Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba

bottle from
his hands.
    “ Nuh—uh, ain’t going to
happen!”
    “ What, are you my wife or
what?”
    “ You had enough and you
can’t crash on my sofa. As a matter of fact, let me have these.”
She took his car keys from the little table he placed them on when
he entered and put them in her jeans pocket. “Here, problem
solved.”
    “ And how am I supposed to
get home, Miss I-know-everything?”
    “ Your mocking doesn’t faze
me; I’ll get you a cab.” She reached for the phone, but he stopped
her.
    “ Wait, I’m not done
talking.”
    “ But I am. It’s getting
late. I had a disaster of a week, thanks to you, so let’s wrap up
for tonight.”
    “ I know and I’ll try to
make it fast. I need you in the office Monday morning.”
    Tessa didn’t think she
could take more surprises. One rollercoaster ride per night was
more than sufficient.
    “ We’re starting
negotiations with R.O.C.A., you know, the French supermarket chain.
They came to make us an offer. I want you to be part of the
team.”
    “ And what is our CEO going
to say? Or Santinelli for that matter?”
    “ Well, I told them I
couldn’t finalize such a deal without you. I either have you back
or the deal is off. The investigation has to wait until the
negotiations are over.”
    Tessa shook her head. She
drew in a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, “There is no
turning back for me, Victor. I spent the last ten years in your
company, learning all I could and giving more than I had to give. I
can’t face anyone there, not after what happened. I have no
regrets, but it’s time to leave. Things happen for a reason, and
I’ve arrived at a point where I need to rethink what I want to do
with my life.”
    “ If you don’t want to come
back for the company, could you at least do it for me?” Victor’s
eyes searched her face for an indication of how to take this; he
became nervous when he realized she meant every single
word.
    “ Please, Victor, don’t make
this more uncomfortable than it already is. I’m not
coming.”
    He bowed his head and
clenched his jaw, then walked towards the door. Before he left her
apartment he turned to face her one more time.
    “ I think I’m too old for
this…I really need your help…I’m asking you as a friend, not as
your boss, please think about it.”
     
    ***
     
    Waiting for a cab down the
street from Tessa’s apartment, Victor placed a call. After the
second ring, a strong male voice answered.
    “ Santinelli
speaking.”
    “ Hi, Alessandro. Just
wanted to give you the heads up. She’s not coming back.”
    “ Did she say
why?”
    “ I guess she is ashamed to
face everyone.”
    “ What about the investor’s
agent, will he negotiate with us?”
    “ I doubt it. The old fart
said Tessa is the only person he’d talk to.”
    “ You don’t like
him.”
    “ No, not when he drools
over her like a dog in heat.”
    “ Well then, we need to
convince her somehow.”
     

Chapter 5
     
    Saturday morning Tessa woke up feeling no better than the
night before. Maybe a good workout would cheer her up. She went to
the gym located in the same building where her office—actually
former office—used to be, but she hoped she wouldn’t meet any of
her co-workers; nobody should be there anyway. Her membership was
up in a few months, and she really liked the classes and trainers,
the modern equipment and the large swimming pool. She decided to
continue using the gym until at least she found another one she
liked in a different location.
    Tessa drove to the sports
center and parked her car. She went to the locker room, changed
into her swimsuit and entered the pool area. It seemed deserted
with only one other swimmer. She jumped in the pool and started
swimming laps. She aimed for fifty laps without stopping. She paced
her stroke at first at an easy tempo, and then began picking up the
speed. She swam one direction when the other swimmer—she decided it
was a he—would swim the opposite, and when he