of the elevator and inside the penthouse doors.

“Wow! You did your thang, Zee. Kinda gives me the vibe we had at the condo,” he said, then paused.

I agreed but did not want to sour the mood. We were vibing, and I didn’t want any tension between us.

“Overall, I like the changes you made. I envisioned it would turn out this way,” he continued.

I followed behind as he headed towards the hallway. He peeped into all the spare spaces before ending up in the main bedroom. He sniffed.

“That scent smells exactly like…like… God, what is that fragrance?” he said, snapping his fingers. “I can see the red with the white flowers. Ummm…ummm, what was that?”

“Yes, I still love Japanese Cherry Blossom. Your memory is good.”

He looked at me and smiled. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that scent. Even after you left, I burned those candles you left behind. I missed you when you left,” he admitted.

“I know, and I missed you, too, Marcus. I want you to know that leaving you was difficult for me. I was heartbroken.”

“So was I, Zamora, but I had to keep going. I wanted to reach out to you, you know. It was around the time you were going to New York, but you looked so happy that I decided to let you be.”

“I looked happy, but man, I was going through it. Let me correct that. The trip was amazing. I learned so much, but my relationship back then was like a rebound situation before I met Evan.”

“Do tell. We need to get all the way caught up,” he said while rubbing his hands together, ready to be in my business.

“Ummm, nope,” I replied with a chuckle. “Now is not a good time. I have a full day and don’t have time to fill you in on the drama of my first failed relationship after you.”

His brows threaded in curiosity, but he threw up his hands.

“In that case, we gotta set up a time to catch up,” he suggested.

“Still nosey as hell, aren’t you?” I commented as we headed out the door.

Marcus had never been the type to pass on getting the tea.

“Me nosey? That’s harsh, Zee, but I’ll own it,” he joked, and we both giggled.

“Because it’s true,” I said and paused to grab my bag from the table by the door.

We rode the elevator down to the lobby, and before we could walk outside, he got a call. He pulled out his phone and mouthed to me that it was Eliana. So, I waved goodbye and proceeded to the valet to get my vehicle. After climbing into the driver’s seat, I smiled as my mind went back to my time in New York, but the bright memories suddenly turned dark as I recalled my terrible relationship with Tristen.

As I pulled into the printer’s parking lot, I told myself that I would be sure to share with Marcus the details about my breakup with Tristen later. Once I handled the business with the printer, I headed to my catering shop and got busy. I spent the rest of the day there with two of my staff members. We didn’t leave until after eight that evening, agreeing to meet up at eleven o’clock the next day to make it to the baby shower scheduled to start at two o’clock in the afternoon. Then we would have to get back to the shop right after to load the other pans of food into the work van and make it to the bridal shower by seven p.m. Needless to say, it was a busy day for me. After returning to the hotel, I certainly didn’t expect to see Marcus.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Don’t ask. It got crazy today. I had call-ins, and duty called.”

“Do you need any help? I’m free if you need me,” I offered, remembering some things from when I hung out at the property with him for hours.

“Nah, the fire has been put out. I was actually about to head out.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll see you around,” I said and started walking away.