Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
ELENA
For the next week, Orion busied himself at work. I knew he’d shifted his schedule around to join me at The Mudstacle Course, so now his workload had tripled. Every time I walked by his office, he was on a conference call. Ralph had popped in and out of Orion’s office, dropping off documents for him. The two men had a rhythm going where all they did was nod at each other, and they both understood. I supposed that was what happened when you’ve been with someone for so long.
My relationship with Orion had deepened after the mud race in New Hampshire.
Stop meandering around the truth. Just face it.
I closed my eyes and released a sigh. I was falling in love with Orion, and it was terrifying. Even more than the fear of heights. With that phobia, I could avoid high elevations and feel safe. But my feelings for him lived inside of me. They followed me everywhere.
What if he doesn’t feel the same way?
For now, I’d keep this secret safe. Sharing it was like exposing my vulnerable heart to him. I’d never felt this connection with anyone. And no one had shown me affection the way he did. So I knew he cared about me.
But I wanted more. This was something I had to be selfish about.
Our relationship took a wonderful turn after he’d shared about his ex-fiancée. My heart went out to her and him. Mental health was an enormous problem that was difficult to treat. I’d seen too many stories during my time as a reporter.
Everyone dealt with some form of depression growing up. But I could only imagine the extremity of it where the darkness consumed all your hope and purpose.
Sitting in my chair, I twirled the pen around my finger, thinking. Don’t be jealous. Don’t be ridiculous. Don’t be petty.
No matter how many times I reminded myself that Kate was gone, I couldn’t help the fangs of jealousy sinking into my skin. Last night Orion had called out her name during his sleep. I didn’t mention it to him.
Had he truly moved on? Could anyone move on after witnessing his fiancée commit suicide? Did he still love her?
He hadn’t said those three words to me. But then again, I hadn’t said it to him either. Could I continue this relationship knowing that Kate was always lingering in the background?
What the hell was wrong with me for being jealous of a dead woman?
I zoned in and out. Then I glanced at the knock on the opened door.
“Do you have a minute?” Ralph smiled and walked in.
“Of course.” I gestured to the chair in front of my desk. “Please have a seat. What’s up?”
“Oh, I need your opinion on something. But first, how are you doing? Is he keeping you busy?”
“I’m good, thank you. Yeah, he’s keeping me occupied for sure. You?”
“Always.” With gleaming eyes, he held up a finger. “But I’m officially on vacation starting now. He forced me to take it.”
Laughing, I crossed my arms. “When was the last time you had a vacation?”
“Years ago.”
“What?” I gawked at him. “That’s wild! Why haven’t you taken one?”
He gestured to Orion. “Been watching over that kid since his mom died. He hardly takes a vacation, so I didn’t either. But he just threatened to fire me if I don’t do it now. I guess it makes sense to take it, right?”
“Gotta listen to that man. He pays you, and he runs the world,” I teased.
His eyes beamed. “You have no idea, Elena. He’s truly one of a kind. If I had to pick one person to run the world, it would be him.”
“Maybe that’s why his anxiety is insurmountable.” I glanced over at his office.
Ralph looked at me. “But he has you. I’ve never seen him happier than he is when he’s with you.”
Joy surged in me, and curiosity rose to the surface. “He told me about Kate. Did you know her?”
His expression softened. “Yes, I did. She was a sweet girl.” Then he changed the subject. “I need your opinion on something.”
“What is it?”
He showed me two images on his phone. A rose bouquet and onewith a variety of flowers. “Which do you like?”
“Who’s this for?”
“Evelyn, the woman I love. She’s been mad at me for a while.”
“Why?” I asked. “What did you do?”
“I work too much. I haven’t told her I love her. She wants to settle down.” He shrugged. “You know, all the things that a woman wants from a man.”
I smiled and studied him. Ralph appeared to be at retiring age. “Why don’t you settle down? Life is short.”
“Thinking about it. Orion seems happy now, so that’s a possibility.”
“I suggest you choose both bouquets. Send her the rose bouquet with a message that says I love you . Then the other bouquet can say something like, I want our life to bloom like these flowers. Give me time .”
His eyes lit up. “Excellent idea. I knew you’d be able to help me.”
“The bouquets will make her happy and buy you some more time to decide. Orion will be fine. You can retire and help him on a case-by-case basis. You should discuss it with him.”
Ralph rose from the chair, beaming. “Thank you, Elena. I have a lot to think about. Do you mind if I ask you for more bouquet questions later?”
“Anytime.”
When he left, I returned my attention to The Condor’s murder. My phone rang, and I picked it up.
“Hi, Mona. How are you?”
“Elena, I just remembered something. I forgot about it until a man came into the shop earlier today.”
“Who came in?”
“A man who sells life insurance policies. I remembered seeing Pablo meeting him here in the shop.”
How was Samuel Donatello connected to The Condor? Pablo didn’t need life insurance from Sam’s financial firm. It had to be something else. But what?