Chapter 45
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
ELENA
It felt strange to sit inside the Human Resources conference room of Channel 7 News talking to two members of the HR team who had refused to speak to me when I’d first complained about Chantel.
Rebecca Wright wore a beige suit with dark-rimmed glasses. She sat beside Zoey Stern, her assistant, who had on a bright lipstick that hurt my eyes. The two women smiled, thinking they were giving me a lucrative offer. They weren’t, but I let them finish their sentence.
“We plan on making Uncover the Truth even better,” Rebecca said. “Moving it to prime time.”
Though it sounded nice, I couldn’t trust the people here. They didn’t have my back when I needed them. The only reason they called me was because news of Chantel had spread like wildfire.
“You never gave me a chance to defend myself regarding the false accusations. Chantel put those drugs in my locker, and you just fired me without an investigation.” I looked at each of them. “I don’t have faith in Channel Seven anymore. Seems like you’re fond of illegal acts, soI’ll have to pass.”
Coming back to work here was never an option for me. I just wanted an opportunity to tell them how I felt.
Before I left, I went to look for two coworkers I liked, but I learned they were laid off last week. In my car, I drafted an email to both asking them if they were interested in working with me at Musepaper. With Orion’s support, I could build a fabulous team to help me succeed.
After stopping by a sandwich shop to pick up lunch, I headed home. When I pulled up to the driveway, I saw two familiar cars. Why were my neighbors here?
I could hear voices in the backyard, but entered through the front door. Then I ambled to the kitchen and leaned against the wall, watching my handsome boyfriend entertaining Melissa and Brittany. Orion was shirtless and sweat gleamed on his body, enhancing his taut muscles. The two women stood nearby as he hammered a plank on my deck.
“You’re so handy,” Melissa said. “Do you have time to repair my back steps?”
“Sorry, I don’t have time.”
“Where’s Elena?” Brittany asked.
“At work.” He smiled as he reached for a towel draped over a chair and wiped his face.
“Do you have any friends that look like you?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
I smiled and bit my lip at his arrogance.
The ladies laughed. “So confident.”
To save my boyfriend from the ogling women, I called him on his phone, which was sticking out of his back pocket.
A smile beamed on his face as he picked up my call. “Hey! How are you?” Then he turned to my neighbors. “Sorry, ladies, I’ve got to go now. Thank you for visiting.”
Melissa and Brittany waved at him and walked off the deck.
Orion entered the kitchen, and I walked into his arms. He smelled of hard work, male, sweat. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
“I think we need to put up an electric fence. What do you think?” I teased.
“Whatever you want.” He smiled and looked at the kitchen counter. “You brought me lunch?”
“Let’s sit and have lunch.” I poured iced dandelion tea into two cups and briefed him on my conversation with HR and how I’d made two employment offers to two former coworkers.
“I designated two people from my office to assist you with the hiring process.” He wolfed down his steak and cheese sub. “They should reach out to you soon.”
“Thanks. I thought you were hiring someone to work on my back deck?”
“It’s me.” He sipped his iced tea, sitting back in the chair and looking masculine and relaxed.
“I didn’t know you were handy,” I said. He was beautiful, and I wanted to bite him.
“The Condor and Ralph taught me these skills.” He finished his sub and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “My father was too busy traveling for work, and he wasn’t handy. Your porch is all set.”
“Thank you. I’ve got the best boyfriend.”
“Also, I have roofers scheduled for next week.”
My eyebrows furrowed. “How do you know I have a leaking roof?”
“You mentioned it the first time I visited your home.”
I loved how he remembered those little things. Rising from my chair, I walked over and straddled him, dropping kisses to his cheeks, his lips, and his neck, eventually nipping at the pulse on his skin.
“I just want to bite you.”
“Why?” Amusement gleamed in his eyes.
“Because you’re absolutely adorable and hot. I can’t stop imagining all the scenarios we could roleplay in bed with you as the thief, carpenter, and business entrepreneur.”
“And your teacher.” He smirked and slapped my ass.
“Yes, Mr. Reimann. How could I forget? Please don’t deduct points from my grade.”
His phone rang, and he glanced at the number, then picked it up. “What’s happened?”
He listened to the person and looked at me. Something twisted in my stomach.
“Send me the details of what you have. Okay. Thank you.” He hung up,tapped his phone to check something, and placed it down on the table.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Carlos was found dead in an alley downtown.”
“Like The Condor?”
Orion nodded. “Carlos was supposed to give me a list of people’s names, but someone got to him quickly.”
My phone rang, and my body jerked. A knot formed in my stomach. “Hi, Mamá .”
“Elena, there’s been a fire at the house.”
Nausea rose in me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Shaken, but I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
How could I not worry? With Uncle Carlos’s recent death, I wondered if the fire was related to his death. What if the people who had killed him went after my mom, thinking she was important to him? Thinking she had what they wanted?
My mind raced with a hundred awful scenarios.
Mom’s house was old, but everything was to code. She was usually careful with the stove, so what could have caused the fire?
I looked over at Orion, who wore an impassive expression.
“I’ll be on my way,” I said, trying not to let fear blind me from thinking clearly. “You can stay here with me.”
“No, sweetie. Reid has a furnished apartment I can use until the house is repaired. It’s on the same street as Wild Roots, which will make it easier to volunteer. I’ll stay there until repairs are done. The entire back porch and storage are gone. The family albums in storage are gone...,” she choked.
“I have copies of some pictures stored on my computer. Don’t worry, I’ll make you new albums.” I could only imagine the fear and sense of loss my mother was experiencing.
“Okay. Thank you, sweetie. I’ve got to go now. The detective wants to speak to me.”
“I’m heading over.” I rose from the chair and looked at Orion who was already standing beside me.
“Everything okay?” His calm voice comforted me immediately.
“There’s been a fire at my mom’s house.”