Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Emelia sprawled on her bed, feeling the weight of betrayal heavy on her chest. Hot tears flowed freely down her face. She finally turned her phone off. There was no way she could speak to anyone. What could she even say? I just ruined my second bakery and feel like an absolute failure?
Titus hated drama.
Joy mentioned he always said he wanted a drama-free woman. Ha. So here she was, the epitome of a drama queen, and millions of viewers would witness her humiliating interview—the very viewers she’d hoped would visit the bakery.
She closed her eyes. What a mess. All she wanted to do was bake and create a space where people would feel comfortable. What was in it for Wyatt? That was what she didn’t understand. He got what he wanted. Why did he want to ruin her again?
The prospect of facing Titus and her friends filled her with dread.
Emelia had no idea what she would say to them or why Carol viciously attacked her with lies.
Emelia’s stomach clenched, and the tears that were slipping down her cheeks turned into gut-wrenching sobs. A small warm body wiggled his way into her arms and licked her cheek. Leo! So, she wasn’t alone. Venessa must have dropped him off and she hadn’t noticed. The puppy looked at her with sad eyes and snuffed at her neck. She tightly clutched her pillow and the puppy and closed her eyes. What was she going to do?
Titus dialed Emelia’s number repeatedly from his cabin. She didn’t answer. All he got was her voicemail. He thought maybe she was out partying with her girlfriends which was why she wasn’t answering. The interview should have ended hours ago. He was frustrated at not reaching her and eager to hear how it went.
He wondered if he should drive downtown and knock on her door. When he glanced at his watch, it was already seven in the evening. There would be no one to open the door for him.
What to do? Feeling restless, he wandered over to Paws for Caring. It was Tuesday night, and the air was brisk. It felt good to get fresh air in his lungs. The self-defense classes were going on. Maybe he would forget his anxiety for a little while.
The room was full. He counted ten women, grunting and groaning.
Joy and Naomi were there. Maybe he’d get to ask them if they heard anything.
As he leaned against the wall, he observed the two women and was impressed by the significant progress they had achieved since he had been in Haywood Lake. Anyone attacking them would be sorry. He had suggested to Emelia that she take the class, but she claimed to be too tired at the end of the day. It made sense since she was up at 5 a.m. every day.
Finally, Chase called time. Naomi walked over to Chase, who put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Joy wiped her face with a towel and walked towards the door.
“Hey Titus. What are you doing here?” Joy asked.
“I work here, remember?”
“Ha. I mean, I didn’t see your name listed tonight for training,” Joy said. She picked up her bag, removed her sweater, and put it on. “What’s up?”
Titus blew out a breath. “I’ve been trying to get hold of Emelia to see how her interview went, but I haven’t been able to reach her. Do you know if she’s home?”
“Oh, dear.”
His heart sank at Joy’s grave expression.
“This is not good. Not good at all,” Joy said, shaking her head.
“What? What’s going on? Is she all right?”
Joy motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen. “Let’s talk for a minute.”
Titus’s heart plummeted. What had happened to Emelia? She’d been so looking forward to this interview.
They sat at a table. “Coffee?” asked Joy.
He shook his head. “Just tell me.”
Joy hesitated for a moment. “Well, Isabelle and I went to the bakery to support Emelia. The interviewer and cameraman arrived, and things were going smoothly. She started asking Emelia questions about the bakery. That went well.”
“Okay, but that’s not telling me anything.”
“Patience, grasshopper,” Joy said with a small smile. “The next few questions she asked were about Emelia’s previous bakery and someone named Wyatt who she supposedly owed money to. She questioned Emelia's numerous negative reviews. Carol just kept going for the jugular. Emelia tried to answer but finally gave up. She stood there looking so lost and absolutely devastated.”
“What else happened?”
“The woman left, and Emelia went up to her apartment. She wouldn’t talk to anyone, and she was crying. It was awful. Isabelle and I didn’t know what to do, so we left.”
“Is Emelia still at her apartment?”
Joy shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Damn.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Since she won’t answer her phone, I’m going over there.”
“What if she doesn’t let you in?”
“I’ll break down the door or something.” He slammed his hand on the table. “I’m not letting her deal with this alone.”
Joy nodded. “Please tell her that this isn’t the end of the world. She has a great reputation in town. This Carol is a nobody, and her followers mostly don’t live here. Everything will be okay. And give her a hug from me.”
“Will do.”
Titus stomped back to his cabin and got the keys to his truck. Emelia was his to protect. It was time he stepped up and did just that.