Page 18 of Knot My Boss

“Arek sent this over. He wasn’t sure if you had company or not, so he sent extra,” Declan states, finally acknowledging my question. His gaze falls on Fiora, and a large smile spreads across his lips.

“Hello,” Declan says in a charming and flirtatious voice. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Declan Palmer.” He holds his hand out for Fiora to shake.

“Fiora Valenhart,” she says sheepishly, quickly gripping his hand before releasing it as if she got burned. Declan gets a puzzled look on his face before giving his head a quick shake.

“Where’s Dayton?” Declan asks, changing the subject.

“She’s lying down, she isn’t feeling well,” Kyle responds, his concern evident.

“Hopefully this helps a little,” Declan volleys, offering Kyle a soft smile. “Well, I have to get back to Simmer Down. The place has been a madhouse all day.” Without a backward glance, he lets himself out of the house and leaves.

“These portions are massive,” Fiora states in awe.

“Kyle, go see if Dayton wants to join us or eat in bed,” I say, refusing to recognize the kindness of the delivered meal. “I will make up a plate for her.” While Arek gets credit for the kind gesture, this doesn’t let him off the hook whatsoever.

All of us are stuffed from consuming most of the obscene amount of food Arek sent over. Through the course of the evening, we hang out in the living room binge-watching our favorite holiday movies, each of us picking one. The snow has started to fall a little heavier, creating a beautiful aesthetic against all the decorative lights on the exterior of the houses in the neighborhood.

Dayton smothers another yawn, and Kyle declares it’s time for her to get some rest. We say our goodnights, and just before Fiora tries to escape, I grip her wrist, tugging her back down to the couch next to me. As soon as I know we are alone, I pounce.

“All right, I have given you time to settle in,” I say, turning slightly to face her, putting my back against the arm of the couch. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” she volleys, refusing to make eye contact with me.

“I know you,” I say flatly. “You confront people who piss you off. When I spoke to you last night, I could tell there is more to your story and why you want to escape Lancaster, besidesfinding out you are adopted.” I narrow my eyes at her, patiently waiting Fiora out as she squirms under my scrutiny.

“Fine,” she groans, adding an eye roll to punctuate her annoyance that I won’t let her blow me off. “As I told you, I came across my adoption certificate when I was helping my mom wrap gifts.” Fiora pauses, and I wait her out. If I rush her, she will spit out a very abridged version of events. I need the whole story in order to help her with whatever issue she is running from.

“When I took it out to my mom, who was making cookies, she waved me off. Mom is she still my mom?” she asks herself before shaking her head and continuing to speak as if the issue isn’t something she can deal with at the moment. “Anyway, Mom acted like it was no big deal. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, right?

“Trying to comprehend why it was this big secret, and then acting like me finding out and being upset was too difficult to understand, I bolted from the house. Somehow, I guess out of habit, I ended up at Dylan’s house.”

My nose wrinkles in disgust at the mention of that name. What Dylan and Sally Jo did to my friend is beyond despicable. Fiora nods at the look on my face before picking her story back up where she left off.

“Of course, Sally Jo was there.” Fiora rolls her eyes at that, and I feign a gagging motion in agreement. “I had arrived right after they did an early gift exchange of presents,” she sneers. She slumps, defeatedly, into the couch, pausing her story as if to collect her thoughts.

“The asshole had just proposed,” Fiora says, squeezing her eyes closed tightly, mentally envisioning the event again. “Sally Jo stuck her hand in my face as soon as she realized that I was there, flaunting the ring.”

“Good, they deserve each other,” I snark, causing Fiora’s lips to tip up in a smirk. “They, because I refuse to say their names,get to spend eternity, or until they get divorced, making each other miserable.”

Fiora takes a moment before her smirk converts to a soft smile. “Yeah.”

Cocking my head, I look at my friend. The only noise is the movie in the background.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, pushing her for the rest.

Fiora closes her eyes, her head tipping back to rest on the edge of the couch cushion.

“I’m not really sure,” she answers as her eyes remain closed. Boring a hole through the side of Fiora’s head, I will her to just spit out whatever she is holding back. When she remains silent, I push, unable to wait any longer.

“What do you mean, you aren’t sure?”

“My brother, Michael, was holding me. The pungent smell of burning wood surrounded us. Smudges of soot were all over his face.” Fiora is rambling, her words disjointed.

“I’m confused,” I voice, causing Fiora to roll her head toward me, her eyes opening to meet mine.

“Welcome to the club,” she says with a humorless laugh. “Anger, hurt, so many emotions flooded me that I sort of blacked out. I remember stumbling backward, wanting to leave. Home wasn’t an option, as I wasn’t ready to face my parents yet.”

“Okaaayyy,” I say, drawing out the word. Pieces of the puzzle are still missing. Either Fiora doesn’t want to give them to me, or she is blatantly holding them back.

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