“But Ana is optimistic?” I asked hopefully.
“Honestly, it’s fifty-fifty. We had some promising leads that didn’t pan out. The good news is, we already have five hundred in pre-funding secured—those are donors who have committed to raising the paddle for certain amounts that night—so finding the other three hundred is possible since we still have two months.”
“Finding” three hundred thousand dollars sounded overwhelming, but I supposed that was why I was ripping up tile while she pored over spreadsheets. “The Center is lucky to have you,” I told her.
Cori came around to the other side of the desk, crossing her arms and ankles as she leaned against it. “No, Deck, like I said to Quincy, the Center is lucky to haveyou. You’re taking on so much work that would otherwise get pushed aside. It’s no less important than what any of the rest of us do.” She unfolded her arms. “Actually, check that. Marisol and the program staff have the most important jobs, but the rest of us are necessary too. Including you.”
“Thank you.”
“Out of curiosity, how did you come to be involved in construction? I realize I don’t know much about your life since you got out. Or even before then.”
I scraped a hand through my hair. “Well, I guess it started in prison. I took classes to earn my GED and then my bachelor’s degree. One instructor suggested that people with my learning style tend to thrive in jobs that involve hands-on work. I got lucky there was a program that allowed me to learn a trade on the inside, and once I started, everything just fell into place. There were opportunities for day-release work programs, so I got the experience I needed. I met Juan there too. He madeparole three years before me, and when I was released, he was waiting for me with J&D basically ready to go.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. He sounds like a great friend.”
“He is. At first, I didn’t want to accept the help—”
Cori snorted. “Sorry. Sorry.” She held up her hands.
I grinned. “But Juan pointed out how stupid and stubborn I was being. We worked out an arrangement where I could buy into the business over time, but he’s never treated me like anything less than an equal partner.”
“That’s awesome, Deck. Truly. I hope I can meet him someday.”
As soon as she said it, I recognized how much I wanted that. To have her meet Juan the way I’d met her friends.
I sighed. “Hey Cori, I’m…uh, sorry… For yesterday.”
Her brow furrowed. “Huh? What happened yesterday?”
“I know I was pretty quiet during brunch. Then I left so quickly. I don’t think I made a very good impression on your friends.”
Her face relaxed. “It’s all good, Deck.” She hopped onto her feet, closing most of the distance between us. “Trust me, they liked you. But as long as you’re bringing it up, is there a reason you were so quiet?”
I felt her breath on the bottom of my chin. Her blue eyes stared up at me. Challenging.
“I…I…don’t know,” I stammered. “Guess I was just… surprised.”
“Surprised?” She angled her head sideways.
I swallowed nervously. Why had I brought this up? ¡Estupido! Of course she was going to ask me to clarify. “Don’t know,” I mumbled. “I don’t know why. I just thought I owed you an apology for clamming up.”
“Hmm,” she replied inscrutably.
“Cori!” Marisol came bursting into the office. “You need to pick up line two. Mr. Samuels is on the phone, and he wants some answers about the allocation of funds.”
“That sounds urgent,” I said, stepping back. Even I knew Evan Samuels was one of the Center’s largest donors. I backed away, grateful for the reprieve. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Cori sighed. Before picking up the phone, she said, “Deck, I’d appreciate it if we could have lunch today. I’d like to finish this conversation.” Under her breath, she murmured, “Finally.”
The look on her face showed she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Sure thing, Cori.” I stumbled into the hallway.
Terror gripped me. Followed by the freedom of surrendering to the inevitable. I had a few hours to prepare for a conversation we’d needed to finish for twelve years.
The rest of the morning, I deliberated about what to say to her. I kept coming back to the same crazy thought to put it all out there, tell her I’d gotten weird about Marcus because I was jealous he’d gotten to be with her in a way I’d always wanted to be.
It seemed useless to attempt a half-truth or an outright lie. For as long as I’d known Cori Raney, she’d never fallen for anyone’s lines. That quiet competence was one of my favorite things about her.
Over the past few weeks, I’d watched her placate nervous donors and board members, help Ana coordinate sponsors for the gala, and work with Marisol to manage programs so Rosa could be with Lupe. This was all besides the times I’d caught her having fun on the job—reading to the kindergartners, making dreamcatchers with the upper elementary group, or working the scoreboard for Chuck during an ad hoc soccer tournament.
