by Lisa Bilbrey
Elle hobbled over to her and placed her hand under her chin, tilting her head upward. “And you’re not. We told you that you’re welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. And the same will go at the office.” Elle sighed. “Look, I know how scary it is. You’re always afraid that Dex will be around the next corner, or that he’ll jump out of the shadows at you. I feel like that, too.”
“You do?”
Elle nodded. “Every day.”
“My brother cried,” Lucia whispered. “After you were shot, when they weren’t sure if you were going to survive the surgery, he cried. I’d never seen Derek cry before, Elle, but he was sitting there in the waiting room with Sadie in one arm and Callum in the other. The three of them were just … All they were concerned about was you.” Lucia paused, her lips trembling as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I want to be loved like that. I want … I want someone who looks at me and feels like their hearts are going to burst out of their chest if I leave.”
“You’ll find him,” Elle assured her. “When you’re ready.”
“How will I know if I’m ready?”
With a shake of her head, Elle smiled as she slowly led her future sister-in-law downstairs. “You won’t. Not until you find yourself standing in front of him.”
“You make it sound easy,” she groused.
“It’s not. Believe me, it’s not.” Elle walked over to the small table next to the front door and picked up her briefcase. “Now, are you coming or staying?”
Lucia pursed her lips together for a moment before saying, “Coming.”
Elle smiled wider. “Good. I really didn’t want to have to explain to Derek why I left you here alone. He’s a little protective of you, in case you hadn’t realized.”
“Oh, I realized,” Lucia laughed, quietly. “He always has been. Says it’s his brotherly duty.”
—FA—
Elle could feel Lucia shaking as the two women walked into the building. She wanted to reassure the fragile woman that nobody was going to hurt her, but she couldn’t guarantee that she’d be safe. The world was full of psychos, crazy bastards who felt they had the right to take what, or who, they wanted.
Placing her hand on Lucia’s elbow, she directed her toward the elevator, where they waited with a half-dozen guys who worked in accounting. Elle had only met them a few times, but they had never been anything less than professional with her. However, when the doors to the elevator slid open and they waved her and Lucia in first, Elle smiled and said, “We’ll take the next one.”
Though it seemed like they may argue with her, the men stepped inside and they were left waiting.
“Thank you,” Lucia murmured. “No way I could handle being in there with all of them.”
“You’re welcome.”
A few minutes later, the elevator returned for them, and they were able to make it up their floor. Greta was seated behind her desk, the phone pressed against her ear and an annoyed expression on her face. The woman had the patience of a saint, but Monday mornings were always busy, especially for her. Elle often wondered if they needed to hire someone to help, but didn’t want to make the suggestion. What if Greta thought Elle didn’t have confidence in her work? The woman was invaluable to the firm.
Derek and Callum were already in the office when Elle and Lucia arrived, but Sadie wasn’t there, which automatically had her shoulders tensing. She’d had an early meeting with a couple who was looking for someone to redecorate their home, but Elle didn’t like it when Sadie went to these meeting on her own. Especially seeing as she was six months pregnant.
“Hey, Luc,” Derek said, rushing over and embracing his baby sister. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she mumbled, pushing him away.
Elle knew she wasn’t trying to hurt him, just that she wasn’t one to want to be fussed over, but the look of pain that filled Derek’s eyes gutted her. He had been so worried about her; maybe too worried about her.
“Have you heard from Sadie?” Elle asked, dropping her briefcase on her desk.
“Um, yeah, she called about ten minutes ago and said she was heading here now,” Callum said, placing his hand on Derek’s shoulder, trying in his own little way to reassure their lover that his sister was okay. “Said the meeting went great, and they’ve agreed to her plans.”
“Nice.” Elle gathered the handful of folders on her desk and looked up at Lucia. “Come on, I’ll show you where the scanner is.”
Lucia nodded and followed Elle out of the room, down the hallway, and into the file room. Elle motioned Lucia to have a seat in front of the computer that sat on the large, wooden desk. Next to it was a small, scanner.
