Chapter 45

When he turned back, he saw Katie and Dom working; Katie tackling the shelves with a box where she was putting damaged items, Dom with the mop and trash bin. The sight should make Kiko smile, feel good. He had two solid workers that went to it without complaint.

But it still felt like the entire thing could have been avoided.

Kiko crossed to where Dom was stripping a table of its paper and scrubbing away paint on the floor. He grabbed up the unused paint and began throwing it in the box with the four canvases that hadn’t been sold. The beer Buddy had brought in for Dom sat on the counter behind them, bottles of the seasonal brews, and it only made Kiko more irritated.

“Why did you let him stay?” he asked, voice level. Dom blinked and glanced at him, looking wary. He knew when Kiko was pissed. Kiko was almost surprised at that. Most people didn’t pick up on it—certainly none of his exes had. Or they’d ignored it.

“I didn’t mean for any of that to happen,” said Dom.