Two sharp raps on Armando’s office door broke the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped the room, leaving her questions shimmering in the air, unanswered.
Armando shot to his feet. “Yes?”
Lily appeared in the open door. “I’m headed out for...” Her words shifted into a shocked intake of breath.
“My f-f-f-files,” she sputtered. “What have you done?” The volume of her speech increased as her tone shifted from shock to outrage. “This is a disaster! It will take me hours to organize this mess! How could you do this to my files?”
Armando’s brown eyes blackened, and his expression hardened. The avuncular gentleman was gone, replaced with someone fiercely serious, almost deadly.
“This ismyoffice, and these aremyfiles. I will do whatever I want with them. You work for me. If you would like to continue doing so, you will go back to your desk, pack up, and go home.”
Lily backed away from the door, eyes wide, hands trembling.
Armando called after her. “Mr. Moresco will be stopping by during our staff meeting tomorrow. Make sure you pick up the cinnamon buns he likes from Giovanni’s on your way into the office.”
Lily nodded, then dashed away.
Armando whirled to face Rosemary, pointing. “And you. Pack up and leave for your vacation. Now.”
What the hell was happening? She’d never seen Armando this angry, and there was no reason she could think of as to why he should be mad at her. He couldn’t still be upset about her reviewing the Penrose warehouse files. If she hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t have discovered the invoice issue. Mr. Moresco would be thrilled they’d identified the problem. Armando would look like a hero. Yet instead of being grateful, he seemed furious and was arguing with Dante about some secret Davis knew but had certainly never shared with her.
Her eyes were blurry, and she had a pounding headache. The fuel from the lunchtime snacks had run out hours ago. If Armando wanted her gone, she was more than happy to oblige.
She rose, legs achy from nerves and too many hours on the hard floor. Dante sprang up from the couch and slid a firm, supportive hand under her forearm, grounding her. The energyin the room had turned cold, so Dante’s warm, friendly hand was most welcome.
He guided her into the hallway toward the metal door that led to the basement. “Come downstairs with me. I want to refresh your computer while you’re gone, so I’m going to give you a loaner laptop to take with you. It’ll just take me a few minutes to set up. Let’s swing by my desk and grab it.”
She hadn’t planned on bringing a computer with her. On a good day, cell service and Wi-Fi were spotty at Ricketts Glen. On a bad day, they were nonexistent, but she didn’t have the energy to argue. She’d keep an eye on her email from her phone the best she could, and if she needed to log on for something, she’d cross that bridge then.
She glanced down at her smartwatch.Ugh.It was already after 6:00 p.m. She and Aleksei had agreed to meet at the park office at 9:00 p.m. If he was really planning on meeting her, he’d have already left. If she didn’t get her ass in gear, he’d get there before her. She still needed to go home to pack the car and get Thor. If Thor didn’t take to Aleksei, or if Thor and Jaka didn’t get along, she’d take it as a sign from the universe that she’d been meant to take the trip alone. But if she didn’t grab dinner first, she was going to faint.
Relax, my little one. Just relax.Her mother’s voice lilted through her overtired mind.
She closed her eyes, visualized the tranquil sandy beach at the lake at Ricketts Glen, then released a long, slow, cleansing breath. She’d get there when she’d get there, and Aleksei’s choices were his own. She’d leave her vacation in the hands of the Fates.
They would spin, measure, and cut as they pleased.
Chapter Thirteen
Melancholy guitar notes and Zach Bryan’s deep twang filled his ears as Aleksei flipped a perfectly browned blueberry pancake. Rosemary was going to be impressed. When he’d packed the pancake mix, he’d assumed his frying pan would be sitting atop his cast-iron over-fire grill, but Rosemary had rented one of the few modern cabins at the state park.
Cabin E. You’d think all the natural beauty of the park would inspire something a little more creative in terms of a cabin name. Despite its drab name, the cabin was beautiful. All wood planks, furnished with a stove, sink, and refrigerator. It even had a bathroom and a shower. Even though it had two bedrooms, he’d insisted on pitching his tent out front. Rosemary had seemed nervous last night, twisting her hands and looking at the ground instead of meeting his gaze as they’d chatted briefly. Then she’d pleaded exhaustion and retired for the night.
She’d offered multiple times for him to stay in the second bedroom but had seemed relieved when he insisted on sleeping in his tent. He told himself he shouldn’t be disappointed. He’d been thrilled but also surprised that she’d asked him to join heron this trip. Camping was a close-quarters kind of activity, and they hadn’t known each other very long. He was taking the fact that she had given him the extra cabin key as a sign that, despite her nerves, they were still in a good place.
Maybe she was just tired. She’d worked all day, and it was a long drive from Philly to Ricketts Glen. Or maybe her reticence was because they’d barely spoken over the weekend. Barely texted.
That was his fault. Zina’s house had been nuts. Good nuts. But still nuts. He didn’t remember having that many lessons, practices, and games when he was young. And the kids wanted him to go to everything. Everything. It wasn’t fair of him to assume that he and Rose would slip right back into familiar comfort and easy rapport.
You slipped into it pretty quickly on your first two dates.
And the calls and texts they had exchanged had been like those he’d had with his family and Phillipe. Easy. Even when they talked about hard things.
Her reticence could be due to Thor’s tepid response to his presence. The giant that looked more like a deer in a cow costume than a dog had taken to Jaka right away. The two dogs had immediately started chasing each other and wrestling. Thor seemed to know he was more than twice Jaka’s weight and was gentle in his play. Rosemary had explained that Thor was a Great Dane Dalmatian, a gentle and affectionate breed, but Thor had no interest in him. Every time he approached, the dog would turn his head and walk away. No barks or growls, just extreme indifference.
He hadn’t wanted to push his luck with a dog that, on his hind legs, was taller than Rosemary, so the tent was the best choice. Rosemary had promised to keep Thor in her room so he could use the cabin restroom if needed. Hopefully, Thor would warm up to him today. He had a feeling that, if the dog didn’taccept him, Rose would send him packing. Her love for the animal was evident. If Thor didn’t trust him, she wouldn’t either.
He slipped a pancake onto the pile he’d started on a platter and ladled more batter onto the frying pan. He hadn’t woken until after ten. Then, he’d showered at the shower house, dressed, and packed his backpack for their planned hike. At this point, the pancakes were going to be more lunch than breakfast. He was exhausted. He’d slept poorly the past few nights and had the same recurring nightmare. Even now, hours after he’d woken up in a cold sweat with Jaka licking his hand, the images still haunted him.