Elle opened the program and signed in with her user name and account number. “Okay, so what you do is slide the documents in upside down and facing the back of the machine. If you don’t, they’re scanned wrong and are a pain in the ass to correct. Then, you will be prompted on where to send the scan. I’ve logged into my account, so you can just add them to the folders that go with what you’re scanning: receipts, invoices, etc. Any questions?”
Lucia shook her head. “Seems easy enough.”
“If you have any questions, you can come to the office, or call me on my cell.” Elle paused. “Or Derek.”
Lucia sighed.
“He doesn’t mean to overwhelm you. You do know that, right?”
“Of course I do,” she said, shifting and looking up at Elle. “Growing up, we’ve never been like this. I mean, we’re not the mushy, hugging, talking about our feelings kind of brother and sister. He’s always picked on me, calling me a freak for dying my hair blue, or liking Bon Jovi.”
“Whoa!” Elle exclaimed. “He doesn’t like Bon Jovi?”
Lucia laughed. “I don’t know. It’s just the kind of thing he’d give me shit about. I just don’t want him to treat me like I’m this pathetic little girl whose boyfriend beats her ass. I need him to treat me like the bratty sister he’s always seen me as. Does that make sense?”
Elle smiled and nodded. “Complete sense. Now get to work. I have about three boxes of documents for you to scan.”
“Yay, me,” she mocked but turned back to the computer and began scanning. “Thanks, Elle,” she murmured without looking at her. “For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Elle hurried back to the office, finding Derek pacing back and forth just inside the door, a look of worry still etched on his face. He started to speak, but she placed her finger over his lips, which caused him to smile. “Leave her alone.”
“What?” he muttered against her finger.
Sighing, Elle dropped her hand to her side. “You are driving that girl crazy, Der. She’s overwhelmed, tired, embarrassed, and trying really hard to get some control over her life. So leave her alone.”
“But …” He huffed. “She needed me, Elle, and I wasn’t there.”
“None of us were because we didn’t know she was in trouble. That’s something she’s struggling with, letting us all in.”
“She lets you in,” Callum argued from his desk, and when they looked at him, he added, “She talks to you.”
Elle nodded. “Because I understand what she’s feeling, having been in her shoes.”
“Do you still feel like that?” he asked, averting his eyes from them. “After Trixie, I mean.”
Elle inhaled a sharp breath. “More than ever.”
“And do you feel like we’re overwhelming you?” he asked, coyly.
She smiled. “All the time, especially in bed. Good thing I love every minute of it.”
“Good for all of us,” Callum laughed, quietly.
Elle settled at her drafting board and unrolled the plans she’d been drafting for the Wes and Amanda Anderson. Callum and Derek had spent almost two years on their account, trying to accommodate their request, while keeping within the guidelines the zoning laws the city had in place. They’d grown frustrated and were ready to let the account go, but Elle wanted to give it one last try. T
hey were scheduled to come in after lunch, where she’d present her plans and she was nervous. They would be the first clients she’d worked directly with since construction started on Alvarez Park, which was barely halfway complete.
“Oh, shit, shit, shit,” Sadie muttered, rushing into their office and slamming the door shut behind her. She leaned against the thick, hardwood and took a deep breath before looking over at Derek, who was halfway out of his seat. “Your parents are here.”
“Huh?” he asked.
“Your mother and your father are here,” Sadie snarled. “They walked into the building just as I was getting on the elevator.”
“But why?” Derek asked, confused.
“Why the fuck do you think? Sadie groused. “Lucia. They must have found out she’s with us, but they’re here, Derek. They’re here!”
“Okay, honey, calm down,” Callum said, rushing over to her and wrapping his arm around her waist “You all right?”
“Yeah, I just ran down here. My back hurts now,” Sadie whined and placed her hand on her ever-expanding belly.
Callum smiled as he led her over to her desk and helped her sit. Elle grabbed her cane and stood up, rushing across their office and out into the hallway. She’d hoped to get to Lucia before Felicia and Carlos, but her future in-laws were already walking down the hallway toward their office with Greta.
