Chapter 8

Raya

"Kathy, I don't have long to talk. Orion is picking me up this morning," I said as I finished applying my makeup.

"Why is he driving you to work?" she asked.

I puckered and blotted my lips until there was just a trace of lipstick remaining. "Last night he said that there was a meeting I needed to attend after work with him, so it only made sense for us to drive in together as well."

"Hmm. I could be reading too much into it, but I have a feeling he is coming up with excuses to spend time alone with you."

I grabbed my phone off the sink counter so I could look directly at her. Thank goodness for Facetime. "Listen here. He is my boss. He is not interested in me. All he wants and thinks about is productivity and job performance. Trust me. This is purely business."

"You went out to dinner with him last night. How much business did you guys talk?" she asked.

That wasn't a fair question. "We were supposed to talk business, but Reesa gave instructions that we couldn't."

"And yet you still went. I find that odd. If you didn't talk about work, then what did you talk about?"

"His house. He's moving and offered to rent it to me. I guess he will be taking me to see it tonight after our meeting." Immediately, I regretted sharing that with her. Her expression was enough to tell me she once again was jumping to the wrong conclusions. "Don't even say it," I warned her.

"Apparently, I don't have to. You're thinking it yourself." Her smile was one of victory.

Don't know what you think you won. He's still my boss.

"I'm hoping that his house will work for me and Joey. He was telling me all about it. Three bedrooms, a large kitchen and living room, and a yard. And the best part is the location. I will only be fifteen minutes away from the school," I said.

"Great. Fifteen minutes from school, but more than ten hours away from your best friend. It was bad enough when you left, but now Joey too. This...sucks," she said. "I know why you're doing it, but it sucks."

It would be easier if I could tell Kathy when Joey and I would see her again, but I had no idea myself. If things worked out with the job like I hoped they would, then I most likely wouldn't be back in the States for a couple of years, maybe more. I didn't want to move Joey around too much, but when it was time for him to attend college, I had a few that I had picked out for him. All were in the States.

"Kathy, I know it's hard. I hate it too. Maybe you will be able to come and visit us on your vacation. And if not, then I promise, as soon as we can, we will be back to see you," I said, not able to commit to anything more than that.

"You will probably find some sexy Tabiqian man, fall in love, and never come back to the US. You'll forget all about me," she sighed.

I laughed. "First of all, you know that you'd hunt my ass down if I didn't even call you every day, never mind forget you. Secondly, I'm not looking for a man, sexy or not. You know how I feel about dating."

"Yeah. You're not going to date until Joey is eighteen because you don't want to bring men into and out of his life. I get it. But come on, Raya. There is a huge difference between dating someone, and them having a relationship with your son. Heck, you don't even need to tell them about Joey. They never need to meet. You just need to...well you know, clear the cobwebs out."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going there with you. Especially not when I am about to leave for work," I reminded her.

A smile crossed her face. "Oh yes. You don't want to be late for your boss."

"Good night, Kathy. Tell Joey I will call him tomorrow before he goes to school," I said.

"Have a great day, Raya. And don't worry. I'm keeping him busy."

"I heard. Just remember to feed him something other than pizza and burgers. There are five food groups," I reminded her.

"Sure, there are. Pizza. Chocolate. Ice cream. Cookies. Chips."

She was impossible, but that is what I get for doubting her ability to care for Joey. Just as annoying as when Orion doubts me. "Sorry. I know you got this."

"Of course you do. If you didn't, then you never would've entrusted him with me. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Before she ended the video call, she quickly added, "Don't forget to check out his bedroom on your tour tonight."

She was still laughing when it disconnected.

I might love Kathy, but no way was she going to meet Orion. If they spoke, I probably wouldn't have a job after.

One last look at my watch and I knew it was time to head down to the lobby. Orion was going to arrive any moment and I didn't want to keep him waiting. Grabbing my laptop bag and my purse, I went to start my day.

As expected, he showed up exactly on time. It was a trait I respected because I lived by a schedule. There wasn't much time to waste.

"Good morning. Want to tell me about the meeting we're going to after work?" I asked as we headed to the school.

"It's...confidential," he replied.

I looked at him puzzled. "Meaning you don't know either? Or is this just something I can't know?" His reaction was enough of an answer. He was keeping it a secret from me. But why? What kind of meeting is top secret?

"It's...complicated. Just trust me. When we leave work, I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Okay." What choice do I have? Even if I begged, I knew he wasn't going to tell me anything.

"I won't be available to meet during lunch today either. But if something urgent comes up, just call me," he said.

"Orion, whatever comes up, can wait until later."

He shot me a look and said, "You should've called me about the fights."

"And as I told you before, there was no need. Sometimes children need to think things through themselves. It's more powerful than us telling them. And I was happy with the results. A lesson learned for them, and me," I admitted.

"You definitely do things differently than I did. It's not a bad thing but it's going to take some getting used to," he said.

"Like the students. They are getting used to you not being there. We are all adjusting to something new. It takes time and patience." And hell of a lot of work.

