The Same Last Name

A/N Back to the present...

OMG you guys! You have inspired me to get this next chapter out to you quickly! Enjoy! It's a little shorter, but the next chapter will make up for it!

Chapter 5

Catherine knew that it would be impossible to simply hide out for the next 3 weeks. At some point, she and Vincent would run into each other. She decided that it would be best to get the elephant out of the room, so to speak. Meet the problem head on and dive in.

Resolved to her course of action, she straightened her clothes and ran a brush through her hair. She fixed the light makeup she wore, and opened the door. The rooms they were staying in were on the other side of the employee lodging. She had given them connecting rooms. The staff was always happy to get those rooms off their hands. Single parties were not as comfortable with strangers having access to their rooms.

As she approached the group, she could hear them talking loudly and shouting instructions. She recognized Evan's accent, and heard a woman's voice with a strong Brooklyn accent. Another man's voice, and a second woman's voice. She didn't hear Vincent's deep, gravely voice. Maybe it wasn't him after all, she thought to herself.

Just then, Evan noticed her. "Well, hello Cat! Did you miss me already?" he practically shouted, drawing everyone's attention toward her. Catherine wanted to sink into the floor. A tall redhead smirked at her from her perch on one of the beds.

"Just checking to make sure everything is to everyone's liking," Catherine said. She glanced about covertly, but didn't see Vincent. Disappointment washed over her. By then, a tall Latin woman had joined them. She had a smile on her face, and held out her hand.

"Tess Vargas. Nice to meet you Cat!" she said with genuine warmth. Catherine smiled and returned the shake. "These rooms are awesome! I love the view too," Tess gushed.

"I'm glad. Do you have everything you need?" Catherine inquired politely. A gentleman wearing glasses who stood near the window glanced up.

"No, we need a pack mule to carry all these suitcases! Jesus, how much crap do women really need? You can reuse clothes, ya know! It won't kill ya!" he said, mainly glaring at the redhead. She ignored him and started filing her nails.

Catherine was about to respond, when she heard a voice behind her that she never thought she would hear again. "One pack mule coming up. Oh, excuse me, ma'am," Vincent said, edging by her. He didn't even look at her. In his arms were several suitcases. Catherine stood still, waiting for him to notice her. Finally, he turned her way.

The suitcases fell with a loud crash, falling open, causing the contents to tumble out. Everyone stared at Vincent. Only Tess still watched Catherine. With a poise that surprised even herself, she crossed the room to stand in front of him.

"Hello Vincent," she said quietly, and held out her hand. It seemed silly, but she could think of nothing else to do. His hand met hers, but suddenly he squeezed hard enough to make her wince.

Vincent shook his head, wondering if he was going insane. "Catherine?" he breathed out. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm one of the staff members here," she told him calmly. He continued to stare at her, and Catherine began to wonder if coming up here was a mistake. Finally, Evan broke the awkward silence.

"You two know each other?" he asked, surprise in his voice. For the first time, Catherine remembered they had an audience. She looked at the group, wondering how much they knew. Fortunately, Tess came to her rescue.

"I think Cat is Vince's ex-wife. Am I right?" she asked. Catherine nodded her head.

A black man who had since entered the room, stated, "Vince, I didn't know you were married."

The redhead scoffed. "Oh yes. It's a deep, dark secret that he only shares with the most privileged." Catherine suddenly felt she was one of those privileged.

Vincent had bent down by then, grabbing clothes and flinging them into bags. From the floor, he said, "Yes Joe. Catherine and I were married for less than a year, and we haven't seen each other since. It's been 5 years."

Evan whistled through his teeth. "Was she 12 when you married her? I think you can get arrested for that."

Catherine glanced at him. "I was 18. Still in high school."

The redhead spoke up. "18 and still in school? Well, where's the baby?"

Catherine felt an overwhelming urge to slap this woman. Not even daring to look at Vincent, she said,"Our daughter died within a few hours of her birth."

Now, everyone was deathly silent. Finally, Tess broke the silence. "Well, it is just lovely to meet you. That's Alex Salter," she said, pointing to the redhead. "JT Forbes is by the window, Joe Bishop is the guy who just walked in."

"Nice to meet all of you. I'm sorry. I just came up to see that everything was alright. I'll get out of your way now," Catherine said, backing toward the door.

Vincent spoke up. "I'll come with you."

Catherine smiled slightly in his direction. Why did he want to follow her?

A/N Well, what did you think? Review!