“Elle, sweetheart,” Felicia called out, but instead of responding, Elle turned and hobbled down the hallway and into the file room, causing Lucia to snap her head back and look at her with fright.
“What is it? Is it Dex? Did he find me?” Lucia whimpered, scrambling to her feet.
“No,” Elle replied, reaching out for her. “It’s your parents.”
Lucia’s eyes flew open. “What?” she barely whispered.
“They’re here, sweetie.”
“Elle, I can’t —” But before the words were out of her mouth, someone knocked on the door behind them, and they both froze.
“Lucia,” Felicia called. “We know you’re in there, mija.”
“Fuck,” she muttered before motioning for Elle to move, which she did. Lucia opened the door and they found themselves face to face with her parents. “Ma, Pop, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, my sweet mija, we’re here for you. We know what that monster did to you,” Felicia cooed, reaching for her daughter, who immediately began to weep.
Elle bit her lip, feeling uncomfortable witnessing their reunion. Carlos had a frown on his face as he leaned against the doorjamb, watching his wife and daughter crying together. He was a man of few words, but he’d given them his blessing, saying that all he wanted was for his children to be happy, and Derek was happy with her, Sadie, and Callum.
Samuel, Greta, Sadie, Callum, and Derek were standing in the hallway behind Carlos, clearly unsure of what was about to go down. Elle wanted to believe that once again Carlos and Felicia would be more concerned about their daughter’s happiness than angry that she’d stayed with a man who abused her, but she wasn’t sure.
“Mija, why didn’t you come to us?” Felicia finally asked, the sadness in her words hitting Elle like a brick.
“I couldn’t,” Lucia whispered.
“Of course you could have,” Felicia insisted.
“No, I couldn’t,” Lucia said again. “You always talk about how I date losers, how I always go for deadbeats instead of good boys. How could I look you in the eyes and tell you that you were right?”
Felicia frowned. “Oh, mija, you can always tell me anything.”
“Not this,” Lucia murmured.
“Especially this,” Carlos said, drawing his daughter’s attention to him. “Your mother and I would have been there as fast as we could.”
“I know, which is why I didn’t tell you, Pop. You would have killed him.”
“Still might,” Carlos argued.
“Yeah, because that will help me,” Lucia scoffed. “Always wanted my father to go to prison for murder.”
“Pshh, I can get away with it,” Carlos chuckled. “I know people.”
“No, you don’t,” Lucia and Felicia said together.
“Okay, maybe I don’t,” Carlos admitted, turning serious. “You still should have come home, honey.”
Lucia ducked her head down, and Elle knew she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. “I didn’t want you to see me like that.”
“Like what, mija?” Felicia asked, placing her hand on Lucia’s shoulder, but the woman shrugged it off.
“Broken. Bruised,” she whimpered. “All I wanted was to hide and … just not be Lucia Flores, the screw-up. I couldn’t be her if I went running home to mommy and daddy.”
“So you came here, instead.” Though she wasn’t asking exactly, Felicia’s statement came out sounding accusatory. Almost hurt that her daughter had come running to her brother for comfort rather than letting herself find her strength in the arms of her mother.
Lucia sighed, but didn’t offer a response. Elle understood, of course. After Leo attacked her, she hadn’t wanted her parents to see her bruised and battered.
“She was ashamed,” Elle murmured, drawing the attention of everyone to her. Fidgeting with the top of her cane, she shook her head. “She told herself she had to have done something to deserve it. She smiled at the wrong person, said the wrong thing. She wasn’t good enough, and he made sure she knew it. She was embarrassed that she allowed herself to be beaten down and treated like trash, discarded like she was nothing. Because to him, she was nothing.”
Elle blinked back her tears. “But she’s so much more than nothing. She’s beautiful and smart, and she got out. She left and came to us because she knew we wouldn’t judge her.”
“And we would?” Carlos asked, the hurt in his voice evident. “Have we ever judged you, Elle?”
