I grit my teeth. “You have never been a bad girl. Your mother wasn’t mad at you. She was upset with Daddy. Princess, I’m so sorry, Mommy’s not coming back. She was hurt and had to go with the angels to live with them. It’s now just you and me.”
“Oh…” She pauses and I can see her thinking. I hold my breath. “Like Ralphie?”
Ralphie was my and my brother’s hound. He died two years ago. It was the first time I had to explain death to my little girl. She cried for about two weeks.
“Yes, like Ralphie.”
Her eyes become sad and she looks down into her lap. “You won’t go with the angels, will you? I don’t want you to leave me.”
I tighten my embrace on her. “Baby, no, I’m not going anywhere. I plan to be in your life for a very, very long time.”
“That’s good. What about Lizzy? Is she going away too?”
“No, not if I can help it. I think we need her.”
“Yeah, I think so too. She’s magic. When she’s around, everything is better. She makes me happy.”
Damnit, Gio.
I kiss Bella’s forehead. “And that’s all I want.”
Chapter 13
What Did I Miss
Lizzy
I never thought I would say I’m happy to be back at work. Nyla insisted I unplug during the small break. No phone, no social media, no TV. The only thing I was allowed to do was read and game a bit. Not that I would have done much of anything else.
However, I wanted to get out of the house. I love my family, but I have my limits. Listening to Dad’s dry-ass jokes can only last but for so long before you’re ready to put a gun to your head and pray for forgiveness.
I step off the elevator at work with a sigh. Finally, a place where I can be quiet and fade into the background. I think that’s why I love it here. I can come out of my shell when I want to, but it doesn’t have to be often because I’m not always needed.
“Hey, Lizzy. I wasn’t expecting to see you here today,” one of the interns says. Peter, that’s his name.
“Why not?”
“Well, for starters, I saw your position pinned to the board. I thought your channel blew up during the vacation and you were finally leaving us commoners behind.”
I cringe at his acknowledgment of my channel. I’m not embarrassed by my following. However, I’m still getting used to people recognizing me.
I remember when it was only Nyla and I playing for hours. I had been doing what I love. I wasn’t ready for the fame that came along with it.
“Wait, my position has been posted? That must be some type of mistake,” I say, opening my emails to see if I was fired or something and missed it.
Surely not, Gio would have called me himself. Dante may be my boss for all outward appearances. However, Gio is my real boss. My directives come from him. All my promotions in the company over the years have come from him.
There have only been two before I was placed as Dante’s third assistant. While I was honest with Dante about why I wouldn’t want to apply for a promotion, the real reason is that Gio hasn’t told me to do so.
Suddenly Gio’s words come back to me. Everything is about to change. Now is when I need you.
Peter reaches to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, I sort of brushed up my resume and was going to apply. I think it would be pretty cool to tell my friends I took over Izzy Gunz old job and I get to sit in her seat every day.”
I can’t help gawking at him. No way he’s serious. My phone vibrates in my hand, pulling my attention.
It’s Gio. I start to freak out. He wants me to meet him in his office.
“Do you have plans for the Christmas holiday? I can’t imagine things are going to be too festive around here.”
I look up at Peter with my brows drawn. He tends to ramble a lot, and most times, I zone out. I try really hard not to do that to people, but sometimes I give up. Peter is one of those people I’ve given up on. He takes too long to make a point and he’s honestly weirder than I am.
“Why wouldn’t things be festive around here?”
His eyes widen and he looks at me as if I’m crazy. He goes to lean in. On instinct, I draw back and clench my fist.
He purses his lips but starts to whisper anyway. “Wow, you must have been gaming the entire break. I know you zone out. I guess that’s why you’re so good. So, I guess you didn’t hear about the boss’s wife?”
“No, what about her?”
“For some reason, they’re keeping it hush-hush, but she was killed over the holiday. Someone ran her car off the road. When I saw your position was vacant, I thought you were quitting because of your channel, if not, then because of the scandal.”