Page 168 of Lorenzo

I see her at the kitchen table after breakfast, looking down because I had told her that leaving first had become a pattern.

She did not deny it.

That unsettles me more than an argument would have.

Donna argues when she feels secure in her position.

The knowledge gives me no satisfaction or triumph.

I am accustomed to finding weaknesses. I find them in negotiations, in security plans, in men who believe confidence can conceal fear. Once identified, a weakness becomes useful.

Donna’s are different.

I do not want to use them.

I want to understand them.

That distinction should concern me.

“Labor costs will increase another eight percent if we move to the accelerated schedule,” someone says.

I look up.

The division manager has advanced to the next page. His tie has shifted slightly off center, and there is moisture gathering at his temples.

He knows he has brought us a problem without a solution.

“What do you recommend?” I ask.

He hesitates. “We could maintain the current timeline and absorb the delay.”

“That is an option. I asked for your recommendation.”

His eyes flick briefly toward Mario, then return to me.

“Accelerate the schedule. The additional labor costs are lower than the penalties we risk if the opening moves into the next quarter.”

“Then why are we still discussing it?”

His mouth opens.

Mario turns one page of his report.

The sound is quiet, but the manager straightens.

“We’ll authorize the accelerated schedule,” he says.

“Send the revised numbers to my office before the end of the day.”

“Yes, sir.”

He sits.

Ricardo looks at me across the table.

His expression gives nothing away, but he has known me too long.

He noticed.