She shook her head. “No, but you’re her daddy, Carlos. If she’d shown up on your doorstep with bruises and a busted lip, would you have been able to stop yourself from hunting Dex down and making him pay for hurting your little girl?”
“Probably not,” he admitted. “But I would never have blamed her.”
“But you did, Pop,” Lucia argued. “I never went out with good boys, remember? Just losers. And because I don’t want to go to college like Derek did, that meant I didn’t have any direction in life. I want to sing, to be a star. That’s what I want!”
“I just want you to be happy, Lucia,” Carlos groused. “Is that so wrong?”
“Of course it’s not,” Felicia replied, placing her hand on Lucia’s elbow. “Now, we can discuss all of this when we get home.”
“Home?” Lucia asked, once more pulling away from her mother. “I’m not going back to Arizona with you.”
“Yes, you are, mija.”
“No, Ma, I’m not,” Lucia snapped. “I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“Well, you’re acting like one!” she quipped. “You can’t live with them, not with a baby coming. And you don’t have a job, no way of supporting yourself.”
“Sure she does.” As the words stumbled out of Samuel’s mouth, everyone turned and looked at him, causing his eyes to widen. “She’s working here. For me.”
“I am?” Lucia asked at the same time Felicia said, “She is?”
Samuel smiled, sheepishly. “Yeah. I mean, we can use the help. Greta’s doing the work of three people, right?” He said, turning to the older woman standing to his left.
She nodded furiously. “I could use the help. Someone to answer phones, help with the filing. My knees and back can’t do it anymore. She’s young and spry. I’ll put her to work.”
Lucia smiled. “See, Ma. I’m needed here.”
Felicia sighed.
“Ma, please. It’s time for me to grow up. San Francisco could be a new start for me, somewhere fresh!”
“Okay,” Felicia agreed with a huff. “But I will be checking on you. No more of this not talking crap. You’re my daughter, Lucia, and I won’t let you push me awa
y. Pop and I will never stop loving you, no matter what. Understood?”
“Yeah, Ma, I understand.” Lucia wrapped her arms around her mother and father. “I’m sorry.”
“So are we,” Carlos said, kissing the top of her head. “But if I get my hands on that son-of-a-bitch, I’ll kill him. That’s a promise.”
Somehow Elle didn’t doubt one bit that Carlos would keep his word, which made her wonder about her own father. Would James Reid fight to the death to protect her?
Eight
Elle sat nervously in the conference room with Sadie, Derek, Callum, and to her surprise, Samuel. After hearing about her plans to present new blueprints to Wes and Amanda Anderson, he’d insisted on sitting in on the meeting. Elle wanted to believe that he was just curious about what she’d come up with to meet the couples wants and needs, but a part of her wondered if Samuel didn’t have a different agenda all together. Perhaps he just didn’t trust her any more.
After a few minutes of waiting, the door to the conference room opened and Greta led Wes and Amanda Anderson into the room. The Andersons were a charming couple. Both had attended UCLA on basketball scholarships, but had retired during their senior year due to injuries. They’d met in rehab, from what they told Elle, and had fallen passionately in love at first sight.
They’d been married for almost five years and were hoping to adopt their first child in the next year.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson.” Elle offered them her hand as she stood up.
“Please, we’ve asked you to call us Wes and Amanda.” Wes wrapped his fingers around her hand, giving her a friendly smile. “We insist.”
“Okay, sorry. I will try to remember.” Elle gave in with a laugh. “Please have a seat.”
“Thank you,” Amanda chirped, brushing her long, silky blonde hair over her shoulder before gracefully sitting in the chair across from Sadie. It was hard to believe the five-foot-eight woman was once considered one of the best college basketball players in the country before blowing out her knee.
“We’re excited to see what you’ve created for us,” Amanda added, smiling. “We were concerned that we’d have to take our business elsewhere.” She paused as she looked at Callum and Derek. “Not because you didn’t try. It’s just that this house will be where we raise our family, and we want it perfect.”