"I've heard from a few parents. They had concerns, but oddly enough, it was the students who calmed their nerves. Looks like whatever you're doing, you are winning over their trust. In less than a week, I'd say that is one hell of an accomplishment. It took me a lot longer," he stated.

"You paved the way for me. It's not like I am recreating the wheel. Just making a few changes that make things...easier for me to manage. I'm sure you'll do the same with your new job, whatever that is," I said.

"Yes, there are changes that I would like to see as well."

That wasn't much, but he had been very evasive whenever I asked about his job. I was surprised he even told me that he was moving to be closer to work. That must've killed him to share. Orion was a closed book. Funny that he asked questions, just didn't answer any.

A typical Tabiqian man.

Kathy had no idea what they were like. They were always right. Very controlling. Nothing I was looking for. Of course, I married an American man and he totally sucked. He was a liar, a cheater, and didn't care about family at all. So, my track record with men wasn't too good. Some people were meant to be single, and I was sure I was one of them.

Better alone than with the wrong person again.

We pulled up in front of the school. It was still early and only a few teachers were there. I didn't need to go right in, but for the first time, I thought about how my getting out of his SUV might look.

"I better get inside. I'll see you after work," I said, opening the door.

Before I closed it, he said, "Don't forget, after the meeting, we'll go to my house."

I nodded but just the way he said the words, ‘my house', made it feel...personal. Could Kathy be right? Had I missed the signs? Did Orion...like me? I mean, I know I liked him. Not that it changed the fact that he was my boss. Or maybe that word was incorrect. To tell the truth, I didn't really know what he was. Maybe my trainer or...consultant if I needed help?

Maybe that is a question I should ask Reesa and not Orion. I had a feeling I'd receive a clearer response from her. But if she said he wasn't my boss, did that really change anything? I mean, I still have Joey to think about. And goodness knows that people in Tabiq would have rumors flying around on how I got the job if we did start dating.

No. Whatever his role is in my life, it wasn't going to be anything more than what it is now.

No matter how much I wished otherwise.

As I entered the school and walked to my office, I realized that I had let Kathy get into my head. That explained why I was having these crazy thoughts about Orion and me. All her talk about cleaning my cobwebs had my mind going in directions that they normally wouldn't. I had the entire school day to purge such thoughts from my mind and focus on what I was hired for. And lusting after Orion, definitely wasn't it.

When I got into my office, I closed the door and flopped down in my chair. Although I understood why Orion gave me the ride to work, it would've been a lot less stressful if I had driven myself.

Before I could even pull my laptop out of the bag, there was a knock on the door. Was it Orion? Had he forgotten to tell me something that couldn't wait until after work? I mean, Kathy did say it appeared as though he was making up excuses to see me.

I got up and walked to the door. Sure enough, when I opened it, Orion was standing there. I hate it when you're right, Kathy. "Orion, I thought we already discussed this. You weren't coming in today."

"I hadn't planned on it, but I had no choice," he said.

"Of course you did. You could've texted or called me with whatever you forgot to say," I said, crossing my arms.

"I did call. And you didn't answer. Want to guess why?"

Not really. Oh my God, was I that lost thinking about him that I didn't hear my phone?

"I didn't hear my phone ring," I said.

"But I did." His hand came out from behind his back, and he held up my purse. "I was calling to tell you that you left your purse on the seat when you got out so suddenly. But surprise, your phone was inside. I figured you were going to need it at some point today."

I reached out and took it from him. "Thank you. You're right. I do need my phone, just in case Joey needs to reach me."

"Or if you needed to reach me," he said, in a tone that seemed out of place. Almost like he was frustrated.

My forgetting my purse was an accident. He surely didn't think I'd done that on purpose, did he?

"Of course. But I'm sure there are teachers who would've been kind enough to let me use theirs if I needed to reach you urgently," I replied.

Hopefully, that removed any doubt he may have.

"I guess I better get going now unless you need me for anything."

What I need, I can't have. I might be wrong. Had I totally misjudged Tabiqian men? It's how I remembered them growing up. But I saw something different in him. Orion might have a tough aura, but I had gotten to see a much softer side of him. A side that drew me closer to him. I wanted to blurt out an excuse to have him stay, and I knew it would be very easy to do so. Just looking in his eyes, I could tell he wouldn't refuse my request. But I couldn't follow what my heart was pleading with me to do. It wasn't fair to either of us to start something that we couldn't finish. And stopping would be more painful than never having. Shaking my head, I replied, "I have everything I need now. Thanks again for bringing it to me."

"You're welcome." He turned and left my office.

I closed the door and sat back down. His manly scent still lingered in the air. This wasn't about Kathy. And it wasn't about Orion. I was attracted to him, and there was no point in lying to myself about it anymore. Hopefully, I could hide it from everyone else. The last thing I needed was to be part of the rumor mill because I couldn't control my hormones.

When I thought about returning to Tabiq, I was filled with concerns. Never did I see this as one of the issues I might face. But out of them all, at least this one I could control.